Review: “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”

3.5 out of 5 stars. It seems like Hollywood runs on brand recognition nowadays. Connecting a movie to an existing franchise, no matter what it is, is view as a necessary ingredient for success. Take “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” a stand alone sequel/reboot of the 1995 adventure film starring Robin Williams. While the film […]

Review: “Pitch Perfect 3”

2.5 out of 5 stars. “Pitch Perfect” really didn’t need to turn into a trilogy. And chances are, it was probably never meant to be one. The 2012 comedy about an all-girls a capella group was a surprise hit, a super quirky, edgier version of “Glee” that both teens and adults could enjoy. It is, […]

Review: “The Shape of Water”

5 out of 5 stars. If you love movies and don’t love “The Shape of Water,” then I really don’t know what to tell you. Writer (along with Vanessa Taylor) and director Guillermo del Toro’s latest film is the type of gorgeous adult fairy tale he’s known for, imbued with an extra dose of love […]

Review: “Call Me by Your Name”

5 out of 5 stars. “Call Me by Your Name” is set in rural Italy in the summer of 1983. Seventeen-year-old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) lives there with his parents; his mom (Amira Casar) is a translator, and his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is an archaeology professor. Elio, who spends much of his time reading and writing […]

Review: “The Greatest Showman”

2 out of 5 stars. With stars like Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, and Zac Efron, a screenplay by Bill Condon and Jenny Bicks, and music by Oscar and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, it’s hard to see how a movie musical like “The Greatest Showman,” based on the life and career of P.T. […]

Review: “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi”

4.5 out of 5 stars. A little ways along into “The Last Jedi,” Luke Skywalker asks Rey if she knows what the Force is. She responds that “it’s a power that Jedi have,” and “it can make things float”—which, to be fair, isn’t too far off from the sort of response most moviegoers would likely […]

Review: “The Disaster Artist”

4 out of 5 stars. I never thought I’d see the day that a movie was made about the making of Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room,” one of the worst and most bizarre movies of all time. I especially never thought that the film about the making of said movie would be so great, but here […]

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 […]