April 2022 – Mat's Entertainment

‘Beneath the Banyan Tree’ shows the beauty and pain of family relationships

Family can be difficult. Emotional baggage can be passed down through the generations like a piece of furniture, and if you throw in some cross-cultural…

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04/21/2022

Hamilton

Theater Reviews

Don’t throw away your shot to see ‘Hamilton’

There’s not much to say about “Hamilton” that hasn’t already been said. The musical phenomenon has reached peak cultural saturation to the point that more…

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04/14/2022

Theater Reviews

You can’t stop ‘Hairspray’

"Hairspray” is one of those musicals that has gotten better with age. It debuted on Broadway 20 years ago and is one of the few…

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04/06/2022

Movie Reviews

‘Morbius’ kinda sucks

Photo courtesy Sony Pictures It’s tough to argue with the success of Marvel Studios, who spent the past decade dominating the box office. But even…

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04/03/2022

‘The Odyssey’ shocks, awes and conquers
by Mat DeKinder
07/16/2026
There are no new stories, not really. Humans have been taking something they heard, changing it up a little and then passing it on since we were hanging out around… Read more: ‘The Odyssey’ shocks, awes and conquers
Supergirl soars even when her movie doesn’t
by Mat DeKinder
06/25/2026
DC Comics got a much-needed cinematic reboot with last year’s “Superman,” which fully embraced a goofier, more lighthearted era of comic books that featured oddball side characters like Hawkgirl, Mr.… Read more: Supergirl soars even when her movie doesn’t
‘Disclosure Day’ searches for truth in the skies
by Mat DeKinder
06/11/2026
Steven Spielberg and aliens go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Some of his most iconic films, like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “War of… Read more: ‘Disclosure Day’ searches for truth in the skies
‘Hadestown’ brings ancient myth to vivid life at the Fox
by Mat DeKinder
05/30/2026
Sometimes the oldest stories still have the most life in them. “Hadestown,” now playing at the Fox Theatre through May 31, reaches all the way back to Greek mythology and… Read more: ‘Hadestown’ brings ancient myth to vivid life at the Fox
‘Backrooms’ delivers slow-burn fear in fluorescent light
by Mat DeKinder
05/28/2026
There is a lot about the movie “Backrooms” that makes it fascinating, namely its origins as an internet meme and the film’s extremely young director. But it’s the movie itself… Read more: ‘Backrooms’ delivers slow-burn fear in fluorescent light
‘Mother Mary’ is a beautiful oddity
by Mat DeKinder
04/22/2026
Pop stars often burn brightly and quickly across our cultural night sky, and the longer they burn, the greater the odds of personal collateral damage. It seems that the longer… Read more: ‘Mother Mary’ is a beautiful oddity
‘The Drama’ turns wedding jitters into delicious chaos
by Mat DeKinder
04/03/2026
“The Drama” comes at you from a lot of different directions. It’s a thriller, it’s a satire, it’s a cringe dramedy, it’s a slapstick farce. But while it leaves you… Read more: ‘The Drama’ turns wedding jitters into delicious chaos
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ delivers spectacle and nostalgia
by Mat DeKinder
04/02/2026
The wizarding world of Harry Potter was first introduced through novels and then went on to dominate many different forms of media, including movies, video games and theme parks. One… Read more: ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ delivers spectacle and nostalgia
‘Project Hail Mary’ is an interstellar crowd-pleaser
by Mat DeKinder
03/20/2026
Science fiction can sometimes be a hard sell. It’s typically bleak or weird to the point that general audiences tend to shy away, even when the result is a very… Read more: ‘Project Hail Mary’ is an interstellar crowd-pleaser