Deadpool & Wolverine (2 ½ stars out of 4)



The first time I reviewed a Deadpool movie, back in 2018, I found it refreshing—a term that didn’t go over well with my editors at the time. Yes, it was violent and vulgar, but like “Thor: Ragnarok” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, it provided a much-needed pushback to the relentless


Alien: Romulus (2 ½ stars out of 4)



Like the “Terminator” franchise, “Alien” movies have been trying to recapture their former glory for several decades. In both cases, successful sequels gave filmmakers the idea that their franchises had continuing potential, but as of 2024, it’s hard to argue that any releases after 1986’s “Aliens” or 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” have


Sing Sing (3 ½ stars out of 4)



Where most classic prison movies like “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Cool Hand Luke” are focused on a character getting out, “Sing Sing” seems more interested in making the best of things while still behind bars.



Inspired by true events, Greg Kwedar’s film follows an inmate theater group that stages a comedy for their fellow


Twisters (2 1/2 stars out of four)



1997’s “Twister” is a great disaster spectacle, a true summer popcorn movie. I’ve returned to itnumerous times over the years, and as a result I had reasonable hopes for this summer’ssequel, “Twisters.”



My hopes were only partially realized.



On the surface, Lee Isaac Chung’s “Twisters” is a fun action piece that is light on brains andheavy


Fly Me to the Moon (3 stars out of 4)



The Space Race of the 1960s has delivered some fantastic movies over the years. Based on theexcellent Tom Wolfe novel of the same name, “The Right Stuff” was the first one I remember,tracing the story of the Mercury Astronauts in the aftermath of Sputnik. 2019’s “Apollo 11” wasa fascinating documentary, built


Inside Out 2 (3 ½ stars out of 4)



I noticed something while watching “Inside Out 2” that I hadn’t quite picked up on before. We all know Pixar puts out films that are enjoyable for parents as well as their presumed adolescent target audience, and the new sequel to Pete Docter’s 2015 original maintains that standard. But like that film,


The Bikeriders (3 stars out of 4)



2024 is shaping up to be a good year for movies about photography. “Civil War” already showed us a potential American conflict through the eyes of a photojournalist, and now “The Bikeriders” brings, of all things, a coffee table book to the big screen.



Jeff Nichols’ film is based on the real-life efforts of Danny


Furiosa (3 ½ stars out of 4)



As I approached the end of “Furiosa’s” two and a half hour run time, I recalled one of the few complaints about 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” that it was little more than a 120-minute there-and-back road chase. In some ways, George Miller’s fifth entry into the “Mad Max” universe feels like a direct


IF (2 ½ stars out of 4)



The best family movies usually find a way to appeal to both kids and the adults taking them to the theater. In the case of John Krasinski’s “IF,” you could almost make the argument that in this case, the movie’s primary audience is actually the adults. It’s hard to say if that’s a good


Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (3 stars out of 4)



“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is perfectly good B-list movie filler. It isn’t “turn off your brain” shlock, like a lot of recent franchise offerings, but it isn’t the kind of film that’s going to stick with you, either. It’s not the kind of movie that will