Freeze Frame

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, minimizing the cost of the conflict to the Armenian people. “The Promise” supports the view of an Armenian genocide. “The Promise” is a romantic triangle about an Armenian medical studen...

When “The Fast and the Furious” debuted in 2001, it was inspired by a true story about LA street racers. Now that we’re on the eighth entry, the series has morphed into an over-the-top sci-fi action extravaganza that makes James …

When “The Fast and the Furious” debuted in 2001, it was inspired by a true story about LA street racers. Now that we’re on the eighth entry, the series has morphed into an over-the-top sci-fi action extravaganza that makes James Bond adventures seem like realistic documentaries by comparison. In “The Fate of the Furious,” Vin Diesel’s Dom Torretto has gone rouge, joining forces with villain Charli...

There are three Oscar winners in the buddy comedy, “Going in Style” and their presence gives this broad, shopworn farce a very big boost. A loose remake of the 1979 George Burns movie of the same name, “Going in Style” …

There are three Oscar winners in the buddy comedy, “Going in Style” and their presence gives this broad, shopworn farce a very big boost. A loose remake of the 1979 George Burns movie of the same name, “Going in Style” stars Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin as three retirees who, faced with financial difficulties, decide to rob a bank. Director Zach Braff takes a very lighthearted appr...

The first live-action adaptation of the phenomenally popular Japanese manga comic and anime series “Ghost in the Shell” finally reaches the big screen. Scarlett Johansson plays a woman who is given cyber-enhancement after a near fatal accident. She’s then recruited …

The first live-action adaptation of the phenomenally popular Japanese manga comic and anime series “Ghost in the Shell” finally reaches the big screen. Scarlett Johansson plays a woman who is given cyber-enhancement after a near fatal accident. She’s then recruited as a crime fighter, but like Jason Bourne, seeks to recover her true identity. This fantasy is a step up for filmmaker Rupert Sanders,...

Is there life in “Life?” This sci-fi thriller features Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds as astronauts who confront a deadly new species on their voyage to Mars. The film owes a bit too much of its inspiration to the classic …

Is there life in “Life?” This sci-fi thriller features Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds as astronauts who confront a deadly new species on their voyage to Mars. The film owes a bit too much of its inspiration to the classic “Alien,” but thanks to a good cast and competent execution, “Life” nearly overcomes most of its genre clichés.   Hollywood legend Shirley MacLaine is perfectly cast as a nasty...

It’s a tale as old as time, but when Disney goes back to the well it’s usually worth the trip. The 1991 animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” gets a rousing ‘live-action’ reboot, although I use the term “Live-action” loosely …

It’s a tale as old as time, but when Disney goes back to the well it’s usually worth the trip. The 1991 animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” gets a rousing ‘live-action’ reboot, although I use the term “Live-action” loosely when there’s this much computer animation involved. Emma Watson steps out of the world of Harry Potter and into the role of Belle, the provincial French beauty who warms the...

There are those who may think that Hollywood has given us way too many giant monster movies already. But I felt like a giddy kid at an old-time Saturday matinee when I saw “Kong: Skull Island.” This action-packed fantasy adventure …

There are those who may think that Hollywood has given us way too many giant monster movies already. But I felt like a giddy kid at an old-time Saturday matinee when I saw “Kong: Skull Island.” This action-packed fantasy adventure employs eye-popping state of the art special effects to create believably scary creatures and an exotic environment. But, most importantly, establishes a sense of wonder...

In what is being touted as his final big-screen appearance as “Logan,” aka Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is back as a tired, aging and worn out mutant, a far cry from his glory days with X-Men. In the ultra-violent flick “Logan,” …

In what is being touted as his final big-screen appearance as “Logan,” aka Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is back as a tired, aging and worn out mutant, a far cry from his glory days with X-Men. In the ultra-violent flick “Logan,” he reluctantly protects a young girl who may be his daughter as well as the sickly Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart. This R-rated blood-fest has plenty of action and more...

Comic Jordan Peele of Key & Peele fame makes his directorial debut with a surprisingly effective, full-blooded horror film, “Get Out.” Daniel Kaluuya plays a young black photographer who goes to meet his white girlfriend’s parents in rural suburbia, where …

Comic Jordan Peele of Key & Peele fame makes his directorial debut with a surprisingly effective, full-blooded horror film, “Get Out.” Daniel Kaluuya plays a young black photographer who goes to meet his white girlfriend’s parents in rural suburbia, where things go horribly wrong. An effective social commentary as well as a potent creepfest, “Get Out” is this generation’s answer to “The Stepfo...

Yet again, Hollywood mistakes vulgarity for wit. Charlie Day and Ice Cube star in “Fist Fight,” an R-rated comedy about a wimpy teacher challenged to an afterschool brawl by a testy fellow educator. This mean-spirited vehicle manages to pummel a …

Yet again, Hollywood mistakes vulgarity for wit. Charlie Day and Ice Cube star in “Fist Fight,” an R-rated comedy about a wimpy teacher challenged to an afterschool brawl by a testy fellow educator. This mean-spirited vehicle manages to pummel a few crass laughs from the audience, but it may make you want to punch the screenwriters.   Style over substance isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But in the...

It’s sequel mania at theaters this week, and at least two of them live up to the originals.   Who would have thought that an animated movie about toy building blocks would have been a hit, let alone a brash, …

It’s sequel mania at theaters this week, and at least two of them live up to the originals.   Who would have thought that an animated movie about toy building blocks would have been a hit, let alone a brash, cheeky and fast moving…wait for it…blockbuster? But 2014’s “The Lego Movie” was just that.   In the sequel, “The Lego Batman Movie,” Will Arnett reprises his role as a narcissistic and self-ce...

The teen sci-fi romance “The Space Between Us” has an intriguing premise and good intentions. However, with its plot holes and eye-rolling circumstances, it could have been called “The Space Between its Ears.” Asa Butterfield plays Gardner, the first human …

The teen sci-fi romance “The Space Between Us” has an intriguing premise and good intentions. However, with its plot holes and eye-rolling circumstances, it could have been called “The Space Between its Ears.” Asa Butterfield plays Gardner, the first human born on Mars, the secret love child of an astronaut who dies in childbirth. After 16 years of being raised on the Red Planet, Gardner yearns to...

Who would have thought that the most controversial movie in theaters today would be about puppy dogs? “A Dog’s Purpose” has come under scrutiny because of a leaked video that suggests that a dog might have been treated inhumanely during …

Since hitting the big time with “The Sixth Sense,” the work of quirky filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has been a hit-and-miss affair. His new horror entry “Split” is something of a return to form. James McAvoy is excellent as a …