Classical cinema sensibilities collide with 21st century realities in Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land.” The “Whiplash” filmmaker follows up that highly acclaimed effort with its tonal opposite, a breezy, colorful romance wrapped in original songs and musical numbers.

“Rogue One” is the first “Star Wars” film without the word “episode” in the title, but other than not following the main characters or narrative arc of those previous installments, what does that really mean? This was LucasFilm’s chance to set the tone for what the “A Star Wars Story” movies could be. So far, […]

Science fiction might have a reputation as a niche genre, but sci-fi movies have also proved, over the course of film history, to be among the most socially important. It’s not often that those important ones come along, but time could prove “Arrival” to be one of them.

Believe it or not, there was a time – eight years ago – when Iron Man seemed just as obscure of a comic book character to the public as Doctor Strange had been (until now). So it would surprise no one if in 2024, Stephen Strange was almost as much of a household name as […]

In 2009, America got a rare hero in the form of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed a commercial plane with two blown engines on the Hudson River without losing a single passenger. Clint Eastwood, as he did with “American Sniper,” takes a closer look at that heroism in “Sully,” which follows the […]

Actors, improvisers, comics or any kind of artist, really, shouldn’t miss Mike Birbiglia’s “Don’t Think Twice.” The comic-turned-actor/filmmaker journeys behind the curtain for his second film to put an honest lens on the inherent friction that occurs when artists need each other to succeed but also have their own dreams, egos and pursuits.

The talented storytellers and animators at Pixar are too creative to be devoting so much time to sequels like “Finding Dory,” but money talks. At least they’re clever and thoughtful enough to turn an easy payday into something entertaining and heartfelt.

As he did with his Oscar-nominated foreign film “Dogtooth,” Lanthimos builds a concept- driven story in “The Lobster” that explores the possibilities of how humans would react to well-intentioned extremism.

Welcome to Phase III of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the solo superhero films get an “Avengers”-sized cast and even Spider-Man can swing out of the clutches of Sony Pictures and into a Marvel Studios movie. In other words, you’d need a lot of action figures to recreate “Captain America: Civil War.”

There are few under-the-radar writer/directors as hot as Jeff Nichols. The “Mud” and “Take Shelter” filmmaker is an extraordinary visual storyteller, and his streak continues in “Midnight Special,” a family drama dressed as a sci-fi thriller.

The J.J. Abrams Bad Robot “Mystery Box” formula has yielded lots of intriguing and successful films and television shows, perhaps none of them as cultish as 2008’s “Cloverfield,” which alongside “Paranormal Activity” put the found footage genre permanently on the map with this elusive, almost anti-Hollywood alien invasion story.

A superhero movie has never been funnier than “Deadpool.” Or more outlandish – or obscene. That should come as quite a relief to fans of Marvel Comics’ foul-mouthed anti-hero and especially Ryan Reynolds, who labored a long time to get Deadpool’s his own solo adventure on the big screen, a process that entailed – according […]

Fresh off his Oscars for “Birdman,” Alejandro González Iñárritu makes a drastic change in scope and scale with “The Revenant,” a period survival drama set in the American frontier. But while the setting is wildly different, Iñárritu is still flexing a lot of his same filmmaking muscles. He really hones his unique cinematic stamp, thereby […]

The man behind “Anchorman” and “Step Brothers” brings you … one of the best films of the year …? Seems ridiculous, but you could make a case for it to be true. Adam McKay’s “The Big Short,” based on the book by Michael Lewis (also of “The Blinds Side” and “Moneyball”), is a comical tragedy […]

The rumors about “Spotlight” are true — a journalism film hasn’t been this effective, clean and compelling since “All the President’s Men” in 1976. Considering it is a story built largely around the investigative reporting process, it must seize its audience from start to finish and that’s exactly what director Tom McCarthy ensures that it […]