Patriots Day (R) ★★★½
Patriots Day is a powerful reminder of this country at its best.
As I left for the Patriots Day screening, my husband asked me to remind him what I was seeing. After I told him, … Read more
Author: Sarah Knight Adamson
Moonlight (R) ★★★★
Raw Emotion Strikes a Chord with Universal Themes
Superficially, one might sum up Moonlight by declaring that it presents three chapters of a gay black Miami man’s life. However, the film delves much deeper than … Read more
Live By Night (R) ★½
Ben Affleck’s really weird gangster film is a dud.
“What. Is. Happening?!?”
While watching Live by Night, I turned to the person next to me and asked this question several times. She was … Read more
Erika’s Favorite Movies of 2016
I make my annual Top 10 list based on my favorite movies—which are not always the films that I think are the “best” (read: award-worthy). I consider which movies I know I’ll return to … Read more
Critics Choice Awards 2016 Santa Monica, CA Winners and Red Carpet Interviews
22nd Critics Choice Awards and Red Carpet Interviews by Sarah Knight Adamson
The 22nd Annual Critics Choice Awards, which includes the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Television Journalists Association Red [Blue] Carpet, was the spotlight … Read more
Arrival (PG-13) ★★★½
When is an alien invasion movie not about an alien invasion?
Some of my favorite films (Looper, About Time, Safety Not Guaranteed, Back to the Future, Predestination) and novels (The Time Traveler’s … Read more
Pixar Animation Studios Steve Jobs Theater Visit
An Invitation to Attend a Film Screening at Pixar Studios
Don’t you just love it when the sun, the moon, and the stars all align? Typically, I receive special film screening notices fairly regularly that … Read more
The Accountant (R) ★★★
This movie is nuts.
The trailers for The Accountant would lead you to believe that it is a tense thriller in which Ben Affleck plays a high-functioning autistic man (Christian Wolff) who is both the … Read more
Sully (PG-13) ★★★½
Sully is the movie America needs right now.
Time is on Sully’s side.
But it wasn’t on Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s (Tom Hanks) side on January 15, 2009, when a flock of Canadian geese … Read more
Don’t Breathe (R) ★★★★ by Patty Babin
Don’t Breathe keeps you breathless and gasping for air.
It has been an extremely long time since there has been a truly scary, jaw-dropping, tormenting and suspenseful horror/thriller. Don’t Breathe, co-written by Fede Alvarez … Read more
War Dogs (R) ★★½
War Dogs doesn’t know what it wants to be.
When I heard Todd Phillips was directing War Dogs, I became uneasy, even though I’m a huge fan of Old School and the first Hangover… Read more
Pete’s Dragon (PG) ★★★½
Yes, it’s true! Dragons and honest-to-goodness family-friendly films still exist.
I love dragons. I was “the mother of dragons” (Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen) for Halloween, received “Dragonology” books for past birthdays, love … Read more
Equity (R) ★★½
A compelling financial thriller, but still not the “women on Wall Street” film I was hoping for.
As possibly the only film critic in the world who has two business degrees, used to work in … Read more
Suicide Squad (PG-13) ★★
Suicide Squad makes very little sense.
When I was at Comic-Con a few weeks ago, I couldn’t believe there were hundreds of people—many of whom were in full Joker or Harley Quinn costumes and makeup—standing … Read more
Life Animated (Documentary) ★★★½
An inspiring, hopeful documentary about one family’s experience with autism.
I knew what Life, Animated was about before I saw the film, and so I was not surprised to find my eyes welling up only … Read more
The BFG (PG) ★★★½
The BFG, Fantasy Story with a Big Heart
Thankfully, Spielberg’s The BFG stays faithful to the treasured Roald Dahl young adult novel with old-fashioned storytelling of the love between a wise older giant and … Read more
Zootopia DVD Review ★★★★
Zootopia Blu-ray DVD and Digital Bonus Features
Zootopia is one of Disney’s best films to date and my favorite film of the year so far. It’s family friendly and teaches kids so many great life … Read more
Finding Dory (PG) ★★★½
Finding Dory is a whopper of a film that’s part comedic ‘fish tale’ but mostly life lessons for kids. Sensitivity to disabilities is front and center with the added bonus of parenting advice.
* Extra … Read more
Genius (PG-13) ★★★
If anyone can make the editing process interesting, it’s Colin Firth and Jude Law.
I love it when a film can expose me to something—a historical figure, a place, an idea, an event—that I would … Read more
Brandon Stacy Interview by Alexi Rabin
Brandon Stacy might have lost 25 pounds for his role in Roots, but he gained plenty of knowledge about American history.
Along with Roots, Stacy also had roles in films and televison such as … Read more
Now You See Me 2 (PG-13) ★½
It’s extra sad when a sequel about magicians delivers absolutely nothing magical.
The 2013 “heist… with magicians!” film Now You See Me had plots issues, sure, but overall I found it to be a whole … Read more
Me Before You (PG-13) ★★★
An Inspiring Love Story
Let’s get something out of the way from the get-go: you will, I repeat, you will need to bring a box of Kleenex to the theater while viewing the film Me … Read more
Alice Through the Looking Glass (PG) ★½
Don’t Waste Your ‘Time” On Yet Another Second-rate Sequel
Six years ago, many anxiously awaited director Tim Burton’s take on the wacky world of Alice. Equally so was the anticipation of Johnny Depp’s new redheaded, … Read more
X-Men: Apocolypse (PG-13) ★★★
When X-Men: Apocalypse is good, it’s really good. But when it’s bad…
While I have seen all of the X-Men films and liked several of them, I would not go so far as to call … Read more