Freeze Frame

As a Marvel property, The Fantastic Four has been downright snakebit. There have been four live-action box office disappointments plus one in the 90s that was never even released. Thankfully, the latest effort,

"I Know What You Did Last Summer"...and it's pretty much the same thing you did in 1997. This reboot of the slasher franchise is about self-centered teens who cover up an accidental death they caused, only to be pursued by a hook-wielding killer out fo...

Do you long for the classic Superman, one whose main aspiration is wanting to do the right thing for humanity? If so, then writer/director James Gunn's new take on the Man of Steel may be just the hero you're looking for.

"Jurassic World Rebirth" is the seventh installment in the wildly popular sci-fi franchise. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali lead a covert expedition to recover dinosaur blood samples from living specimens at an abandoned island research facility ...

They have the need...the need for speed. If you've seen "Top Gun: Maverick," just take the planes and substitute formula one race cars, and -'presto'- you've got "F1 The Movie." Filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, who made “Top Gun: Maverick,

The family sci-fi comedy “Elio” stands as yet another example of why Pixar remains the gold standard for animation. They get the story right before building the spectacular visuals. A lonely young boy pines to be swept away by aliens…and gets his wish....

The live action remake of the terrific, animated fantasy "How to Train Your Dragon" may not be better than the original, but it's possibly its equal. It’s an enjoyable adaptation that captures an adventurous, whimsical spirit. A lively cast,

"Ballerina" from the world of John Wick is an over-the-top action thriller that's really an extended stunt reel. In the fifth film in the bloody franchise, Ana de Armas plays a ballerina who trains for a lifetime to become an assassin.

The quirky black comedy "The Phoenician Scheme" is the most "Wes Anderson-y" Wes Anderson movie yet. Benicio del Toro leads an all-star cast in the story of a corrupt 50's era businessman who recruits his estranged nun daughter,

Move over "Barbenheimer," it's time for the "Stitch Impossible" weekend. The live-action remake of Disney's 2002 animated hit "Lilo & Stitch" has landed on Earth, with our fugitive alien befriending a lonely young Hawaiian girl and causing considerable...

Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, stars along with Jenna Ortega in the artsy and very dark musical drama, "Hurry Up Tomorrow." Tesfaye wrote the script along with Reza Fahim and director Trey Edward Shults.

Whether or not the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" should have been released at all is a question for another time. Now available on streaming on demand platforms, the controversial Western will always be known as the one where Baldwin accidentally shot and ...

Nicholas Cage gives yet another gonzo performance in "The Surfer," an Australian production inspired by and modeled on 70s-era exploitation movies. Cage returns to the beach of his childhood to surf with his son but is thwarted by violent locals and sl...

In the action thriller "The Accountant 2," Ben Affleck is back as the autistic savant money launderer and crime fighter...just go with it...who's trying to solve a murder. He recruits his hired assassin brother Braxton, played by Jon Bernthal,

Freeze Frame: “The Wedding Banquet” (R), “Sneaks” (PG), “The Dark Money Game” (TV-MA)

Oscar winner Rami Malek stars in a tight and smart throwback spy movie, "The Amateur." Malek plays a meek and mild CIA computer analyst and decoder whose wife is murdered when a terrorist operation in London goes wrong.

Don’t be fooled by the deceptive advertising. The big dog movie "The Friend" with Naomi Watts and Bill Murray is NOT a family friendly comedy. It’s an R-rated drama about suicide and grief based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez.

You can chalk up the comic horror thriller "Death of a Unicorn" as a near miss. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play a father and daughter who hit a unicorn with their car while on the way to the remote estate of a pharmaceutical magnate.

Maybe the best thing to say about the controversial live-action revision of the Disney's classic "Snow White" is that it's not nearly as bad as feared. Rachel Zegler is a fine heroine, and Gal Gadot is an adequately despicable villain. However,

Want a spy thriller with a little meat on its decadent bones? A first rate cast lights up the screen in Steven Soderbergh's "Black Bag," a twisty tale of duplicity. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett play married intelligence agents.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson scored big at the box office with his "Resident Evil" franchise. That same excessive visual style is on display with "In the Lost Lands," an adaptation of a George R.R. Martin short story. Mila Jovovich, aka Mrs. Paul W.S.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has stepped into yet another role, movie producer. His production company has released a new film that is much better than its awkward title might suggest. "My Dead Friend Zoe" is a beautifully acted comic dram...

The Apple TV+ movie "The Gorge" is half of a really solid sci-fi thriller. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy are fine in this high concept horror flick about two highly skilled assassins who are assigned to guard opposite sides of a mysterious ravine.

The Brazilian political drama “I’m Still Here” from acclaimed filmmaker Walter Salles is a nominee for this year’s Best International Feature Oscar. Fernanda Torres has already won a Golden Globe as Best Actress for her portrayal of Eunice Paiva,

Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun star in the high-concept sci-fi romance, "Love Me." Long after mankind has destroyed itself, two remaining AI entities, a smart buoy and a satellite, begin to communicate. They create artificial lives for themselves insp...

There have been multiple films about the tragic massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The tense drama "September 5" tells the story from the perspective of the ABC journalists who scrambled to cover the story.

The Golden Globe-winning drama "The Brutalist" is half of a great movie. The first half.  In Brady Corbet's 3 1/2-hour epic, Adrian Brody excels as a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who immigrates to the US and struggles to work as an architect.

Pop star Robbie Williams is a major artist in the UK. But Williams suffers from so much self-loathing that in his musical autobiography "Better Man", he portrays himself…as an ape. Apparently, it's the unshakably insecure image he has of himself.

Happy New Year! Time to look back at my picks for the best movies of 2024. - 10) HIT MAN (R) is a snappy tongue-in-cheek thriller. Glenn Powell stars as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police. - 9) THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN (PG-13)is a touchin...

The early years of Bob Dylan’s career are effectively depicted in "A Complete Unknown." Timothée Chalamet captures the nuances of the enigmatic troubadour and does his own singing and playing, as do most of the other cast members.

Disney once again attempts to mine gold from the Serengeti with "Mufasa: The Lion King." This photo-realistic animated film is a prequel to "The Lion King," telling the musical adventure story of Simba's heroic dad and his harrowing rise to the monarch...

Angelina Jolie's stunning performance is the main draw of filmmaker Pablo Larraín's "Maria," a Netflix biopic about the last tragic days in the life of famed operatic diva Maria Callas. A fading Callas shares some intimate memories of her life and care...

Every dog has its day, and Amy Adams has hers in a movie with an awful title. In “Nightbitch,” Adams plays the harried mother of a two-year-old boy. She begins to morph into a dog…in her mind, anyway, and winds up running with a pack.

Disney goes back to the tropical well with the animated sequel, "Moana 2." Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson return as the lead voices, but it’s the spectacular animation that’s the real star of this seagoing adventure.

Part one of the smash Broadway musical "Wicked," the origin story of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, finally hits the big screen. Here's the upside: It's very entertaining and beautifully produced and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera are terrific....

Are you looking for a Christmas movie with charm and warmth that captures the holiday spirit? If so, then the Rock's PG-13 adventure flick "Red One" ain't it. If you want a loud, manic action fantasy about baddies kidnapping Santa aimed squarely at pre...

Hugh Grant goes against type and scores as a psycho philosopher in the slow burn horror entry "Heretic." Grant lures a pair of Mormon missionaries into an elaborate trap in his home as he endeavors to get them to renounce their faith...

Kansas City filmmaker Sav Rodgers' documentary "Chasing Chasing Amy" is a story of how Kevin Smith's 1997 film "Chasing Amy" saved Rodger’s life. Traumatized by bullies at school, Rodgers found solace repeatedly viewing what was at the time,

The Netflix documentary "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" is an involving film about a solitary Norwegian teenager named Mats who suffered from a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Upon his death, his parents inadvertently discovered that he had a rich onl...

The 2022 horror hit “Smile” gets its inevitable sequel. In “Smile 2,” Naomi Scott plays a pop star haunted by a malevolent entity that causes people to kill themselves and pass the evil onto a witness to continue the chain of suicide.

The chaotic buildup to the first episode of the classic variety series "Saturday Night Live" is the basis for filmmaker Jason Reitman's engaging account, "Saturday Night." A cast of largely unknown actors play the familiar original cast and crew.

The drama “White Bird” serves as a sequel and prequel to the movie, “Wonder,” based on the graphic novel by R. J. Palacio. Helen Mirren plays the French grandmother of a troubled boy. She tells him the harrowing story of her experiences as a Jewish chi...

Francis Ford Coppola remains one of the world's greatest filmmakers. That's true even though his latest effort, "Megalopolis," is a colossally pretentious mess. Adam Driver stars in a high-concept sci-fi fable about a conflicted genius whose concept of...

Three strong performances provide a solid foundation for the Netflix drama, "His Three Daughters." Carrie Coogan, Natasha Leone and Elizabeth Olsen play disconnected sisters who gather together as their father goes into hospice.

Graphically violent action comedies just keep popping up, with over-the-top stunt work inspired by movies like "The Kingsman" and "John Wick." It takes a deft touch to pull these movies off and the makers of "The Killer's Game" don't quite have it.

It's taken 36 years, but Michael Keaton's wisecracking demon returns to haunt supernatural TV hostess Winona Ryder in Tim Burton's gory gothic comedy, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." Surprisingly, the over-the-top farce has aged pretty well. Jenna Ortega,

The crime drama "1992" is a typical thriller but is infused with social relevance. Tyrese Gibson plays a worker at a metals plant who winds up battling thieves out to steal platinum. Scott Eastwood and the late Ray Liotta are the bad guys using the cha...

After 45 years and eight previous "Alien" movies, is it possible for yet another installment to be exciting, suspenseful and fresh? In the hands of director Fede Alverez, the answer is "Yes." In "Alien: Romulus" the action takes place between the event...

The healing power of the arts is the focus of the moving and thoughtful drama, "Sing Sing." Coleman Domingo is excellent, starring alongside a group of actual former inmates in the story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the infamous Si...

Yearning for another movie based on a video game series? If so, you still may want to avoid "Borderlands." Director Eli Roth, best known for his gory splatter films strands Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Jamie Leigh Curtis and Mark Twain Prize winner...

The fourth feature length film from the SpongeBob SquarePants universe is a wacky animated farce on Netflix. The scandal involving standup comic Louis C. K. is the subject of a documentary from the folks at the New York Times.

The cast of "The Fabulous Four" may indeed be fabulous, but they're the only thing remotely redeeming about this awful, raunchy comedy. Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally star in the story of old friends who travel to Key...

Action fans, you’ll be glad to know that “Twisters” doesn’t blow. It’s officially called a “standalone sequel,” with only a tenuous connection with the 1996 disaster hit, “Twister.” Daisy Edgar-Jones stars alongside man of the hour Glenn Powell in the ...

Flimflamming advertising exec Scarlett Johannson fakes a moon landing and lands hunky NASA flight director Channing Tatum in the spacey but stylish romantic comedy, "Fly Me to the Moon." Tatum is working hard to make sure that the Apollo 11 project suc...

Eddie Murphy’s patented cheeky persona is the saving grace of the otherwise graceless Netflix sequel, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." Murphy returns to the role 40 years after the initial hit action comedy and his adventures play like they were stamped ou...

In the mood for a 2-hour therapy session? In the provocative drama "Daddio,” Dakota Johnson plays a troubled young woman who confesses all to a brash cab driver, played by Sean Penn, when the ride home from the airport is delayed by a traffic accident....

Movies about motorcycle culture in the 1960s were popular drive-in fodder back in the day. "The Bikeriders" is a throwback that removes the fabricated glamor and replaces it with gritty realism. Jodie Comer,

The folks at Disney/Pixar retain their status as the gold standard of animation because of their meticulous dedication to getting the screenplay right as well as the animation and voice work. "Inside Out 2" is no exception.

In a scene from the fourth entry in the "Bad Boys" franchise, "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," Will Smith is repeatedly slapped by Martin Lawrence. Intentional or not, the moment gets the requisite laughs. The hip but aging Miami detectives are back,

Glen Powell co-wrote, produced and stars in Netflix's tongue-in-cheek thriller, "Hit Man." Richard Linklater directed this surprisingly sunny neo-noir entry, where Powell plays a nerdy teacher who poses as a slick hitman to help the cops entrap wannabe...

"Sight" tells the remarkable true story of Dr. Ming Wang. Terry Chen plays Dr. Wang, an immigrant to the US who developed groundbreaking eye surgery techniques. It spotlights his personal struggles as a youth in China and the tragedies that propelled h...

If being sentimental, sweet-natured, and family-friendly is a crime, then "IF" is guilty on all counts. Filmmaker John Krasinski's fantasy about a young girl who can see other people's imaginary friends is certainly corny and saddled with a score that ...

When they decided to reboot the "Planet of the Apes" franchise in 2011, eyes rolled. But the refreshed franchise turned out to be a winner. The fourth entry, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," is a rousing,

Ryan Gosling is on a roll. His latest movie, "The Fall Guy" is a cheeky big screen adaptation of the 1980s TV series that starred Lee Majors. Gosling plays a movie stuntman who takes a gig on a film directed by his ex-girlfriend,

The tennis movie "Challengers" takes the term 'love' in a kinky direction. Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist star in a raunchy comic drama about a ménage à troi involving championship level competitors.

Director Guy Ritchie's paints with very broad strokes for his wacky action comedy "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson lead the cast as criminal mercenaries recruited by Winston Churchill to secretly disable Nazi ship...

Contemporary political divisions and paranoia add an uneasy edge to filmmaker Alex Garland's chilling speculative nightmare, "Civil War." Kirsten Dunst is solid as a famed photojournalist who races with colleagues to get to Washington,

Bollywood meets “John Wick” in the over-the-top, ultraviolent thriller, “Monkey Man.” Actor Dev Patel wrote, directed and stars in the tale of an impoverished Indian man who extracts bloody vengeance on the people who killed his mother and destroyed hi...

Liam Neeson once again plays a man grudgingly forced into violence in the drama "In the Land of Saints and Sinners." During Ireland's political and social upheaval in the 1970s, a hit man tries to extract himself from the bloodshed but is reluctantly p...

Kansas City native son Paul Rudd is joined by originals Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson for another comically spooky go-round, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” The old team up with the new to combat a malevolent spirit bent on polarizing New Yo...

The action thriller "Love Lies Bleeding" is an example of extremely well-made sleaze, a midnight movie with a mind. Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien star in a twisted lesbian romance embellished with violent revenge and occasional magic realism.

In the Netflix sci-fi flick "Spaceman," Adam Sandler plays a cosmonaut who befriends a giant space spider. No, this ain't a comedy. "Spaceman" is a slow-moving but thoughtful drama from the director of the acclaimed series, “Chernobyl.

The delay is over Dunatics. Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic "Dune: Part 2" has finally arrived on the big screen and it's a sweeping saga that arguably tells Frank Herbert’s intricate messianic tale better than any of the previous film and TV adaptation...

Two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank stars in the family friendly social drama, "Ordinary Angels." It tells the inspirational true story of Sharon Stevens, an alcoholic hairdresser who seeks redemption by rallying her Kentucky community to help a child ...

“Bob Marley: One Love” is both entertaining and disappointing at the same time. The late reggae icon's music propels what is otherwise a very bland reenactment of segments of his life. You can't blame Kingsley Ben Adir who is fine in the title role and...

“The Teachers' Lounge" is a German film deservedly nominated for the Best International Feature at this year's Oscars. Leonie Benesch plays a naive novice schoolteacher who sets off a volatile firestorm when she accuses one of her fellow employees of p...

The wildly imaginative tongue-in-cheek action comedy "Argylle" is the sort of movie that the term "meta" was coined for. Bryce Dallas Howard stars as a homebody novelist. She becomes the target of assassins when the adventures of her fictional spy hero...

The banality of evil is the subject of the devastating German entry, "The Zone of Interest," loosely based on the novel by Martin Amis. It’s the favorite to win this year's International Film Oscar. The film is about Rudolph Hoss,

Ava DuVernay's earnest and thoughtful drama "Origin" focuses on the multiple personal traumas that prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson endured as she wrote and researched her nonfiction bestseller, “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents.

Tina Fey's hit 2004 comedy "Mean Girls" was adapted into a popular Broadway musical. The new movie is a cinematic version of that play. Angourie Rice leads the cast in the tale of a teen who rubs a nasty A-list student the wrong way when she falls for ...

Happy New Year. Time to look back at the best of the cinematic crop for 2023. - 10) PAST LIVES - A sweet and melancholy drama about childhood friends who awkwardly reconnect as adults. - 9) POOR THINGS Emma Stone is rock solid in the twisted,

The second cinematic adaptation of Alice Walker's classic novel "The Color Purple" is an admirable reworking of the Broadway musical version. Fantasia Barrino is terrific in the central role of the long-suffering Celie,

Jason Mamoa returns for possibly the last time as the aquatic DC superhero in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." There's over $200 million worth of eye candy in the story of our hero's attempt to save the world from Black Manta and global warming....

Did we really need a musical prequel to the classic 1971 fantasy "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?" No. But I'm still glad that we got one. Timothy Chalamet is terrific as the young Wonka in this tuneful and imaginative lark that serves as Willy'...

The contentious relationship between renowned composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia is the focus of the biopic, "Maestro." It's in theaters now and on Netflix on December 20th. Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan will likely receive O...

Eddie Murphy's comic dexterity isn't enough to save the bloated Amazon Prime Christmas fantasy, "Candy Cane Lane." Murphy makes a deal with a backslidden elf to help him win a neighborhood decoration prize.

"Napoleon," Ridley Scott's historical epic about the infamous French emperor, comes up a bit short. Joaquin Phoenix mumbles his way through this visually spectacular, often funny, but dramatically lackluster extravaganza.

A riveting performance from Colman Domingo and an important untold story propel the Netflix biopic, "Rustin." The film focuses on the Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin and his efforts to organize the groundbreaking 1963 March on Washington while defl...

The superpowers of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and SABER astronaut Monica Rambeau become mysteriously intertwined in the action opus "The Marvels." Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris play the potent trio who are forced to work together to save...

“Priscilla,” Sophia Coppola’s subtle and nuanced movie about the relationship of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, is the polar opposite of Baz Luhrmann’s flashy and bombastic musical biopic “Elvis.” Cailee Spaney and Jacob Elordi are well cast in this tale...

The PG-13-rated Halloween offering "Five Nights at Freddy's" plays on the creepy feelings generated by those animatronic animals at kids' pizza joints. Josh Hutcherson plays a night security guard who discovers that the robotic creatures at an abandone...

Thanks to Taylor Swift and her army of Swifties for saving the lackluster fall box office. The big screen version of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" has already scored one of the biggest box office hauls of the year and set new records for a concert film...

A flamboyant lawyer attempts to dig up some justice in "The Burial," an Amazon Prime drama inspired by a true story. Jamie Foxx gives a magnetic performance as Willie E. Gary, a personal injury lawyer who took on a big corporation in a contract law cas...

"The Exorcist: Believer" had to change its release date so that it wouldn't compete with the Taylor Swift concert film. Now that's scary. In this creepy franchise reboot, Leslie Odom, Jr. plays the father of one of two demon-possessed girls.

The new sci-fi opus "The Creator" may strike fear into the hearts of those already concerned about the dangers of artificial intelligence. In the near future, the human race and AI are engaged in a war and ex-special forces agent John David Washington ...

“No One Will Save You” is a wildly original and well-made sci-fi entry on Hulu from filmmaker Brian Duffield. Kaitlyn Dever gives a remarkable, nearly wordless performance as troubled young woman who is confronted by aliens at her isolated rural home.

Kenneth Branagh returns for this third go-round as Agatha Christie's famed detective Hercule Poirot in the spooky whodunit, "A Haunting in Venice." During a seance at an eerie Venetian villa in 1947, a medium played by Michelle Yeoh is murdered.

Writer/director/star Nia Vardalos is back for round three in the broad and sappy comedy, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3." Nia and her clan travel to Greece for a big fat family reunion and to meet her father’s childhood friends from his tiny Greek village...

There are two words to describe what's good about the ultra-violent action thriller, "The Equalizer 3." Those words are Denzel Washington. He returns as an uber-talented former Defense Intelligence agent and vigilante who winds up in Italy reluctantly ...

When is a video game movie not a video game movie? When it's a true story about a race car gamer who became a real race car driver. "Gran Turismo" stars British actor Archie Madekwe in the unlikely story of Jann Mardenborough,

"Blue Beetle" is the latest superhero movie from the DC Comics universe that's notable mainly for its Hispanic cast and production staff. Xolo Maridueña from "Cobra Kai" plays a young man whose body is invaded by an alien scarab giving him powers he us...

"The Last Voyage of the Demeter" is an adaptation of just one chapter from Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula." Corey Hawkins and Kansas City native son David Dastmalchian star in the tale of voyagers trapped at sea with the infamous vampire.

After nearly 40 years, countless comics, five TV series and four feature films, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just keep mutating. The farcical animated feature "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is probably the best of the lot.

The second time isn't the charm for Disney's "Haunted Mansion." This movie based on the Disneyland attraction is, at best, an adequate timewaster for older kids. Director Justin Simien has made some very good movies,

Who knew that "Barbie" could be the victim of an existential crisis? Margot Robbie is perfectly cast in Greta Gerwig's wacky and wildly imaginative comedy about Mattel's superstar doll. It's the kind of movie that the term 'meta' was coined for.

Tom Cruise is back, this time battling Artificial Intelligence in the zippy action thriller, "Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning, Part One." The seventh entry in the franchise has stilted dialogue that sounds like it was written by A.I., but who cares?

In the shameless and unapologetically bawdy comedy “Joy Ride,” Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu play Asian-American friends who go on a trip to China where everything goes awry. It's goofy,

Relentless action, welcome nostalgia and the irascible Harrison Ford energize the fifth and final installment of the blockbuster series, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Set in 1969, the story pits the aging anthropologist against a former Nazi...

Filmmaker Wes Anderson is the king of quirky and his movies are an acquired taste. His latest effort, the offbeat comedy "Asteroid City" is no exception. This whimsical story-within-a-story involves a 1950's era convention of junior scientists gatherin...

Try to forget the negative headlines about troubled actor Ezra Miller. As the DC comics troubled superhero "The Flash," he's terrific. This lightning fast member of the Justice League opens a Pandora's Box when he uses his speed to time travel,

If I were a seven-year-old, I'd be anxiously awaiting the arrival of the latest "Transformers" movie. While the seven-year-old in me still gets a bit of a kick out of the dazzling robotic visuals on display in the seventh entry in the franchise "Transf...

While it's long, frenzied and slings more plot webs than it can reasonably control, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is an impressive, visually extravagant sequel to the 2018 Oscar-winning animated feature “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Should Disney continue its conversion of animated hits into live action movies? Well, when they are as good as "The Little Mermaid," the answer is, "Yes." Halle Bailey is terrific in the title role as is Melissa McCarthy as the evil sea witch.

If you're a fan of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, you already know that you need to check your brain at the theater door. So, let's just say that "Fast X" is yet another James Bond wannabe that is predictably silly with an over-the-top performan...

Ben Affleck stars in "Hypnotic" a flaky sci-fi thriller from Robert Rodriguez about a police detective who discovers that government mind control experiments may have something to do with his missing daughter.

The newest chapter in the wildly popular "Guardians of the Galaxy" series has arrived and... it's out of this world. "Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3" is an imaginative and surprisingly moving comic adventure that provides the emotional backstory for...

Is Judy Bloom's 1970 coming-of-age story "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" still relevant? If the new film adaptation is any indication, the answer is "yes." Abby Ryder Fortson is very appealing in the title role,

Be afraid. Be very afraid. The off-putting phantasmagorical horror comedy "Beau is Afraid" is a psychologist's nightmare. Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as a middle-aged man with mommy issues who goes on a terror-filled journey to his mother's funeral.

In the grisly, over-the-top vampire comedy "Renfield," Nicholas Cage plays Dracula and gets to chew the scenery as well as a lot of jugular veins. Nicholas Hoult plays his reluctant servant Renfield who gets some help from cop Aquafina to try to take d...

When is an inspirational sports movie not a sports movie? When it's the stirring Ben Affleck-directed opus, "Air." Matt Damon stars in the absorbing true story about the people from Nike who were the upset winners in the race to sign Michael Jordan to ...

Sometimes mindless, silly fluff is just what a weary viewer wants at the end of a long day’s work. If that's you, then the goofy Netflix caper movie "Murder Mystery 2" may fill the bill. Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are back in this wacky but ente...

The latest installment of the wildly popular John Wick action franchise, “John Wick: Chapter Four,” is an amazing stunt reel in search of a plot. Keanu Reeves is back as the uber talented hitman who is out for revenge against an Illuminati-type organiz...

The Hulu drama “Boston Strangler” is a workmanlike journalistic procedural about the two women, played by Keira Knightly and Carrie Coon, who in the 1960s were credited with breaking the story of the infamous serial killer while breaking the glass ceil...

At one point in the absurd slasher sequel "Scream VI," a stabbing victim says, "**** this franchise." I agree. While it delivers the tongue-in-cheek chills that fans of these movies go for, it doesn't add anything new except a location, New York City.

"Creed III" has Michael B. Jordan. Check. Jonathan Majors is solid as his nemesis. Check. It has well-staged boxing scenes. Check. It's no knockout by any means, but those three checks are enough to make the third installment in the "Rocky" spinoff ser...

In 1985 a Georgia black bear consumed a duffel bag of cocaine that smugglers had dropped from an airplane. The grisly black comedy “Cocaine Bear” imagines what could have happened if that bear had gone on a drug-fueled killing spree.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is the third stand-alone Ant-Man movie featuring our size-shifting Avenger hero, played by Kansas City’s own Paul Rudd. Evangeline Lily, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas reprise their roles from the previous “A...

Attractive, likable stars can't save the creaky, warmed-over Netflix rom-com "Your Place or Mine." Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher play long-distance friends who hooked up once twenty years ago. She’s now a struggling single mom living in LA who w...

The broad and goofy comedy "80 for Brady" is aimed squarely at the underserved older moviegoer demographic. Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno play elderly fans of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The Hollywood rom-com meets an R-rated social commentary in the Netflix movie, "You People." Jonah HIll plays Ezra, a white Jewish podcaster who falls for an African-American Muslim designer named Amira, played by Lauren London.

"Women Talking" is an award-winning film adapted from a 2018 novel by Miriam Toews. It’s loosely based on the true story of a group of Mennonite women who gather to discuss what to do when they become the victims of sexual attacks by the men of their c...

With movies like the action trilogy “Olympus Has Fallen,” “London Has Fallen and “Angel Has Fallen,” Scottish actor Gerard Butler is carving out a niche for himself as an action icon in the mold of Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis.

Tom Hanks plays a judgmental curmudgeon facing bitter personal disappointment in the sentimental comic drama, "A Man Called Otto." Upon his forced retirement, a lonely widower must decide what to do with himself and faces an unfamiliar challenge when a...

Time for my annual countdown of the best movies of the year. - 10) Amazing aerial stunt work overcomes the absurd, testosterone-fueled script in the entertaining box office blockbuster, “Top Gun: Maverick.” -

Oscar-winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle wants to have it both ways. He wants "Babylon" to be a celebration of the decadent excesses of Old Hollywood as well as a condemnation of the era. It doesn't work. Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie are fine in this ove...

Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro ("The Shape of Water) adds some new twists to the classic story in a new stop-motion musical adaptation.

Oscar-winner Will Smith returns for yet another powerful performance in the harrowing historical drama "Emancipation," now in theaters and on Apple TV+. While somewhat fictionalized, "Emancipation" tells the heart-wrenching story of Peter,

Had enough heartwarming holiday fare? If so, then the dark R-rated comedy "Violent Night" might be more to your liking. David Harbour of "Stranger Things" fame plays a tired, inebriated, and belligerent Santa Claus who is forced to kick some backside w...

For fifty years, Steven Spielberg has been Hollywood's preeminent filmmaker. His latest movie, "The Fabelmans," is his most personal yet. This semi-autobiographical story is about a young boy who discovers the magic of filmmaking. But more than that,

"She Said" is a timely journalist procedural in the fashion of "All the President's Men" and "Spotlight." It depicts the efforts of two New York Times reporters, played by Carrie Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, to expose the sexual misconduct allegations surro...

The highly anticipated sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is a sprawling, action-packed and overlong Marvel epic, redeemed by filmmaker Ryan Coogler's vision that serves as an earnest salute to the late Chadwick Boseman,

Watching the pitch-black comedy of writer/director Martin McDonough can sometimes feel like an assault. His latest effort, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is no exception. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson give compelling performances as two friends living...

An important story respectfully told. That's the bottom line for the heartbreaking historical drama "Till." Danielle Deadwyler gives a riveting performance as the mother of Emmit Till, the black teen murdered by white racists in Mississippi in 1955,

The DC Cinematic Universe adds yet another larger-than-life character to its ever-expanding lineup. Dwayne Johnson is "Black Adam," a superpowered antihero from the Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq, who becomes the nemesis of the Justice Society.

The title of the movie is "Halloween Ends." And if you believe that, I've got a bridge in Bonner Springs to sell you. After 11 films over 44 years, Jamie Lee Curtis is still being menaced by boogeyman Michael Meyers in theaters and on Peacock.

What do you get when you combine an intriguing story, great cast, impressive production values and a top-notch director? In the case of "Amsterdam," you get a real mess. Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington lead a terrific ensemble i...

A heartfelt and empathetic performance by Ana de Armas as troubled Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe isn't quite enough to elevate the excessively depressing NC-17 drama, "Blonde, " now on Netflix. This fictionalized account based on the novel by Joyc...

Olivia Wilde's feminist sci-fi thriller "Don't Worry Darling" has generated outsized interest due to the headlines involving the backstage turmoil during and after filming. I just wish the movie were as interesting.

"The Woman King" should be a contender for a gold crown come Oscar time. Viola Davis leads a stellar cast in this action-packed historical epic about an elite unit of female warriors who protect the West African Dahomey kingdom in the 1820s.

America's dad wants to be a real dad. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto in the Disney Plus live-action remake of the 1940 animated masterpiece, "Pinocchio." Cynthia Erivo plays the Blue Fairy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides the voice of Jiminy Cricket and Kee...

When it comes to the comic mockumentary "Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul," you can thank heaven for one thing: the outstanding performances from Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown. They play the first lady and pastor of a megachurch,

The Idris Elba film fest continues for the second week in a row with the ambitious fantasy, "Three Thousand Years of Longing." Elba plays a genie who emerges from a bottle to grant scholar Tilda Swinton three wishes.

Who is the king of the jungle, man or beast? Idris Elba finds out the hard way in the unnerving new action thriller, "Beast." A widower doctor takes his estranged teenage girls to Africa to visit a wildlife preserve.

If "Men in Black" had been about vampires instead of aliens, it may have looked a bit like the tongue-in-cheek horror movie, "Day Shift." Jamie Foxx plays a rogue vampire hunter in suburban LA. He tries to get back in the vampire hunters union,

Brad Pitt is a charismatic, Oscar-winning actor. His considerable efforts and some outstanding stunt choreography aren't enough to save the over-the-top action comedy, "Bullet Train." Pitt plays an assassin sent to Japan to recover a mysterious briefca...

File the animated action comedy "DC League of Super Pets" under the 'pleasant surprises' category. Krypto, Superman's dog, puts together a crew of rescue pets to save his master and the other members of the Justice League when their lives are threatene...

Jordan Peele's ambitious and inventive sci-fi horror entry "Nope" is one part brilliant and three parts frustrating. It's as if M. Knight Shyamalan had decided to remake Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' with the goal of creeping...

The troubled life of former Kansas City Royals first baseman Willie Aikens gets the inspirational biopic treatment with "The Royal." It's currently showing theatrically at the Screenland Armour and is available on multiple streaming platforms.

When comedian Taika Waititi wrote and directed the 2017 Marvel epic "Thor: Ragnarok," he injected the Avengers series with a playful, irreverent twist, emphasizing humor as well as action. He made Thor a bit of a goof. Still heroic,

"Minions: The Rise of Gru" is the fifth movie in the hit animated "Despicable Me" franchise. The kids are already tuned in, but the makers of this origin story cleverly place the action in the 1970s to give adults a cagey nostalgia hit.

The life of rock n’ roll legend Elvis Presley gets an over-the-top, almost operatic treatment with Baz Luhrmann's phantasmagorical two-hour and forty-five-minute biopic, "Elvis," Tom Hanks plays his Svengali-like manager, Col. Tom Parker,

Buzz Lightyear, the Space Ranger who inspired the fabled action figure from "Toy Story," gets an origin story with "Lightyear." Chis Evans provides the voice of our hero who battles the evil Emperor Zurg and his robot army while attempting to protect f...

The “Jurassic Park” films have raked in over $5 billion at the worldwide box office. Naturally, Hollywood is as interested in resurrecting the franchise as the evil corporations are in resurrecting those aggressive dinosaurs.

Lenexa, Kansas native and “America’s Got Talent” winner Grace VanderWaal stars in the Disney+ musical, “Hollywood Stargirl,” a sequel to the 2020 film “Stargirl.” When Stargirl and her mom leave Arizona for the West Coast,

It's been 36 years since Tom Cruise first scrambled his jets in the action blockbuster "Top Gun." The long-gestating sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" has finally arrived and, happily, these Navy pilots nearly reach mach 10. But, as Maverick says,

The second "Downton Abbey" feature film, “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” provides fans with just what they expect from their favorite British period soap opera; High-toned escapism. Multiple plot threads unfold as the dowager countess,

Is it possible to find comfort in mutual desperation? The extremely edgy comic drama "On the Count of Three" dares to explore that thorny question in a story about two friends who make a mutual suicide pact.

Remember Charles Bronson, the actor who in the 1970s and 80s, made a slew of bloody revenge dramas during his golden years? The career of Liam Neeson has taken a similar trajectory. The latest example is "Memory,

The medieval Viking legend of Amleth, the inspiration for Shakespeare's "Hamlet," becomes a dark big screen extravaganza in "The Northman." Alexander Skarsgård takes the title role of a prince who spends years seeking revenge on his uncle who killed hi...

The Harry Potter prequels have all the superior production values that fans have come to expect from this popular franchise. And while better than the previous episode, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" is still saddled with a somewhat clun...

The HBO Max cloak-and-dagger drama "All the Old Knives" is a well-acted espionage thriller with a plot that twists like a mobius strip. Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton add steamy eroticism as former lovers who reunite years after their CIA field intelli...

Like the recent "Venom" movies, the Marvel entry "Morbius" is a Spider-Man villain origin story. It's a full-blown horror flick about a brilliant doctor, played by Jared Leto, who attempts to cure his own blood disease,

Anyone who has seen the classic 1984 romantic action comedy "Romancing the Stone" may feel a bit of deja vu watching the slapstick adventure movie "The Lost City." Sandra Bullock plays Loretta, a romance novelist kidnapped by a wealthy bad guy,

The Hulu movie "Deep Water" desperately wants to be an erotic thriller like some of director Adrian Lyne's earlier films like "Fatal Attraction." Sadly, this poorly paced adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel is fatal,

As time travel movies go, they don't get much sunnier than the Netflix action thriller, "The Adam Project." Ryan Reynolds plays Adam, a pilot from the future who crash lands in 2022 and winds up having to recruit his 12-year-old self to thwart some bad...

The Dark Knight continues to get darker and darker. In his first appearance as "The Batman" Robert Pattinson takes the brooding caped crusader to a new level of bleakness. -   - "The Batman" is an extremely well-made movie that plays more like a gang...

There have been at least eleven film adaptations of Edmond Rostand's classic romantic play "Cyrano de Bergerac" and at least eleven others that were inspired by the story. The latest cinematic version is different in a couple of major ways. "Cyrano,

Someday, someone will make a really good movie adaptation of a video game. It has to happen, eventually, right? "Uncharted," based on the PlayStation title, is the latest attempt. It’s an adventure yarn in the mold of Indiana Jones that has a likable c...

If you're in the mood for an old-fashioned Turner Classic Movies-style whodunit, look no further than "Death on the Nile." Director/star Kenneth Branagh is back as Agatha Christie's erudite detective Hercule Poirot,

KC based filmmaker Trevor Hawkins delivers an impressive feature film debut with “Lotawana,” a movie that he wrote, produced, and directed, shot at Lake Lotawana, Missouri. Now available on video on demand,

Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar continues to show why he's at the top of his game. Another Oscar winner, actress Penelope Cruz stars in Almodovar's "Parallel Mothers.” It’s the tale of two women whose newborns may have been accidentally...

So, is it true that no good deed goes unpunished? With his latest movie “A Hero,” Oscar-winning Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi continues to show why he's one of the world's finest filmmakers. This contemporary morality play is about a man servi...

The fifth installment of the "Scream" movie franchise, simply titled "Scream,” supplies more of the same. And that's just what many fans expect. This self-referential, tongue-in-cheek slasher movie ups the ante on bashing horror movie cliches while sim...

Happy New Year. It’s time for my annual countdown of the best films of 2021: - #10) CODA is a heartfelt comic drama about a hearing teenager whose deaf parents can’t understand why she wants to pursue a career in music. -

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the world's top filmmakers, specializing in dark, thoughtful dramas like “There Will Be Blood,” “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” His latest movie, "Licorice Pizza" is a real departure.

It's been 18 years since the last installment of the lauded sci-fi "Matrix" franchise. Is the fourth movie "The Matrix Resurrections" necessary? Not really, but it's a welcome mind-trip down memory lane. Neo tries to save his beloved Trinity from the c...

In “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” our hero’s identity as Peter Parker is revealed to the world. He recruits Dr. Strange to employ dangerous magic to conceal the truth, inadvertently unleashing villains from alternate universes. Involving,

The rule should be "Classic movies don't need to be remade. Remake the bad ones and improve them." But Steven Spielberg's new take on the musical "West Side Story" is an exception. It's better than the 1961 Oscar-winning Best Picture.

The gothic arthouse western "The Power of the Dog" is one of those movies that causes critics to flip and general audiences to shrug. Benedict Cumberbatch leads an accomplished cast in director Jane Campion's adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel th...

Infidelity, scandal, intrigue, murder. These are the topics of many a soap opera. They also emerge in the true story “House of Gucci,” currently available in theaters only. Lady Gaga gives a wily performance as the ambitious and cunning wife of fashion...

Time for Will Smith to dust off his shelf and make room for an Oscar. In “King Richard,” he gives a riveting performance as the obsessive and galvanizing Richard Williams, the driving force behind the tennis domination of his daughters Venus and Serena...

“Belfast” is a dreamily nostalgic tale from filmmaker Kenneth Branagh, loosely inspired by his own childhood in late 60s strife-torn Northern Ireland. Shot in glorious black-and-white, “Belfast” is a loving tribute to Branagh’s family and the denizens ...

What would an Academy Award-winning director do with a Marvel movie? “Eternals” provides the answer: More of the same. Chloé Zhao, who won the Oscar for the low-key drama “Nomadland,” mounts an impressive two-and-a-half-hour spectacle with all the over...

Eccentric filmmaker Wes Anderson's latest exercise in quirkiness, "The French Dispatch," is a lightweight but eye-popping homage to personal journalism, especially a nod to the writers and editors of The New Yorker.

If the classic Japanese film “Rashomon” were set in medieval France, it would have looked a lot like “The Last Duel.” Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodi Comer and Ben Affleck star in the true story of knights who battle to the death when one accuses the oth...

What do you want in a James Bond movie? Great Bond girls, nasty villains, fast cars, cool gadgets, exotic locales and plenty of action? Well, if so, the 25th installment in the franchise, “No Time to Die," delivers on all counts.

It’s certainly no surprise when a Marvel movie is a box office hit. But the 2018 action flick “Venom,” featuring a villain from the Spider-Man universe, was universally panned. It still drew big crowds anxious to see the deadly alien parasite’s origin ...

The acclaimed Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen" makes a bumpy transition to the big screen. Ben Platt reprises his Tony Award-winning role as a trouble, outcast teen who tries to gain sympathy by pretending to be the friend of a kid who dies by suici...

Although she was often the butt of jokes for critics, the late TV evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker was an inspiration and an icon for many others. With her over-the-top enthusiasm, her warbly singing, her gaudy attire and exaggerated makeup,

The wacky comedy “Queenpins” is, oddly enough, based on a bizarre true story. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste star as a couple of Phoenix women who made tens of millions of dollars by counterfeiting manufacturers’ coupons and selling them online...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe just got a bit more diverse. Newcomer Simu Liu stars in the rousing adventure “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” an impressive visual spectacle that will ultimately tie in with other movies in the ongoing superhe...

Matt Damon ("The Bourne Identity") and Abigail Breslin ("August: Osage County") play father and daughter in "Stillwater," a drama from Oscar-winning filmmaker Tom McCarthy ("Spotlight").

Who can creep out viewers? The “Candyman” can. Twenty-nine years after the scare-fest “Candyman” dared viewers to “Say my name,” a woke sequel slithers into theaters. This time out, “Candyman” has some social context to go along with the chills,

Maggie Q plays a super-skillful assassin out for revenge in the slick and sleazy action flick. "The Protégé." Samuel L. Jackson does his usual thing as Maggie’s hired-killer mentor and Michael Keaton goes against type as Maggie's nasty nemesis.

The star of "Deadpool" and the director of "Night at the Museum" team up and the results are just what you'd expect. “Free Guy” is a visually elaborate comic fantasy with a snarky PG-13 edge. Ryan Reynolds plays a background character in a violent vide...

“The Suicide Squad" is a reboot and reimagining of the disappointing 2016 DC Comics movie "Suicide Squad," about super villains manipulated into serving a shady government agency. Writer/director James Gunn of "Guardians of the Galaxy" fame gives this ...

Turning a theme park ride into a movie worked box office wonders for Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The Mouse House employs the same template with “Jungle Cruise.” Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt bring plenty of personal charisma to their roles of...

Have you ever felt like you’ve aged while watching a movie? That’s the feeling you’ll get if you decide to endure the latest eerie experiment from M. Knight Shyamalan, “Old.” A family goes on a vacation to an island resort only to realize that a strang...

The unconventional career of Oscar-winner Nicholas Cage just got a bit more offbeat.. He gives a brilliant, nuanced performance in his latest film, the eccentric comic drama “Pig.” Cage plays a hermit living in the Oregon woods who goes on a bizarre ad...

“Black Widow,” The latest extravaganza from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays more like an over-the-top spy movie along the lines of James Bond than a superhero adventure. Scarlett Johansson stars in this action-packed movie that takes place sometim...

Take one part “Terminator” and two parts “Alien,” shake with big budget vigor and you might come up with something like “The Tomorrow War.” Chris Pratt stars in this action-packed sci-fi extravaganza about people transported into the future to save hum...

In a scene from the latest in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, “F9,” a character played by Ludacris aptly says, “Nobody’s gonna believe this!” Exactly. Entries in the 20-year-old 10-film franchise have morphed into preposterous over-the-top action fan...

Even lesser Pixar offerings are better than most of their competitors’ work. Such is the case with “Luca,” a sweet and beautifully animated fantasy about the adventures of some nice sea monsters. Two young ocean dwellers near the Italian Riviera ventur...

The new Netflix offering “Awake” is yet another apocalyptic sci-fi thriller with a gimmick. After the radiation from solar flares bombards the earth, people lose their ability to sleep. After a few days of universal insomnia,

Pre-teen girls comprise the target audience for “Spirit Untamed,” a big-screen adaptation of the animated Netflix TV series “Spirit Riding Free.” Set in the 19th century American west, it tells the story of a young girl who befriends a wild Mustang sta...

The long-delayed sequel to filmmaker John Krasinski’s wildly original sci-fi horror thriller has finally arrived in theaters. “A Quiet Place: Part II” is a worthy follow-up that seems even more timely as we emerge from quarantine.

You can always expect dynamic visuals and plenty of breakneck action from filmmaker Zach Snyder. You can also expect his movies to be overblown, self-indulgent and overlong. “Army of the Dead” is no exception.

Amy Adams ("Hillbilly Elegy") stars in a new Netflix suspense thriller from director Joe Wright ("Darkest Hour"). The supporting cast includes Gary Oldman ("Mank") and Julianne Moore ("Gloria Bell").

Alfred Hitchcock is long gone, but filmmakers continue to try to recapture the signature style of the master of suspense. “The Woman in the Window,” based on A.J. Finn’s novel, is one of the best and most involving of the many Hitchcock imitations.

The teaming of Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish promised to be a combo of comic gold. Instead, “Here Today” is a sweetly sentimental drama written and directed by Crystal about an aging comedy writer who relies on a newfound friend when his struggles ...

Michael B. Jordan steps into the role of Navy Seal and CIA operative John Clark in the involving action drama, “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.” The plot has been updated from the Viet Nam era to contemporary times to provide an origin story for Clark,

Ben Franklin famously said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Today, he could add, “and movies adapted from video games will be bad.” That’s certainly true of the reboot of the franchise “Mortal Kombat.

The action thriller "Vanquish" represents the nadir in the distinguished career of Morgan Freeman. The Oscar-winning actor can't save this ridiculous, over-directed mess about a corrupt police commissioner who blackmails a skilled assassin,

Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are forces of nature. It’s their personal appeal that propels “Thunder Force,” a silly superhero spoof written and directed by McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone. McCarthy and Spencer play two friends who become a dyna...

Thanks to its childlike enthusiasm and spectacular special effects, “Godzilla Vs. Kong” is a fun popcorn movie adventure even though its storyline and dialogue are below par. “Kong: Skull Island” is still the best of the Legendary Studios MonsterVerse ...

Director Zach Snyder’s superpower is that there’s no ‘quit’ in him…even when there should be. His bloated superhero movie “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” drones on and on for over four hours of spectacular but mind-numbing action featuring Superman,

“The Courier” is an understated, workmanlike spy thriller, based on a true story. In the run-up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the British spy agency MI6 recruited a reluctant businessman named Greville Wynne,

Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman add significant gravitas to the heartbreaking drama, “The Father.” Hopkins plays an elderly gent tortured by dementia and Coleman is his long-suffering daughter who does her best to help him.

It’s been 33 years since Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall teamed up for the memorable comedy, “Coming to America.” They join forces once again in “Coming 2 America.” Newly crowned King Akeem of Zamunda, played by Murphy,

Andra Day makes an auspicious and striking feature film debut in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” It isn’t so much a biopic about the iconic jazz vocalist as it is about Holiday’s contentious relationship with the FBI which used her drug abuse a...

Expect multiple Oscar nominations for “Nomadland,” a drama based on a non-fiction book about indigent senior citizens who travel around the U.S. in trailers in search of employment. Frances McDormand is solid, as always,

Another dark chapter in American history is the focus of the riveting drama, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Daniel Kaluuya is electrifying as Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton whose organization was infiltrated in the 1960s by a self-serving FB...

John David Washington stars along with Zendaya in the dark and talky drama, “Malcolm & Marie.” Following a movie premier, a filmmaker and his girlfriend muse intermittently argue, make up, make love and argue again. The actors are terrific,

Due to the fact that most of our local cinemas are temporarily closing in reaction to the coronavirus outbreak, this week’s Freeze Frame will focus on brand new movies that are available to stream on home streaming services. -

Jennifer Lopez gives an assured and charismatic performance in “Hustlers,” the true story of some Manhattan strippers who, during the financial crisis of 2008, began drugging and ripping off their Wall Street clients.

What if the Beatles never existed but you knew all of their songs? That’s the high-concept behind the comic romantic fantasy, “Yesterday.” Himesh Patel plays a wannabe singer who, mystically, is the only person who remembers the songs of the Fab Four a...

It’s nothing less than a cinematic miracle. The folks at Pixar have gone back to an old mine and found more gold. “Toy Story 4” is a brilliantly conceived and executed animated story that works as a comedy,

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson last co-starred in the hit “Thor: Ragnarok,” They re-team to reboot the “Men in Black” franchise with “Men in Black International.” While this wacky sci-fi action comedy lacks the freshness of the previous entries,

Ever wonder if it’s possible for excellent actors to save stilted dialogue? A game cast gives it their all but there’s only so much they can do with the latest X-Men prequel, “Dark Phoenix.” Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, James McAvoy,

With the rise of Netflix, I’ve been asked to occasionally depart from our usual Freeze Frame format of reviewing movies in local theaters to cover some of the newest releases available for streaming viewing. So, here goes.

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” brings the wildly popular animated adventure trilogy to a satisfying conclusion.  Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless are forced to lead the Viking villagers to a new home when an evil dragon hunter bri...

The 1964 classic “Mary Poppins” was practically perfect in every way. Although Disney’s cheery sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns” is nearly a slavish remake, Emily Blunt is delightful. “Mary Poppins Returns” goes down nicely with or without a spoonful of s...

As we leap into 2018 it’s time to look back the best movies the year had to offer. Here’s my list of the cream of the cinematic crop.   10) […] The post FREEZE FRAME: Russ’ Top Ten Movies of 2017 appeared first on KKFI.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s “The Avengers!” Er, no, it’s “Justice League.” The DC cinematic universe plays catch up with Marvel by finally getting its superhero coalition to the big screen. Thankfully, it’s a competent offering,

Kenneth Branagh’s take on the classic Agatha Christie whodunit “Murder on the Orient Express” is like its namesake: Luxurious, workmanlike…and just a bit stodgy. Branagh plays Belgian detective Hercule Poirot who is pressed into service when a gangster...

“Suburbicon,” a twisted collaboration between director George Clooney and the Coen Brothers, is a satiric poke in the eye to the idea of an idyllic 50s American suburbia. This pitch black comedy stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore in a violent tale of ...

Is the third time the charm for Lego's animated franchise? Well, even though the novelty is wearing a bit thin, "The Lego Ninjago Movie" is, for the most part, cheeky, colorful fun. -   - Jackie Chan leads the voice cast as Master Wu,

Filmmakers have been trying for years to adapt the political thrillers by the late author Vince Flynn. His CIA super agent Mitch Rapp finally makes his big screen appearance in “American Assassin,” a noisy thriller that introduces us to Rapp in hopes o...

A white, plus-sized female rapper from a depressed New Jersey suburb may be the most unlikely movie lead of the year. In “Patti Cake$,” Australian actress Danielle Macdonald plays a young woman derisively called ‘Dumbo’ who tries to make her mark by en...

Robert Pattinson works hard to shake his “Twilight” image in “Good Time,” a gritty crime drama that takes place in one night. He plays a none-too-bright bank robber who tries to get his mentally challenged brother released from jail.

At the close 2016, it’s time to look back the best movies the year had to offer. Here’s my list of the cream of the cinematic crop. - 10) MOONLIGHT An impeccable acting ensemble gave life to the story of the challenges of a gay African-American boy’s...

If you’re looking for frenetic action, car chases and general paranoid mayhem then look no further than “Jason Bourne.” Matt Damon returns for the fourth time as Robert Ludlum’s CIA super assassin seeking revenge against those who stole his identity.

When you wanna laugh, who you gonna call? Guess what, all you misogynistic Internet trolls who were certain that an all-female version of "Ghostbusters" would be a disastrous rip-off. The new "Ghostbusters" is actually good, goofy fun. -

Ever seen a movie that should have been great but just missed the mark? Such is the case with “Free State of Jones,” an earnest and well-meaning historical drama undone by a jagged structure that prevents it from being the gripping experience it should...

Hank Williams was one of the greatest country music stars of all time. His short and complicated life could make a truly great movie. Sadly, the musical biopic “I Saw the Light,” ain’t it. British actor Tom Hiddleston stars as the singer/songwriter who...

The much-heralded superhero smack down has finally arrived. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is action-packed and visually striking. Problem is, it’s just not much fun. Ben Affleck dons the cowl as the Dark Knight and Henry Cavill returns as the Ma...

In a future dystopian society, pretty young people will stand around looking bored while computer generated mayhem swirls around them. Or at least that’s how it plays out in “The Divergent Series: Allegiant,

Back in 2008, producer J.J. Abrams surprised audiences with a nifty sci-fi opus called, cryptically, “Cloverfield.” It seemed to have arrived out of nowhere and when on to become a box office smash. Well, Abrams has yet another surprise up his sleeve.

The true story of a daring rescue at sea is the focus for Russ this week.  

Russ covers Ron Howard's version of the seafaring epic that inspired "Moby Dick."

Russ fills us in on the "Rocky" franchise revival, an old-fashioned romantic drama and a biopic about a blacklisted screenwriter.

The latest James Bond opus, a reboot of a comic strip classic, a martial arts art film and a four-hankie tearjerker are on Russ' agenda this week.

Russ reviews a wide range of films this week, including "The Martian," focusing on an otherworldly Matt Damon, "Sicario," about a hitman and "The Walk," on a high wire act.

Two movies that couldn't be less alike are in the spotlight this week, "Cinderella," a Disney fairy tale and "Run All Night," a violent mob thriller.

"Hot Tub Time Machine 2," an unnecessary comedic sequel, and "Song of the Sea," an Oscar-nominated animated feature are the subjects of this week's reviews from Russ.

Russ covers the so-called "hottest" movie of the year, plus a spy spoof, an Oscar contender and an art house flick. Listen to reviews of "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Kingsman: The Secret Service," "Still Alice," and "Mr.

Russ sorts through a sci-fi opus, a French language social drama, a 3-D cartoon and a medieval action fantasy. The movies are: "Jupiter Ascending," "Two Days, One Night," "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water," "Seventh Son."

Russ fills us in on an 80s-style crime movie, a social drama about race relations and a teen time travel opus when he reviews "A Most Violent Year," "Black or White, and "Project Almanac."

Can J-Lo generate the thrills? Is Song One worth singing about? Russ chimes in on both "The Boy Next Door," "Song One."

Russ Simmons gives us a peek at Melissa McCarthy's screenwriting debut, "Tammy", as well as "E.T." redux "Earth To Echo", as well as "The Double", "Begin Again", and "Deliver Us From Evil".

This week, Russ Simmons gives us a sneak peek at The Hunger Games: Catching Fire starring Jennifer Lawrence, Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn, Dallas Buyers Club starring Matthew McConaghey and Jared Leto,