2019 MOVIE GUIDE
4 STARS
鈥漃补谤补蝉颈迟别鈥� – Bong Joon-ho directs Korean masterpiece on upper and lower class families
鈥�1917鈥� – Sam Mendes salutes聽grandfather with WWI trench mission shot like one long take
– Greta Gerwig masterfully adapts the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott
“Ford v Ferrari” – Matt Damon & Christian Bale shine in James Mangold’s expert racing flick
鈥淗补谤谤颈别迟鈥� – Cynthia Erivo shines in long overdue biopic of the courageous Harriet Tubman
3 1/2 STARS
鈥滿arriage Story鈥� – Noah Baumbach directs divorce story of Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson
“The Farewell” – Awkwafina leads true story of family lying to dying grandmother about illness
“Joker” – Joaquin Phoenix rivals Heath Ledger in disturbingly realistic villain origin story
– Taika Waititi channels Mel Brooks & Charlie Chaplin to spoof the Hitler Youth
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” – Tarantino’s 9th laments end of Golden Age in 1969 L.A.
“The Irishman” – De Niro, Pacino, Pesci reunite for Scorsese’s eulogy to the gangster genre
鈥滱 Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood鈥� – Tom Hanks becomes Mr. Rogers in plea for kindness
鈥淲补惫别蝉鈥� – Sterling K. Brown plays father to family grappling with loss in Southern Florida
– Kid with聽Down Syndrome embarks on journey to be a pro wrestler
“Avengers: Endgame” – The 22-film saga culminates in a fitting finale and a somber sendoff
“Yesterday” – Danny Boyle & Richard Curtis whimsically explore a world without The Beatles
“Blinded by the Light” – Delightful indie film is wonderful tribute to music of Bruce Springsteen
“Rocketman” – Taron Egerton dazzles as the flamboyant rock showman in Elton John biopic
鈥漈he Two Popes鈥� – Jonathan Pryce & Anthony Hopkins play Pope Benedict and Pope Francis
– Animated gem about a young girl from Shanghai who befriends a magical Yeti
– Daniel Kaluuya & Jodie Turner-Smith go on the lamb like “Bonnie & Clyde”
3 STARS
“The Highwaymen” – Costner & Harrelson track Bonnie & Clyde in companion piece to 1967
“Judy” – Renee Zellweger delivers dazzling performance as Judy Garland in tragic later years
“Always Be My Maybe” – “Fresh Off the Boat” creator helms Ali Wong & Randall Park rom com
“Toy Story 4” – Woody leads a rescue mission to save Bonnie’s kindergarten creation Forky
– Rian Johnson weaves a star-studded whodunit like a tongue-in-cheek “Clue”
“Ready or Not” – If you can buy into the absurd concept, you’ll dig this delicious horror flick
“Us” – Jordan Peele horror flick is freaky, but a few notches below his masterpiece “Get Out”
– French film about American convict rehabilitatied by training wild mustangs
– Lyrical indie drama poetically tackles gentrification
鈥滷rozen 2鈥� – Elsa and Anna return for complex sequel to Disney鈥檚 animated phenomenon
“Hobbs & Shaw” – The Rock & Jason Statham battle Idris Elba in “Fast & Furious” spinoff
– Jillian Bell is uplifting as a New Yorker battling her body image
“Ad Astra” – Brad Pitt stars in sci-fi journey that combines “Interstellar” and “Apocalypse Now”
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” – Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal lead creative sequel
“Zombieland: Double Tap” – Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson deliver sequel
“Captain Marvel” – Brie Larson stars as Marvel’s first female lead in the run-up to “Endgame”
“The Lion King” – Disney remake is nostalgic and photorealistic, but pales to 1994 classic
“Aladdin” – Fresh Prince meets Prince Ali as Will Smith stars in Disney’s live-action “Aladdin”
2 1/2 STARS
– Eddie Murphy in blaxploitation. First half raunchy, second half great
– Olivia Wilde directs with flair in a somewhat overhyped coming-of-age flick
“John Wick 3” – Opens with craziest action scenes ever but the violence becomes overkill
“Midway” – Roland Emmerich directs standard-issue account of Pacific turning point of WWII
– Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis聽lead this bizarre stop-motion animation
“Isn’t it Romantic” – Rebel Wilson wakes up trapped in a PG-13 rom com in clever spoof
“Triple Frontier” – J.C. Chandor’s action-adventurge becomes “Sierra Madre” greed warning
“The Kitchen” – Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish & Melissa McCarthy star in uneven script
“Gemini Man” – Will Smith squares off against himself in Ang Lee’s high-tech sci-fi flick
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” – Spooky books would have been better as a TV series
“Glass” – M. Night Shyamalan delivers solid sequel that’s more “Split” than “Unbreakable”
“Stuber” – Kumail Nanjiani & Dave Bautista mine buddy comedy in predictable action script
2 STARS
– Ed Norton’s “Chinatown” undercut by playing Tourette’s for laughs
“The Lighthouse” – Robert Eggers’ follow-up to “The Witch” is too experimental for audiences
“Charlie’s Angels” – Elizabeth Banks writes/directs unnecessary reboot with Kristen Stewart
“The Fanatic” – Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst directs John Travolta as obsessed fan of movie star
“Men in Black: International” – Fourth installment misses Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones
“X-Men: Dark Phoenix” – Sophie Turner can’t save this dark conclusion to 19-year franchise
“Mary Magdalene” – Rooney Mara & Joaquin Phoenix star in revisionist take on Biblical icon
“Lego Movie 2” – The Lego gimmick is starting to wear thin in this jumbled fourth installment
“Wine Country” – Amy Poehler rounds up her “SNL” cohorts for a girls trip to Napa Valley
“Dumbo” – Tim Burton’s live-action remake is far too sad for its intended child audience
1 STAR
“Rambo: Last Blood” – Stallone sequel cheapens a beloved action hero with gory violence
“Serenity” – Matthew McCanughey and Anne Hathaway noir ruined by ridiculous plot twist
Reviews from Past Years:
