Freeze Frame

Michael B. Jordan steps into the role of Navy Seal and CIA operative John Clark in the involving action drama, “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.” The plot has been updated from the Viet Nam era to contemporary times to provide an origin story for Clark, who attempts to thwart a plot to instigate war between the […]

Ben Franklin famously said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Today, he could add, “and movies adapted from video games will be bad.” That’s certainly true of the reboot of the franchise “Mortal Kombat.” They tried to make something cinematic out of the game’s plot and themes in […]

The action thriller “Vanquish” represents the nadir in the distinguished career of Morgan Freeman. The Oscar-winning actor can’t save this ridiculous, over-directed mess about a corrupt police commissioner who blackmails a skilled assassin, played by Ruby Rose, into conducting a series of bloody revenge crimes. Writer/director George Gallo uses every filmmaking technique in the handbook […]

Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are forces of nature. It’s their personal appeal that propels “Thunder Force,” a silly superhero spoof written and directed by McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone. McCarthy and Spencer play two friends who become a dynamic duo when Spencer develops a method to imbue them with superpowers. In many ways, the force […]

Thanks to its childlike enthusiasm and spectacular special effects, “Godzilla Vs. Kong” is a fun popcorn movie adventure even though its storyline and dialogue are below par. “Kong: Skull Island” is still the best of the Legendary Studios MonsterVerse series that has successfully revived the giant monster genre. Ultimately, ”Godzilla vs. Kong” is like watching […]

Director Zach Snyder’s superpower is that there’s no ‘quit’ in him…even when there should be. His bloated superhero movie “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” drones on and on for over four hours of spectacular but mind-numbing action featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg. Is it better than the original 2017 version that was […]

“The Courier” is an understated, workmanlike spy thriller, based on a true story. In the run-up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the British spy agency MI6 recruited a reluctant businessman named Greville Wynne, solidly played by Benedict Cumberbatch, to travel to Moscow and secretly work with a mole in the Russian government. The […]

Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman add significant gravitas to the heartbreaking drama, “The Father.” Hopkins plays an elderly gent tortured by dementia and Coleman is his long-suffering daughter who does her best to help him. Writer-director Florian Zeller uses some clever dramatic tricks to give us a sense of the mental confusion and […]

It’s been 33 years since Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall teamed up for the memorable comedy, “Coming to America.” They join forces once again in “Coming 2 America.” Newly crowned King Akeem of Zamunda, played by Murphy, returns to America when he learns he’s got an illegitimate son living in Queens who is the rightful […]

Andra Day makes an auspicious and striking feature film debut in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” It isn’t so much a biopic about the iconic jazz vocalist as it is about Holiday’s contentious relationship with the FBI which used her drug abuse as an excuse to censor her performance of the classic protest song, […]

Expect multiple Oscar nominations for “Nomadland,” a drama based on a non-fiction book about indigent senior citizens who travel around the U.S. in trailers in search of employment. Frances McDormand is solid, as always, and director Chloé Zhao uses a number of non-actors to play versions of themselves. It’s slow-moving, but “Nomandland” is elegantly understated […]

Another dark chapter in American history is the focus of the riveting drama, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Daniel Kaluuya is electrifying as Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton whose organization was infiltrated in the 1960s by a self-serving FBI informant, well played by Lakeith Stanfield. Writer/director Shaka King effectively depicts the personal passions of […]

John David Washington stars along with Zendaya in the dark and talky drama, “Malcolm & Marie.” Following a movie premier, a filmmaker and his girlfriend muse intermittently argue, make up, make love and argue again. The actors are terrific, but writer/director Sam Levinson’s bitter film plays out like a lesser version of “Who’s Afraid of […]

“The Dig,” a warm and moving tale inspired by true events. Carrie Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes star in Simon Stone’s adaptation of John Preston’s novel about one of the most important archeological discoveries in British history. In 1939, group of enthusiastic amateurs unearth an Anglo-Saxon treasure on a remote rural estate…but it’s the filmmakers who […]

The well-made and disturbing Netflix drama “The White Tiger” is based on the award-winning picaresque novel by Aravind Adiga. Set in modern India, the sprawling story is a scathing indictment of business and political corruption as well as the inequities of the Indian caste system. The story is seen through the eyes of a low […]

On the night that Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight boxing crown in 1964, he met up with NFL running back Jim Brown, pop music superstar Sam Cooke and civil rights activist Malcom X. The film “One Night in Miami” is a fictionalized account of that event. Kingsley Ben-Adire, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge […]

Are you a fan of the sweeping melodramatic Hollywood romances of the 1950s that often show up on Turner Classic Movies? If so, then “Silvie’s Love” is right up your alley. Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha star in the story of a rocky romance between a wannabe TV producer and a jazz sax player. “Silvie’s Love” […]

As we begin a new year, it’s time to look back at the best movies of 2020. Here’s the cream of the year’s cinematic crop.   10) End of Sentence (Not rated) John Hawkes and Logan Lerman star in a sweetly sentimental comic drama about the attempted reconciliation of an estranged father and son.   […]

The folks at Pixar continue to show their golden touch. “Soul” is a Disney+ feature that again demonstrates that animation can be a powerful way to tell a compelling story that would be difficult for live action. Jamie Fox voices the lead character, a jazz piano player who is accidentally transported to the pre-life realm […]

The folks at Pixar continue to show their golden touch. “Soul” is a Disney+ feature that again demonstrates that animation can be a powerful way to tell a compelling story that would be difficult for live action. Jamie Fox voices the lead character, a jazz piano player who is accidentally transported to the pre-life realm […]

The valedictory performance from the late Chadwick Boseman may well earn him an Oscar. He’s dynamic as a troubled trumpet player in the Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s acclaimed play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” It tells the tragic story of an ill-fated blues recording session in 1927 and touches on themes of racism, sexism, faith […]

Meryl Streep, James Cordon and Nicole Kidman headline Ryan Murphy’s energetic adaptation of the wacky Broadway musical, “The Prom.” They play narcissistic theater folk who decide to take up the cause of a small-town lesbian teenager for the sake of publicity. It’s overlong and it’s message as subtle as a sledgehammer, but a great cast […]

Disney plays around with its own fairytale tropes with the lighthearted comic fantasy, “Godmothered.” Jillian Bell plays a fairy godmother-in-training who is called upon to save the motherland by granting the wish of a jaded TV journalist, played by Isla Fisher. Bell is perfectly cast as the bungling but good-hearted fairy. While this Disney+ offering […]

The updated Disney+ adaptation of the classic children’s novel “Black Beauty” takes many liberties with the original plot. Kate Winslet provides Beauty’s voice and Mackenzie Foy is the girl who loves her. While this version of “Black Beauty” is uninspired and the filmmaking is sometimes clumsy, it’s still a harmless, winsome distraction for kids.   […]

Gary Oldman stars in David Fincher’s outstanding showbiz drama, “Mank.” Filmed in glorious black-and-white, “Mank” showcases the difficulties that infamous alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz experienced while writing Orson Welles’ classic, “Citizen Kane.” It’s a shrewd, top-notch Hollywood biopic that crackles with great dialogue. “Mank” is pure Oscar bait.   “Hillbilly Elegy” is a disapp...