Disney’s revisionist “Maleficent” took the “Sleeping Beauty” story that inspired the studio’s own 1959 animated classic and turned it upside down, right on the horned head of its titular protagonist. In that live-action retelling the evil sorceress Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) became, as described in the
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Film leans hard into its visual gimmick, and that’s about it
Legendary director Ang Lee first dipped his toe into the world of high frame rate cinema with 2016’s “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which was shot and shown in select theaters at 120 frames per second (as opposed the usual 24). Lee and executives hoped
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Joaquin Phoenix is a vivid, operatic Joker, but the movie is way too full of itself
From the hysterical levels of overpraise, concern-trolling and general hype that have greeted “Joker,” casual observers might assume that it’s genius, right-wing propaganda or some diabolically potent combination thereof. The truth is, it’s just a movie — a fine movie, not a great movie, a
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It can be a rare occurrence to find a kid-friendly animated film these days that actually surprises and delights. DreamWorks’ “Abominable,” written and co-directed by Jill Culton, does indeed surprise and delight, all while following a familiar hero’s journey tale that borrows from favorite friendly
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Film takes astronaut’s innermost self-exploration out of this world
Space, the final frontier (or at least another one), has always served as a vast, blank and mysterious terrain upon which storytellers can splay the unlimited possibilities of their existential, metaphysical and symbolic journeys. In James Gray’s sprawling space epic “Ad Astra,” the journey is
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Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning tome “The Goldfinch” was a blockbuster bestseller and the toast of book clubs in 2013. The film adaptation should have been slam dunk, with director John Crowley, fresh off the acclaimed “Brooklyn,” legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, and screenwriter Peter Straughan adapting
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Horror sequel keeps up the scares, but loses sight of the Losers Club
Pulling off “It Chapter Two” is an almost impossibly tall order. Following up “It,” the first installment in the evil clown saga, director Andy Muschietti has to balance loyalty to Stephen King’s crazy, 1,138-page tome, as well as to the kooky 1990 made-for-TV miniseries starring
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The “Has Fallen” series, “Olympus,” “London” and now, “Angel Has Fallen,” is a curiously enduring franchise. But it seems the character of Mike Banning, a foul-mouthed Secret Service agent played with a lumpy gruffness by Gerard Butler, has filled the void of the everyman action
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Raucous film hilariously captures sweet, sour middle school moments
Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg’s raucous tweenage comedy “Good Boys” dives into the sordid, silly world of sex, drugs and middle school. It’s a film about a specific time, that oh-so-short moment when the world of adults permeates a kid’s consciousness, ill-equipped to process or
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In ‘Fast and the Furious’ spinoff, costars Kirby, Elba take the wheel
It’s pretty incredible how the humble beginnings of 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious” have spawned a nine-film franchise. And the souped-up series shows no signs of slowing down. This summer, star Vin Diesel has tossed the keys to his action superstar costars, Dwayne Johnson
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It’s no small feat to deliver entertaining and innovative live-action takes on animated treasures that hold such a special place in the hearts and memories of millions, but Disney has built an impressive adaptation track record and has won over many a skeptic. Still, putting
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A refreshing, down-to-earth chapter in the Avengers saga
If you’re still recuperating from the enormous and magnificent but, let’s be honest, also exhausting and sometimes very heavy feast that was “Avengers: Endgame,” the Marvel Universe has just the entree for you: How about a little “Spider-Man” light? It’s a zesty and sweet and
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Tarantino’s deeply personal, darkly funny period piece set in 1969
Quentin Tarantino’s deeply personal, ’60s-cool, darkly funny, trippy, bold and sensational “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is filled with pitch-perfect vignettes perfectly capturing the vast chasm in the country and in the world of American pop culture in 1969. This is a brilliant and
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Beloved characters return along with fantastically entertaining new toys
If you were a kid in the prime of your toy-playing years when the original “Toy Story” was released back in 1995, you’re old enough to have little ones of your own, and if you do, I’ll bet they’ll love “Toy Story 4” as much
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