Superman (2025)

Sometimes, it helps to be old. Just not this time. If you’ve been around a while, you’ve seen so many iterations of this character that you can’t expect anything particularly new in yet another outing for the Man of Steel. So going in, if you’re not a child, expectations for this flick are low. That actually works to this pic's advantage, as it means that, if nothing is really screwed up, the odds turn heavily in the movie’s favor. And that’s mostly how it works out here. There are enough fresh elements in this presentation—most notably, the expanded context of Supe's story, including some decent supporting work from some slightly off-brand heroes—that even the weariest viewer will get a few kicks out of these proceedings. The film does include a few missteps—today’s Lois is not quite all that, and there’s a notable bit of condescension in the depiction of the Kents as flyover yokels—but ultimately, the story gets back to the core of the title character’s appeal: his choice to be one of us, not one above us. That rap has played well for almost a century now and it never really gets old…even if those of us who have seen it all before keep putting on the years. Oh, yeah, and the dog is fun, too. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

You can hardly go wrong telling a story with great characters. The strength of this series has always been its stable of astonishingly vibrant and memorable characters, from the original core set to the additions to the team in the second and now third installments--they have all been outsized, wildly entertaining and profoundly likable. That even applies to the computer generated personages, who really shine in this sequel. Rocket and his enhanced animal friends, in flashbacks to the past, bring such emotional depth and honesty to the story’s key points that their example opens up whole new vistas of consideration about how movie audiences can connect to characters, ideas and other facets of the movie-watching experience. Maybe even the dreaded AIs have something to offer the medium, something that those who grew up strictly on human-centric cinema would never have expected to be possible. Then again, maybe it’s all just a standard comic-book movie hoot and a half, with laughs and fun stuff and “did that look cool” sprinkled throughout a well-formed big-screen joy ride. You can just take it as the latter and leave all the deep thought stuff to others, if you like. This outing certainly serves up plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and a host of trademark flourishes that the franchise fans will expect to see. Yes, there is a certain amount of absurdity to the main storyline; if you think about it (not recommended), the whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense. But such concerns have quibbling written all over them. This is just plain movie fun, and if you don't get regular helpings of that, you're doing it wrong.

Nightmare Alley

Just like a carny sideshow, this flick is filled with obvious humbug. The story takes its sweet time getting into the meat of the matter, mostly through creating a number of set ups that will have rather clear payoffs in scenes down the line. On the plus side, this film is visually fine to look at, both from a design standpoint and in terms of cinematography (both typical strengths of any Guillermo del Toro movie). Overall, there’s enough entertainment here to let you watch it without feeling like a total mark, but one has to suspect that this could have been a more dazzling show, without resorting to any sideshow tricks.

A Star Is Born (2018)

You forgive talented people--a lot. That is a well-known fact that serves as the premise for this film, which is at least the third major adaptation of this story. You'd think a fourth time would not be the charm; that there wouldn't really be much more ground to cover in yet another version...and yet, this one is so well done that it spins such an expectation right around and makes the viewer wonder why it wasn't done again sooner. How is this trick accomplished? Great music, for one thing; the songs (all originals, if I read the credits right) are really strong from the get-go, with one piece after another that is infectious and appealing, and written and performed with a kind of universality that speaks to the broadest audience, in the best possible way. There's a strong country-rock lean to these tunes--certainly those early in the film--but they have tones to them that anyone who likes music can get into. These tunes, though written and performed in the current era, in many ways hark back to the kinds of songs you would have heard on AM radio back in the '70s, when genre-busting tunes were all over the place. Add to that musical element the standard-issue elements of a good movie--excellent acting, vision and direction--and you come away with a potent artistic mix that transcends the cliched essentials of an oft-told tale and delivers something that feels new, fresh, and exciting. Tremendous work by the leads with both the acting and music (Bradley Cooper is an impressive musician, while Lady Gaga is a revelation as an actress) propel the whole package and make this one must-see material. You might even want to get your hands on the soundtrack, too.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Most of the time, the heavy use of nostalgic music--in this case 1970s and '80s stuff--is just a marketing tool used to rope in a specific, ticket-buying cohort. Not so here; the music actually plays a pivotal role in the story. It's a thread that ties things together in an interesting way, more so than the tunes in the first installment. Expanding out from that, this film wears its Eighties heritage more flamboyantly than any other flick movie of recent vintage (as does its predecessor); it's no wonder then that folks like myself are eating this stuff up. All that wry, ironic, and even a little bit cruel humor goes a long way to creating the likeability, even if a lot of this story is obvious both in terms of plot and visually. There are a lot of ways of earning an audience's good graces, and these folks pull out all those stops, enough to make an enjoyable sequel. Enough for a third go round? We probably don't have a choice, but, sure, I'll go along.

Joy

I think this is supposed to be an uplifting story, and I guess if you only look at pieces here and there, it works on that level. Eventually, it gets to where you think it’s going. But there’s so much in the way of downers along the way that, ultimately, the total effect is something less than it should be. You get the usual good work from the David O. Russell Players--at this point, I’m not sure if either Jennifer Lawrence or Bradley Cooper is capable of a bad performance--but this one turns out to be a little less than the sum of its parts. Not bad, to be sure--just not what it could have been.

American Sniper

1. Sometimes it’s good to be behind the times. Like, for instance, when you watch a movie a year after it hits theaters, and all of its accompanying controversy has receded into the background. This film would probably have been hard to judge when it first arrived, given the heated atmosphere surrounding it then. When viewed with some perspective, you can judge this film clearly: a very good movie featuring an excellent performance by Bradley Cooper, and not nearly as much jingo as its harshest critics believed. As usual, director Clint Eastwood brings much more nuance to a potentially propagandistic subject than the casual observer might expect. Certainly, he clearly shows that, for all his gung-ho, Chris Kyle paid an enormous price for his time in Iraq--and as such stands as an appropriate metaphor for the nation as a whole. Definitely worth a look.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This movie gets a huge leg up in generating goodwill from its audience through its amazing soundtrack. The music nails it for appealing to viewers of a certain age, who most likely already have these songs on their preferred listening device--people like yours truly. Then again, it probably does some damage if those viewers recognize the soundtrack as a cynical ploy to appeal to said demographic, and thus boost ticket and home viewing sales. Call all that a wash, and thus we're stuck with trying to judge this film on its own merits--and that is a hit and miss proposition. For every space opera element that is derivative, predictable, and stale, there's also a piece of cleverness, good humor, and just sheer entertainment that offsets the problems. If we do the math, I think the whole thing winds up in the plus column; not by much, but enough that this one gets a passing grade, something just high enough to keep that goodwill going for the inevitable sequel.

The Place Beyond The Pines

A dark movie. No, I mean a really dark movie, one of the darkest movies I’ve ever seen--like you're watching this thing in a cave. That dark. It's definitely grand in scope, in some ways almost Shakespearean, especially in its sense of tragic inevitability. Moody, heavy on atmosphere, and featuring a truly excellent performance by Bradley Cooper, this is ultimately, an admirable work--you just need to steel yourself for the grimness.

Silver Linings Playbook

You’re not likely to like this one right away. The dysfunction is very up front and in your face, right from the start, and it’s tough to find much that’s likeable in the main characters. But, much as with the lead characters themselves, the audience will find a slow thaw creeping over them, until the climax comes and you find yourself rooting for these misfit toys much more than you thought you would. And, if you’re from Philadelphia, you’ll know that they got a lot of that Eagles fan stuff spot on. It worked for me, at least.

The A-Team

Stupid fun. I can't really say it's a good movie, per se; it has its faults, not the least of which is a muddled scenario with one too many villains. But I must admit that it's more artfully crafted than I would have expected, and the players are all appealing in filling their respective, very well-known roles. Don't expect anything epically great, and you'll do all right with this one.