Film Reviews

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Renee Rapp in a scene from "Mean Girls." (Jojo Whilden/Paramount via AP)

Movie Review: Still trying to make ‘fetch’ happen, now in song: ‘Mean Girls’ gets a musical update

Two decades later, Gretchen’s still trying to make “fetch” happen. Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls” is back, this time as a musical.

This image released by Netflix shows Hope Ikpoku Jnr, left, in a scene from "The Kitchen." (Netflix via AP)

Movie Review: Daniel Kaluuya builds a compelling near-future dystopia in ‘The Kitchen’

The near-future is bleak for the working class of London in “The Kitchen,” about a familiar kind of urban dystopian nightmare.

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Omar Sy, left, in a scene from "The Book of Clarence." (Moris Puccio/Legendary Entertainment/Sony via AP)

Movie Review: Audacious Bible-era story ‘The Book of Clarence’ is maybe too audacious

Somewhere between the sacred and profane, comedy drama and satire comes “The Book of Clarence,” a retelling of The Greatest Story Ever Told that arrives in theaters appropriately between Christmas and Easter.

This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Leonie Benesch in a scene from "The Teachers' Lounge." (Judith Kaufmann/Sony Pictures Classics via AP)

Movie Review: In ‘The Teachers’ Lounge,’ one middle school as microcosm of a troubled world

Who’s stealing from the teachers’ lounge? When a series of thefts plague a middle school and officials aggressively question her sixth-grade students, idealistic new teacher Carla Nowak is determined to unmask the real thief.

This image provided by Sony Pictures Classics shows Matthew Goode as C.S. Lewis and Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud in a scene from "Freud's Last Session." (Sabrina Lantos/Sony Pictures Classics via AP)

Movie Review: Anthony Hopkins shines in ‘Freud’s Last Session’

“Freud’s Last Session” adds to a string of sterling late-chapter performances by the 86-year-old actor.

This image released by Ketchup Entertainment shows Peter Sarsgaard, left, and Jessica Chastain in a scene from "Memory." (Ketchup Entertainment via AP)

Movie Review: Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard anchor ‘Memory,’ a thorny drama with a tender heart

Pain and trauma permeate Michel Franco’s new drama “Memory,” about two lost souls who find surprising comfort in one another.

This image released by MGM Pictures shows Callum Turner, center, in a scene from "The Boys in the Boat." (Laurie Sparham/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: Clooney’s ‘Boys in the Boat’ is an underdog saga that’s both stirring and a tad stodgy

Director George Clooney both begins and ends “The Boys in the Boat” on a sun-dappled lake. It’s a seductive sight, and aptly reflects the ethos of a film that feels like one has walked straight into an oil painting.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, left, and Halle Bailey in a scene from "The Color Purple." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: ‘The Color Purple’ is a stirring big-screen musical powered by its spectacular cast

Exuberant performances from a cast led by Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks breathe life into Blitz Bazawule’s stirring “The Color Purple,” adapted from the Tony-winning Broadway production, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle writes in his review.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Jason Momoa in a scene from "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: If this is goodbye, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ keeps its trident high

It’s perhaps appropriate that the latest Aquaman movie is about a lost kingdom. In many ways, this mini-franchise is just that, a Jason Momoa kingdom that could just quietly sink below the cinematic waves.

This image released by A24 shows Zac Efron, right, in a scene from "The Iron Claw." (Brian Roedel/A24 via AP)

Movie Review: A transformed Zac Efron gives his all in tragic, true-life wrestling tale ‘Iron Claw’

Zac Efron turns in career-best work as Texas wrestling brother Kevin Von Erich in “The Iron Claw,” a role for which the actor transformed his body into a taut mass of muscle and sinew.

This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Andrew Scott, left, and and Paul Mescal in a scene from "All of Us Strangers." (Parisa Taghizadeh/ Searchlight Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: Ghosts and longing and love in ‘All of Us Strangers’

Andrew Scott plays a writer trying to write something about his dead parents in Andrew Haigh’s drama “All of Us Strangers.”

This image released by Illumination Entertainment & Universal Pictures shows, from left, Uncle Dan, voiced by Danny DeVito, Gwen, voiced by Tresi Gazal, Dax, voiced by Caspar Jennings, Mack, voiced by Kumail Nanjiani and Pam, voiced by Elizabeth Banks in a scene from "Migration." (Illumination Entertainment & Universal Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: A helicopter father flies his duck family south in ‘Migration’

Illumination’s “Migration” is vividly animated with warm cartoon tones that would do Daffy proud. But it never quite spreads its wings, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review.

This image released by Neon shows Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari in a scene from "Ferrari." (Lorenzo Sisti/Leon via AP)

Movie Review: Auto pioneer Enzo Ferrari gets a solid biopic but it doesn’t make the heart race

Napoleon Bonaparte. Leonard Bernstein. Willy Wonka. Aquaman — there are a ton of Guy Movie Heroes out there as 2023 ends. And yet up zooms another — in “Ferrari.”

This image released by A24 shows Sandra Hüller in a scene from "The Zone of Interest." (A24 via AP)

Movie Review: In harrowing ‘Zone of Interest,’ the Holocaust’s evils are cloaked in mundanities

In his meticulous and harrowing Holocaust film “The Zone of Interest,” writer-director Jonathan Glazer has found a way to convey evil without ever depicting the horror itself.

This image released by MGM shows Jeffrey Wright in a scene from "American Fiction." (Claire Folger/MGM-Orion via AP)

Movie Review: Jeffrey Wright is brilliant in the smart and funny satire ‘American Fiction’

Jeffrey Wright’s Thelonious “Monk” Ellison is a classic frustrated artist in “American Fiction.” He is a professor and an author who writes literary stories.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Timothee Chalamet in a scene from "Wonka." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Review: Timothée Chalamet waltzes through the whimsical ‘Wonka’ but Roald Dahl’s daring is missing

“Wonka,” starring Timothée Chalamet, has two things going for it: the dazzling designs of “Paddington 2” director Paul King and the charisma of its leading man.

This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Ramy Youssef, background, and Emma Stone in a scene from "Poor Things." (Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: In ‘Poor Things,’ Emma Stone takes an unusual path to enlightenment

Emma Stone plays a re-animated Victorian woman in “Poor Things,” the latest demented confection from Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos.

This image released by GKIDS shows Himi, voiced by Karen Fukuhara in English and AIMYON in Japanese, left and Mahito Maki, voiced by Luca Padovan in English and Soma Santoki in Japanese, in a scene from Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy And The Heron." (Studio Ghibli/GKIDS via AP)

Review: Swan song or not, Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a master surveying his empire

Watching Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” is like returning to a faintly familiar dreamland.

This image released by Netflix shows Mahershela Ali from left, Myha'la Herrold, Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke in a scene from "Leave the World Behind." (JoJo Whilden/Netflix via AP)

Movie Review: ‘Leave the World Behind’ is a terrific blend of thriller, disaster and satire

If you like your thrillers to have an apocalyptic backdrop look no further than Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind,” says Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy.

FILE - Beyonce appears at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. Beyoncé releases a concert film this week titled "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé ." (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Review: In concert film ‘Renaissance,’ Beyoncé offers glimpse into personal life during world tour

Beyoncé ran her Renaissance World Tour like a machine. But the superstar singer who is viewed as one of music’s hardest-working performers confesses she’s “not a machine.”

This image released by Neon shows Thomasin McKenzie, left, and Anne Hathaway in a scene from "Eileen." (Jeong Park/Neon via AP)

Movie Review: ‘Eileen,’ a wonderful novel about an ‘invisible’ young lady becomes an oddball film

Something strange has happened to Eileen Dunlop, and we don’t just mean the plot of “Eileen.” The adaptation of novelist Ottessa Moshfegh’s delicious coming-of-age heroine has had a weird birth onto film, says Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy.

This image released by Netflix shows Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre, right, and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in a scene from "Maestro." (Jason McDonald/Netflix via AP)

Review: Bradley Cooper’s ‘Maestro’ leaves many notes of Bernstein unplayed

Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” a high-wire act of a biopic, leaps constantly between on stage and off, flying through Leonard Bernstein’s very public life as a conductor while diving into his more private marriage to Felicia Montealegre.

This image released by Amazon Prime Video shows a scene from "Saltburn." (Amazon Prime Video via AP)

Movie Review: Emerald Fennell chronicles a promising young man in audacious, shock-filled ‘Saltburn’

Anticipation has been hot for Emerald Fennell’s second feature ever since her bracingly original “Promising Young Woman” won a screenplay Oscar.

This image released by Disney shows Asha, voiced by Ariana DeBose, in a scene from the animated film "Wish." (Disney via AP)

Movie Review: Disney’s musical fairy tale ‘Wish’ is beautiful, but lacking magic

Chris Pine voices King Magnifico, the ruler of the Kingdom of Rosas who has the ability to grant wishes to his subjects in “Wish,” the new Disney Animation musical in theaters Tuesday.

This image released by MUBI shows Alma Pöysti, left, and Jussi Vatanen in a scene from "Fallen Leaves." (MUBI via AP)

Movie Review: ‘Fallen Leaves’ is deadpan nirvana

In a movie year rife with grand, three-hour opuses from auteur filmmakers comes a slender 81-minute gem that outclasses them all.

This image released by Apple TV+ shows Joaquin Phoenix in a scene from "Napoleon." (Apple TV+ via AP)

Review: In Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon,’ the emperor has no clothes but plenty of ego

This Napoleon, as played by Joaquin Phoenix, isn’t extraordinary nor is he much of a man.

This image released by Netflix shows Julianne Moore, right, and Natalie Portman in a scene from "May December." (François Duhamel, Netflix via AP)

Movie Review: Emotional complexity, melodramatic wit and masterful acting in ‘May December’

Natalie Portman plays an actress researching a real-life subject for a role in Todd Haynes’ “May December.”

This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Kaimana, foreground left, and Hilo Pelesasa, right, in a scene from "Next Goal Wins." (Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Searchlight Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ is a sweet, frothy diversion but no knee slide

In “Next Goal Wins,” a soccer coach comes from far away to lead a hapless group of athletes. He’s a fish-out-of-water type, ill-suited for the job, but rises to the occasion and everyone feels good at the end.

This image released by Lionsgate shows Tom Blyth, right, and Rachel Zegler in a scene from "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." (Lionsgate via AP)

Review: The Hunger Games return in ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ with the odds in its favor

Two hours and 37 minutes is pretty long for a “ballad,” but you can’t call it “The Hunger Games: The Three-Cycle Opera of Songbirds and Snakes” now, can you?

This image released by A24 shows Nicolas Cage in a scene from "Dream Scenario" (A24 via AP)

Movie Review: Nicolas Cage finds fame to be highly overrated in chillingly funny ‘Dream Scenario’

Nicolas Cage, perhaps best known for his onscreen volatility, takes a fascinating swerve to play a mundane, schlubby, balding professor at nowhere famous in Kristoffer Borgli’s “Dream Scenario.”

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Yungblud poses for portrait photographs in London, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

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