Tag - movie reviews

Freeze Frame: “Soul” (PG), “News of the World” (PG-13), “The Midnight Sky” (PG-13), “Promising Young Woman” (R), “Monster Hunter” (PG-13)

The folks at Pixar continue to show their golden touch. “Soul” is a Disney+ feature that again demonstrates that animation can be a powerful way to tell a compelling story that would be difficult for live action. Jamie Fox voices the lead character, a jazz piano player who is accidentally...

Freeze Frame: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (R), “Fatale” (R), “Another Round” (Not rated), “The Bee Gees: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart” (Not rated)

The valedictory performance from the late Chadwick Boseman may well earn him an Oscar. He’s dynamic as a troubled trumpet player in the Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s acclaimed play, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” It tells the tragic story of an ill-fated blues recording session in 1927 and touches on...

Take Two: “Another Round” (Not rated)

Acclaimed Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg ("The Celebration") and actor Mads Mikkelsen re-team for the first time since their noted 2012 film, "The Hunt." "Another Round" is a comic drama about an experiment that four high school teachers embark upon. They toy with their blood alcohol content to see how it...

Freeze Frame: “The Prom” (PG-13), “Let Them All Talk” (R), “Wander Darkly” (R), “I’m Your Woman” (R), “The Stand-In” (R), “Wild Mountain Thyme” (PG-13), “Safety” (PG)

Meryl Streep, James Cordon and Nicole Kidman headline Ryan Murphy’s energetic adaptation of the wacky Broadway musical, “The Prom.” They play narcissistic theater folk who decide to take up the cause of a small-town lesbian teenager for the sake of publicity. It’s overlong and it’s message as subtle as a...

Take Two: “I’m Your Woman” (R)

Rachel Brosnahan ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel") stars in the 70s era neo-noir crime thriller, "I'm Your Woman." Brosnahan plays Jean, a twenty-something whose gangster husband crosses his associates and then goes missing. Jean then is forced into hiding. The film was written and directed by Julia Hart ("Stargirl").

Freeze Frame: “Godmothered” (PG), “Black Bear” (R), “Wander” (R), “76 Days” (NR)

Disney plays around with its own fairytale tropes with the lighthearted comic fantasy, “Godmothered.” Jillian Bell plays a fairy godmother-in-training who is called upon to save the motherland by granting the wish of a jaded TV journalist, played by Isla Fisher. Bell is perfectly cast as the bungling but good-hearted...