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: “Avengers: Endgame”

3 out of 5 stars. “Whatever it takes.” That’s the Avengers’ promise to each other to do what needs to be done to reverse Thanos’ devastating actions at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War.” But that can seemingly also be applied to Marvel Studios’ and directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s approach to pulling out all […]

5 Best Movies of Summer 2018

When I have reflected on summer movies in past years, I’ve always found it hard to pick the best ones from the films I’ve seen, usually because there aren’t more than a couple that I believed were truly great. This year, however, my top five list was hard to narrow down because there were so […]

Review: “Crazy Rich Asians”

4 out of 5 stars. “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first film produced by a Hollywood studio to boast an all-Asian principal cast in 25 years. They are a minority who are often either grossly under-represented, or poorly represented, in major American films. And while “Crazy Rich Asians,” which is based on the novel of […]

Review: “The Meg”

3 out of 5 stars. Thanks to the Syfy Channel and the “Sharknado” movies, we’re living in a new golden age of cheesy monster flicks, and as evidenced by the popularity of these low-budget movies, the more far-fetched and, quite frankly, intentionally bad, the better. Big budget Hollywood films that are released in theaters are usually […]

Review: “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”

2.5 out of 5 stars. It’s a bit odd seeing a movie like “Hotel Transylvania” getting a release date in the middle of July, but it makes sense considering that the latest film in the hit animated franchise is titled “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.” And if you think that means this movie will be […]

Review: “Eighth Grade”

5 out of 5 stars. “Eighth Grade” is the story of an average girl’s last week of middle school. But there’s nothing average about this film, which is the debut feature from writer/director Bo Burnham. Rather than a quirky and sugar-coated teen comedy, it’s about as honest and unflinching as a portrayal of middle school […]

Review: “Mission: Impossible- Fallout”

4.5 out of 5 stars. The “Mission: Impossible” film franchise has a lot in common with its leading man, Tom Cruise. They’re both relentless, and never seem to know when to stop or how to slow down. But they also age gracefully while managing to pull out some new tricks to impress audiences. And while […]