Movie Reviews

Operatic excesses are balanced by a powerful sense of melancholy in the biographical musical Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John.

Arts

Elton John Biopic 'Rocketman' Is A Surprising Song-And-Dance Spectacular

1:49pm May 30, 2019

by Justin Chang

Rocketman finds ways to buck convention, even in the familiar framework of the rock biopic. The operatic excesses are balanced by a powerful sense of melancholy in this marvelous biographical musical.

Disney's Live-Action 'Aladdin' Aims To Correct 1st Film's Problems, Replicate Success

5:07pm May 24, 2019

by Bob Mondello

Disney's live-action version of its 1992 cartoon Aladdin features Will Smith in the Genie role originally played by Robin Williams.

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Arts

'Booksmart' Tweaks Convention By Offering A Gentler View Of High School

1:32pm May 24, 2019

by John Powers

Olivia Wilde's lighthearted, female-centric film charts the adventures of two brainy best friends who embark on a quest to reframe their high school identities 24 hours before graduation.

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Quentin Tarantino's Film Generates Buzz At Cannes Film Festival

6:09am May 24, 2019

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan about some of the best movies that are being featured at this year's Cannes Film Festival — including Tarantino's newest.

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A handsome, dim-bulb soccer star (Carloto Cotta) takes extreme measures to return to his former state of glory in Diamantino.

Arts

'Diamantino': Portuguese Satire About Soccer, Nationalism And Cloning Scores Goal

5:05pm May 23, 2019

by Danny Hensel

Driven by a standout performance by Carloto Cotta, this Portuguese satire "sizzles with a comic energy rare for a movie with such blunt and weighty political commentary."

Shining? Sure. Shimmering? Yep. Splendid? Um ....: Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Jasmine (Naomi Scott) in the latest live-action adaptation of the 1992 animated Disney film.

Arts

'Aladdin': A CGI World, Neither Whole Nor New

5:00pm May 23, 2019

by Scott Tobias

Though some elements generate fresh sparks, the remake "mostly has the beat-for-beat quality of the live-action Beauty and the Beast, the current standard-bearer for pointlessness."

Booksmart is the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde, starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever.

Arts

'Booksmart' Is A Wise And Warm Summer Comedy

5:00pm May 23, 2019

by Linda Holmes

Director Olivia Wilde and leads Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever do wonderful work in a film about two high-school best friends who have one night to reverse course.

Arts

'The Souvenir' Is A Piercing Portrait Of A Woman Learning To Become An Artist

2:39pm May 21, 2019

by Justin Chang

Joanna Hogg's movie, which centers on a young film student, is the first of a projected two-part drama drawing from Hogg's life. It won the top prize in Sundance's world cinema dramatic competition.

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Keanu Reeves is back in the over the top John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.

Arts

There Is No Spoon, But There's Plenty of Knives In 'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum'

6:12pm May 16, 2019

by Chris Klimek

The third installment of the Keanu-as-super-assassin series triples down on the gorgeously staged violence, but little things like his character's motivation get hopelessly muddled.

The "we" in We Have Always Lived in the Castle refers to Merrricat (Taissa Farmiga) and Constance (Alexandra Daddario). Charles (Sebastian Stan) is the new guy.

Arts

'We Have Always Lived In The Castle' — And It Feels Like It

5:00pm May 16, 2019

by Andrew Lapin

Shirley Jackson's novel is "a Gothic psychodrama that eats itself from the inside." But this adaptation proves too low-key and repetitive to build suspense and succeeds only in testing patience.