U.S. Release Date: 2021-12-25
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Joel Coen
Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter
A well-made, artistically effective motion picture but its appeal is limited to those who appreciate movies that are driven as much by the aesthetics as the narrative.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-11-19
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Musical/Drama
Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Judith Light, Bradley Whitford
The surprisingly intimate result is enjoyable in the moment but the mental footprint fades rather quickly.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-07-02
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence)
Genre: Science Fiction/Action
Director: Chris McKay
Cast: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Jasmine Mathews, Edwin Hodge, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Uses reliable science fiction/time travel/alien invasion tropes in ways that could be interesting but ultimately turn out to be regurgitations of stories we’ve seen before.
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.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-04-23
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Nikole Beckwith
Cast: Ed Helms, Patti Harrison
Although not a romantic comedy (the central relationship is of a platonic nature), it has some of the rhythms one commonly associates with the genre.
U.S. Release Date: 2021-04-09
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Cartoon Violence)
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Ben Falcone
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman, Bobby Cannavale, Pom Klementieff, Melissa Leo, Taylor Mosby
Illustrates what happens when filmmakers take a moderately interesting premise and surround it with witless writing, cringe-inducing acting, stagnant action, humor-deprived comedy, and feckless drama.