Mike Scott

A movie that wants to be a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy at times and a weighty drama at others. It ends up being an imperfect blend of both.

But the way [Stone] elevates things in Cruella, taking what is a mediocre, fairly formulaic script and making it sing — making us eager for the next scene, just to see what she’s going to do — isn’t something a lot of people can do, and it’s thrilling to watch.

What Noyce and company don't seem to realize is that there's a huge difference between a superspy and a superhuman.

You want to introduce your kids or grandkids to the undeniable pleasures of I Love Lucy? Then I’ve got one word for you: re-runs. Because Being the Ricardos doesn’t do Lucy justice or suitably celebrate her career.

It's a nice, feel-good story with an appealing cast and strong production values.

A slick and sweet film all on its own, a harmless bit of fun that fills the Easter-movie void.

Despite the derivative nature and low production values of Super, there are laughs in the at-times ragged script.

Fortunately, there's enough charisma in those doe eyes -- to narrowly rescue the featherweight Leap Year from becoming a full-blown case of Erin-go-blah.

Audiences won’t likely find it Pixar-profound, but it’s not direct-to-DVD forgettable, either — or “My-Little-Pony”-cloying. Plus, it’s got horses. And, if you’re younger than 13, that counts for something.

9, though animated, isn't really a movie for kids. The problem is that, despite its strikingly original set-up and its cool steampunk visual vibe, it's not much of a movie for grown-ups, either.

Director Martin Campbell does a nice job of creating suspense, and Ray Winstone stands out for his performance as a conflicted hitman.

There are some nice surprises in store, as well, but the longer Madden's story goes on, the more manufactured things tend to feel.

It represents the rare lead role for Mackie, and he seizes the opportunity, convincingly playing the part of a soft-spoken former Black Panther.

A beautifully uncomplicated story, really -- about the love between daddies and their little girls.

In the context of COVID, Slingshot becomes something else, transforming from what would have been a decent but derivative sci-fi thinker into a stirring ode to the vital importance of others.

Intermittently interesting, but well-intentioned, it almost makes up for "The Tourist."

So what is Bridesmaids? A boozy wedding comedy? A touching character story? A paean to friendship? At turns, it's each -- making it a wedding movie with a commitment problem and giving Feig's scattered film a rudderless quality between the laugh lines.

With its immensely likable cast elevating the material, Judge extracts just enough ironic chuckles to rescue the movie from being written off as an assembly-line comedy.

That's not to say it's a bad film, necessarily. It's just not as good as it could have -- and should have -- been.

Blending old-school practical effects with computer-enhanced explosions of blood and viscera, Renfield tips its cap to the past without being overly reverential to it. Add in frequent outbursts of meticulously choreographed action sequences, and we end up with a film that is more fun than frightening.

As with most Ferrell projects, there's nothing profound going on in The Other Guys. It's just a bit of good, stupid fun, had at the expense of an uber-formulaic genre that has long been ripe for the spoofing. But it also works.

Twenty-five years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that Imagine That would see Eddie Murphy and The Beatles coming together to create family entertainment, but I'll be darned if it doesn't work.

A predictable but painless pastiche of high school drama clichés that will give its intended tween audience a lot to squeal about -- and leave their parents reminiscing quietly about how good films from '80s icon John Hughes were.

While Crisis can fairly be criticized as emotionally cold, with its heavy and humorless story generating more sympathy for its characters than empathy, there’s no denying its timeliness, offering a compelling look at what will certainly be remembered as one of the most underplayed tragedies of our time.

This isn't the kind of film that will leave audiences in awe of clever writing. Rather, it will leave them thinking how much Fuqua wanted to make a movie version of "The Wire."

A satisfying dose of wild imagination and unbridled silliness.

The result is an often-screwball jaunt that isn't without its fun moments.

These characters are so likeable, and so well-portrayed, that it's easy to go along with it all.