Review: “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is exactly the sort of grotesque and bizarre story that is right up Tim Burton’s ally. So it’s beyond appropriate that he signed on to direct the adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ novel; and thanks to a host of intriguing characters and stunning visual effects, it is one of his […]

Review: “Queen of Katwe”

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Queen of Katwe” is the rare true story that avoids falling into the usual clichés through the combined work of a brilliant director, cast, and crew. The film tells the story of Phiona Mutesi (played by Madina Nalwanga), a 10-year-old girl living in the Ugandan slum of Katwe with her […]

Review: “The Magnificent Seven” (2016)

3 out of 5 stars. There is little that’s magnificent about director Antoine Fuqua’s remake of the classic 1960 John Sturges western “The Magnificent Seven” (which was in turn a remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa masterpiece “Seven Samuari”). In fact, there’s little about it that fits into the western genre, despite it having all […]

Review: “Snowden”

An unusually uncontroversial portrait of a controversial figure from director Oliver Stone.

Review: “The Light Between Oceans”

“The Light Between Oceans” is a gorgeously shot and acted film whose subject matter sadly never advances beyond its tiresome melodramatic plot. Directed by Derek Cianfrance and based on a novel by M.L. Stedman, the drama begins in early 1920s Australia, detailing the relationship between sullen lighthouse keeper and World War I veteran Tom Sherbourne […]

Review: “Kubo and the Two Strings”

4 out of 5 stars. “Kubo and the Two Strings” is Laika’s most complex and ambitious work to date — and that’s saying a lot for the stop-motion animation studio, whose previous credits include “Coraline” and “ParaNorman.” “Kubo,” which is directed as well as co-produced Travis Knight, draws on the rich Japanese tradition of storytelling to craft […]

Review: “Ben-Hur” (2016)

1 out of 5 stars. Don’t hate the new “Ben-Hur” movie because it’s a remake. Actually, it’s the fifth adaptation of the 1880 Lew Wallace novel (the 1959 epic starring Charlton Heston that is widely regarded as an iconic piece of cinema was the third version to hit the big screen). Rather, hate it because […]

Review: “Pete’s Dragon”

4 out of 5 stars. Disney’s remake of their 1977 live-action/animated musical “Pete’s Dragon” is the rare film that improves on the original — although, it is so different from the original that it is hard to believe both films are derived from the same source material. Out of that strange movie that has received mixed reaction […]

Review: “Suicide Squad”

1 out of 5 stars. Remember when “Batman V. Superman” came out and we all complained about how dark it was, and got excited when Warner Brothers’ next DC film, “Suicide Squad,” promised to be a lot more light-hearted and fun? Yeah, well, it’s not. And while “Batman V. Superman” did have its good parts, […]

Review: “Jason Bourne”

2 out of 5 stars. Almost a decade after “The Bourne Ultimatum” concluded the Bourne trilogy (we’ll just gloss over that attempt at a reboot with Jeremy Renner), Matt Damon steps back into the titular role in “Jason Bourne,” a film that gives you everything you’d expect from a Bourne movie — and that’s both its greatest […]