Paws of Fury is a decent enough Blazing Saddles update
Iconic seventies comedy Blazing Saddles gets somewhat of an animated update in Paramount Pictures, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Chris Bailey, Mark Koetsier, and Rob Minoff share directing duties. At the same time, Ed Stone and Nate Hopper pen the screenplay.
Last Seen Alive is an enjoyable but by the numbers thriller
With the help of director Brian Goodman, Gerard Butler tones down his action hero heroics in Voltage Pictures Last Seen Alive. Lisa Spann (Jamie Alexander) and Will Spann (Butler) are on the brink of ending their marriage.
Gone in The Night is a decent Winona Ryder project
Following a successful television adaptation of his same-titled podcast series, Homecoming, Eli Horowitz makes his feature directing debut with Gone in the Night from Vertical Entertainment.
Thor: Love and Thunder is a safe cinematic lighting strike
Stylistic director Taika Waiti makes a return to the Marvel Cinematic with Thor: Love and Thunder from Walt Disney Pictures. The Asgardian’s fourth led film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced, a quest for inner peace. However, a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods, interrupts his retirement.
The Minions & Gru can still bring the funny in Minions: The Rise of Gru
The delightful fictional yellow characters return to the screen in Universal Pictures, Minions: The Rise of Gru from director Kyle Balda. Brian Lynch and Matthew Fogel helm the sequel, a follow-up to the spin-off prequel Minions (2015) and the fifth overall entry in the Despicable Me franchise.
Hot Seat is a burnt out thriller
Director James Cullen Bressack continues to add to his filmography of low-rated B-Movies with his latest Hot Seat from Lionsgate. IT expert Friar (Kevin Dillon) finds a hair-trigger bomb strapped to his desk chair. An unseen hacker orders him to steal digital funds online–or have his daughter abducted.
Answer the call from The Black Phone for a spooky good time
Set in 1978 in a suburban Colorado town, The Black Phone introduces us to Finney Shaw (Mason Thames), a shy but clever 13-year-old boy who is a whiz in baseball pitching.
Lightyear lifts off for high-flying family entertainment
One of Disney’s most iconic characters, Buzz Lightyear, receives a spinoff film from debut director Angus MacLane in Lightyear from Pixar and Disney.
Watcher is a decent debut from Chloe Okuno
For her feature film debut, film director Chloe Okuno teams with scream queen Maika Monroe for the suspense film Watcher from IFC Films.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a well done adaptation
Another fan-favorite animated series receives the big-screen treatment in 20th Century Studios, The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Series creators Loren Bouchard and Bernard Derriman co-direct the animated, big-screen, musical comedy-mystery-adventure based on the long-running Emmy-winning series.
Montana Story is textbook Sundance fare
Coming to grips with the past is the centerpiece of Bleecker Street’s family drama Montana Story. Writing and directing duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel collaborate again for the film, which I must warn viewers is a slow-moving drama.
Alex Garland explores toxic masculinity in Men
Director Alex Garland takes a foray into folk horror for his junior film, Men from A24. In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper (Jessie Buckley) retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have found a place to heal.