Movies with music written by Michael Giacchino

Note: This review contains minor spoilers, although nothing that can’t be gleaned from watching the trailers. Star Trek Beyond is a Star Trek movie, although not an especially good one. Although that description might sound self-evident, the...

Spoiler Alert: This review contains spoilers. Not earthshattering plot revelations, but hints that might dampen the virgin's pristine viewing experience. Proceed with caution if this sort of thing concerns you. In moving to the future, J.J. Abra...

Super 8 is an homage by its writer/director, J.J. Abrams, to its producer, Steven Spielberg. It's also a love letter to all those with a passion for filmmaking that emerges at a young age. Super 8 is the kind of high-profile movie we so rarely se...

This Is Where I Leave You is a card-carrying member of the "family reunion" category of motion pictures wherein circumstances bring together characters whose once-close relationships have grown distant over the years. The mechanism by which this ha...

Tomorrowland is an interesting collage of moments and ideas in search of a strong narrative and a coherent ending. For a while, it doesn't matter that the plot meanders. The story seems like a jigsaw puzzle inviting us to solve it. That's the...

A film like Up makes it clear that Pixar has moved beyond the point where it feels the need to pander to children. Unlike its main animation competitor, Dreamworks, Pixar allows sophisticated themes and ideas to seep into its movies. Everything d...

Always save the best for last…that’s not a phrase many movie series adhere to. It happens occasionally but franchises that build to a satisfying climax are few and far between. That, among other things, makes the new Planet of the Apes rebo...

Zootopia is respectable animated fare - not nearly as good (or memorable) as the best of Disney/Pixar but significantly better than the majority of quick cash-grab offerings thrown out by studios to dominate the family film market. Although Zootopiaâ...