Film
A mishit and a backfire from two new movies
“The Dink” ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 4. What if a top tennis player faltered in their career and had to slum it on the pickleball circuit? That’s kind of the loose “Happy Gilmore”—esque concept behind this not quite pickled-enough comedy that stars Jake Johnson (“New Girl,” “Drinking Buddies”) as said fictional tennis star Dustin […]
Epic storytelling brings the original anti-hero to life
“The Odyssey” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Christopher Nolan’s $250 million retelling of Homer’s classic sword-and-sandal epic is here. And it is also epic, with a nearly three-hour running time. The film delivers, if unevenly, but when the bow is strung and taut, “The Odyssey” flies with fury and purpose. Even though we know […]
Two new rom-coms and a zombie movie
“Office Romance” ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 4. There’s plenty of turbulence — and even some flatulence — but few romantic sparks in this Jennifer Lopez showcase about a tough female CEO who gets involved with her corporate attorney. The rub is that the airline company, AirCruz, has a no-office-romance policy. It’s a fireable offense, […]
This film about dinner with the neighbors is a winner
“The Invite” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Questions of happiness and fulfillment take center stage in “The Invite,” a barbed comedy about a couple at a bitter crossroads in their marriage. Angela (Olivia Wilde) and Joe (Seth Rogen) are further challenged by their upstairs neighbors who, over the course of a single dinner, amplify […]
When Washington fought for the British
“Young Washington” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. Happy 250th, ‘Merica, from Angel Studios, which brings us this founding father and first president origin story. We might not all be in the flag-waving mood, what with MMA on the South Lawn, war with Iran and ICE raids (though maybe that gets your patriotic fervor going), […]
Plot problems plague a trio of films
“Minions & Monsters” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. By any metric, the Minion movies are among the most successful cinematic creations of the 21st century. Since their introduction in 2015’s “Despicable Me,” the subverbal yellow creatures have appeared in seven films, launched a merchandising empire and inspired one of the internet’s most inscrutable meme […]
“National Treasure” and other film gems
This week’s repertory series at the Brattle Theatre began simply as an excuse to screen “National Treasure” (2004), the ludicrous yet lovable heist picture in which Nicolas Cage plays a historian forced to steal the Declaration of Independence, on the Fourth of July. But the title of “National Treasure” becomes a double entendre when one […]
A super summer flick and one with eerie edge
“Supergirl” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 4. One year since James Gunn’s “Superman” (2025) kicked off DC Studios’ latesteffort to reestablish its suite of superheros on the big screen, we meet anothermember of the Kryptonian diaspora. As the titular Supergirl, Milly Alcock playsKara Zor-El, Superman/Clark Kent’s hard-drinking party girl cousin, who’s spentthe better part of […]
Toy Story’s 5th another fine production
“Toy Story 5” ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. The latest installation of the “Toy Story” franchise extends its record as one of the most adaptable film franchises. Perhaps its success comes from its palpable themes of vulnerability — being replaced, being outgrown or forgotten, becoming irrelevant. Maybe it’s the potpourri of misfits, voiced by […]
‘The Death of Robin Hood’
⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 4. Revisionism is a powerful dispeller of myth. Consider how Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola, and Stanley Kubrick reframed the public understanding of the Vietnam War. Or how Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood cut the morally righteous reins on the American Western. Read more At the Middle East, […]