Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise; Fun, silly, lore filled adventure w/plenty of Disney’s typical F/X action set pieces spectacularly scored. Johnson & Blunt play well off each other & would make a fun comedy pairing in a different film w/less set dressing. A good time but not highly rewatchable; B

Freaky

Freaky; The old body switching premise in a teen horror film starring Vince Vaughn can only coast on his hilarious embodiment of the opposite sex for so long before it gets bogged down in less clever/poorly executed clichés. Traileritis strikes, as all funny bits were seen; C-

A Quiet Place Part II

A Quiet Place Part II; Picks up right where the original left off w/an equal amount of dreadful, eerie quiet suspense scenes that made the first one a smash success. Less Blunt is a minus but more Millicent is a plus, as she conveys so intensely w/her face. Highly effective; A-

Black Widow

Black Widow; If Marvel made a Bond film, it’d be this stunt filled action fest. The family dynamic is fabulous, really steals the show. The Widows could have been given more personality than being pretty automatons, but the fight scenes are superbly shot. Well worth the wait; A-

RocknRolla

RocknRolla; Has all the elements of a Guy Ritchie film that is enjoyable. Quick dialogue, kooky cast of characters, banging soundtrack, kinetic action and lots of laughs. Only seems to suffer from an emotionally unmemorable story arc and a thankless female lead role; B-

My Winnipeg

My Winnipeg; Completely bizarro way to reflect upon and explore one’s hometown and life story. Indescribable, but in the right way. Fascinatingly offbeat, experimental and personal. Definitely not for all audiences or tastes, but strangely compelling; B

Luca

Luca; A literal fish out of water story with a lot of charm and sweetness. Pixar’s dedication to all the details makes this a vibrant piece of storytelling with likeable characters. Though not quite upper echelon Pixar, Luca is a quality addition to the Pixar library; A-

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing; Powerful, prescient, and anything but perfunctory about the past. Performances are full of fire, while the filmmaking is bursting with style. Every single frame forces us towards the final events, confronting our friends and community; A

In the Heights

In the Heights; Impressive kinetic spectacle of Miranda’s passion play bursts alive through Chu’s visual canvas. Outstanding choreography and musical numbers featuring fabulous performances from sure to be bona fide movie stars and Latine legends. Infectious and delightful; A

Owning Mahowny

Owning Mahowny; Fascinating true story played w/laser focused brilliance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The tightening spiral of addiction plays out as tension ramps up. The increasing allure of the tables is palpable as his life falls apart from the secrets he keeps; Engrossing; A-

Away From Her

Away From Her; An intimate portrait of a couple’s reckoning w/dementia. Assured storytelling focuses on relationships more than the disease, built by delicate, nuanced performances. Casts a bright light on the fog that clouds a lifetime of memories & its harsh implications; A-

Bo Burnham: Inside

Bo Burnham: Inside; A soul baring, one man, tour de force encapsulates our past year in a way that’s so deeply personal, it voices the universal truth of our times. Profoundly hilarious, darkly revealing, fascinatingly honest. We’re fortunate to have him reflect on our society; A

Angel Heart

Angel Heart; An overstuffed turkey of a film done w/enough skill to lean more towards cult or camp, rather than unwatchable territory. De Niro relishes his kooky role while Rourke mugs his way through it, steamrolling excellent character acting and Bonet’s compelling debut; C

The White Tiger

The White Tiger; A fine film with thoughtful themes explored by a talented cast & dynamic director. Visually compelling w/modern aesthetic that captures the old and new of India in a way not unlike American style gangster films. A contrarian response to the slumdog fantasy; A

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

The Mitchells vs. The Machines; A fun time diversion w/enough antics to while away an hour or two. Not as inspired, funny, riveting or imaginative as previous fare from the creatives behind the project, but it’s got enough quality for families to share some time together; B-

The Hustler

The Hustler; Pool halls and the game of pool have never looked so good. Solid performances compel viewing through what could be trimmed down about half an hour or so. Still, tension and tragedy build character in a meditation on breaking and sinking through life; A-

Thunder Force

Thunder Force; McCarthy’s delivery makes most anything funny. The flimsy premise and telegraphed plot exist solely to service the comedic talents of McCarthy and Bateman. Unironical use of the music is baffling, especially Dreams by The Cranberries. Silly, throwaway comedy; C+

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Zach Snyder’s Justice League; If thought of as a six episode superhero series, this is an improvement on the original (can’t complain about more Flash & more Cyborg). Expands the characters & lives longer in the moments. Like we’ve grown accustomed to from premium television; B+

Locke

Locke; Amazing acting masterclass by Hardy confined within a vehicle for an hour and a half doesn’t sound enthralling but it is. Given the self imposed limitations, this tight script coupled w/stellar performances creates immense tension solely through hands free phone calls; A-

Ida

Ida; A stunningly beautiful series of cinematic shots tackles themes of faith, family and fascism through the tale of two women, connected by their dealings w/death, in very different ways. Cinematography masterclass combined with tiny, intimate performances and sparse script; A