Beautiful Boy ★★ ¹/₂ “What should have been a moving portrait of dealing with drug dependency, told from the points of view of a crystal-meth addict (Timothée Chalamet) and his distraught, guilt-ridden father (Steve Carell), instead becomes a cautionary tale of how easy it is to destroy a well-meaning film with corporate decision making.” Read more »

Bohemian Rhapsody ★★ “If ever a flamboyant music star begged for an R-rated biopic, Freddie Mercury would have been the one.” Read more »

Boy Erased ★★ “Most of the elements are in place, from the aforementioned cast to what should have been a compelling story, based on a memoir by Garrard Conley, whose onscreen counterpart was oddly renamed Jared Eamons (Hedges).” Read more »

Can You Ever Forgive Me? ★★★★ “This year will likely be remembered as a time when women continued to take on the patriarchy and gain a public voice. So, it’s only fitting that one of the year’s finest, most delightful films contains a career-best performance by an Oscar-nominated actress…” Read more »

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch ★ ¹/₂  The iconic curmudgeon tries to steal Christmas from Whoville in Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Read more »

The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story ★ ¹/₂  “With a narrative that’s nearly as unwieldy as the film’s full title, this latest “Dragon Tattoo Story” from director Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) does nothing to improve upon David Fincher’s 2011 misfire, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo…” Read more »

Halloween ★★  Jamie Lee Curtis returns to face the terror in an overhyped, empty sequel. Read more »

Instant Family ★★★  “Director Sean Anders’ latest defied my low expectations, as it’s far less broad and vapid than the disposable pair of Daddy’s Home movies he made in Massachusetts.” Read more »

Johnny English Strikes Again ★★ ¹/₂  “Still, director David Kerr’s latest entry made me chuckle more than I expected. Not outright belly laughs, but there are certainly minor pleasures to be had from watching a set-piece methodically unfold within a posh seaside restaurant that will soon be set ablaze due to our secret agent’s inability to convincingly perform undercover as a French waiter. ” Read more »

Mid90s ★★★ “The second movie this year to focus on a band of skateboarding buddies, Oscar-nominated actor Jonah Hill’s debut film as a writer/director isn’t nearly the luminous little gem that was Crystal Moselle’s little-seen, female-empowering Skate Kitchen, but the roughness of Hill’s boxy, 16mm compositions cast their own spell.” Read more »

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ★ ¹/₂  “If Disney had decided to make a more traditional adaptation of The Nutcracker, Makenzie Foy (Interstellar) would have made a splendid Clara. Instead, the 17-year-old’s soulful talent is mostly wasted on a largely unrecognizable version of the Christmas season classic…” Read more »

A Star is Born ★★★ ¹/₂  Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga make an old tale sing. Read more »