Review: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

4.5 out of 5 stars. There’s a lot in American culture that people don’t talk about; much of that has changed over the last year or so, but police brutality and rape culture are divisive issues all the same. It has taken an English writer and director, Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges,” “Seven Psychopaths”) to bring […]

Review: “Coco”

5 out of 5 stars. I’m sure that, as I was watching “Coco,” a minor issue or two regarding the plot pinged in the back of my head, but honestly, I can’t remember now what those issues might have been. That’s because “Coco,” the latest animated feature from Pixar, is about as close to perfect […]

Review: “Lady Bird”

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Lady Bird” opens with a close-up of a mother and daughter sharing a bed in a hotel room, sleeping, facing toward each other but not touching. It’s a shot that effectively establishes the connection this pair has that forms the foundation of writer and director Greta Gerwig’s stunning and honest […]

Review: “Justice League”

2.5 out of 5 stars. Let’s start with the good news: “Justice League” is not the worst movie in the DC cinematic universe. It definitely surpasses “Batman v. Superman” (which it is in many ways a direct sequel to) and the horrid “Suicide Squad.” The bad news: saying a movie is better than “Suicide Squad” […]

Review: “Darkest Hour”

3.5 out of 5 stars. Gary Oldman is one of the most talented and prolific actors working today, but it’s now, more than 30 years into his career, that we get what will likely be his most memorable achievement. In “Darkest Hour,” the new historical drama from director Joe Wright, Oldman plays newly-appointed British Prime […]

Review: “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017)

3.5 out of 5 stars. The question, “Was this movie really necessary?” is one that accompanies most remakes these days—and as remakes of classic films are occurring more often than not these days, it’s one that is frequently tossed around by critics and moviegoers alike. It’s a large part of the discussion surrounding Kenneth Branagh’s […]

Review: “Thor: Ragnarok”

4.5 out of 5 stars. I have made no secret of my feelings for Marvel’s “Thor” franchise. The first “Thor” movie was an elongated trailer for “The Avengers” disguised as a so-so origin story. Its follow-up, “Thor: The Dark World,” is Marvel’s worst effort, a dark and dingy outing that did no service to the […]

Review: “The Florida Project”

4.5 out of 5 stars. Sean Baker’s film “The Florida Project” is set mere miles from the most magical place on Earth, which makes the plight of the characters it explores all the more sobering. While tourists spend lavish amounts of money on vacations at Walt Disney World, residents in nearby Kissimmee struggle to scrounge […]