U.S. Release Date: 2018-03-09
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Ava DuVernay
Cast: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis
Saddled with an unevenly paced screenplay and overly reliant on generic CGI, "A Wrinkle in Time" fails to convey the magic of the book.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-03-02
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Director: Ted Geoghegan
Cast: Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington, Eamon Farren, Justin Rain, Jonathan Huber, Robert Longstreet, Noah Segan, Ian Colletti
The muddling of historical fiction with the Grand Guignol is an uneven mix that never fully gels.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-02-16
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Brief Nudity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Tim Hunter
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Robin Tunney, Marc Blucas, Ernie Lively, Jacque Gray, Kassia Conway
Although the screenplay knows how to set things up, it fails to deliver down the stretch, leaving us with a by-the-numbers resolution.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-02-02
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Violence, Adult Themes)
Genre: Science Fiction/Drama
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Cast: Masami Nagasawa, Ryuhei Matsuda, Hiroki Hasegawa, Mahiro Takasugi, Yuri Tsunematsu, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Kazuya Kojima, Ken Mitsuishi
There are moments of pathos and deft comedy but, overall, "Before We Vanish" is overlong, poorly paced, and scattershot.
U.S. Release Date: 2017-12-29
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Director: Paul McGuigan
Cast: Jamie Bell, Annette Bening, Julie Walters, Vanessa Redgrave, Stephen Graham, Leanne Best, James Bloor
Despite some great acting, this is a largely unpleasant viewing experience and the downbeat tone isn’t helped by a narrative that flits back and forth in time without rhyme or reason.
U.S. Release Date: 2017-12-25
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Violence, Sexual Content, Brief Nudity, Drugs)
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer, Andrew Buchan
It’s a serviceable thriller at best although Christopher Plummer’s late-to-the-party performance is worthy of praise.
U.S. Release Date: 2017-12-22
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Brief Nudity)
Genre: Fantasy/Drama
Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig, Rolf Lassgård, Udo Kier, Jason Sudeikis
The central character is as small figuratively as he is literally, and that limits the movie’s capacity to enthrall and engage.
U.S. Release Date: 1992-12-11
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Musical
Director: Brian Henson
Cast: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz
"The Muppet Christmas Carol" is a curiosity for those desperate to have a dash of Kermit to go along with their mug of Scrooge.
U.S. Release Date: 2017-11-17
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Drama
Director: Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin, Noah Jupe, Bryce Gheisar, Danielle Rose Russell, Daveed Diggs, Nadji Jeter
From its imagination-tinged opening to its Kumbaya ending, "Wonder" never forgets that its mission is to provide a non-threatening, warm-and-fuzzy experience.
U.S. Release Date: 2017-11-10
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, John Lithgow, Mel Gibson, Linda Cardellini, John Cena, Alessandra Ambrosio
There are worse ways to get some cheap laughs and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with any rendition of “kumbaya.”