Freeze Frame

Second-rate Pixar movies are still better than most of their animated rivals. “Onward” is a likable comic fantasy aimed at boys in the same way that “Frozen” was aimed at girls. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland provide the voices for brother elves from an otherworldly suburbia who embark on a magical quest. It’s funny and […]

A riveting, Oscar-caliber performance from Elizabeth Moss anchors an effective and scary reimagining of the horror chestnut, “The Invisible Man.” Flipping the script to make the victim the focus instead of the title character, this update works as a full-blooded horror film as well as an effective commentary on social issues like bullying and the […]

“The Call of the Wild” is at least the ninth adaptation of the classic Jack London novel about the adventures of a dog named Buck, set during the Yukon Gold Rush iof the 1890s. Harrison Ford plays John Thornton, the gruff prospector who becomes one of Buck’s multiple masters. It’s a rousing story and Ford’s […]

“Downhill” is an American remake of “Force Majeure,” a critically acclaimed Swedish film from 2014. Will Farrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus star in the story of a family on a ski vacation in the Alps. Their marriage is strained to the breaking point when Ferrell’s character engages in an act of cowardice during an avalanche. There […]

Margot Robbie’s bat-swinging performance as the Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn was probably the best thing about 2016’s comic book movie, “Suicide Squad.” Her character takes center stage in the latest entry in the extended DC Universe, “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).” Essentially an R-rated girl gang movie, “Birds of […]

Actress Sophia Lillis from the recent “It” films, moves from dealing with a scary clown to encountering a scary witch in the horror fantasy, “Gretel & Hansel,” based on the classic Brothers Grimm story. Gretel leads her little brother into the dark forest in search of sustenance only to meet up with a wretched enchantress, […]

“The Turning” is the latest in a long string of movies based on Henry James’ classic ghost story, “The Turn of the Screw.” Mackenzie Davis plays a nanny who attempts to protect two children from evil spirits. Ambiguity isn’t necessarily a fault, but “The Turning” is so vague and disjointed that it plays like a […]

After a 17-year hiatus, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reunited in the comic action thriller, “Bad Boys for Life,” the third entry in the franchise that began in 1995. These Miami based detectives are getting long in the tooth and it shows as they’re targeted for assassination by a Mexican drug cartel. Everything about […]

Writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”) has adapted the classic Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel “Little Women” with a certain contemporary flair. The cast includes Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”), Florence Pugh (“Midsommar”), Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”), Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me By Your Name”) and Meryl Streep (“The Laundromat”).

“1917” is a stunning WWI drama that unfolds in a single shot. Two young British soldiers played by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman are sent on a desperate mission with little hope of success. They’re to cross the dangerous terrain of no man’s land to warn a British regiment not to attack German forces because […]

As we begin a new year, it’s time to look back at the best movies of 2019. Here’s the cream of the year’s cinematic crop.   10) The Farewell Awkwafina stars in a sweetly sentimental comic drama about an American woman who travels to China to visit her terminally ill grandmother.   9) The Two […]

Writer/director Greta Gerwig has pulled off a minor miracle. She’s given a modern feminist sensibility to Louisa May Alcott’s” old chestnut “Little Women,” while maintaining the appealingly traditional feel of her beloved writings. Saoirse Ronan is fine in the pivotal role of Jo March and Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern and Meryl […]

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is not the final movie in the franchise. It’s supposedly the end of the line for the Skywalker clan, though. We’ll see. Daisy Ridley is back as Rey, who uses the force to battle evil Emperor Palpatine and the murderous son of Leia and Han Solo, Kylo Ren. It’s […]

The bombing incident at Atlanta’s Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics marked the beginning of a dark time in American society. The FBI and the press were convinced that the security guard who first noticed the pipe bomb and saved many lives had actually planted the device himself in a concerted effort to be hailed […]

Mark Ruffalo portrays a conflicted corporate lawyer in the sincere social drama, “Dark Waters.” This true story involves mysterious deaths and illnesses in a small community that may have been caused by the malfeasance of a major US corporation. Ruffalo plays Robert Bilott, who waged a 20-year war with DuPont. As a work of social […]

Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci deliver the goods in Martin Scorsese’s epic, violent gangster flick, “The Irishman.” In a sweeping tale that takes place over a number of years, DeNiro plays a truck driver and hitman who serves as a go-between linking the Teamsters Union and the mob. Pacino plays the colorful union […]

“The Report” is an intriguing and political drama that focuses on the investigation that uncovered the CIA torture program during the Gulf War. Adam Driver stars as lead investigator Daniel Jones who spent years fighting to find the truth and then battling forces that tried to keep that truth under wraps. While the drama is […]

Actor Edward Norton (“Birdman”) wrote, produced, directed and stars in “Motherless Brooklyn,” a big screen adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel. It’s a film noir thriller about a private eye who uncovers city corruption in New York City. It also stars Alec Baldwin, Bruce Willis, Willem DeFoe and Gug Mbatha Raw.

Hollywood’s ‘Master of Disaster,’ director Roland Emmerich, is best known for big screen spectacles like “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” He gives the famous South Pacific WWII battle “Midway” that same splashy, special effects-heavy treatment. While the action sequences are impressive the human drama is soapy and superficial. Stars like Woody Harrelson and […]

Actor Edward Norton wrote, produced, directed and stars in the moody film noir melodrama, “Motherless Brooklyn.” Norton is excellent as a gumshoe with Tourette’s Syndrome who uncovers a web of fraud and racial exploitation in 50s New York City when he investigates the death of his employer, played by Bruce Willis. The solid supporting cast […]

With a great cast and a riveting true story to work with, “The Current War” should have been an electrifying movie. It tells the tale of the bitter competition between Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse during the early days of electrical power. Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon and Nicholas Hoult are all fine, but […]

Disney’s Halloween season offering is a sequel to a 2014 hit that flipped the script on “Sleeping Beauty,” turning the evil sorceress into a heroine. Angelina Jolie is back in the titular role of the gargantuan production, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.” Apparently, the filmmakers wanted to make a kiddie version of “Game of Thrones,” giving […]

Gary Oldman has always been a busy actor, but since picking up his Oscar as Winston Churchill in 2017’s “Darkest Hour,” he’s made ten more movies. If the horror entry “Mary” is any indicator, perhaps Oldman should seriously consider slowing down the pace a bit. In what is essentially a haunted house movie set at […]

Joaquin Phoenix gives a riveting performance in “Joker,” undoubtedly one of the more controversial and provocative movies of the year. Can the hard knocks of life rob a person of the gift of empathy? On one hand, that seems to be the story’s underlying theme, but, intentional or not, “Joker” is sending mixed messages.   […]

If ever there were a role designed to attract gold statuettes, this is it. The last tragic months in the life of Hollywood legend Judy Garland provide Renée Zellweger the role of a lifetime in “Judy.” After 30 years of drugs, insomnia and loveless marriages, Garland attempts a comeback on the London stage. Zellweger captures […]