‘Morbius’ and ‘Black Adam’ tortured audiences —and other 2022 movie abominations
Nothing is more nauseating for a movie critic than adding up the number of hours he spent over the past year watching utter garbage. Source link
movie reviews
The Best Movies 2022: ‘Fabelmans,’ ‘Avatar’ and more
For a moment, let’s forget the struggles cinemas are facing — not many people want to schlep to see non-Marvel movies anymore, turns out — and let’s celebrate what was an energizing, unexpected and often freaking weird year for film. 2022 marked a comeback for many major directors. Baz Luhrmann ended a nine-year feature hiatus … Read more
‘Living’ review: Extraordinary Bill Nighy will break your heart
In a year of huge performances, such as Cate Blanchett in “Tár” and Brendan Fraser in “The Whale,” it’s soothing and occasionally a tad unnerving to watch Bill Nighy be so Zen calm in the affirming movie “Living.” Nighy speaks scarcely louder than a whisper as Mr. Williams, a shaken man concealing a fatal illness … Read more
‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ review: Whitney Houston biopic is a travesty
I wanna feel the HEAT … but I don’t. On the contrary, the animatronic new Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” left me shivering from a gust of arctic air as it so clinically and lazily examines the tragic life of the famous singer. movie review Running time: 146 minutes. Rated PG-13. In … Read more
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ review: Antonio Banderas still hilarious as talking tabby
Antonio Banderas obviously loves playing this darn cat. As the swashbuckling Puss in Boots, the actor’s voice reverberates with the unrestrained enthusiasm, charm and boisterous joy lacking in his flops “Dolittle” and “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.” He’s animated in more ways than one. The guy treats this self-absorbed Spanish kitty who constantly speaks in the third … Read more
‘Babylon’ review: Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie dazzle in familiar showbiz tale
At its best, director Damien Chazelle’s latest movie, “Babylon,” is a starry and seductive “Great Gatsby”-esque tale of decadent excess and personal destruction — just swap the Hamptons for Hollywood. What dogs the mostly enjoyable movie, though, is that it is yet another ode to Tinseltown, and can bear a striking resemblance to Quentin Tarantino’s … Read more
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ review: The ingenious sequel we’ve been waiting for
Who ever thought that a 10-foot-tall blue alien would be such a sight for sore eyes? But the moment we reencounter Jake Sully and his Na’vi companions, the 13 years that have passed since James Cameron’s brilliant “Avatar” first hit theaters in 2009 fade away like the best kind of friendly reunions. That’s because the … Read more
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ review: dark, twisted animated epic
During “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” on Netflix, Disney’s 1940 version of the old tale doesn’t pop into mind much. The House of Mouse film I kept thinking of was “Bambi.” The “Shape of Water” director, in his brilliant stop-motion animated movie co-directed by Mark Gustafson, harkens back to the good old days of tough-love family … Read more
Why Adam Sandler had to stop looking at ‘Billy Madison’ reviews: ‘They hate us’
Adam Sandler had to force himself to look away from “harsh” reviews about “Billy Madison” in order to save his sanity, the actor revealed. “When I was 17 and I got into this, I didn’t think about critics,” he said during a Netflix conversation about his film “Hustle,” Entertainment Weekly reported. The 56-year-old comedian’s 1995 … Read more
‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ review: Netflix drama filled with steamy sex scenes
Emma Corrin, most famous for playing a marginalized and dissatisfied British royal wife, has moved onto the role of… a marginalized and dissatisfied British aristocratic wife. And, just as Corrin was so affecting as the younger Princess Diana on Netflix’s “The Crown,” the performer is beguiling and irrepressible as Lady Chatterley in the streamer’s new … Read more
After Disney’s ‘Strange World’ bombs, film critic says ‘go woke, go broke’
The new animated Disney movie “Strange World” is underperforming at the box office and is estimated to ultimately lose $147 million. The film also features the first openly LGBTQ+ teenaged Disney character, who discusses his crush in the movie. Film critic and author Christian Toto said of the film bombing: “Hollywood doesn’t fully grasp the … Read more
Will Smith, who’s banned from the Oscars, could get a nom for ‘Emancipation’
Just eight months after Will Smith took the stage of the Oscars and smacked comedian Chris Rock in the face, receiving a 10-year ban from the ceremony as a result, the actor is back in a major film. Too soon? Probably. But the 54-year-old is very good in the movie, and maybe even — buckle … Read more
‘Bones and All’ review: Timothée Chalamet cannibal romance is gory — and gorgeous
And here we thought the “Call Me By Your Name” peach was controversial. In director Luca Guadagnino’s latest romance film, once again starring Timothée Chalamet, what’s on the menu isn’t juicy summer fruit — but bloody human flesh. Yes, “Bones and All” is a surprisingly effective and affecting cannibal love story. You chuckle — or … Read more
‘Strange World’ review: Disney brings fantastical visuals to a basic story
Disney is peerless when it comes to building extraordinarily detailed, original and bold animated environments. Now add to that list of descriptors a new word: strange. For the House of Mouse’s latest adventure film “Strange World” certainly lives up to its title. Our unfamiliar land is Avalonia and our heroes are the Clade family, famed … Read more
‘Disenchanted’ review: Disney’s ‘Enchanted’ sequel is a lousy fairy fail
The one funny moment of “Disenchanted,” the totally unnecessary Disney+ sequel to 2007’s infinitely better NYC-set “Enchanted,” comes right at the beginning. “It turns out New York wasn’t Giselle’s fairy tale after all,” a narrator says. Thousands of new Floridians will fall over laughing. movie review Running time: 121 minutes. Rated PG (mild peril and … Read more
‘She Said’ review: the Harvey Weinstein NYT report movie nobody wants
The investigation drama “She Said,” about the two New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct story in 2017, is a watershed moment for journalism movies. Because it’s a bore. movie review Running time: 128 minutes. Rated R (language and descriptions of sexual assault.) In theaters Nov. 18. Directed by Maria Schrader, … Read more
Lindsay Lohan’s latest comeback, ‘Falling for Christmas,’ is another dud
They’re still trying to make Linds happen. Thirty-six-year-old actress Lindsay Lohan kicks off her umpteenth comeback this week with the lump-of-coal holiday movie “Falling for Christmas” on Netflix. But this isn’t LiLo’s first attempt at a splashy (or trashy) return. Or her second. Or her third. The once-talented and spunky ginger made it big in … Read more
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ review: The best-acted MCU movie ever
The triumphant success of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” comes against all odds. First, the sequel had to follow the hit 2018 film that became a worldwide cross-cultural phenomenon and a Best Picture Oscar nominee. And, more somberly, Marvel needed to craft the usual entertaining movie its fans have come to expect even after the incredibly … Read more
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ review: Shattering gut punch of a war epic
“All Quiet on the Western Front” has been riding a wave of renewed buzz since it dropped on Netflix last week. Could it become the first German movie to ever be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar? It could be helped along by relevancy. The message of “All Quiet” is a loud one: war is … Read more
‘The Wonder’ review: Don’t worry, Florence Pugh — you’re back!
The supremely talented Florence Pugh has rapidly rebounded from the “Don’t Worry Darling” debacle with “The Wonder,” a creepy new Netflix drama that’s unusually strong for the streaming service. For once, it’s the characters who endure hardship — not the audience. “The Wonder,” based on Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel, wanders into “Agnes of God” territory, … Read more