movie review SATURDAY NIGHT Running time: 109 minutes. Rated R (language throughout, sexual references, some drug use and brief graphic nudity). In theaters Sept. 27. Lorne Michaels should send a check to Sony. Because the studio’s sent him a love letter. In their new movie “Saturday Night,” a madcap comedy about the 90-minute dash leading … Read more
movie review CONCLAVE Running time: <br>120 minutes <br>Rated PG (thematic material and smoking). <br>In theaters Nov. 8 You could call “Conclave,” the juicy new Vatican thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, a pope opera. Director Edward Berger’s movie, which played Monday in the Toronto International Film Festival, is no sober depiction of the inner workings of the … Read more
There are two immediate takeaways from the movie “Nightbitch,” starring Amy Adams. movie review NIGHTBITCH Running time: 98 minutes. Rated R (language and some sexuality). In theaters Dec. 6. One that I hope most viewers know already is that motherhood is hard. The other is that trailers can be extremely misleading. The semi-fantastical comedy directed … Read more
After 36 years of waiting, the juice is finally loose again in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” this time racking up $110 million in its premiere weekend. The long-awaited Tim Burton sequel is the third-best opening weekend of the year, only behind box office triumphs “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Michael Keaton returns as the titular spirit and Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder also … Read more
The latest grungy fight drama to test the limits of unpleasantness is “The Cut,” which premiered Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival. movie review THE CUT Running time: 99 minutes. Not yet rated. Bidding adieu to Middle Earth and the high seas, Orlando Bloom plays a troubled Irish boxer — in fact, he’s called … Read more
movie review UNSTOPPABLE Running time: 116 minutes. Rated PG-13 (some strong language and thematic material.) As we head into the fall, and films gunning for awards are about to hit theaters like so many brown leaves, feel-good movies have been rather thin on the ground. Stopping the trend is “Unstoppable,” an inspiring true story starring … Read more
movie review THE LAST SHOWGIRL Running time: 85 minutes. Not yet rated. TORONTO — “I think I’ve been getting ready my whole life for this film,” Pamela Anderson told a rapt crowd after her new movie Friday night. The “Baywatch” star has definitely put in the hours for the part. In “The Last Showgirl,” which … Read more
movie review THE APPRENTICE What sensible people, whose LinkedIn accounts don’t say “movie critic” anyway, would go see a film about Donald Trump right now? The former president and current candidate dominates the news cycle, and obnoxious impressions of him are ubiquitous — whether on late-night TV or at every party that serves booze. Why … Read more
movie review THE SUBSTANCE Running time: 140 minutes. Rated R (strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language). In theaters Sept. 20. One question repeatedly popped into my mind during “The Substance,” an outrageous and beyond bizarre horror movie that had its North American premiere Thursday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. What’s … Read more
movie review BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE Running time: 104 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use). In theaters Sept. 6. By the end of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” I was fully convinced that Michael Keaton really is a ghost. Thirty-five years have passed since Tim Burton’s original horror-comedy … Read more
movie review BLINK TWICE Running time: 103 minutes. Rated R (strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references). In theaters. Zoë Kravitz makes a killer directing debut with “Blink Twice,” a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller with glimmers of “Get Out” and “The White Lotus.” Often, when actors lurk to the shadows … Read more
“Alien: Romulus,” the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise, opened in first place at the North American box office. The 20th Century Studios release earned an estimated $41.5 million in its first weekend, where it was playing in 3,885 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Including $66.7 million from international showings in 49 markets, “Alien: … Read more
The seventh film in the “Alien” franchise had an out-of-this-world debut at the box office Friday, paving the way for a projected $40 million opening weekend. Sci-fi fans invaded theaters to see “Alien: Romulus,” which takes place between the first two installments in the 45-year-old series. It raked in $18 million in its first night, … Read more
movie review ALIEN: ROMULUS Running time: 119 minutes. Rated R (bloody violent content and language). In theaters. Nothing can kill the aliens. Not even six decent-to-awful movies. And for the first time in years, I applaud the xenomorph’s deadly resilience in the face of Hollywood hackery. The acid-blooded menaces are back for the ninth time … Read more
movie review BORDERLANDS ZERO STARS.<br>Running time: 102 minutes. Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material). In theaters. Sometimes when a job doesn’t work out, the former employee will omit that short-lived work experience from her resume. For Cate Blanchett, that erasable gig is the unspeakably terrible new movie “Borderlands.” … Read more
movie review IT ENDS WITH US Running time: 130 minutes. Rated PG-13 (domestic violence, sexual content and some strong language). In theaters Aug. 9. This is sacrilege coming off the keyboard of a movie critic, but “It Ends With Us” is a film that would be best experienced from the couch. Wait a few weeks … Read more
movie review TRAP Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG-13 (some violent content and brief strong language). In theaters. One thing I’ll say about “Trap” — it’s got a spot-on title. After the theater lights go down, director M. Night Shyamalan’s latest spitball is an awfully long sit, even if at one hour and 45 minutes … Read more
movie review DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Running time: 127 minutes. Rated R (strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references). In theaters July 26. “Good to see you,” Deadpool says to Wolverine early in their new movie. “You’re joining at a bit of a low point.” The sword-wielding superhuman also known as Wade Wilson … Read more
movie review TWISTERS Running time: 117 minutes. Rated PG-13 (intense action and peril, some language and injury images). In theaters July 19. “Twisters,” the disaster movie starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, is an oddity in 2024: a reboot that’s actually worth your time. Maybe it’s strange to call a film depicting the enormous devastation wrought by tornadoes … Read more
“Longlegs,” a gripping horror film about a mysterious Oregon serial killer on the loose, racks up many spooky superlatives. movie review LONGLEGS Running time: 101 minutes. Rated R (bloody violence, disturbing images and some language). In theaters July 12. Chief among them? The freakish title character easily ranks among Nicolas Cage’s strangest roles. That a … Read more