Review: “Birds of Prey”

4 out of 5 stars. Comic book movies can be dicey territory, but I think it’s safe to say that most people found the 2016 ensemble film “Suicide Squad” to be an unsatisfying mess. The best part of that movie, however, was that it gave us Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn. The character, who […]

Review: “Jumanji: The Next Level”

3.5 out of 5 stars. 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” was a surprisingly imaginative reboot of the 1995 film. But it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that its sequel, “Jumanji: The Next Level,” wouldn’t have anything new and exciting to offer. While it does retain a lot of the same elements that made the […]

Review: “Charlie’s Angels” (2019)

3 out of 5 stars. It’s always great to see more movies written, directed by, and starring women, particularly in genres that are generally male-dominated. But “Charlie’s Angels” is cringey from the opening scene, where it becomes apparent that the movie’s take on feminism is more pandering than empowering. This new “Charlie’s Angels” is both […]

Review: “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”

3.5 out of 5 stars. When a live-action adaptation of the popular children’s cartoon “Dora the Explorer” was first announced there was a lot of confusion as to just what exactly that would look like. The show was a staple of the Nick Jr. block on Nickelodeon for eight seasons, with viewers following young Dora, […]

Review: “Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”

2.5 out of 5 stars. There’s at least one thing that can be said about “Hobbs & Shaw”: it knows exactly what it is, and doesn’t try to do anything more than that. At the same time, this spinoff of the “Fast and Furious” franchise proves that there is little left for this series to […]

Review: “Spider-Man: Far From Home”

WARNING: As “Spider-Man: Far From Home” deals directly with the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” this review discusses some plot details from “Endgame.” If you still haven’t seen it, read this review—and watch “Far From Home—at your own risk. 3 out of 5 stars. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” has the misfortune of being the first movie […]

Review: “Men in Black: International”

2 out of 5 stars. “Men in Black: International” is the latest in a long list of sequels to franchises that no one asked for, but that we got anyway. As unnecessary as the film is, it did have a few things going for it—and it managed to squander them all, resulting in an action […]

Review: “Dark Phoenix”

2 out of 5 stars. 2019 is the year that many iconic pop culture franchises are coming to a conclusion. But while 20th Century Fox’s live-action “X-Men” series has been around for longer than most of them—almost 20 years, in fact—it feels less like a bittersweet farewell and more like a sigh of relief to […]

Review: “John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum”

4 out of 5 stars. The title of the third film in the John Wick franchise, “John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum,” sounds less like an enigma when you realize that para bellum is a Latin phrase that translates to “prepare for war.” It’s a fitting statement not just for the beginning of the film, in […]

Review: “Shazam!”

3 out of 5 stars. If “Aquaman” was lauded as the current DC cinematic universe’s first real foray into more light-hearted fare, then “Shazam!” takes it to a whole new level. The film based on the comic book superhero originally known as Captain Marvel is more a comedy than anything else, with eye-popping visuals and […]