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B+
|
John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
Like its three predecessors, non-stop action with just enough story and character to establish the stakes. And endless style.
Posted Mar 19, 2023
|
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B+
|
Moving On
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Despite the unevenness of tone and some sags in the narrative, Fonda and Tomlin are a delight and their way with a line is irresistible.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
It is fun to watch but a lot of clutter and especially a lot of CGI overwhelms the plot and all-but obliterates the tenderness of the first story.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Champions
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
Olson's warmth and strong presence, and her excellent chemistry with Iannucci are the heart of the film.
Posted Mar 10, 2023
|
|
B
|
Creed III
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
There are punches so visceral you’ll feel like you’re in the ring.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
|
|
B
|
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
The title says it all because the story is more about the place than about what happens there. There is just so much detail here, with the endless settings and characters so overwhelming that they make it hard to keep track of what is going on.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Seriously Red
(2021)
|
Nell Minow
|
Boylan has the creamy skin and bright blue eyes to shine in the Dolly moments. The musical numbers, presented with sweetness and sincerity, are a lot of fun. The real life scenes are not as lively or effectively staged.
Posted Feb 11, 2023
|
|
B
|
Magic Mike's Last Dance
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
More a "Step Up" than a "Magic Mike" -- none of it makes any sense, but there’s a 15-minute dance number at the end, and guys with their shirts off making a lot of ladies very happy, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Posted Feb 10, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Shotgun Wedding
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
The balance of humor and action is uneven, and it does not even try to make sense. But the overall tone is lighthearted, andnLopez is, as always, hard to resist.
Posted Jan 27, 2023
|
|
B+
|
You People
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
Murphy playing it straight is one of his funniest performances, and the movie is not afraid to include some sharp commentary along with the sillier moments.
Posted Jan 27, 2023
|
|
B+
|
When You Finish Saving the World
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Eisenberg’s screenplay is thoughtful, with an actor’s sensitivity to tone and character and impeccable casting choices.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Missing
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
It builds lightly on the original but is very much its own treat of a twisty thriller.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Plane
(2023)
|
Nell Minow
|
Butler knows what we’re looking for in an action movie, not just the punches and explosions, but the satisfaction of seeing how and by whom the bad guys get dispatched. It shows us that what isn’t new can still be reliably entertaining.
Posted Jan 11, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
A deliciously twisty remix of the classic British-style murder mystery, with a fabulous location and a group of suspects who all have motive and opportunity. Also like its predecessor, it has an all-star cast clearly enjoying themselves enormously.
Posted Dec 30, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
This new chapter keeps the best of the series’ humor and heart and adds new touches to keep the story and characters vibrant. If they can keep this up, Puss should have many more lives.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
|
|
A-
|
Living
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
An extraordinarily wise and touching exploration of the most profound of existential questions, literally the meaning of life. It is superb in every detail, with a heartbreakingly beautiful performance from Bill Nighy.
Posted Dec 20, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
The story is just a scaffolding for the world-building. That may make it more of an experience than a movie, but the experience is a fun place to visit.
Posted Dec 15, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Spoiler Alert
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
A tender, inspiring story.
Posted Dec 09, 2022
|
|
C
|
Empire of Light
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
“Empire of Light” has such enticing visuals and such thoughtful performances it can almost lull audiences into forgetting that the storyline and characters are like pieces from different jigsaw puzzles.
Posted Dec 09, 2022
|
|
C
|
White Noise
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Driver and Gerwig both give excellent performances but they are too sincere and accessible for this brittle material.
Posted Dec 02, 2022
|
|
A-
|
Strange World
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Disney’s gorgeously animated, thrilling, and tender “Strange World” is a treat, with all of the fabulously imaginative artistry and all of the heart of Disney’s best.
Posted Nov 21, 2022
|
|
A-
|
The Fabelmans
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
It is told with the true mastery of a brilliant filmmaker equally grounded the mechanics of movies and the creation of big, engrossing dreams for us to watch together in the dark.
Posted Nov 21, 2022
|
|
B
|
Sam & Kate
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Better with the in-between moments...When the chaacters are just interacting quietly they convey a great deal and the events interrupt the delicacy of those scenes.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
|
|
A-
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
This is a movie that would make T’Challa proud, and it is a worthy tribute to Boseman and to the Marvel writers and artists who first envisioned Wakanda and made us all want it to go on forever.
Posted Nov 08, 2022
|
|
A-
|
Aftersun
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
A memory movie, not just a movie about someone’s memory but a movie about memory itself, presented in a flickering, sometimes kaleidoscopic fashion, present mingled with past, layered with understanding and regret.
Posted Oct 28, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Wendell & Wild
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
A brave young heroine (Lyric Ross as Kat), wildly imaginative visuals that reward a second and third viewing, and some nicely satisfying twists.
Posted Oct 28, 2022
|
|
C
|
Ticket to Paradise
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Basically, “Mamma Mia” plus Roberts’ own “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” But no ABBA music and no Rupert Everett to disguise the fact that it lurches from one dumb situation to another.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
|
|
B
|
Black Adam
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
"Black Adam" does not have a clear idea of where its title character should fall on the spectrum from anti-hero to hero. And he is tamped down emotionally for most of it, which means we get only glimpses of Johnson’s limitless charm.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
|
|
B+
|
The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Gleason and Farrell, re-teamed with “In Bruges” writer/director McDonogh, give performances of deep complexity and authenticity. We can see them each, in his own way, struggling with thoughts and emotions they find difficult to explain.
Posted Oct 20, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Till
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Mrs. Bradley is played with infinite grace and dignity by Danielle Deadwyler in a performance that is one of the most thrilling of the year.
Posted Oct 13, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Rosaline
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Reminds us that even minor characters in our stories can have value and agency, that exploring other perspectives can increase our understanding and empathy, and that it can be a lot of fun.
Posted Oct 12, 2022
|
|
B-
|
Amsterdam
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
David O. Russell’s new film, “Amsterdam” has a powerhouse cast, a wisp of a true story and a wildly uneven and overly complicated script. The results are, therefore, messy and mixed.
Posted Oct 07, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Bros
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
There’s a bushel basket of witticisms and pop culture references. Without getting too heteronormative, there is also a lot of heart.
Posted Sep 30, 2022
|
|
B+
|
The Good House
(2021)
|
Nell Minow
|
This is a gorgeous role for the endlessly talented Weaver, who gives a layered, deeply lived-in performance, one of the best of the year.
Posted Sep 30, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Catherine Called Birdy
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
The humor and pop songs keep the more dire aspects of the story from distracting us when what she wants us to see is Birdy’s resilience and open-heartedness.
Posted Sep 22, 2022
|
|
B-
|
Confess, Fletch
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Hamm, who co-produced, is well cast, with great comic timing and all the charm his character needs to get away with behavior which ranges from smart-aleck to obnoxious.
Posted Sep 22, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Meet Cute
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
This is a high-concept movie that delivers a satisfying level of insight beyond the will they/won’t they of the romance...the parts that work have great charm and Cuoco and Davidson are a pleasure to root for.
Posted Sep 22, 2022
|
|
B
|
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
It is easy to make characters like these into caricatures, but Ebo never lets them be less than fully human while never softening their flaws and failures.
Posted Sep 02, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Three Thousand Years of Longing
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
The visionary Miller has a gift for wonder. with striking, gorgeous images and swoon-worthy stories of passion — greedy, jealous, ambitious, angry, lustful, romantic.
Posted Aug 25, 2022
|
|
B-
|
Spin Me Round
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Plaza, as always, is a master of deadpan with an underlay of recklessness and she and Brie play off each other beautifully.
Posted Aug 19, 2022
|
|
B+
|
13: The Musical
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
The storyline lightly but sincerely and authentically addresses the real issues of adolescence but seeing real-life kids singing and dancing with such jubilant energy that is the greatest reassurance that adolescence can be survived and triumphed over.
Posted Aug 12, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Thirteen Lives
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
The unquenchable hope, the remarkable resilience, and the cooperation of all involved are a story of uplift and the best that humanity has to offer.
Posted Aug 05, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Luck
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
The story gets overly complicated and at times is more video game than story, but Sam’s endearing optimism and kindness and the beautifully imagined different environments and appealing characters keep it from getting bogged down.
Posted Aug 05, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Bullet Train
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Buckle up, everyone. This is what they’re talking about when they use the term “wild ride.”
Posted Aug 02, 2022
|
|
B-
|
Not Okay
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
We do not have to like a character for a movie to be successful, or for the character to have a happy ending, but we do have to see a complete character and here Danni is just an idea.
Posted Jul 29, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Nope
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Jordan Peele’s new film, “NOPE” does not have the depth of cultural commentary of his Oscar-winning script for “Get Out” or his follow-up, “Us,” but it is a smart, scary movie with a strong storyline, great performances, and clever details.
Posted Jul 20, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
While Mrs. Harris may not always see herself that way, Manville shows us in every moment that the character’s discovery of her courage and value is as much a work of art as the meticulously constructed gowns of Dior.
Posted Jul 15, 2022
|
|
C
|
Where the Crawdads Sing
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
Those who do not already have a strong emotional commitment to the story are likely to come away finding the film superficial at best and morally bankrupt at worst.
Posted Jul 15, 2022
|
|
B+
|
The Sea Beast
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
It's a rollicking yarn, stunningly designed and dynamically animated, with superbly cinematic editing, pacing, and framing, appealing characters, and a thoughtful conclusion. Watch it on the biggest screen you have.
Posted Jul 08, 2022
|
|
B+
|
Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
|
Nell Minow
|
It is so much fun and often genially goofy, two words that don’t usually apply to superhero movies, that it is satisfyingly entertaining
Posted Jul 07, 2022
|
