Review: “Cars 3”

3 out of 5 stars. I realize that I am in the minority when I say that I really like “Cars.” The 2006 animated Pixar film about a cocky racecar who changes his way after he is waylaid in a sleepy town off Route 66 was an instant hit with audience but met with mediocre […]

Review: “The Mummy” (2017)

2 out of 5 stars. Disney has the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Warner Brothers has DC. And, not to be left behind, Universal Studios now has the Dark Universe, having announced remakes of many of the studio’s classic horror franchises, the plan being for them to take place in the same universe. That new series is […]

Review: “Wonder Woman” (2017)

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Wonder Woman” is the most important blockbuster movie of the year; actually, it’s one of the most important movies not just of 2017 in general, but in recent years. Film and television mediums have been dominated in recent years by superhero movies, but from Marvel’s now-massive cinematic universe to the […]

Review: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”

2 out of 5 stars. If you’re looking to watch a little over two hours of a major movie studio desperately trying to resurrect a franchise that should have been dead and buried a long time ago, look no further than “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” Directed by franchise newcomers Joachim […]

Review: “Alien: Covenant”

2 out of 5 stars. Director Ridley Scott is clearing trying to Say Something with “Alien: Covenant,” which, although its title doesn’t make it sound that way, is actually a sequel to 2012’s “Prometheus,” which was itself a prequel to the “Alien” franchise that originated with Scott at the helm. The adrenaline-pumping action bits that […]

Review: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

4.5 out of 5 stars. Like most sequels, it’s not quite as fresh as the original, taking the endearingly quirky trademarks that made it so popular and pushing them to the point where it’s almost overkill. Almost, but not quite, because “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a stellar sci-fi adventure that holds its […]

Review: “The Fate of the Furious”

3.5 out of 5 stars. By the time a franchise reaches its eighth movie—if it even continues for that long—it usually is beginning to show signs of slowing down. “The Fast and the Furious,” however, seems to be doing the opposite. In fact, the eighth film in that series, titled “The Fate of the Furious” […]

Review: “Speech and Debate”

4 out of 5 stars. “Speech and Debate” opens on a school board meeting in the small, conservative town of Salem, Oregon, immediately setting up the tone of the film and the environment in which this story takes place. The town’s mayor has recently resigned due to scandal, while the choice for this year’s school […]

Review: “Power Rangers” (2017)

3.5 out of 5 stars. They’re not your typical superheroes, but the Power Rangers were an indispensable aspect of almost every 90s kid’s life, beginning with the original 1993 television series. It’s rather astounding that, given the franchise’s ongoing popularity and the onslaught of nostalgia-based adaptations and reboots over the last few years, the Power […]

Review: “Beauty and the Beast” (2017)

4 out of 5 stars. There’s a point in director Bill Condon’s live-action version of Disney’s animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” where I knew right off that I was going to love the movie, and that point comes no more than two or three minutes into the film. The opening sequence that details the […]