Movies starring Dakota Johnson

With movies like The High Note that tell familiar stories, it’s all about how things are presented. Details matter. Performances are key and the “little things” that give the narrative a unique flavor are to be savored. In imparting the ...

For Black Mass, Johnny Depp has dusted off his A-game, which has lain dormant for far too long. The actor's transformative portrayal of Whitey Bulger reminds us that Depp, when motivated, can do impressive work. By inhabiting the character rather...

Although not much happens during the course of The Lost Daughter, the film’s tone exerts a powerful spell. A character study of a woman who’s neither as composed nor as affable as she initially seems, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut ex...

The team behind The Five Year Engagement - producer Judd Apatow, director/co-writer Nicholas Stoller, and co-writer/star Jason Segel - is the same group responsible for Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Despite that, this movie feels less like the often ...

There was a time back in the 1990s when everyone wanted to be Tarantino. As we learned at the time, however, there’s only one Tarantino and all the attempts to mimic his style and approach felt like third generation VHS dubs. Now, some 25 ye...

Spoiler alert: There’s a spoiler in paragraph #4. Is it a big deal? Depends on how deeply you’re invested in these characters and whether you’ve read the books. It’s there but it won’t ruin the movie if you inadvertently read it. Alt...

Is it A Bigger Splash or A Bigger Bore?  Despite a strong cast, gorgeous cinematography, and a suffocating sense of sexual tension, this movie takes far too long to get off the ground. When it finally does - more than an hour into the 120+ minut...

If you have read Persuasion or consider yourself a Jane Austen aficionado, this new Netflix-funded production hasn’t been made with you in mind. In fact, the more familiarity one has with Austen, the more likely the 2022 Persuasion is to be seen...

If there’s a rule to be aware of when it comes to Sony’s so-called “Spider-Verse” movies, it’s this: If Spider-Man isn’t in it, it’s likely to disappoint. That applies to Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and now Madame Web...

If I wanted to be kind, I’d call Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake “visually striking” and “stylish.” If I wanted to be brutally honest, I’d call it “tedious”, “pretentious”, and even “painful” (although not in a good ...