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| Emma Thompson stars in Late Night |
From our friend, Arch Campbell...
Rocketman - 4 Stars. Elton John's life played out to his music in spectacular segments. R-rated with no holds barred.
The Perfection - 3½ Stars. Thrilling horror/revenge extravaganza with Allison Williams & Logan Browning as cello prodigies. A worthy companion to "Get Out."
Apollo 11 - 3½ Stars. New footage of the 1969 Moon voyage, assembled in eye-popping, jaw-dropping style.
Booksmart - 3½ Stars. Pushes the edge of the usual last night in high school formula. Director Olivia Wilde keeps the energy high with a winning young cast.
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| Arch Campbell with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r) |
Shaft - 3 Stars. Sly update on the 1971 classic, with Jesse Usher as a third-generation millennial heir, to his tough guy father (Samuel L. Jackson) and equally tough grandfather (Richard Roundtree.)
Late Night - 3 Stars. Emma Thompson turns in a hilarious performance as a toxic late night host, who hires Mindy Kaling to satisfy diversity and gender concerns.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu - 3 Stars. Fans will love this rambunctious live-action comedy, with Ryan Reynolds voicing the furry star.
The Highwaymen - 3 Stars. Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson play the Texas Rangers who hunt down Bonnie and Clyde. A fascinating twist on the 1967 classic.
Avengers: Endgame - 3 Stars. Fans will love this curtain call for all of the Marvel characters. Casual viewers will leave confused.
Amazing Grace - 3 Stars. Long-awaited footage of Aretha Franklin's 1972 gospel album recording. Simple and powerful.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - 3 Stars. Violent as Hell. I tried to resist, but I couldn't. Keanu Reeves as the hitman to end all hitmen.
The Spy Behind Home Plate - 3 Stars. Fascinating documentary on Moe Berg, baseball player turned international spy.
Tolkien - 2½ Stars. Nicholas Hoult as "The Lord of the Rings" writer. Slow, steady, and reverent.
Aladdin - 2 Stars. Will Smith tries hard to recreate Robin Williams' iconic role in this live-action remake of the animated classic. The cartoon was fun: This remake feels like work.
The Hustle - 2 Stars. Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson as mismatched con artists. "Bridesmaids," it ain't.
Shazaam! - 2 Stars. DC Comic origin story bogs down, and gets in the way of the humor of a 14-year-old kid turned superhero.
Dumbo - 2 Stars. Live-action remake of the Disney classic runs long, thanks to too much plot and atmosphere.
The Souvenir - 2 Stars. A young woman falls into a disastrous affair. It's interesting to watch Tilda Swinton's daughter Honor Swinton Byrne in the lead role.
Ma - 1 Star. A miscast Octavia Spencer tortures the high school students she invites to party in her basement.
Long Shot - 1 Star. Political comedy with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron starts great, but unravels fast.
Dark Phoenix - 1 Star. The "X-Men" series runs out of ideas and concludes with a boring clunker.
Visit Arch's website for his (unrivaled) take on movies. He remains the only other (we're not self-hating) critic, whose opinion we admire and respect.
