Here are some reviews of films coming out at the theater this week as well as others that may be in theaters or newly on home video.
Opening: DATE
Wide (United States)
BlacKkKlansman
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
Dog Days
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
The Meg
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
2018 Films In Theaters Now In Select Areas
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
For member reviews of this film, follow this link
All I Wish
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Most of the comedy bits don’t work as well as the dramatic scenes in this uneven rom-com starring Sharon Stone and Tony Goldwyn.
Annihilation
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: Lush with a visual beauty and sense of wonder that hypnotizes the audience, Alex Garland’s Annihilation is a thought-provoking sci-fi drama exploring our innate self-destructive behavior in light of humanity’s possible extinction.
Avengers: Infinity War
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: Ten years in the making, Avengers: Infinity War arrives with all the weight, action, laughs, tears, and poignancy we could hope for, as celestial Titan, Thanos, hunts down the infinity stones so he can “bring balance to the universe” no matter the cost. The monumental but somewhat bloated production is a wildly entertaining feat, given the balancing act between the long list of characters involved, sure to leave audiences in tearful, anxious anticipation for next year’s conclusion.
Beast
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Beast creates a hypnotic experience and that is something to treasure.
Black Panther
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is a visually-stunning superhero actioner, energized by a surprisingly poignant and profoundly enlightening plot that embraces the troubling sociopolitical issues of our time.
Blindspotting
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: A great indie surprise!
Christopher Robin
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: Despite a promising opening sequence, the film ends up resorting to various simplistic family film tropes that clashes with the murky aesthetics. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t fully embrace what makes these characters special.
Christopher Robin
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: I simply appreciate Christopher Robin because it’s a poetic reminder to cherish your loved ones. The film is gentle and sweet.
The Cloverfield Paradox
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: A disappointment for the Cloverfield Saga!
Counterfeiters
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: In this riveting independent film, the director also plays the starring role and earns our empathy despite the character’s wrong actions. Not an easy task!
Dance Baby Dance
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Although a low-budget offering with less than perfect production values, this film makes up for that with its great heart and passion for dance.
The Darkest Minds
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: The Darkest Minds may be less painful than other films of its kind, but it still feels like business as usual. The filmmakers are trying, but the experience doesn’t add up to anything particularly meaningful or relevant despite ample opportunity to do so.
Deadpool 2
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Introducing something familiar out of context is an imitation of wit. This is simply an opportunity to exclaim “Hey! I know that thing!”
Eighth Grade
Herman Dhaliwal @ Cinema Sanctum
- Excerpt: In a strange way, I hated the experience of watching Eighth Grade, but I mean that in the best way possible. It’s rare to see a coming-of-age film that fully embraces the trauma and anxieties of youth in such an assertive way without coming across as condescending, disingenuous, or inauthentic.
First Reformed
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: The reason for a radical environmentalist’s profound effect on the Rev Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) never seems clearly delineated.
A Futile and Stupid Gesture
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: This crazy biopic boasts one of the most unusual funerals ever filmed, thanks to extreme dramatic license and the lovely sounds of ‘Beautiful Dreamer.’
Future World
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Action sequences seem poorly put together here. Sorry to say they are less than exciting, which does not bode well for a sci-fi thriller.
Game Night
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: Surprisingly Funny!
Gotti
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: One of the worst films of the year!
Hereditary
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Much of the credit for the film’s success goes to Toni Collette in a portrayal that is certain to remain among the very best of the year. She is a mother shaken to her very core by the events around her.
Incredibles 2
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Writer/ director Brad Bird really knows how to frame an action set piece and there are many to dazzle you here. Once again, an Incredibles film out marvels Marvel.
Like Father
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: It’s fun watching this estranged daughter and father begin to know each other again through crazy cruise activities, especially karaoke.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: As with its predecessors, Maze Runner: The Death Cure is a well-executed YA adaptation and adequately entertaining, and the final entry culminates to a strong, satisfying conclusion of the series.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: As Rick, Gallagher does particularly fine work here, his sister’s model for success’s outward happiness clearly layered upon shaky ground.
The Mountain Range
Anne Hoyt @ AARP.org/Español [Spanish]
- Excerpt: El mal flota como una bruma en las montañas de la cordillera andina donde se realiza una cumbre de presidentes latinoamericanos; metáfora del ambiente enrarecido en el que los políticos toman decisiones supuestamente en beneficio de los que están abajo
Nico, 1988
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Dyrholm finds Nico’s center by concurrently repelling and compelling, her love for Ari genuine even as she puts her junkie son in harm’s way, verbalizing total disdain for her audience before delivering her most dazzling performance…
Ocean’s 8
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Ocean’s 8 is free-spirited fun, has ample charisma from an impressive cast and you’ll have a chuckle or two before it’s all over.
On Chesil Beach
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: I expected a lot more, but in the end, “On Chesil Beach” delivers a reasonable relationship drama!
Pacific Rim: Uprising
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: With expectations set very low, Pacific Rim Uprising will mildly satisfy fans of the first movie and if taken as pure popcorn escapism. Otherwise, audiences will quickly fall asleep, waking only to the ear-piercing robot mayhem.
The Polka King
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: The Polka King’ reminds us that sometimes good people do bad things as well as how hard it is to resist temptation. Jack Black plays the title role with vim, but sometimes less is more, as the old saying goes.
A Quiet Place
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: An artfully-crafted and cleverly designed horror film driven by intense white-knuckle suspense from the talents of John Krasinski, A Quiet Place is actually a drama about overcoming a family tragedy told in the guise of a horror movie.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: The screenplay keeps things rather straightforward. There is a refreshing simplicity that permeates Solo that makes this saga very satisfying.
Terminal
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: An intriguing premises, but a stupid film!
The Third Murder
Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
- Excerpt: Writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda takes an entirely different tack from his family dramas for a critical look at Japan’s justice system. This is his first film with Koji Yakusho, outstanding as the mysterious murderer…
Tully
Mark Hobin @ Fast Film Reviews
- Excerpt: Tully is Mary Poppins for Generation X.
2017 Films
Chavela (Documental)
Anne Hoyt @ AARP.org/Español [Spanish]
- Excerpt: Tequila, dolor y canto: la combinación era sinónimo de la personalidad artística de Chavela Vargas. Reinventarse sin el primer ingrediente fue el gran reto que le acabó dando el éxito sin reservas a la cantante costarricense, naturalizada mexicana.
Clinical
João Pinto @ Portal Cinema [Portuguese]
- Excerpt: One of the worst NetFlix original films of 2017!
Darkest Hour
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: Detailing the first tense weeks of Winston Churchill’s unexpected ascension to Prime Minister at the height of WWII, Darkest Hour is a riveting biographical drama with a superb performance by Gary Oldman as the bitter, cantankerous politician.
The Disaster Artist
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Despite this amusing comedy’s great cast, it’s hard to take your eyes off James Franco’s Tommy Wiseau. No wonder he earned an Oscar nomination.
The Greatest Showman
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: A grand, flamboyant spectacle of oddities and curiosities, The Greatest Showman is a surprisingly and freakishly delightful fantasy based on the life of P.T. Barnum and his road to creating his legendary circus.
Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: Because Griffin Dunne knows his famous aunt so well, his conversations with her come across as intimate and sincere in this wonderful and enlightening documentary.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle upgrades the classic children’s book to the video game age and surprises audiences with a hilariously fun and weighty adventure that’s astonishingly better than its predecessor.
Justice League
M. Enois Duarte @ High-DefDigest.com
- Excerpt: Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon bring together iconic superheroes to form the Justice League, the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe but forgot to give the team a worthwhile evildoer to make their live-action debut memorable.
The Shape of Water
Betty Jo Tucker @ ReelTalk Movie Reviews
- Excerpt: A fantasy thriller for the ages!
