Movie Reviews

The best way to describe The Emoji Movie would be with an emoji of the very face its hero aspires to achieve:  meh. So many good animated features have come along in recent years. This offering from Sony Animation is not one of them. Despite a big-name cast and little life lessons, Emoji inexplicably lacks emotion.

The cast is stellar and there’s a great understanding that this battle was never about any one man or soldier. By never focusing in on one main character, the ensemble comes together creating a tapestry of unique stories that hints at the real-life enormity of this battle.

Visually spectacular but dramatically incoherent, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets commits one of the worst cinematic sins: a story so convoluted that the film, filled with striking imagery, grows boring for long stretches of time. When you're not staring at the beautiful, otherworldly compositions from director Luc Besson, expect instead to be staring at your watch.

This is indeed a war movie. But in truth, the war it depicts is not fought with spears and guns alone. It's also a war of the heart....

Funny, relatable and bursting with action and adventure, this Avenger-in-training saga balances superhero skills with high school drama and brings the fun back to the Marvel universe. Part superhero saga, part homage to the John Hughes teen movies of the 80s, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a great antidote for midsummer blahs.

I walked into Maudie pretty sure of what it would be: sweet, quirky, problematic in places and inspiring in others. It was all that.

But I wasn't expecting to walk away with a new hero: a four-foot-something painter worth looking up to....

An entertaining - if somewhat tired - film, Despicable Me 3 is one where most members of the family will find something to enjoy. Watch out for the mildly crude antics of minions if you bring little ones, but DM3 provides an opportunity for light-hearted family fun together... hopefully for the last time in the mined-out franchise.

Too long and too confusing. But on the plus side, there's plenty of action, plucky characters, and the fate of the world hanging in the balance. You don't have to be familiar with the Transformers story or a fan of knights in shining armor to enjoy this installment in the saga... but it'd sure help.

Shifting gears from its predecessor's carefree tone, Cars 3 is an unexpectedly mature (yet G-rated) entry in the Pixar franchise. Not only does this film explore ideas of aging and mentorship with quiet grace, but it delivers plenty of laughs and gorgeous animation along the way. If this is Lightning McQueen's final race, it’s a good victory to end on.

Defying easy genre categorization, The Book of Henry is about a budding kid genius who's smarter than his mom. Or is it a medical mystery? A TV movie-of-the-week melodrama? Or a Rear Window-styled thriller with an adolescent protagonist in the Jimmy Stewart role? Henry resembles all of those at times, resolving in a surprisingly satisfying way.

They probably should have left this one in the crypt. Despite the mummy of the title—plus zombies, a mysterious top-secret agency, and mayhem on planes, trains (or their tunnels), and automobiles—The Mummy is not as much fun as it should be.

Neither the pick of the litter nor the runt, Megan Leavey, about a Marine and her dog, feels closer to a formulaic feel-good Hollywood story than its based-on-a-true-story disclaimer might indicate. While never as deeply moving as it wants to be, Leavey has a lead performance that, at moments, overcomes some of the script’s structural weaknesses.

A film that’s part gothic romance, part murder mystery, and part pastoral coming-of-age, My Cousin Rachel is just what a film of its genre and intentions ought to be. For making us question hundreds of years' worth of literary tropes, it merits viewing.

It's a movie both the DC franchise and fans of superhero action desperately needed: an un-boring origin story where nearly everything works and a woman saves the world. The 'WW' on the posters stands less for Wonder Woman, however, and more for 'World War,' as this war genre pic has loads to say about humanity's violent, disagreeable ways, including how we haven't gone beyond the reach of redemption.

Despite an excess of toilet humor (literally. The villain is named Professor Poopypants and he rides around in a giant commode), there's no denying Captain Underpants has the charisma and gumption necessary to rescue itself from becoming another lowbrow summer outing. Kids will find plenty to laugh at, and even adults may crack a smile.

It's been six years since we last saw Jack Sparrow wobble his way across a well-swabbed deck. Absence has not made our hearts grow any fonder to this very predictable remake.

Despite a touching story of redemption, Champion is frequently interrupted by a bloated soundtrack which robs the film of any emotional reward. The result is a movie that can barely shift out of neutral, much less take viewers on a winning ride.

This over-the-top-stupid installment in the Wimpy Kid saga lacks any of the fleeting charm of earlier films. If watching a self-centered, clueless family act wildly irresponsible is your jam, by all means go. Just remember that's 90 minutes of your life you'll never get back.

A sweet bit of romantic fluff. It's The Boy in the Bubble meets The Fault in Our Stars, but our young sweethearts are adorable in a wholesome kind of way and their story is charming—as long as you don't think about it too hard.

Stealing elements from Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, this latest spin on the King Arthur legend is a fairly impressive spectacle that somehow still fails to fascinate.