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LOVE, SIMON Director: Greg Berlanti Starring: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Alexandra Shipp, Logan Miller, Keiynan Lonsdale, Miles Heizer, Joey Pollari, Clark Moore, Tony Hale, Natasha Rothwell It’s a little shocking to think that it took until 2018 to finally have a teen movie whose lead character is gay. We have seen plenty of gay characters on television and in movies before, but they’re usually the sassy sidekicks offering moral support to the female protagonist. Love, Simon finally breaks that convention in telling Simon’s story. Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) plays the titular character who explains to the audience in his opening narrationRead More →

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A WRINKLE IN TIME Director: Ava DuVernay Starring: Storm Reid, Deric McCabe, Levi Miller, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Pine, Michael Peña, André Holland Readers have cherished “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’Engle for decades since its release in 1962. It was groundbreaking at the time for attempting a sci-fi, fantasy story for young readers much like we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years with the increased attention to the YA formula. It’s now been given the big screen treatment thanks to Disney and Selma director Ava DuVernay. Fourteen-year-old Meg (Reid) and her younger brother Charles Wallace (McCabe)Read More →

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ANNIHILATION Writer/Director: Alex Garland Starring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, Oscar Isaac There will always be a debate as to whether you should read the book first before seeing the movie. In the case of Annihilation, I have never read the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. I almost think that’s an advantage going into this movie, as I had no idea what to expect or where it was going. Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biology professor at Johns Hopkins University. It’s been a year since her husband, Kane (Isaac), went missing while serving in the military.Read More →

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GAME NIGHT Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Danny Huston When I think of game night, I think of a rousing game of Settlers of Catan with friends where I inevitably never seem to get the right resources and lose to my husband. Cocktails may be flowing, but that wouldn’t make for a lively movie. Lucky for us, it never reaches the height of what occurs in Game Night. Serious gamers Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams) met at trivia night at their local bar and fell in loveRead More →

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BLACK PANTHER Director: Ryan Coogler Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whitaker We were first introduced to Black Panther, played exceptionally well by Chadwick Boseman, in Captain America: Civil War. Marvel has now given the character his own standalone film to build on his backstory and legacy. As we saw in the previous movie, T’Challa/Black Panther’s father was killed at the United Nations explosion. T’Challa is now the rightful heir to the throne taking his place as the new king of the African nation, Wakanda. He’s inRead More →

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FIFTY SHADES FREED Director: James Foley Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Brant Daugherty, Eloise Mumford, Tyler Hoechlin It’s all come down to this. The conclusion of a trilogy that has left us on the edge of our seat wondering how it will all end is finally here. This statement is legitimately true for some viewers who have devoured the book series by EL James soaking in the kinky romance between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. For me, I’m wondering what else could happen to give this story some life. Fifty Shades Freed opens with the wedding of the centuryRead More →

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12 STRONG Director: Nicolai Fuglsig Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Austin Stowell, William Fichtner, Rob Riggle Chris Hemsworth has proven with a variety of comedic roles that he can successfully transition out of his work as Thor into other genres and stories. The catch is that he needs a good enough script to give him something to work with to differentiate himself from the beefcake image we associate with Thor. 12 Strong doesn’t live up to the challenge. It’s based on a true story following the tragic events of 9/11. Hemsworth plays Captain Mitch Nelson who has just movedRead More →

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PADDINGTON 2 writer/Director: Paul King Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters If you’re looking for a family film to watch at home, watch the first Paddington film now streaming on Netflix. If you’ve already fallen in love with that movie, head out to theaters to check out the sequel. It’s well-worth heading out in the cold for a family outing. Paddington Bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) has settled down a bit and feeling more and more welcome in his quaint London neighborhood with the Brown family. Everybody in the neighborhood knows and loves him except theRead More →

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PHANTOM THREAD Writer/Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps, Harriet Sansom Harris When Daniel Day-Lewis announced he was planning on retiring, there was public outcry knowing that we would never see another performance from out of the greatest actors of our time. If that were indeed the case, than Day-Lewis’ turn as Reynolds Woodcock is an excellent performance to go out on. That really shouldn’t surprise anyone given the three-time Oscar winner’s filmography. One of his Oscars was for his performance in There Will Be Blood from filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson. They’ve reunited for Phantom Thread making them one of theRead More →

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THE POST Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Carrie Coon, Sarah Paulson, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, Jesse Plemons, David Cross, Zach Woods Director Steven Spielberg has spent the recent part of his career making historical dramas with Munich, Lincoln, and Bridge of Spies, not to mention all of his war-based films. He wants to hold a mirror to our past so we can learn from history and apply it to our present day political environment. The Post uses the Vietnam War as it’s starting point with Matthew Rhys as Daniel, a vet who witnesses government officials lyingRead More →