U.S. Release Date: 2021-09-10
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Nudity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, Tye Sheridan, Tiffany Haddish
As a mood piece, the film works well, but as a character study, it’s flawed and as a narrative, it’s erratic.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-08-06
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity)
Genre: Musical/Drama
Director: Leos Carax
Cast: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell
There comes a point when the weirdness and non-standard storytelling ceases to be effective and becomes a detriment.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-08-13
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Joe Keery, Lil Rey Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar
Reynold’s charisma and some solid gags hold things together for a while but the movie ultimately comes up short despite its promising premise.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-07-02
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Director: Everardo Gout
Cast: Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Leven Rambin, Cassidy Freeman, Alejandro Edda, Will Patton
Adept at providing the violence fans expect from an exploitation flick and, despite its pretense of offering political commentary, that’s really all this movie is.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-18
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: Animated
Director: Enrico Casarosa
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Marco Barricelli, Saverino Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan
The message is laudable and Luca’s heart is in the right place but its sledgehammer tactics make parts of the movie feel more like a homily than summer entertainment.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-06-04
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Disturbing Images)
Genre: Horror
Director: Michael Chaves
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard, John Noble, Eugenie Bondurant, Shannon Kook
The magic previously enjoyed by "The Conjuring" movies has failed to materialize for this journey into the supernatural.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-05-28
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Adult Themes)
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, John McCrea, Emily Beecham, Mark Strong, Kayvan Novak, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
If one puts aside the film’s antecedents, what’s left is an unremarkable family film that lacks a compelling reason to exist.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-05-21
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, Profanity, Nudity)
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Omari Hardwick, Matthias Schweighofer, Tig Notaro, Raul Castillo, Samantha Win, Theo Rossi, Garret Dillahunt, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada
Snyder takes some chances, doesn’t skimp on the gore, and offers a shock or two.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-05-14
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fred Hechinger, Wyatt Russell, Bryan Tyree Henry, Jeanine Serralles, Anthony Mackie, Mariah Bozeman
An example of something that can work well on the written page but loses a lot when condensed and brought to the screen.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-05-14
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Aidan Gillen, Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, Medina Senghore, Jake Weber
Fundamentally, this is about the hunters and the hunted and, if you don’t look too deeply into the backstory, it works on that level.