Review: “Tomb Raider”

3 out of 5 stars. With “Tomb Raider,” director Roar Uthaug tries to do something that no other film based on a video game has managed to do: imbue the story and characters with some humanity extending beyond the action scenes. By giving the film a more serious and gritty tone—and with an outstanding leading […]

Review: “The Commuter”

2.5 out of 5 stars. From the director who gave us Liam Neeson punching people on a plane, we now get Liam Neeson punching people on a train. “The Commuter” marks the fourth collaboration between director Jaume Collet-Serra and Neeson, having worked together before on films like “Run All Night,” “Unknown,” and the aforementioned “Non-Stop.” […]

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: “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: “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”

2.5 out of 5 stars. If 2015’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” was surprisingly fun, its sequel, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” is surprisingly disappointing. The film, which is once again directed by Matthew Vaughn, opens promisingly enough with its protagonist, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) engaging in a wild fist fight with a rejected Kingsman applicant, Charlie […]

The 5 Best Movies of the Summer

I’ve been taking a break from watching and reviewing current films for a bit, as we ease out of summer and into fall. This time of year is one of the slowest for big movie releases, but even this summer at its peak was one of the slowest ones box office-wise in recent memory. Despite […]

Review: “Baby Driver”

5 out of 5 stars. A car pulls up to a bank. Three well-dressed but obviously crooked people get out and enter the building. A robbery ensues, and the criminals run back out to their car, their driver making a speedy getaway. Many movies have had similar openings, but it’s obviously from a couple minutes […]

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: “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 […]