Recent Reviews
These are our latest reviews of movies at theaters, at the art house, or at festivals.
Bullet Train is a violent movie with a lot of soul.
DC League of Super-Pets is the summer’s biggest surprise and the best comic book movie so far this year.
Nope
****2022, Jordan Peele
There’s plenty of darkness in Nope, but Peele makes this one a highly entertaining ride.
Say “yep” to Nope.
Jordan Peele’s Nope is a love letter to movies, particularly the slow-burn, slow-reveal storytelling of movies like Close Encounters and Alien. That era was also when movie trailers and promotional materials were built around protecting the movie’s mystery and thereby further fueling the anticipation. The movie had to be seen in a theatre (the bigger the better) in order to experience the big reveal firsthand.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
***2022, Anthony Fabian
Ultimately, Mrs. Harris’ story is all about dignity and self-respect.
It’s hard to resist the delicate charms of watching Mrs. Harris and her pursuit of a bedazzling Dior gown.
Thor: Love and Thunder
***2022, Taika Waititi
Bale and Portman make this one a wee little bit better than the latest string of Marvel movies.
Thor: Love and Thunder isn’t one of the best MCU movies, but it is a marginally good episode in a series that’s lost its focus.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
***1/22022
There are no political or cultural agendas on tap here, this one is for the fun of it.
Minions: The Rise of Gru is so good, it’s the antithesis of Pixar’s Lightyear in virtually every way.
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Elvis (2022)
****2022, Baz Luhrmann
Ultimately, Elvis’ life isn’t just a great story, it’s a great American story.
In Elvis, Baz Luhrmann ditches the caricature, magnifies the mythology and reintroduces an American hero.
Lightyear
**1/22022, Angus MacLane
Instead of being honest about the past, in Lightyear Pixar tries to rewrite it.
Lightyear is one of Pixar’s most problematic and disappointing productions.
Jurassic World: Dominion
**2022, Colin Trevorrow
Dominion loses the courage to stay in the concrete jungle.
Jurassic World: Dominion completes the devolution of a once proud series.
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story
**1/22022, Frank Marshall, and Ryan Suffern
Jazz Fest is too orchestrated.
Frank Marshall’s documentary on the New Orleans Jazz Fest is an average overview that misses a few notes.
Top Gun: Maverick
****2022, Joseph Kosinski
Butter the popcorn. Pour the soda. Settle in for the thrills.
Top Gun: Maverick marks a major milestone for post-COVID moviegoing. It’s the return of the classic summer movie experience.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
***2022, Sam Raimi
Multiverse of Madness doesn’t hit all the marks, but it’s a good piece of entertainment.
It’s Sam Raimi’s masterful third act that makes the Multiverse of Madness worth visiting.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
****2022, Tom Gormican
When it’s Cage-on-Cage sparring, it’s taken to a whole new level.
If more movies were this purely entertaining, life would be sooo fuhrrrrriiiccckkkking awesome!
The Northman offers moments of singular vision and intensity, but the story spends too much time in the land of the familiar.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
**1/22022, David Yates
The energy simply isn’t there this time around.
The adventures of Newt Scamander take a strange, dark detour through a case of election fraud that’s lacking in magic.