Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog”

2.5 out of 5 stars. I can’t really say what exactly I was expecting from the live-action movie version of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” When the first trailer for the film debuted in April 2019, the reaction was outrage from fans, and something between confusion and horror for everyone else. Needless to say that despite an […]

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: “Weathering With You”

4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s hard to discuss “Weathering With You” without also bringing up “Your Name.” The latter film, an anime movie from writer/director Makoto Shinkai, is one of the highest grossing Japanese films of all time, and has been critically praised across the board. The story of a boy and girl connected […]

Review: “1917”

5 out of 5 stars. “1917” is a war epic brought down to a more personal level, without sacrificing the scale or horror of said war. That is thanks to director Sam Mendes and his crew, who adhere to a vision for this story—based on an anecdote told to him by his grandfather, Alfred Mendes—that […]

Review: “Uncut Gems”

3.5 out of 5 stars. I watched “Uncut Gems” for the first time over two days ago, and I still have a hard time putting my reaction to the film into words. It’s engrossing, but not exactly enjoyable; intense, even though the endgame is rather predictable. None of the characters are likeable, including Adam Sandler’s […]

Review: “Little Women” (2019)

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Little Women” has been the favorite book of many for generations, and the majority of its many film adaptations have been solid as well. But never has the story felt so alive as it does in Greta Gerwig’s new film version, which she wrote and directed. Based on the 1868 […]

Review: “Cats”

1 out of 5 stars. I will never forget where I was when the “Cats” trailer first debuted. It was a warm summer evening, and I was standing in a Starbucks just outside of Dallas, Texas waiting on the latte I’d ordered. Having not been on my phone much all day, I scrolled through Twitter, […]

Review: “Bombshell”

2.5 out of 5 stars. “Bombshell,” one of the first big movies to be based on some of the events that spurred the Me Too movement, is simultaneously shocking, and shockingly tame. Directed by Jay Roach, the film revolves around the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News, in which several women exposed CEO Roger Ailes, […]

Review: “Star Wars Episode XI: The Rise of Skywalker”

3 out of 5 stars. How does one even begin to end the greatest cinematic franchise of all time, one that has been going for 42 years strong? It’s a herculean task, but it’s one that with “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,” director and co-writer J.J. Abrams approaches more with the intent […]

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 […]