movie review YOUNG WASHINGTON Running time: 125 minutes. PG-13 (Some bloody images, strong war violence). In theaters. During a 1755 battle in “Young Washington,” future U.S. president George Washington dangerously runs toward the enemy French and their Native American allies alone and clutching a gun. “He’s making himself a target,” a stunned fellow soldier says. … Read more
movie review MINIONS & MONSTERS Running time: 89 minutes. Rated PG (violence, action, language and rude/macabre humor). In theaters. One of the best odes to Old Hollywood in a long time comes courtesy of … the Minions? Yes, somehow the funny yellow Tic Tacs, who heretofore clumsily served supervillains, are leading a smart and detailed tribute to Georges … Read more
What, like it’s hard? The “Legally Blonde” prequel series “Elle” sounds like a tired cash grab no one asked for — but just like the pink-clad heroine depicted in both, don’t underestimate it. Shockingly, “Elle” doesn’t suck. It’s fun, energetic and hits all the right notes. Though the show is part of a tedious trend … Read more
movie review VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE Running time: 118 minutes. Rated TV-14 (sexual content, alcohol use, suggestive jokes, frequent foul language and some comedic violence). On Netflix. Netflix is giving me rom-com whiplash. On June 5, Jennifer Lopez starred in an execrable one for the streamer called “Office Romance” — I wonder what that’s about! — … Read more
Yes, chef, one last time. The fifth and final season of “The Bear” takes inspiration from “The Pitt,” as the whole story takes place over the course of just one day. This makes it the best season in several years. That’s not saying much; this show has always been more mediocre than its Emmys would … Read more
movie review SUPERGIRL Running time: 108 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking). In theaters. It was only a year ago when everybody was euphorically proclaiming, “DC is saved! This is the dawn of a new era!”. Well, hold your Kryptos. With the forgettable “Supergirl,” the second chapter in the revamped … Read more
movie review THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD Running time: 123 minutes. Rated R (strong bloody violence). In theaters. Was it when Robin Hood shot an arrow through a boy’s eye socket or when Little John ripped off another man’s jaw? Maybe it was the part when Robin slit a young woman’s throat and held her … Read more
movie review TOY STORY 5 Running time: 102 minutes. PG (some thematic elements, rude humor). In theaters. Long before Chat GPT was a household name, Hollywood had been making AI the villain for decades — from HAL 9000 to Skynet to Agent Smith. Yet the most emotionally involving spin on the terrors of tech in … Read more
Heads will roll. For anyone who complained that not enough was happening on “House of the Dragon,” Season 3 feels like showrunner Ryan Condal and his writing team heard your feedback and cranked the dial up to, “a hundred things are happening at once.” After two seasons of build-up to a war, the “Game of … Read more
With a new Steven Spielberg alien movie coming out, everybody’s nervously wondering: Is this thing “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” or “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”? movie review DISCLOSURE DAY Running time: 145 minutes. PG-13 (Some bloody images, action, violence, strong language). In theaters June 12. Neither, actually. “Disclosure Day” … Read more
movie review OFFICE ROMANCE Running time: 94 minutes. Rated R (graphic nudity, sexual material, language throughout). On Netflix. As Jennifer Lopez makes her entrance in Netflix’s “Office Romance,” the seventies song “I Believe In Miracles” by Hot Chocolate (“Where ya from? You sexy thing!”) plays. And, suddenly and wincingly, we’re back in 2000, when that retro tune … Read more
Apple’s “Cape Fear” revival is slick, stylish — and brutal. It’s a star-studded crime drama with standout performances from Amy Adams, Patrick Wilson, and Javier Bardem. It’s also hard to see why this show exists, when there were two famous earlier “Cape Fear” movies – do we need a third version? But, if you ignore that element, … Read more
movie review MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Running time: 132 minutes. PG-13 (some suggestive material, sequences of violence, action, language). In theaters. Mattel’s Oscars track record ends with “Masters of the Universe.” The toy company’s latest movie is no “Barbie,” and Tony Kushner won’t be hosting any classy for-your-consideration events for it come winter. Thank goodness. … Read more
movie review TUNER Running time: 109 minutes. R (language throughout, drug use, brief nudity, some violence). In theaters. Just when you thought NYC crime thrillers had run out of new ideas, here comes “Tuner,” a refreshingly inventive and captivating thug movie that focuses on compelling and rich characters over chases and shootouts. What sets director Daniel … Read more
movie review BACKROOMS Running time: 105 minutes. Rated R (some violent content, language, bloody images). In theaters. Hollywood trembles in fear of the havoc the internet has wrought and will continue to wreak on its core business. Execs wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that blockbusters have been replaced by 30-second TikTok … Read more
movie review THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU Running time: 132 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sci-fi violence and action). In theaters May 22. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” boldly goes where no “Star Wars” movie has gone before. Like rival “Star Trek,” it’s a movie spun off from a TV series. The previously unheard of small screen to big … Read more
movie review IN THE GREY Running time: 97 minutes. Rated R (violence, language and a sexual reference). In theaters. During “In the Grey,” underworld characters call each other “clever” so many times that the viewer starts to wonder if these trigger-happy people, as well as the man who wrote their repetitive lines, really are clever … Read more
movie review THE SHEEP DETECTIVES Running time: 109 minutes. Rated PG (thematic material, some violent content and brief language). In theaters. A word of advice on the new movie “Sheep Detectives”: Give it a bleat. Sorry, a beat. The family film begins rather treacly, with a shepherd named George played by Hugh Jackman waxing poetic … Read more
movie review MORTAL KOMBAT II Running time: 116 minutes. Rated R (strong bloody violence and gore, and language). In theaters. No phrase terrifies me more than “for the fans,” because in the movies that tends to mean “awful and incomprehensible.” And so it does for “Mortal Kombat II,” an onscreen bucket of slop that people … Read more
It’s been 20 years, and glossy magazines are dropping like flies. But I’ve gotta hand it to the devil — she could’ve been a whole lot worse. movie review THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 Running time: 119 minutes. Rated PG-13 (strong language, some suggestive references). In theaters Friday. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the sequel … Read more