Freeze Frame

British actress Sally Hawkins gives the kind of performance Oscar loves in “Maudie,” a biopic about Maude Lewis, the late Canadian folk artist who gained fame in the 1950s. The story covers her struggle with crippling rheumatoid arthritis, her dysfunctional …

British actress Sally Hawkins gives the kind of performance Oscar loves in “Maudie,” a biopic about Maude Lewis, the late Canadian folk artist who gained fame in the 1950s. The story covers her struggle with crippling rheumatoid arthritis, her dysfunctional family, stark poverty in rural Nova Scotia and her awkward marriage to her boorish and sometimes abusive husband, well played by Ethan Hawke....

It may seem absurd, but I’m not monkeying around. The franchise update of “The Planet of the Apes” series that began in 2011 may be the best Hollywood franchise reboot ever. The third installment, “War for the Planet of the …

It may seem absurd, but I’m not monkeying around. The franchise update of “The Planet of the Apes” series that began in 2011 may be the best Hollywood franchise reboot ever. The third installment, “War for the Planet of the Apes,” is a visually spectacular and riveting drama that focuses on the ongoing confrontation between two species vying for world domination.   Director Matt Reeves uses specia...

Okay, so just who needs yet another reboot of the Spider-Man franchise? After all, this is the third time the story has been reworked since 2002. Well, I guess we do since “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is arguably the best Spider-Man movie, …

Okay, so just who needs yet another reboot of the Spider-Man franchise? After all, this is the third time the story has been reworked since 2002. Well, I guess we do since “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is arguably the best Spider-Man movie, yet.   British actor Tom Holland from “The Impossible,” plays Peter Parker, the awkward high school nerd who wants nothing more than to become a member of The Aveng...

Decadent, violent, profane…and wildly entertaining, “Baby Driver” is a zippy heist film fueled by a kinetic soundtrack that should appeal to both Baby Boomers and Millennials. Ansel Elgort plays a skilled getaway driver who uses music to help him concentrate …

Decadent, violent, profane…and wildly entertaining, “Baby Driver” is a zippy heist film fueled by a kinetic soundtrack that should appeal to both Baby Boomers and Millennials. Ansel Elgort plays a skilled getaway driver who uses music to help him concentrate and overcome tinnitus. Things get sticky when he crosses his fellow thieves, played by Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx. In the case of...

Just how does one transform $260 million into something pretty much worthless? Just ask director Michael Bay, who spent all that dough on the latest Hasbro Toys come to life extravaganza, “Transformers: The Last Knight.” It’s not that you can’t …

Just how does one transform $260 million into something pretty much worthless? Just ask director Michael Bay, who spent all that dough on the latest Hasbro Toys come to life extravaganza, “Transformers: The Last Knight.” It’s not that you can’t see where the money was spent. After all, the movie provides two hours and forty-eight minutes of special effects overkill that undoubtedly employed a lot...

The raunchy ‘girls gone wild’ comedy “Rough Night” wastes a talented cast on an effort that tries to be the female equivalent of “The Hangover.” Scarlett Johansson’s friends plan a wild bachelorette party in Miami but, in a coke-induced haze, …

The raunchy ‘girls gone wild’ comedy “Rough Night” wastes a talented cast on an effort that tries to be the female equivalent of “The Hangover.” Scarlett Johansson’s friends plan a wild bachelorette party in Miami but, in a coke-induced haze, they accidentally kill a male stripper. Yes, there are some bawdy laughs, but not enough to sustain a feature-length film. It’s a rough night for the audienc...

Acclaimed British filmmaker Ken Loach is known for his realistic kitchen sink dramas that focus on disparities and injustices in contemporary British society. His latest, “I, Daniel Blake” is no exception. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. …

Acclaimed British filmmaker Ken Loach is known for his realistic kitchen sink dramas that focus on disparities and injustices in contemporary British society. His latest, “I, Daniel Blake” is no exception. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. Dave Johns plays Daniel, a 59-year-old carpenter who has been sidelined by the death of his wife and his own heart disease. He has to fight the sys...

Lawrence, Kansas native Patty Jenkins, the director who steered Charlize Theron to her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster,” takes on her biggest Hollywood project to date with the highly anticipated “Wonder Woman.” Gal Gadot stars as the Amazonian princess who is …

Lawrence, Kansas native Patty Jenkins, the director who steered Charlize Theron to her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster,” takes on her biggest Hollywood project to date with the highly anticipated “Wonder Woman.” Gal Gadot stars as the Amazonian princess who is among the luminaries of the DC Comic Universe. This crackling origin story shows how her rescue of an American spy, played by Chris P...

It may seem early to start a “Worst Movies of the Year” list, but surely “Baywatch” will qualify. A raunchy parody of the old TV series, “Baywatch” struggles to mine a few meager laughs from gross-out jokes, but it drowns …

It may seem early to start a “Worst Movies of the Year” list, but surely “Baywatch” will qualify. A raunchy parody of the old TV series, “Baywatch” struggles to mine a few meager laughs from gross-out jokes, but it drowns in its own off-color excesses. Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron have charisma and the female cast members provide plenty of cheesecake, but they’re efforts can’t resuscitate this vic...

While Ridley Scott’s newest “Alien” prequel “Alien: Covenant” doesn’t add much that’s new, it does fill in the blanks. We now know where the creatures came from. Fans of the franchise should enjoy the action and mayhem that this origin …

While Ridley Scott’s newest “Alien” prequel “Alien: Covenant” doesn’t add much that’s new, it does fill in the blanks. We now know where the creatures came from. Fans of the franchise should enjoy the action and mayhem that this origin story provides, even though it all seems a bit too familiar. Still, it’s a spectacular production that manages to make you jump even though you know what’s around t...

Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn are two comic stars that bring a lot of personal appeal to their roles. Audience goodwill may be tested, however, with their broad and raunchy comedy, “Snatched.” Schumer plays a colossally irresponsible twentysomething dumped by …

Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn are two comic stars that bring a lot of personal appeal to their roles. Audience goodwill may be tested, however, with their broad and raunchy comedy, “Snatched.” Schumer plays a colossally irresponsible twentysomething dumped by her boyfriend on the eve of a romantic trip to Equador. She decides to take her reluctant mom on the vacation instead. As you’d expect, things...

Ten years ago, the harrowing Romanian abortion drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” marked the arrival of a major new talent, filmmaker Christian Mungiu (Chris-tee-ann Mon-JEEW). His latest effort, “Graduation,” won him the Best Director Award at the …

Ten years ago, the harrowing Romanian abortion drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” marked the arrival of a major new talent, filmmaker Christian Mungiu (Chris-tee-ann Mon-JEEW). His latest effort, “Graduation,” won him the Best Director Award at the most recent Cannes Film Festival. Starkly realistic and involving, “Graduation” examines what occurs when good people compromise their principles whe...

It’s no accident that “The Promise” is the second war drama to open in the last few weeks that’s set in Turkey during the run up to WWI. The earlier film, “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” gives the Turkish point of view, …