A Complete Unknown (3 ½ stars out of 4)



A few years back I used to use Bob Dylan in my composition classes to illustrate the difference between text and context. First I’d play the studio version of, “Like A Rolling Stone,” and have my students analyze the lyrics and other musical elements of the track. Then I’d play a live

Catching Up – Late Nov.



Transformers One (PG)



As of now, we officially have two “good” Transformers movies, and the new one is good enough that you might not mind getting a sequel or two. “Transformers One” is the first fully-animated Transformers movie since “The Transformers Movie” taught a generation of kids about the harsh realities of toy marketing back in 1986.



Josh

Gladiator II (3 stars out of 4)



If you fall asleep about halfway through “Gladiator II,” you wouldn’t be faulted for feeling like you’d just seen a weak rehash of the 2000 original film. Up until that point, Ridley Scott’s sequel pretty much hits all the same notes he did the first time—a steely warrior with a clouded past loses his

Nickel Boys (3 stars out of 4)



Some movies will be remembered for their concept more than their content. Think, “The Blair Witch Project” or this year’s “Here.” “Nickel Boys” has some striking and memorable content, but the power of that content is filtered through a concept that will make or break most viewer’s experience with the film.



Ramell Ross’s film is

Red One (3 stars out of 4)



As fun as it is to dive into the holiday movie season, it’s easy to feel like you’re just watching the same titles over and over again…and not just because you’ve stumbled onto some 24-hour marathon of “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “A Christmas Story.” There are lots of great Christmas movies out there,

Now that November is here, it’s time for me to start thinking about my 2024 UFCA ballot, and to start catching up on some movies I’ve missed along the way. Over the last few weeks, in addition to covering new releases like “Here” and “Heretic,” I’ve been working through a list of “to watch” titles. Here is my first round

Heretic (2 ½ stars out of 4)



During the two years I spent as a missionary in Northern Illinois, I would occasionally wind up at an appointment where the investigator clearly wasn’t interested in learning about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the best cases, they just wanted to have an intellectual discussion about theology, but often the culprit just

Here (2 1/2 Stars out of 4)



30 years ago, Robert Zemeckis directed Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in “Forrest Gump,” a heartfelt journey through the 2nd half of the 20th century told through the eyes of an eccentric simpleton. “Gump” won Best Picture and Best Actor for Hanks.



Three decades later, Zemeckis is returning to the well in a sense. Not

The Faith of Angels (2 1/2 stars out of 4)



“The Faith of Angels” is based on the true story of a ten-year-old boy who was lost for several days in an abandoned mine outside Tooele, Utah.



Director Garrett Batty’s effort doesn’t spend a lot of time getting off the ground. We are quickly dropped into a church outing with a group

Speak No Evil (2 1/2 stars out of 4)



I like to think of myself as a horror movie fan, and there are plenty of longtime favorite movies that would support that claim. But sometimes I come across a “good” horror movie that is a bit too unsettling to offer a full-throated recommendation, and I’m always left wondering if I’m not