Recent Reviews
These are our latest reviews of movies at theaters, at the art house, or at festivals.
Blinded by the Light
**2019
An inability to cut loose and transcend reality for something more is what keeps it in the dark.
Some personal stories are more lyrical in the mind than on the screen.
Stuber
*
It’s been a while since a comedy has been this relentlessly unappealing and maliciously stupid.
Cancel this ride and take an alternate route to the comedy store.
It’s been a while since an alleged comedy has been this relentlessly unappealing and maliciously stupid. Yes. It’s one of “those” comedies: All of the best laughs are in the trailer, with plenty of room to spare.
Spider-Man: Far from Home
***1/2Jon Watts
Given the pure likability of this cast, what lies ahead will be a lot of fun.
The lightheartedness of Far from Home stands in stark contrast to Endgame (pardon the pun).
Yesterday
***Danny Boyle
It’s a goofy premise and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) knows it.
Yesterday is an amiable and off-beat tale about music and the power of love, but it misses some of the high notes.
Toy Story 4
***1/2Josh Cooley
Toy Story 4 ends with the greatest plot twist in the history of G-rated fare.
Toy Story 4 delivers a fresh batch of good ol’ fashioned Pixar magic brushed up with a reinvigorated sense of adventure.
Ron Howard tells the story of the larger-than-life tenor who introduced opera to the masses, but this documentary struggles to find its own voice.
Rocketman
****Dexter Fletcher
It’s all done with artistic license. And at times the result is downright glorious filmmaking.
Rocketman is the new benchmark for bio-pics.
In the run-up to Rocketman’s release it was hard to miss how supportive Elton John was of the movie and its promotion — going so far as to appear with his big-screen incarnation, Taron Egerton, at various engagements around the world.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is better than the 2014 reboot of Japan’s hugest export. But it’s a mighty small step up for such a ginormous monster.
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Aladdin (2019)
***1/2Guy Ritchie
Narrative nudges include Jasmine’s leadership ambitions and a romantic entanglement for the genie.
This time, it’s not so much the music as the cast that’s pitch perfect.
Booksmart
***1/2Olivia Wilde
This is Olivia Wilde’s feature film debut as director. She’s got this. Looking forward to more.
Booksmart is a funny, agreeably subversive, fairly radical and wildly inventive directorial debut from Olivia Wilde.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
***1/2Chad Stahelski
The fight sequences are relentless. Brutal. Beautiful.
Chapter 3 is an exhilarating ride through John Wick’s ever-expanding world of gritty action.
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The Hustle (2019)
**1/2
There are the requisite tweaks to the material, but it’s nearly a 1:1 gag swap.
Considering it’s a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), which was in turn a remake of Bedtime Story (1964), The Hustle starts off feeling mighty fresh and modern.
This biographical account of J.R.R. Tolkien’s formative years requires a little bit of patience, but it offers some inspirational rewards in return.
Long Shot
***2019, Jonathan Levine
Long Shot misses the bull’s eye, but it still hits the target on occasion.
It’s every bit as rough and ugly as a romantic comedy pairing Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen would suggest. But, turn a blind eye to a couple glaring miscues and Long Shot mostly works.
Avengers: Endgame
****2019, Anthony Russo, and Joe Russo
It’s virtually an invitation to go back and explore with fresh eyes all that preceded it.
It’s a marvelous conclusion to an unprecedented cinematic feat that’s been 11 years in the making.