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BlackBerry
(2023)
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Leonard Maltin
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‘BlackBerry’ has a great cast that contributes to the impact of this true-to-life tale, reminding us that truth remains stranger than fiction
Posted May 12, 2023
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
(2023)
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Leonard Maltin
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As a critic, I hesitate to use the word “perfect” but it is the first adjective that comes to mind
Posted Apr 29, 2023
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Chevalier
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is a provocative introduction to a historical figure whose life and existence has been largely overlooked until now. For that reason one can readily applaud the film and enjoy its strengths. But the movie isn’t nearly as good as its subject
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Somewhere in Queens
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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I don’t think you have to have grown up in or around New York City to relate to Somewhere in Queens, but it couldn’t hurt. I found the film quite poignant and it has stayed with me since I watched it well over a week ago
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Air
(2023)
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Leonard Maltin
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The only problem facing Air is that people may be expecting a bigger movie. This is a modest, entertaining behind-the-scenes film about the marketing whiz who believed in Jordan when he was still a rookie
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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The Lost King
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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'The Lost King' is a thoroughly entertaining and enlightening film for grownups, and well worth seeing
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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What a pleasure it is to witness these two gentlemen at work, doing something they love. This documentary is as exhilarating to me as any Hollywood action-adventure yarn. I loved every minute.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Babylon
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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I didn’t love Babylon but I can’t condemn it either. How could I when its finale is a love letter to movies and the way they can lift our spirits? Any filmmaker who strives for that shouldn’t be dismissed, even if he made us sit still for over three hours
Posted Dec 24, 2022
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Women Talking
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Much has been said about the year’s best films not attracting the audiences they deserve. Women Talking is not what one would call a crowd-pleaser, but it is an extraordinary piece of work that is well worth your time.
Posted Dec 24, 2022
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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I was completely taken in by Avatar: The Way of Water and overwhelmed by its fluid, kinetic action scenes, eye-popping production design and propulsive storytelling. This is a movie filled with wonder, which has become a rare commodity in the age of CGI.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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The Fabelmans
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Spielberg’s story isn’t over yet, but he is still on top of his game at the age of 75. This movie proves it conclusively
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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Bullet Train
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Bullet Train is never boring, and it certainly moves, but it’s like an overdose of action moviemaking: much sound and fury, signifying nothing. This should’ve been more fun.
Posted Aug 05, 2022
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Where the Crawdads Sing
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Where the Crawdads Sing may be a chick flick in some people’s estimation, but I was thoroughly absorbed and recommend it highly.
Posted Jul 14, 2022
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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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I was charmed by this unapologetic fairy tale about a cleaning woman who dreams of wearing a beautiful ball gown designed by Christian Dior. Lesley Manville is a marvel, and this film is a lovely vehicle for her—the perfect embodiment of Ada Harris.
Posted Jul 14, 2022
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Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Everyone is entitled to a misfire now and then, and that includes the gifted Kiwi performer and filmmaker most responsible for Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s a scattered affair that, at a certain point, is played as out-and-out comedy
Posted Jul 09, 2022
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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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How can a film so disarmingly simple inspire deep feelings about loss, connection, and the meaning of family? I’m not sure I have the answer, but at a time when so many of us are feeling disoriented—or disconnected—a movie like this is especially welcome
Posted Jun 27, 2022
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Cha Cha Real Smooth
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Having several well-known actors in the cast may help sell this modest indie title to wary viewers but after seeing it I predict that people will be reacting as I did, talking about the wondrous achievements of Cooper Raiff
Posted Jun 17, 2022
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Jerry & Marge Go Large
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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'Jerry and Marge Go Large' may not win awards or earn a fortune, but it made me smile—and I don’t take that for granted, especially nowadays. Bravo to Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening for believing in this can-do story and giving it their all
Posted Jun 17, 2022
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It Ain't Over
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Yogi Berra lived the kind of life we wish our heroes to have: filled with love, respect, and integrity. This is a film fans can embrace and younger generations can learn from. I loved it.
Posted Jun 13, 2022
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The Phantom of the Open
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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The Phantom of the Open is a love letter to dreamers everywhere, and as such it defies scrutiny. Gifted actors have a way of blurring one’s critical vision.
Posted Jun 10, 2022
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Jurassic World Dominion
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is not a story that begged to be told or a saga that demanded a finale. It’s another dispiriting example of how Hollywood never leaves money on the table. It’s just a shame that so much talent is wasted in the process
Posted Jun 10, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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It’s hard to picture another entry in the summer movie sweepstakes that can equal or exceed this one for pure, adrenalin-fueled entertainment. I had a great time watching the film and recommend seeing it as I did, on a giant IMAX screen
Posted May 26, 2022
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Emergency
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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Whether you see it as a genre-bending comedy, a so-painful-it-hurts social satire, or an unclassifiable commentary on contemporary life, Emergency demands your attention.
Posted May 20, 2022
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Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen
(2022)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is no ordinary behind-the-scenes documentary. For one thing, it chronicles the adaptation of a musical play that qualifies as a genuine phenomenon. Based on a story originally told in Yiddish, it has turned out to have universal resonance.
Posted Apr 29, 2022
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The Duke
(2020)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is an unmistakably British import. Its quiet charm stakes a claim for mature viewers but dont mistake "offbeat" for "bland." Theres nothing banal or predictable about this lighthearted tale, which is based on a true story.
Posted Apr 22, 2022
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The Hand of God
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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The Hand of Godis filled with the kind of detail that could only have come from observation-and memory. That one family could contain so many unique and peculiar people is a reminder that truth is almost always stranger than fiction.
Posted Jan 06, 2022
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Jockey
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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Jockeyis one of those sleepers that makes even a bumpy moviegoing season worthwhile. The film rests on the foundation of Clifton Collins's underplayed performance-he is quietly persuasive and likable...a hardscrabble hero worth rooting for
Posted Jan 02, 2022
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Licorice Pizza
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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I had fun watchingLicorice Pizza,an all-too-rare quality that no other year-end release can match. For that I am grateful that someone wrote Paul Thomas Anderson a blank check to make such an idiosyncratic, highly personal film.
Posted Dec 28, 2021
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Parallel Mothers
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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In less skillful hands, the ingredients ofParallel Mothersmight result in a soap opera that would invite quibbles over credibility. But Almodvar's characters have inner lives; we empathize with them and that makes them real.
Posted Dec 28, 2021
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Nightmare Alley
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is a satisfying, fully realized film noir where the characters are more than stereotypes. Only a filmmaker as knowledgeable and passionate as Guillermo del Toro could have made this picture, and I'm awfully glad he did.
Posted Dec 17, 2021
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Being the Ricardos
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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I'm not a fan of show-business biopics, on the whole. Being the Ricardosis a rare exception because of two key participants: Nicole Kidman and writer-director Aaron Sorkin.
Posted Dec 17, 2021
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The Tender Bar
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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The word I'm trying to avoid using is "nice" but there's no getting around it. And if you don't think there's room in this world for a nice movie every now and then, I wouldn't want to have so much as a drink with you.
Posted Dec 17, 2021
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West Side Story
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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Was anyone hankering for a new film adaptation ofWest Side Story?Did this venerable musical need refreshing? A shiny new, ethnically aware versionwill live alongside the earlier film for years to come. Only time will tell if it supplants the original
Posted Dec 17, 2021
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The French Dispatch
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is not the first time Anderson has devoted too much time to minutiae and too little to actual storytelling. Even devotees of his work may find this an exercise in frustration-albeit an exceptionally handsome one.
Posted Oct 26, 2021
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No Time to Die
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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The caretakers of the Intellectual Property known as James Bond, knowing that their newest effort would be the last one to star Daniel Craig, decided to spare no expense to make this an "epic" entry in the series. I just wish there were less of it
Posted Oct 11, 2021
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Searching for Mr. Rugoff
(2019)
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Leonard Maltin
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It's rare that a documentary affects me on a personal level but this evoked a flood of memories. The film captures a time and place when movies really mattered to a whole generation. I'm not saying it was better or worse than it is today--just different
Posted Aug 16, 2021
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Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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This is a knockout of a movie featuring precious performance footage that hasn't been seen since 1969. Ahmir Thompson has taken great raw material and shaped it into a memorable documentary that offers entertainment and food for thought at the same time
Posted Jul 02, 2021
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F9 The Fast Saga
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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Does a so-called summer movie have to be brain-dead? I don't believe it. But then, I don't believe the preposterous goings-on inF9,part of what's now being calledThe Fast Saga. Incoherence reigns supreme
Posted Jun 25, 2021
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The Sparks Brothers
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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I am a newcomer to the Sparks phenomenon but now that I've seen Wright's new documentary The Sparks Brothers I'm a believer.
Posted Jun 21, 2021
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Luca
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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Lucadoesn't look or sound like any film Pixar has made before. It has a charm all its own and captures our imagination from the moment it begins. I found myself on the verge of tears in the closing moments of this wonderful, disarming film.
Posted Jun 18, 2021
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In the Heights
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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Any movie that offers so many jubilant moments must be forgiven its flaws. Even with its rough edges sanded down to some degree, the dramatic story threads are all too familiar. But only a misanthrope could dismiss such an exuberant piece of entertainment
Posted Jun 10, 2021
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A Quiet Place Part II
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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A Quiet Place Part IIdeserves to succeed because it's so good-not just because it's coasting on an earlier hit. Like any sequel it can't offer a fresh core concept...but it can extend the thrills and chills without seeming forced or contrived
Posted May 28, 2021
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Cruella
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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Parents should note the PG-13 rating onCruella,which is earned through a series of nightmarish scenes involving death, abandonment, and revenge. After putting us through the wringer,Cruellaleaves us with an inexcusably weak punchline and postscript.
Posted May 28, 2021
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The Dry
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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It would be nice to welcome this major import to American screens just as theaters are reopening, but for all its complicated plottingThe Dryleft me wanting.
Posted May 21, 2021
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Riders of Justice
(2020)
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Leonard Maltin
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Riders of Justiceis a risk-taking movie that may have you cheering one moment and recoiling the next. It shouldn't work, but somehow it does.
Posted May 15, 2021
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Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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By following his progress in newspapers, catalogs, and his own publication The Craftsman, and speaking to authorities on Stickley including a few living family members, this straightforward film serves as a useful primer.
Posted Apr 05, 2021
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Attack of the Murder Hornets
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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All the participants are earnest, some a bit quirky, but Stephenson allows us to judge them for ourselves as this amusing, low-key suspense yarn unfolds
Posted Apr 05, 2021
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Coming 2 America
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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As a diehard Eddie Murphy fan, it's reassuring to see thatDolemiteIs My Namewasn't a fluke; he still commands the screen. Long live the King!
Posted Mar 08, 2021
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The United States vs. Billie Holiday
(2021)
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Leonard Maltin
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The more you know about legendary singer Billie Holiday the more trouble you're likely to have digesting Lee Daniels's punishing new biopic. The film fails to express how much music meant to her-or what an impact she made on audiences & fellow musicians
Posted Mar 01, 2021
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Minari
(2020)
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Leonard Maltin
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'Minari'flows through a river of emotions in a natural, understated way that belies the effort that must have gone into their creation. It's an artistic triumph, as well as a crowd pleaser
Posted Feb 15, 2021
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