Jim Vejvoda

Solo may not really develop its title character or justify why it needed to exist, but it still delivers a fun time.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is small in scope and lacks stakes-heavy drama as far as showbiz biopics go, but as a character study of an artist trying to find his true self before the world of celebrity engulfs them, Scott Cooper’s film and Jeremy Allen White’s awards-worthy performance do The Boss justice.

Bill & Ted Face the Music is a pleasant escape for the quarantine-stricken, a sweet and entertaining romp that defies expectations by largely recapturing what worked about the series so many years later.

There are still plenty of scares and things to enjoy in It Chapter Two even though it can't quite stick the landing.

It’s messy and flawed but it still offers enough entertainment value (mostly thanks to its likable characters) to make it worthwhile.

Francis Ford Coppola has tightened up and retweaked his final Godfather film, but the original's inherent flaws remain.

Annabelle: Creation is the rare horror sequel that improves upon the original, featuring more engaging protagonists and a far less problematic ending.

The earnest and entertaining Scoob! is a perfectly fine distraction for kids and parents stuck at home, with enough cute and amusing elements throughout to keep viewers engaged.

Although its rapid pacing doesn't always allow for the dramatic moments to resonate for as long as they could, Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic is a heartfelt and moving tribute to the late rocker.

The charming, skillful storyteller George Lazenby himself is the best reason to watch Becoming Bond. The reenactments, while often funny and involving, simply can't hold a candle to the man and his anecdotes.

When the film works, it can be very engaging but it is simply too inconsistent.

Ultimately, an artsy crime film like this depends on the power of its central performances and how compelling the story’s main point is. Sevigny and Stewart make a good team, keeping you invested in proceedings even when the narrative bogs down.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets showcases plenty of cool creatures and ideas for sci-fi fans to savor, but if only the movie's central characters and their relationship were as exciting and interesting as all that impressive eye candy.

The Curse of La Llorona offers some decently suspenseful set-pieces and has a family you care about at its center, but it's also a very familiar and formulaic Annabelle-adjacent entry in the Conjuring franchise.

If you can compartmentalize the film’s well-intentioned but problematic modernized elements and just focus on the cute dogs then you will likely find Disney+’s remake of Lady and the Tramp a lightweight and engaging distraction to watch at home.

It’s intellectually intriguing and well-acted, but the inconsistent visual effects undermine the necessary suspension of disbelief when it comes to mixing live-action humans with talking CG animals in such a serious and somber adaptation of the Kipling classic. Still, it’s a thoughtful and dramatic interpretation, which sets it apart from most incarnations of The Jungle Book.

The Predator is, in many ways, a throwback to what made the 1987 original so beloved: it includes many of the same elements, such as the rowdy camaraderie amongst absurdly macho protagonists, a debauched wit, and a primal battle between man and beast. It’s a shame when everything splinters apart in the haphazard and shoddy-looking last half-hour.

Dark Phoenix is ultimately yet another fumbled take on the classic saga from the Marvel Comics, albeit one without the side plots of The Last Stand. Add to it a jarringly uneven latter half and some underdeveloped cosmic villains, and Dark Phoenix is fortunate to have not fully ended the X-Men’s current big screen run on a completely down note.

With any other actor as the menacing lead, Unhinged would have been a TV movie or straight-to-streaming release, but Crowe and a few well-executed scenes of action still manage to hold the viewer’s interest throughout what’s essentially 90 minutes of genre filler material.

Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke's fun chemistry helps elevate the predictable murder-mystery Spenser Confidential.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales manages to be less bloated, dreary, and meandering than the last three entries have been, but it still suffers from many of the same wearisome, dredged-up villains and ho-hum action and comedy that have bedeviled the franchise since its second installment.

Rampage doesn’t really offer much of anything new as a giant monster movie, a video game adaptation, or a Dwayne Johnson vehicle, but it still checks all the boxes expected from it, offering one just enough entertainment value to not make you completely hate it.

The Kitchen has a good cast and strong premise, but it never quite finds its footing and falls into gangster cliches.