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: “Hustlers”

4 out of 5 stars. In “Hustlers,” the drama written and directed by Lorene Scafaria and based on the 2015 New York Magazine article titled “The Hustlers at Scores,” there are absolutely zero significant male characters. Not since 1939’s “The Women” can I think of any other film that has managed to tell a purely […]

Review: “Late Night”

3.5 out of 5 stars. In “Late Night,” Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling both play women who defy those who underestimate. The film may be a workplace comedy—and a very funny one at that—but it has an important and timely message that reaches far deeper. The movie is directed by Nisha Ganatra from a script […]

Review: “Captain Marvel”

3.5 out of 5 stars. Warning: This review contains some plot details from “Captain Marvel.” In “Captain Marvel,” Carol Danvers is the hero of her own story. Despite being a mere month and a half away from “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel” is the rare MCU film that stands on its own, and doesn’t have any […]

Review: “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

4.5 out of 5 stars. A great bookstore is heaven to readers. I’m not talking about the retail chains, by the small, local shops that have been around for years and feel old and lived in, that are operated and visited by those with a real passion for the written word. No film seems to […]

Review: “Ocean’s 8”

3.5 out of 5 stars. There’s one moment in “Ocean’s 8” that calls out the necessity of an all-female reboot of the franchise, when Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) and her partner Lou (Cate Blanchett) are going over potential hires for their big heist. When Lou brings up a male candidate and Debbie immediately says no […]

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: “A Wrinkle in Time”

2.5 out of 5 stars. Minor spoilers ahead for those unfamiliar with the story. I first read Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel “A Wrinkle in Time” when I was in elementary school. I remember not being especially thrilled by it, but decided last year, in anticipation of Disney and Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation, it was time […]

Review: “Annihilation”

4 out of 5 stars. Often, the best science fiction films are the ones that don’t give you all the answers, but rather give you more to puzzle out on your own long after leaving the theater. Such is the case with Alex Garland’s second directorial effort, “Annihilation,” based on the first book in a […]

Review: “Lady Bird”

4.5 out of 5 stars. “Lady Bird” opens with a close-up of a mother and daughter sharing a bed in a hotel room, sleeping, facing toward each other but not touching. It’s a shot that effectively establishes the connection this pair has that forms the foundation of writer and director Greta Gerwig’s stunning and honest […]