Movie Reviews

Two sea creatures go undercover as boys in a small Italian Riviera town in the charming Pixar film Luca.

Arts

Dive Into 'Luca' And 'Undine,' 2 Under-The-Sea Films To Treasure

6:00am June 18, 2021

by Justin Chang

Two sea creatures go undercover as boys in an Italian Riviera town in the charming Pixar film Luca. In the German drama Undine, a water sprite must take the life of human lovers who betray her.

Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera play Usnavi and Vanessa in the film In the Heights.

Arts

'In The Heights' Is A Spirited, Socially Undistanced, Summer Crowd Pleaser

2:25pm June 11, 2021

by Justin Chang

Set during a record-breaking New York City heat wave, this vibrant screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage musical pulses with musical numbers that blend of hip-hop, Latin pop and salsa.

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'In The Heights' Leaps From Stage To Screen With Exuberance To Spare

8:00pm June 10, 2021

by Bob Mondello

In the Heights is Lin-Manuel Miranda's pre-Hamilton Broadway musical directed by Jon Chu for the big screen. The story celebrates not a founding father, but a New York neighborhood.

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Marcus (Noah Jupe), Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) brave the unknown in A Quiet Place Part II.

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Listen Carefully: The Tense 'Quiet Place' Sequel Speaks To Our Present Time

12:38pm June 04, 2021

by Justin Chang

John Krasinski's follow-up to his 2018 thriller about aliens who hunt by sound showcases humanity at its best and worst — and feels particularly relevant as we slowly emerge from the pandemic.

NPR's Scott Simon recommends Da 5 Bloods as one film to watch this Memorial Day.

Arts

3 Memorial Day Movie Recommendations From NPR's Scott Simon

6:08pm May 30, 2021

by Scott Simon

Memorial Day is to remember those who have died in military service. NPR's Scott Simon picked three films he found particularly resonant for this weekend.

Movie Review: 'A Quiet Place Part II' Resonates

4:41pm May 28, 2021

by Bob Mondello

A Quiet Place Part II, among the first films delayed due to the pandemic back in March of 2020, has finally opened. Was it worth the wait?

Is Cruella de Vil (Emma Stone) meant to come off as misguided, unhinged or genuinely unscrupulous? A new film tries to suggest a complicated mix of all three and winds up feeling mostly confused.

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A Kinder 'Cruella'? Film Reimagines The Dalmatian Villain With Spotty Success

9:47am May 28, 2021

by Justin Chang

Emma Stone gives her all in a tricky role as the puppycidal fashionista of Disney's Dalmatians franchise. Cruella isn't a bad movie, but it fails to make its protagonist bad enough.

Lupe (Victoria Moroles) and Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) are snubbed at the pharmacy when Lupe needs a morning-after pill.

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'Plan B' Is A Winning Comedy With Some Painful Truths

5:00am May 28, 2021

by Linda Holmes

The new film Plan B follows two teenagers on a trek to obtain a morning-after pill. Surprisingly warm but also broadly funny, it's a tricky balance executed very well.

David (Clayne Crawford) is hoping to keep his family together in The Killing of Two Lovers.

Arts

Gripping Marital Drama 'Killing Of Two Lovers' Is Brooding But Never Dull

8:49am May 21, 2021

by Justin Chang

Every era has its own great end-of-a-marriage movie. This psychologically raw film, about a small-town Utah couple who agree to a trial separation, is ours.

Arts

Amy Adams Is The Best Thing In An Otherwise Mechanical 'Woman In The Window'

2:13pm May 14, 2021

by Justin Chang

A woman with agoraphobia becomes embroiled in her neighbor's drama in a new thriller based on Dan Mallory's novel. Adams is very good — but the movie doesn't prove entirely worthy of her.

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