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: “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: “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: “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: “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 […]

Review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (with spoilers)

WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for “Rogue One.” Read at your own risk. 4 out of 5 stars. With “The Force Awakens,” the first new installment of the “Star Wars” series since 2005 and the first since the Walt Disney Company acquired the franchise, the goal was to draw audiences back into that galaxy […]

Review: “Moana”

4.5 out of 5 stars. Walt Disney Feature Animation has had a remarkable past several years, turning out amazing film after amazing film, from the cultural phenomenon “Frozen” to the record-breaking hit of this spring, “Zootopia.” But even among such illustrious titles, “Moana” may be the studio’s crowning achievement of this era. “Moana,” which is […]

Review: “Queen of Katwe”

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Queen of Katwe” is the rare true story that avoids falling into the usual clichés through the combined work of a brilliant director, cast, and crew. The film tells the story of Phiona Mutesi (played by Madina Nalwanga), a 10-year-old girl living in the Ugandan slum of Katwe with her […]

Review: “Pete’s Dragon”

4 out of 5 stars. Disney’s remake of their 1977 live-action/animated musical “Pete’s Dragon” is the rare film that improves on the original — although, it is so different from the original that it is hard to believe both films are derived from the same source material. Out of that strange movie that has received mixed reaction […]

Review: “The BFG”

The Disney/Spielberg Roald Dahl adaptation has trouble reaching its audience- both young and old.