Penelope Cruz

Freeze Frame: “The Color Purple” (PG-13), “The Boys in the Boat” (PG-13), “Ferrari” (R), “Society of the Snow” (R)

The second cinematic adaptation of Alice Walker's classic novel "The Color Purple" is an admirable reworking of the Broadway musical version. Fantasia Barrino is terrific in the central role of the long-suffering Celie, but hers is just one strong performance in a riveting ensemble that includes Taraji P. Henson, Coleman...

Freeze Frame: “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (PG), “The Forgiven” (R), “Official Competition” (R), “Mr. Malcolm’s List” (PG)

"Minions: The Rise of Gru" is the fifth movie in the hit animated "Despicable Me" franchise. The kids are already tuned in, but the makers of this origin story cleverly place the action in the 1970s to give adults a cagey nostalgia hit. We learn how Gru met the yellow fellows and...

Freeze Frame: “Parallel Mothers” (R), “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild” (PG)

Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar continues to show why he's at the top of his game. Another Oscar winner, actress Penelope Cruz stars in Almodovar's "Parallel Mothers.” It’s the tale of two women whose newborns may have been accidentally switched at birth. Cruz plays a successful single photographer who finds...

Freeze Frame: “Scream” (R), “Drive My Car” (Unrated), “Belle” (PG), “The 355” (R), “The Tender Bar” (R)

The fifth installment of the "Scream" movie franchise, simply titled "Scream,” supplies more of the same. And that's just what many fans expect. This self-referential, tongue-in-cheek slasher movie ups the ante on bashing horror movie cliches while simultaneously embracing them. Expect clueless teens, plenty of blood and plenty of snark.   "Drive...