Drive In
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‘Peanuts Movie’ a worthy romp for the beloved gang
Maybe the Peanuts gang hasn’t been on the big screen in decades because they’ve had so much success on the small one, with specials ... -
‘Spectre’ stirs, doesn’t shake old Bond formulas
Where to go when 53 years of action-scene set pieces have exhausted seemingly every exotic corner of the Earth? How much globe can a ... -
Ronan enchants in warm immigrant tale ‘Brooklyn’
Brooklyn” is a story for anyone who has ever left home. It’s a story for those who’ve waffled in indecision, for those forming their ... -
Larson, Tremblay illuminate the darkness of ‘Room’
Arresting and heartbreaking, wrought with extremes of tension and love, “Room” is as evocative and unforgettable on screen as in the bestselling novel ... -
Del Toro’s ‘Crimson Peak’ casts a gothic spell
The most pressing threat in Guillermo del Toro’s gothic horror “Crimson Peak” isn’t the ooze-filled cauldrons of dead souls in the basement of the ... -
Authentic, moving performances elevate ‘Freeheld’
Few actresses bring the simple authenticity to the screen that Julianne Moore does; it’s virtually impossible to imagine this actress sounding a false note. ... -
Damon charms as stranded astronaut in ‘The Martian’
Without Matt Damon, the solitary fight for survival on Mars would be lonely indeed. Alone on screen for most of his scenes as an ... -
The bearable niceness of ‘The Intern’
The world of Nancy Meyers sure is beautiful. But her studied production design and dreamy interiors have become such a focal point, that they’ve ... -
Gere, quiet and moving in portrait of a homeless man
Spare change? Any spare change?” The man holding the cup in the street looks, from a distance, like just some guy in a wool ... -
Gibney presents Steve Jobs’ darker side in new documentary
Was Steve Jobs a brilliant visionary whose singular mind, capable of blending art, technology and commerce as never before, inspired the world to “think ... -
Redford and Nolte in Bryson’s ‘A Walk in the Woods’
The lure of the wild has recently attracted an interesting batch of solitude seekers: Reese Witherspoon (“Wild”), Mia Wasikowska (“Tracks”) and Robert Redford, twice. ... -
In ‘American Ultra,’ Eisenberg plays a stoner who can smoke ’em down
The likably awkward chemistry of Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg remains intact in “American Ultra,” a violent stoner action-comedy that’s half “Pineapple Express,” half ... -
Nothing remotely fantastic about ‘Fantastic Four’
I’ll admit it. About an hour into “Fantastic Four,” the inexplicably plodding and dreary new attempt to adapt the beloved Marvel story, I started ... -
‘Vacation’ is a funny homage to its predecessor
The great American family road trip seems, in the 32 years since we first met the Griswolds, as antiquated a concept as ever. Middle ... -
Mission accomplished for Cruise in new ‘MI’ flick
There’s some interesting talk in the cleverly satisfying script of “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” about the element of luck. As in: How much ... -
“Tour” a worthy look at artist as reluctant subject
Many journalists who have written feature profiles of public figures will have experienced that light-bulb moment, once the cautious mutual-assessment phase is concluded and ... -
A pugilist parable of transformation in ‘Southpaw’
If you’ve ever wondered what might have happened to Job if had a strong left hook, “Southpaw” may be the film for you. The ... -
Allen’s latest is a meditation on meaning and murder
Woody Allen has always been interested in man’s search for meaning in life — a search he clearly sees as futile. Who can forget ... -
‘Tangerine’ a vital peek into unseen LA street lives
Caitlyn Jenner and her glamorous Vanity Fair cover brought unprecedented visibility to transgender women. Laverne Cox, the first transgender actress to win an Emmy ... -
Arnold (but little else) is back in ‘Terminator’
Thirty-one years and counting, and the Terminators keep rolling off the assembly line like new iPhones, upgraded with shape-shifting abilities, rebooted Sarah Conner assassination ... -
‘Jurassic World’ bites into the modern blockbuster
Along the scaly spine of the Tyrannosaurus Rex runs the evolution of Hollywood blockbustering. Twenty-two years ago, Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” set the standard ... -
‘Infinitely Polar Bear’ a love letter to sick dad
In 1978, when writer-director Maya Forbes was 10 years old, her mother went away to graduate school, leaving Forbes and her little sister in ... -
Emma Bovary proves elusive on screen, once again
What is it about Emma Bovary? She is, of course, one of literature’s most famous and tragic heroines, and so it’s no surprise that ... -
Dano, Cusack hit the right notes in ‘Love & Mercy’
Brian Wilson’s life is too big for a movie. The story of the brilliant and troubled co-founder of The Beach Boys barely lends itself ... -
‘Poltergeist’ solid remake of haunted house classic
It’s infrequent and particularly satisfying when the remake of an especially memorable film equals or exceeds the experience of the original. In 1982, “Poltergeist” ... -
‘Saint Laurent’ is compelling yet maddening, too
There’s a wonderful scene in “Saint Laurent,” the sumptuous, exciting and also maddening new film by Bertrand Bonello, in which we watch the ... -
Girl power! ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ hits those sweet notes
Who run the world? GIRLS!” sing those irrepressible Barden University Bellas, channeling Beyonce, in “Pitch Perfect 2.” And yes, they sure do run the ... -
Wiig captivates in funny, disturbing ‘Welcome to Me’
There’s dark comedy, and then there’s take-no-prisoners, dare-you-to-keep-looking dark comedy. Kristen Wiig’s “Welcome to Me” falls decidedly in the latter category, making us laugh ... -
‘Age of Ultron’ is an Avengers overdose
It will surely stand as one of the most peculiar and possibly ironic entries in a director’s filmography that in between Joss Whedon’s two ... -
Indie ‘Adult Beginners’ explores familiar territory
Are you happy?” is the prevailing question of its fair share of indie dramas. The cinema of borderline depressive thirtysomethings living in reasonably pleasant ... -
Binoche, Stewart excel in Assayas’ meditation on age
The aging actress has always been a deliciously potent subject for movies, from Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard” to Margo Channing in “All About Eve” ... -
‘Get Hard’ plays with stereotypes with mixed success
While the stereotypes in “Get Hard” may be gross exaggerations, its characters live in the real world: A place where the chasm between rich ... -
In ‘Lambert & Stamp,’ the backstage story of The Who
The teenage revolution was in full force on the fall 1964 night that Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp stumbled into the Railway Tavern, a ... -
Despite its star power, ‘Serena’ has no spark
The arithmetic on “Serena” is fascinating. Two of the biggest movie stars in the world plus an Oscar-winning director and a best-selling novel somehow ... -
An urban myth lives in ‘Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter’
In 2001, a stranger-than-fiction “true story” emerged in local papers about a 28-year-old Japanese woman who flew from Japan to Minnesota and bussed ...
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