[Originally posted on 12/31/18] August 2
"Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" (https://www.hobbsandshaw.com) - Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.
"Luce" - A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student.
August 9
"Dora and the Lost City of Gold" - Dora, a teenage explorer, leads her friends on an adventure to save her parents and solve the mystery behind a lost city of gold.
"After the Wedding" - A manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor.
August 16
"The Informer" - An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.
"47 Meters Down: Uncaged" - Four teen girls diving in a ruined underwater city quickly learn they've entered the territory of the deadliest shark species in the claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves.
August 23
"Angel Has Fallen" - Secret Service Agent Mike Banning is framed for the attempted assassination of the President and must evade his own agency and the FBI as he tries to uncover the real threat.
"Ready or Not" (http://www.foxsearchlight.com/readyornot/) - A bride's wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.
[Originally posted on 06/30/19] July 5
"Spider-Man: Far from Home" (https://www.spidermanfarfromhome.movie) - Following the events of "Avengers: Endgame," Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
"Midsommar" - A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
July 12
"Stuber" - A detective recruits his Uber driver into an unexpected night of adventure.
"Crawl" - A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a Category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.
July 19
"Lion King" (https://movies.disney.com/the-lion-king-2019) - After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.
"Into the Ashes" ( ) - With an honest job and a loving wife, a man believes he has safely escaped his criminal history. But his old crew hasn't forgotten about him or the money he stole, and when they take what he now values the most, he has nothing left to lose.
July 26
"Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" (https://www.onceuponatimeinhollywood.movie) - A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in Los Angeles.
"Brahms: The Boy II" - After a family moves into a mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll.
"Mary Poppins Returns" begins with the now grown-up Banks siblings in the Great Depression era, Michael (Ben Wishaw; "The Danish Girl," "Skyfall," "Cloud Atlas") and Jane (Emily Mortimer). Ben is a widower with three small children; John (Nathanael Saleh), Georgie (Joel Dawson) and Annabel (Pixie Davies).
A painter at heart, Ben has another job as a bank teller to make ends meet. Jane is a labor organizer. Ben has fallen into hard times, having to take care for his kids and their family home is going to be foreclosed. The only way to save his home is to find his father's share certificate of the bank that he works at. Meanwhile, the ruthless bank's chairman Wilkins (Colin Firth, "Kingsman" series, "The King's Speech") is doing everything he can to repossess the house.
Blunt brings blunt attitude and polish patina into the role. She gracefully ascends, glides or descends using a kite, umbrella or balloon and sing and dance with nary a hair out of place. Another standout is Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, the energetic lamplighter and partner-in-adventure.
None of the tunes is memorable except the closing song 'Nowhere To Go But Up.' A couple of musical sequences are overextended to the level of tedium. At times it feels like a musical number is just there for the sake of it, which prolongs the pacing and doesn't move the story along as it should be. These lessen the time that could have been used to build more warmth into the characters' connections. And of course, there's always an inherent hole with magic; the racing-against-the clock dilemma towards the end could have been easily solved by Mary Poppins.
The production is a lavish affair as scenes after scenes are filled with elaborate musical numbers, gorgeous compositions and colors, including a blend of live action and hand-drawn animation. Bubble bath-plunging, bowl-spinning, lamp-lighting, bike-riding, tower clock-climbing and time-turning, balloon-floating. Seasonal change from the cold cloudy winter into sunny spring blooms caps the story on a joyous hope for a better future.
There is something merry about watching musicals around the holidays ("The Greatest Showman," "La La Land," "Into the Woods," "Les Miserables"). "The Greatest Showman" was so successful that it leads to live show tours around the world next year. "La La Land" won the Golden Globes. "Mary Poppins Returns" is this year's end-of-year mirth that will put a bright smile on your face.
[Originally posted on 06/02/19] June 7
"Dark Phoenix" (https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/dark-phoenix) - Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all the people living in the world.
"The Secret Life of Pets" (https://www.thesecretlifeofpets.com) - Continuing the story of Max and his pet friends, following their secret lives after their owners leave them for work or school each day.
June 14
"Men in Black" (https://www.meninblack.com) - The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. Now they tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the MIB organization.
"Shaft" (https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/shaft-2019/) - John Shaft Jr., a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.
June 21
"Toy Story 4" (https://movies.disney.com/toy-story-4 ) - When a new toy named Forky joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
"Child's Play" - A mother gives her son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.
June 28
"Anabelle Comes Home" (https://www.annabellemovie.com) - The demonologists bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room, placing her behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest's holy blessing. But a night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits, who set their sights on a new target, their young daughter and her friends.
"Yesterday" - A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed.
After the critical acclaim and popularity of "Wonder Woman," a lot was riding on "Aquaman." Aquaman (Jason Momoa) was first seen in "Justice League." DC, playing catch-up with Marvel, has had its rushed shared universe misfired or resulted in mixed reviews. It needed another strong, standalone superhero movie.
One stormy night a lighthouse keeper (Tom Curry, Temeura Morrison) spotted a wounded woman ashore, which turns out to be Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), an ocean queen who fled an arranged marriage. A cute, fish-out-of-water scene follows. They soon fell in love and had a son, Arthur (Jason Momoa). An incursion into their peaceful life made Atlanna realize that she would have to return to Atlantis in order to keep her family safe.
Arthur is raised among humans but secretly trained on land by Vulko (Willem Dafoe), a royal adviser. As a boy, Arthur learns that he can breathe underwater and communicate with fish. A grown-up Arthur uses his abilities to do impressive rescue at sea. The beer-chugging chap prefers to work alone, although fame finds him after his submarine-saving act makes news. Momoa has the imposing physicality and laidback dude persona that makes the lighthearted character work.
Beneath the sea, battles are brewing. King Orm (Patrick Wilson), Arthur's ambitious half-brother seeks power over the other realms and intends to wage war against humans, in return for their polluting the ocean. If he succeeds with his alliances, war would rage on and mankind would be in peril.
Mera (Amber Heard), a hydrokinetic-powered princess betrothed to Orm, seeks out Arthur and asks him to return to Atlantis to take his rightful place on the throne. He's the firstborn son of Queen Atlanna and the only one who could unite the seven seas and prevent the war between the ocean denizens and surface dwellers. Orm doesn't take kindly to Arthur's intention and challenge him into a duel. When it appears clear that Arthur is out of his element, Mera takes matters into her own hand and shows that she's every bit a heroine.
An averse hero, Arthur doubts that he would be able to do what's required. For one, his identity as a half-breed would not allow Atlanteans to accept him as their king. Moreover, he admits that he doesn't typically lead or work well with others. Mera believes otherwise; he's precisely the connection between land and ocean.
A key for Arthur to show Atlanteans that he's the rightful ruler is to obtain the hidden Trident of Neptune, thought to be held by the first king of Atlantis and lost when the society submerged ages ago. Arthur and Mera team up to find the mythical weapon and save both worlds.
Atlantis' ancient architecture, futuristic tech, and ocean occupants such as armored shark, warrior sea horses and war drum-playing octopus are richly rendered and luminously lit. Its citizens are regally dressed befitting the colorful underwater environment and movements are fluid as liquid.
The nearly 2.5 hours of running time does feel long and the all-CGI epic battle scenes could be cut back a bit. Also, for those who don't read the comics, a second villain feels unnecessary, although it seems that this subplot would carry on in a sequel.
All in all, director James Wan has created an over-the-top world-building that is distinctly different from other superhero movies. "Aquaman" is a superhero origin story with an aquatic Avatar, Star Wars war and Indiana Jones treasure-hunt adventure rolled into one. It's got a surprisingly touching love story, family-bonding and kingdom unity.
"Aquaman" makes a seaworthy splash amidst all the superhero fares. It's a swimmingly rollicking, action-packed fantasy adventure.
[Originally posted on 04/28/19] May 3
"The Intruder" - A young married couple buy a beautiful house on several acres of land only to find out that the man they bought it from refuses to let go of the property.
"Clara" - An obsessive astronomer and a curious artist form an unlikely bond which leads them to a profound, scientific discovery.
May 10
"Pokemon Detective Pikachu" (https://www.detectivepikachumovie.com) - In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.
"The Hustle" - Female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, team up to take down the rotten men who have wronged them.
May 17
"John Wick 3" (https://www.johnwick.movie) - Super-assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin's guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head.
"The Souvenir" - A young film student becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.
May 24
"Aladdin" (https://movies.disney.com/aladdin-2019) - A kindhearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
"Ad Astra" - An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet.
May 31
"Godzilla: King of Monsters" (https://www.godzillamovie.com) - A crypto-zoological agency faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.
"Ma" - A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.
[Originally posted on 03/31/19] April 5
"Shazam" (https://www.shazammovie.com) - By shouting out one word - SHAZAM!, a streetwise 14-year old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam.
"High Life" - A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.
April 12
"Hellboy" (https://www.hellboy.movie) - Hellboy is caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battling an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.
"Missing Link" (https://www.missinglink.movie) - Mr. Link recruits an explorer to help find his long-lost relatives in a fabled valley. Along with an adventurer, the trio of explorers travel the world to help their new friend.
April 19
"Under the Silver Lake" (https://a24films.com/films/under-the-silver-lake) - An intelligent man without purpose finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment's pool one night. The next morning, she disappears. He sets off across town to find her, and along the way, he uncovers a conspiracy far more bizarre.
"Fast Color" - A woman is forced to go on the run when her superhuman abilities are discovered. Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home.
April 26
"Avengers: Endgame" (https://movies.disney.com/avengers-endgame) - After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe.
[Originally posted on 02/24/19] March 1
"Styx" - Depicts the transformation of a strong woman torn from her contented world during a sailing trip. She becomes the only person to come to the aid of a group of refugees shipwrecked on the high seas. She is left slipping impotently from one nightmare to the next.
"Saint Judy" - The true story of immigration attorney Judy Wood, and how she single-handedly changed the U.S. law of asylum to save women's lives.
March 8
"Captain Marvel" (https://www.marvel.com/movies/captain-marvel) - Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
"The Sex Trip" - After a shallow womanizer refuses a mysterious homeless woman's request for a kiss, he wakes up the next morning to discover he's been changed into a woman.
March 15
"Wonder Park" (http://www.paramount.com/movies/wonder-park) - A story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive.
"Captive State"(http://focusfeatures.com/captivestate) - Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, the movie explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.
March 22
"Us" - A family's serenity turns to chaos when a group of doppelgängers begin to terrorize them.
"The Ramen Shop" - A young man who is curious about his deceased parents' past takes a food journey to Singapore where he uncovers more than just delicious meals.
March 29
"Dumbo" (https://movies.disney.com/dumbo-2019) - A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
"The Beach Bum" - A rebellious stoner named Moondog lives life by his own rules.
