U.S. Release Date: 2018-01-19
MPAA Rating: "R" (War Violence, Profanity)
Genre: War/Thriller
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Trevante Rhodes, Navid Negahban, William Fichtner
For those who enjoy war films, especially those with an “old fashioned” bent, "12 Strong" offers two solid hours.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-06-08
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller
Director: York Alec Shackleton
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Dwayne Cameron, Sophie Skelton, Michael Rainey Jr., Weston Cage, Ori Pfeffer, Michael Bellisario, Sapir Azulay
Unappealing and stale, a barely-watchable combination of clichés and irrelevant tangents.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-02-23
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Violence, Disturbing Images, Profanity)
Genre: Horror/Adventure
Director: Kimble Rendall
Cast: Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammer, Chun Wu, Shane Jacobson, Jason Chong, Eva Liu
The movie feels like what it is – a moderately low-budget action/adventure outing designed primarily for the Asian market.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-06-01
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Scenes of Peril, Disturbing Images, Brief Nudity)
Genre: Drama/Adventure
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin
An honest, if somewhat neutered, account of what happens in situations like this, and worth seeing if you have an interest in (Wo)man vs. Nature battles.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-10-12
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Adult Themes)
Genre: Drama
Director: Hannah Marks, Joey Power
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Maika Monroe, DeRon Horton, Dean Winters, Callie Thorne, Marisa Tomei, Gina Gershon
Although this is indeed a romance where one of the participants is stricken with an aggressive form of cancer, it isn’t just another “cancer movie.”
U.S. Release Date: 2018-02-23
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, Tessa Thompson
Garland’s unwillingness to compromise has resulted in a film whose ideas and philosophy demand thought and dissection and are not easily dismissed or forgotten.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-05-04
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity, Profanity, Drugs)
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Director: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried, Colm Feore, Daniel Stolfi
A standard-order noir murder mystery with a confused last act, "Anon" is more notable for how it sees the future than what it sees going on there.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-07-06
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Comic Book Violence)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Michael Pena
Plodding, repetitive, replete with technobabble nonsense and lifeless action, this is easily the worst-written of any of the 20 to-date MCU offerings.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-12-21
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: James Wan
Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temeura Morrison
Devoid of complex plotting, comprehensive world-building, and narrative twists, "Aquaman" seems strangely out-of-step with where the genre is going.
U.S. Release Date: 2018-08-24
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Thriller/Comedy
Director: Jonathan Watson
Cast: Rosemarie DeWitt, Danny McBride, Lolli Sorenson, Luke Wilson, Elizabeth Gillies
A tonal mess and its inconsistencies make it a frustrating viewing experience.