Movie Reviews

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer

The Shape of Water

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The Story: A cleaning woman at a government facility falls in love with an amphibious humanoid creature. The Lowdown: Maybe the only true fish-out-of-water story ever committed to celluloid, this heart-wrenching love story is also del Toro's most sincere love letter to cinema — and easily among the best work he's ever produced.
Starring: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Udo Kier, Laura Dern

Downsizing

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The Story: A middle-class suburbanite undergoes a radical shrinking procedure intended to reduce his environmental impact while concurrently increasing his wealth. The Lowdown: A largely unobjectionable satire that falls short of living up to the potential of its high-concept conceit and the talent of its creators.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

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The Story: Four high schoolers in detention discover an antiquated video game console that magically transports them into an adventure game that they must complete in order to return to the real world. The Lowdown: Occasionally entertaining and only infrequently stupid.
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hana Mae Lee, Ruby Rose, John Lithgow

Pitch Perfect 3

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The Story: The Bellas, all realizing they're only at their best when they're together, reunite for a European USO tour. The Lowdown: A lot more knife fights and exploding yachts than you might expect, plus some bad covers of boring songs, but still a perfectly acceptable way to kill a couple hours.
Starring: Ed Helms, Owen Wilson, Glenn Close, J.K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames, Harry Shearer

Father Figures

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The Story: Twin brothers hit the road in search of their biological father. The Lowdown: Mama Mia! by way of Due Date, this farcical road trip barrels past the exit for Comedy Town and gets lost in a quiet backwater called Boredom, USA.
Starring: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, Ben Mendelsohn

Darkest Hour

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The Story: Winston Churchill faces public and political opposition as he guides England into the fight against fascism in the early days of World War II. The Lowdown: A remarkable performance from Gary Oldman counterbalances Joe Wright's ham-fisted direction, redeeming this intimate portrait of a leader facing the gravest of dilemmas.
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

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The Story: Rey trains in the ways of The Force under a reclusive Luke Skywalker as General Leia Organa leads the last vestiges of the Rebel Alliance in a desperate fight against overwhelming opposition. The Lowdown: All the Star Wars action you were hoping for, plus an extra 40 minutes and some Porgs.
Starring: John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, David Tennant, Peyton Manning

Ferdinand

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The Story: Munro Leaf's classic story of Ferdinand the Bull, who only wants to sit under his favorite tree sniffing the flowers rather than follow the more expected path of becoming a famous fighter. The Lowdown: Loud and raucous while staying gentle and sweet, the film has its heart in the right place and is…
Starring: Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Jim Belushi, Jack Gore

Wonder Wheel

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The Story: A failed actress in a loveless marriage finds excitement in a summer fling, something that's complicated with the arrival of her husband's daughter. The Lowdown: An aggressively melodramatic picture that's watchable, but mostly only for Woody Allen die-hards.
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Hannibal Burress, Jerrod Carmichael, Nathan Fielder

The Disaster Artist

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The Story: An aspiring actor befriends a scene partner, and the duo move to L.A. to pursue their dreams — until a harsh welcome prompts them to take matters into their own hands. The Lowdown: Based on the true story of the creation of a true cinematic nadir, James Franco has made a very good film…
Starring: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen

Thelma

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The Story: A young college student finds herself plagued by mysterious seizures and unexplained phenomena when an attraction to a pretty classmate places both girls in harm's way. The Lowdown: A remarkable twist on horror and coming-of-age stories that refuses to allow its audience the comfort of the conventions expected of those genres.
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Melissa Leo, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Agron, Liana Liberato

Novitiate

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The Story: Set in the '60s during the time of Vatican II's reforms of the Catholic Church, a young woman surprises her mother by deciding to become a nun. The Lowdown: With a good cast and an interesting eye for composition, what's generally a strong film is brought down a bit by an unfocused plot and…
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Russo

Just Getting Started

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The Story: The manager of a Florida retirement community enlists the help of a new rival when his criminal past catches up with him, while both seek the attention of a corporate auditor threatening to shut the whole thing down. The Lowdown: Scripts this bad will sometimes seem fun with enough enthusiasm behind or in…
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus

The Breadwinner

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The Story: A young Afghan girl must take extraordinary measures to support her family after her father is arrested by the Taliban. The Lowdown: A compelling glimpse into life under a fundamentalist theocracy that offers a depth of cultural awareness and respect for its target audience's intelligence not commonly found in films aimed primarily at children.
Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce, Morfydd Clark, Anna Murphy

The Man Who Invented Christmas

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The Story: Charles Dickens struggles with writers' block while trying to come up with his next project, ultimately leading to the creation of his classic, "A Christmas Carol." The Lowdown: A much weirder and more interesting film than you might expect, featuring a great supporting cast and beautiful photography capturing a fairy-tale-like 19th-century London.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, James Gleason

Meet John Doe

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In Brief: The great Frank Capra’s most ambitious and disturbing film, Meet John Doe is possibly more relevant today than when it first appeared in 1941. The idea of a completely media-fabricated celebrity — raised almost to the level of deity and used as a tool for political gain — probably seemed pretty fantastic then. Of…
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Lucas Hedges, Clarke Peters, Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage, Caleb Landry Jones, Kerry Condon, John Hawkes

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

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The Story: The mother of a murdered child throws her small town into chaos when she rents three billboards on a rural stretch of road to prod the local authorities into prioritizing her daughter's case. The Lowdown: An improbably compelling and complex character study that may be Martin McDonagh's first true must-see movie.
Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Noel Ubach, Renee Victor, Jaime Camil, Gabriel Iglesias, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Edward James Olmos

Coco

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The Story: A young aspiring musician finds himself cast into the land of the dead on a quest to reunite with the spirit of his great-great-grandfather. The Lowdown: A touching story told with remarkable visual flair that imparts important lessons about death and family while exposing kids to Mexican cultural traditions.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Nazneen Contractor, Shelley Hennig, Tony Plana, Pej Vahdat, Brittany Ishibashi, Amanda Warren, James Paxton, Joseph David-Jones, DeRon Horton, Niles Fitch

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

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The Story: An idealistic lawyer finds his ideals challenged when the death of his law partner forces him into a world of moral turpitude. The Lowdown: A good film that never reaches the heights of which it was capable, tackling important issues without successfully addressing them due to a bloated script and frustrating conclusion.