Movie Reviews: Last News

into a black hole of misery with the gloomy “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.” And now the diabolical director is zapping the enjoyment out of outer space, too, in “Rebel Moon — Part One: Child of Fire” on Netflix. Running time: 133 minutes.

Watching “The Iron Claw” can feel like getting slammed with a metal folding chair over and over again.So bludgeoning are the true and tragic circumstances that befell the famous Von Erich wresting family during the 1980s and 90s, which director Sean Durkin’s film depicts.Running time: 130 minutes. Rated R (language, suicide, some sexuality and drug use.) In theaters.Starting about halfway through the movie that stars Zac Efron in prime meathead mode, a shaken man sitting next to me in the theater repeatedly whispered “What the f–k?” about fifty times.

Adam Driver is back to barking in an Italian accent after the heinous “House of Gucci,” only this time he sounds a lot less Russian and thankfully did not take Lady Gaga along for the ride.Running time: 124 minutes. Rated R (some violent content/graphic images, sexual content and language). In theaters Dec.

the popular 2018 original.DC heads Peter Safran and James Gunn are hard at work on revamping the entire stumbling franchise, starting with a shiny new “Superman,” but first they had to waste precious time finessing the problem-plagued and oh-so-five-years-ago “Aquaman 2.”Adding to their headaches, the studio was forced to deal with Amber Heard, who played A-man’s girlfriend, Mera, in the first film, but is now best known for her pass-the-popcorn Johnny Depp defamation trial. What did director James Wan do? He kept Heard, but gave her character a sidelining injury within the first 40 minutes.The lazy “Lost Kingdom” is built on such compromises and dodges.

the 2005 Broadway musical and a perfect 2015 revival of that same stage show.Running time: 140 minutes. Rated PG-13 (mature thematic content, sexual content, violence and language).

see my happier list for those), to find them, I had to sift through piles and piles of dirt.Here are some of the films released in 2023 that had me typing “bars nearby” into Google Maps afterwards.The power of Christ compelled me to give this film one star. There have been bad “Exorcist” sequels before — “II” is right up there with the worst movies ever — but I held out hope for this one because “Believer” was directed by David Gordon Green, who expertly revitalized the “Halloween” franchise. Big mistake.

Oppenheimer”).During the simultaneous Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America strikes, the sagging box office was boosted, like NFL ratings and the economy of East Rutherford, New Jersey, by Taylor Swift.Marvel Studios, which used to be the surest thing in Hollywood, began to underperform (“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”) and then downright flop (“The Marvels”).And DC was revealed to actually stand for Dud Central, with all of the studio’s comic-book films of 2023 (“Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash” and “Blue Beetle”) turning out to be financial failures.In a win for Gen Z, studio execs determined Zendaya’s star wattage is so huge now that two of her movies — “Dune: Part 2” and “Challengers” — were delayed a year due to the strikes, so she can promote them to her hoards of fans. And baby boomers were dinged by the big-time tanking of the nostalgic “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” starring a now 81-year-old Harrison Ford who schlepped around New York and Europe.Despite all the madness — and a sea of schlock — some excellent films hit theaters this year.

Emma Stone was a sex comedy MVP.The “La La Land” actress got her start in raunch-fests such as 2008’s “The House Bunny,” in which she played the leader of a sorority that invited a retired Playboy Playmate to be its house mother, and she took on the part of a teen outcast who faked hooking up with nerds for a quick buck in “Easy A” in 2010.Running time: 141 minutes. Rated R (strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore, and language).

Hugh Grant) has been reworked into a crafty, chatty, upper-crust Brit, obviously to erase those pesky imperialism critiques about previous portrayals of the captured Loompaland natives.And, while there are plenty of shady adults, there are no frightening Dahlian lessons for kids about the perils of bad behavior, a la “The Witches,” “Matilda” and “Charlie.”“Wonka” is its own, totally unchallenging confection. A Nestle Crunch bar of a movie.

“Mary Poppins” and “Peter Pan,” the reason being that it’s a nostalgia trip for the studio’s 100th anniversary. Well, as far as birthday celebrations go, “Wish” is about as special as throwing your “I’m a century old!” bash at a rest-stop Arby’s.Will young kids enjoy themselves? Of course.

Jacob Elordi, on a roll), a handsome member of the upper crust.And so do we. Sure, he’s a bit vapid, flaky and self-absorbed. Who cares? Let’s give Felix the benefit of the doubt, because he is attractive and rich!When Felix’s bike tire blows, smitten Oliver graciously lends him his ride, and a hot-lava friendship commences.

Cruella,” “Joker” and “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” only strewn with young-adult corpses, silly clothes and Roman names.The trouble is that by the end of the over two-and-a-half-hour movie, directed by Francis Lawrence, viewers still can’t quite put their fingers on why Coryo (Tom Blyth) picks the nasty path he ultimately does. Is it a basic lust for power? A lightbulb realization that survival is more important than morality? Who knows? A lot is shoved into a long and anticlimactic third act, but we’re left hungry for a meatier conclusion.“Songbirds and Snakes” is set during the 10th annual Hunger Games — a televised battle to the death that pits 24 low-class kids against each other in an arena — 64 years before the events of the first film.

Excusez-moi?Earlier, when the strategic genius is frustrated by rival Britain’s naval might, he whines like a little boy who’s been bullied at recess, “You think you’re so great because you have boats!”Depicting one of the most consequential figures in all of European history as a sourpuss clown who crazily rattles off nonsense is a brow-raising choice by Scott, screenwriter David Scarpa and the always peculiar Phoenix.After all, a person can’t very well forge a half-million-square-mile, multi-continental empire by being a total moron.But that’s what this Napoleon is — a fool. Viewers spend most of the two and a half hours (Scott says his Apple TV+ cut will be a merciless four) laughing mockingly at the guy who commissioned the Napoleonic Code.

Eternals” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” were low points for the limping Marvel Cinematic Universe, strap in for the ride to abject misery that is “The Marvels.” The interminable movie, barely directed by Nia DaCosta, is not so much the story of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau as it is a sad study of the downfall of America’s favorite screen franchise. Running time: 105 minutes.

a dismal 23% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes after 40 reviews.That’s a lower rating than some far worse, borderline unwatchable Netflix comedies such as the Jennifer Aniston/Adam Sandler torture instrument “Murder Mystery 2” (45%) and the corked bottle of pinot that was Amy Poehler’s “Wine Country” (66%). Why must the movie mafia so mercilessly pick on this one? Could it be that “Old Dads” is nothing more than a mischievous bit of fun whose naughty jokes butt heads with the increasingly scolding, schoolmarmish cultural gatekeepers? The film’s polar-opposite 88% audience score, a real flip of the bird to my colleagues on the aisle, would suggest so.

“Practical Magic” was released in theaters 25 years ago on October 16, 1998 — and Alice Hoffman can’t believe it either.The author, who brought the story of the Owens sisters to life in the 1995 novel of the same name, says it “feels like it was yesterday” that the film was being made.“I think the reason why is because it’s more popular every year,” she tells the Post. “It’s kind of become a cult movie. And I think it’s a movie that really matters to people.”“Practical Magic” was directed by Griffin Dunne, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witch sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, respectively.

the notoriously long “The Irishman.” Runtime, of course, was the at-home audience’s No. 1 beef with the Netflix gangster flick.

“Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever,” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons).

his 2018 “Halloween” reboot with Jamie Lee Curtis. And, on paper, his plan doesn’t sound so bad. Running time: 121 minutes.

casual open-mouth kisses, for one). Still, the actor works so hard it hardly works. Nothing Cooper does is organic or authentic, and his show-off performance is always stilted.

according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.“The Nun II” is the ninth installment in the “The Conjuring” franchise, the highest grossing horror franchise of all time. Collider called the latest flick “an effective, gory, and impressively scary addition to the “Conjuringuniverse” that also stands as a solidly on its own.