music

Darkly funny and nicely nuanced, this engaging character study of real-life journalist and biographer – turned felonious forger – Lee Israel cements Melissa McCarthy as a compelling dramatic actress, and allows perpetual second-fiddle Richard E. Grant to shine, as well.

"This is not us. This is not who we are."

Both immediate and distant, First Man is a thrilling and frustrating ride that ultimately stands on its own in the pantheon of space-race films.

Weirdly, the dual-persona theme of this latest big-screen Marvel outing mirrors the execution of the film itself, which flips awkwardly back and forth between a few different cinematic “personalities.” The result is a bit of an erratic, unsatisfying mess that’s somewhat salvaged by its lead actor... but which will likely confuse or confound moviegoers familiar with the character’s comic-book canon.

Because in the comics, Venom is a villain (right?). But in director Ruben Fleischer’s adaptation he’s a rascally, smart-ass antihero. Wait. What?

An earnest attempt at making a revisionist Western, French director Jacques Audiard's first English-language film just ends up feeling disjointed.

While not overly exciting or dramatic, this breezy biopic of real-life “gentleman” bank-robber Forrest Tucker is, like its central subject, quite pleasant and inoffensive.