Review: “Fences”

4 out of 5 stars. Fences can be built to keep things in; they can also be built to keep things out. While there is a literal fence being constructed by Denzel Washington’s character Troy throughout the movie “Fences,” it is also symbolic of his and Viola Davis’ character Rose’s relationship to each other, and […]

Review: “Passengers” (with spoilers!)

The following review contains spoilers for “Passengers.” 2 out of 5 stars. The ads for “Passengers” bill it as escapist sci-fi entertainment. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence wake up from early hibernation on a spaceship, and something goes wrong. The thing is, that “something wrong” that the marketing alludes to isn’t what you think, […]

Review: “Assassin’s Creed”

2 out of 5 stars. Film adaptations of video games have never had a good track record. So to say that “Assassin’s Creed” is the best game-to-film adaptation in a long time may not exactly be a compliment. In placing plot over action, the film takes what is best about the games and turns it […]

Review: “La La Land”

4.5 out of 5 stars. “La La Land” opens with a long tracking shot, the camera moving along bumper-to-bumper traffic on a Los Angeles freeway, a cacophony of sounds and different music emanating from each vehicle—a fairly typical scene, until, one by one, people leap out of their cars, jumping on top of them and […]

Review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (with spoilers)

WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for “Rogue One.” Read at your own risk. 4 out of 5 stars. With “The Force Awakens,” the first new installment of the “Star Wars” series since 2005 and the first since the Walt Disney Company acquired the franchise, the goal was to draw audiences back into that galaxy […]

Review: “Loving”

4 out of 5 stars. Loving was their name, and they were persecuted for doing the exact same thing. In “Loving,” writer/director Jeff Nichols tells the true story of the landmark 1967 court case Loving v. Virginia, in which the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for states to prohibit interracial marriage. It’s a […]