-
REVIEW: Astronaut tells a simple, superbly splendid tale

Few actors have such a penetrating, formidable screen presence as Richard Dreyfuss. The 71-year-old thespian and Oscar-winner has given us such enduring hits as Jaws, Close Encounter of the Third Kind, and American Graffiti. While his new film, Astronaut, never reaches the heights of his classics, it proves to be a genuine showcase for his…
-
DVD REVIEW: After an inoffensive, unsurprising teen romance

The thing about the adaptation After, from Anna Todd’s bestselling novel, is it never dips to low enough standards to be categorically bad. If anything, save for a rather bland final twist, it’s a film that will neither anger you or fill you with joy. It ends with a shoulder-shrug and a sigh. Perhaps I’m…
-
MIB reboot a frustrating, lazy alien actioner

It’s been seven years since Men In Black 3 reinvigorated the franchise, but this long-gestating reboot was a big leap backward for all involved. It takes two of the most likable stars in Hollywood in Thor: Ragnarok co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, and throws them a lazy script and Phantom Menace-level special effects. Hemsworth…
-
REVIEW: Annabelle 3 boasts great performances, but conjures few scares

After four Insidious films, two Conjuring incarnations, The Nun & La Llorona spin-offs, and three Annabelle flicks, it appears this once-terrifying universe has run out of ways to surprise us. This haunted universe created by James Wan, the writer of the original Saw, began with Insidious in 2010, but nine years on, the scripts and…
-
REVIEW: Yesterday a nostalgic, charming summer vehicle

-
REVIEW: Gory, self-aware Child’s Play remake breaks no new ground

This remake to the enduring cult classic Chucky films breathes new life into the maniacal doll. The last few Child’s Play incarnations have been campy and less and less scary. While the remake is decidedly more terrifying and gorier than many of those before it, it certainly doesn’t add anything new to the Chucky canon.…
-
REVIEW: Toy Story 4 a genuinely endearing sequel

-
REVIEW: Late Night is a bit too woke

This flick about a late night talk show host, aging and cynical, who brings in fresh talent to backstop the show’s decline is good, but not as good as it could have been. With all the right ingredients, including Emma Thompson as the cantankerous host, Mindy Kaling as her young “diversity hire” protege, and an…
-
REVIEW: Con artist DeLorean framed with movie magic

The man behind some of the most innovative cars ever is documented in as much detail as possible here. John DeLorean, who worked for years at General Motors before opening his own shop, is best known for the Pontiac GTO, Firebird, and the DeLorean, which was modified to feature in film Back To The Future.…
-
REVIEW: Brightburn looks a bit too faded

It’s pretty unnerving to see the highest concept of the summer flame out in a disconcerting, mediocre film. Brightburn is about a young man, who crashlanded to earth as an infant, exhibiting strange signs and symptoms years after a family secretly adopted him. Brandon is a bit of a loner, and some kids in the…