Review: “Booksmart”

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Booksmart” is the latest entry in a series of contemporary teen movies seeking to bring a fresher, more honest take and modern sensibilities to a genre that over time can easily become dated. But thanks to an incredible cast, smart script, and brilliant direction by Olivia Wilde in her directorial […]

Review: “Tolkien”

2.5 out of 5 stars. J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most renowned writers of all time. His “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, published in the mid-1950s, set the standard for modern fantasy, and continue to be beloved by fans to this day. It took an incredible amount of imagination to write […]

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: “Pokémon Detective Pikachu”

3 out of 5 stars. I think it’s safe to say that I am one of very few people my age who was never into Pokémon. I never watched the animated shows or movies, never played the video games, and never traded the cards. I can identify Pikachu on sight, but that’s really about it. […]

Review: “Pet Sematary” (2019)

2 out of 5 stars. Buried somewhere within “Pet Sematary,” there’s an interesting commentary on dealing with death and the fear of dying. But the film, which is based on the classic Stephen King novel and was adapted once before for film in 1989, doesn’t begin to unleash its full potential until the last 25 […]

Review: “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase” (2019)

2.5 out of 5 stars. “Nancy Drew” is one of the most beloved and most famous children’s book series of all time, and yet, despite numerous attempts from the 1930s to now, no film or television adaptation of it has fully been successful. The same can be said for “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase,” […]

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 […]

Review: “Dumbo” (2019)

2.5 out of 5 stars. Out of all the Disney films, the story of “Dumbo” has the most room to grow. The 1941 animated classic clocks in at only 64 minutes long, and is the simple story of a baby circus elephant ridiculed for his large ears—which he had actually use to fly. The loving […]

Review: “The Kid Who Would Be King”

3.5 out of 5 stars. Charming live-action family adventure films are largely a thing of the past. But writer and director Joe Cornish breathes new life into that sub-genre with “The Kid Who Would Be King,” a modern retelling of the tale of King Arthur and the sword in the stone that may not do […]

Review: “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part”

3.5 out of 5 stars. I think it’s safe to say that on its release in 2014, “The LEGO Movie” surprised everyone. That a film based on a toy line could not only be genuinely witty and fun, but also incredibly meaningful, is still a bit hard to believe. Naturally, a good portion of that […]