Freeze Frame

Hugh Grant goes against type and scores as a psycho philosopher in the slow burn horror entry "Heretic." Grant lures a pair of Mormon missionaries into an elaborate trap in his home as he endeavors to get them to renounce their faith...or face dire consequences. Whether it's an anti-religious commentary or defense of faith is in the eye of the beholder, but "Heretic" is a sly and creepy thriller just the same.

Dallas Jenkins, director and producer of the phenomenally popular series "The Chosen," has adapted the classic children's novel "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" into a feature film. Judy Greer and Pete Holmes star in the story of how a family of delinquents disrupts and ultimately transforms a small town's holiday ritual. While the story is padded to reach feature film length, it's a sweet and agreeable movie that should have a wide family appeal.

Liam Neeson is back with yet another of his late career crime dramas, where he’s once again channeling the spirit of the late Charles Bronson. In “Absolution,” he plays an aging Boston mob enforcer who tries to reconnect with his daughter while battling dementia caused by repeated head trauma. “Absolution” is the three d’s: dark, dour and depressing.

Cillian Murphy follows up his Oscar-winning role in the blockbuster “Oppenheimer” with a film that couldn’t be more different. In the Irish kitchen sink drama “Small Things Like These,” he plays a coal delivery man who inadvertently discovers the cruel mistreatment of unwed mothers at a local convent. While absorbing, “Small Things Like These” is low-key to a fault and good luck deciphering that whispering Irish brogue.

Kansas City filmmaker Sav Rodgers' documentary "Chasing Chasing Amy" is a story of how Kevin Smith's 1997 film "Chasing Amy" saved Rodger’s life. Traumatized by bullies at school, Rodgers found solace repeatedly viewing what was at the time, a rare LGBTQ movie. Rodgers shares the perspectives of the “Chasing Amy” creative team and social influencers to create an illuminating look on the impact of art on life.

There is a time and place for an NC-17 rating and clearly the big winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival deserves it. But the comic drama "Anora" somehow got by with an "R" rating. In Sean Baker's sly and edgy social critique, Mickey Madison plays a sex worker who courts trouble when she impulsively marries a client, the childish son of a Russian billionaire. "Anora" is smart, well-acted and often very funny. It's also very profane and graphic, so be forewarned.

Robert Zemeckis' multi-generational drama "Here" is a unique experiment utilizing all the new technological bells and whistles...but with mixed results. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright lead the cast in the story of one spot on Earth where the camera sets fixed for centuries, showing overlapping narratives of those who lived there. "Here" is sweet but gimmicky and not nearly as profound as it was hoping to be.

In the animated kids' flick "Hitpig!" Jason Sudeikis provides the voice of a porcine bounty hunter who tracks escaped animals. Based on characters created by Berk Breathed, it’s a loud and manic farce that plays like they were making it up as they went along. "Hitpig!" is well-meaning but relentlessly chaotic.

The Netflix documentary "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" is an involving film about a solitary Norwegian teenager named Mats who suffered from a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Upon his death, his parents inadvertently discovered that he had a rich online life they knew nothing about. He had made many friends and affected many lives through the role play game, "World of Warcraft." The filmmakers cleverly combine animation inspired by the game with the usual talking heads to help tell the expansive story of Mats and his alter ego, Ibelin. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is a surprisingly moving experience.

"Your Monster" is a movie that isn't quite sure what it wants to be. Is it a rom com, a fantasy, a horror flick, a backstage musical? Melissa Barrera stars as a wannabe Broadway actress suffering from cancer whose boyfriend bails on her. To complicate matters, she discovers a threatening monster living in her closet. The filmmakers deserve credit for trying something different, but the tone of “Your Monster” is all over the place and the disparate elements they throw in don't add up to a satisfying whole.

Cate Blanchett leads a game cast in “Rumours,” a bizarre and offbeat satire written and directed by a trio of avant-garde Canadian filmmakers. During a global crisis, the leaders at the G7 summit begin acting like helpless, petulant children when they become lost in the woods and encounter self-pleasuring zombie bog people and a giant brain. One’s enjoyment of this black comedy will depend mostly on one’s affinity for decadent, idiosyncratic and unorthodox material. “Rumours” is unapologetically odd.

The 2022 horror hit “Smile” gets its inevitable sequel. In “Smile 2,” Naomi Scott plays a pop star haunted by a malevolent entity that causes people to kill themselves and pass the evil onto a witness to continue the chain of suicide. The jump scares and body horror are all there and Scott goes all in, giving a compelling lead performance. While it’s overlong and gets way too literal at the finale, “Smile 2” provides plenty of gory chills for horror fans.

“Exhibiting Forgiveness” is a dysfunctional family drama reportedly inspired by filmmaker Titus Kaphar’s own personal story. André Holland plays Tarrell, a successful artist estranged from his abusive father La’Ron, portrayed by John Earl Jelks. When La’Ron attempts a reconciliation with his adult son after conquering his drug addiction, Tarrell rejects his overtures as too little, too late. While the movie suffers from a few of the missteps from a novice filmmaker, strong performances and a sincere and realistic treatment of the subject matter make “Exhibiting Forgiveness” an earnest and thoughtful drama.

For her directorial debut, actress Anna Kendrick has chosen a story unlike her own. “Woman of the Hour” is a Netflix suspense thriller based on the true story of the “Dating Game” killer. Kendrick plays a wannabe actress in 1970s Los Angeles who, short on dough, takes her agent’s offer for her to appear on “The Dating Game.” One of the three charming bachelors she must choose from turns out to be a rapist and serial killer. While Kendrick is best known for her comic chops, “Woman of the Hour” is a competently made drama that shines a spotlight on the era’s undeniable misogyny.

The chaotic buildup to the first episode of the classic variety series "Saturday Night Live" is the basis for filmmaker Jason Reitman's engaging account, "Saturday Night." A cast of largely unknown actors play the familiar original cast and crew. Gabriel LaBelle, best known from his role in “The Fabelmans,” plays young and naive producer Lorne Michaels who attempted to shake up late night television in 1975 and faced formidable hurdles. The hedonism of the era is on full display in “Saturday Night,” a skillfully filmed, wildly entertaining and often hilarious comic drama.

The formative years of Donald Trump's career and his relationship with notorious, law-flouting lawyer Roy Cohn is the basis for the controversial biopic, "The Apprentice." According to legend, Trump was tutored by Cohn and adopted his rules: "Attack, attack, attack. Never admit guilt or defeat. Do anything to win." It's well made and intriguing, and Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong are excellent as Trump and Cohn who became friends in the decadent 70s. How accurate it is is hard to know, but whether "The Apprentice" is a searing exposé or a hatchet job is ultimately in the eyes of the beholder.

The Apple TV+ documentary "The Last of the Sea Women" profiles a group of Korean women called the "haenyeo." They're free divers, mostly in their 60s, 70s and 80s, who harvest seafood for their communities. The film focuses on the difficulty of their work, their rapidly declining numbers and the new perils they face with climate change, pollution and Japan's release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. These inspiring women give new meaning to the term "hardy."

The drama “White Bird” serves as a sequel and prequel to the movie, “Wonder,” based on the graphic novel by R. J. Palacio. Helen Mirren plays the French grandmother of a troubled boy. She tells him the harrowing story of her experiences as a Jewish child during WWII, hiding out in a barn for over a year during the Nazi occupation of France. Director Marc Forster’s handsome adaptation is a bit overlong and preachy but “White Bird” is nevertheless a touching and involving drama.

It's nature vs. technology in the warmhearted and beautifully animated fantasy, "The Wild Robot." A shipwrecked droid washes up on an island inhabited only by wild animals. Through trial and error, she forms a bond with the island's creatures. While the script is sometimes clunky and the themes a bit fuzzy, “The Wild Robot” is a sweet sci-fi fairytale that should have a wild family appeal.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in the comic Apple TV+ thriller, "Wolfs." They play lone wolf crime scene fixers who become unwilling partners when a job goes wrong. The stars are the main attraction of this goofy, tongue-in-cheek shaggy dog opus that one could describe as ‘Quentin Tarantino Lite.” “Wolfs” works fitfully, but the duo's charisma carries the day.

The Netflix documentary "Will & Harper" is a road trip movie with a twist. Comedian Will Ferrell and his friend, longtime "Saturday Night Live" writer Harper Steele, take a drive across the country. How would people react to the fact that Steele has transitioned from male to female? Alternately funny and touching, "Will & Harper" is an empathetic testament to an enduring friendship.

Francis Ford Coppola remains one of the world's greatest filmmakers. That's true even though his latest effort, "Megalopolis," is a colossally pretentious mess. Adam Driver stars in a high-concept sci-fi fable about a conflicted genius whose concept of a utopian city conflicts with those who prefer the status quo. Dangling plot threads intermingle with occasional sparks of brilliance in an over-the-top and utterly unhinged cinematic experiment. “Megalopolis” is a mega disappointment.

Who would have thought that a coming-of-age comedy with the terrible title "My Old Ass" would be this good? Maisy Stella plays an 18-year-old who, on a mushroom trip, meets her 39-year-old self, played by Aubrey Plaza, who offers her younger self some questionable advice. While the movie is very profane and edgy, it's also funny, heartfelt and touching. "My Old Ass" is a welcome surprise.

The 1968 horror classic “Rosemary’s Baby” gets a prequel that no one was asking for. “Apartment 7A” is a Paramount+ offering starring Julia Garner as a dancer who falls under the influence of a coven, led by KC native Dianne Weist. The actors are excellent, and the filmmakers work hard to recapture the creepy feel of the original. But “Apartment 7A” is bedeviled by a sleepy pace.

A terrific central performance by Kate Winslet is the main attraction of “Lee,” a biopic about the life of famed WWII combat photographer Lee Miller. It focuses on her headstrong opposition to the era’s misogyny as well as facing the horrors of war. Beautifully shot and thoughtful, “Lee” is a fitting celebration of a remarkable life.

Three strong performances provide a solid foundation for the Netflix drama, "His Three Daughters." Carrie Coogan, Natasha Leone and Elizabeth Olsen play disconnected sisters who gather together as their father goes into hospice. They alternately avoid one another or come into conflict. While the constant bickering can sometimes become exhausting, “His Three Daughters” is a heartfelt and empathetic character study that manages to avoid saccharine elements and ring true.

The endless pursuit of youth and beauty is at the heart of the dark and revolting sci-fi horror thriller "The Substance." Demi Moore plays a fading celebrity who uses an illegal drug to transform into a younger, better version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. But watch out for those side effects! French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat slyly invites the audience to ogle the beautiful bodies on screen only to pull the rug out from under viewers with grotesque body horror. The humor and grisly elements are way over the top and self-indulgent. "The Substance" may be skillfully repulsive, but it's still repulsive.

You don't need to know anything about Hasbro's "Transformers" to enjoy the creative animated origin story, "Transformers One." Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson move over from the Marvel universe to provide voices in the story of humble robot miners and best friends who later became mortal enemies, Optimus Prime and Megatron. The pals work together to free their fellow citizens of the planet Cybertron from a corrupt dictator. Action packed and often funny and better than it has any business being, "Transformers One" should appeal to fans and newbies alike.

Graphically violent action comedies just keep popping up, with over-the-top stunt work inspired by movies like "The Kingsman" and "John Wick." It takes a deft touch to pull these movies off and the makers of "The Killer's Game" don't quite have it. Dave Bautista stars as a world class hitman who thinks he's terminally ill and puts out a hit on himself. When the diagnosis proves wrong, he changes his mind and must defend himself from all manner of bad guys. It starts out well enough but gets progressively silly, tedious and repetitious. "The Killer's Game" is mainly a time killer.

Sir Ian McKellen takes the title role as one of the vilest of all humans, “The Critic.” In 1930s London, an unscrupulous theater critic manipulates a struggling, insecure actress into a scheme to blackmail the publisher of the newspaper that runs his column.  It’s well produced and McKellen is excellent as is the stalwart ensemble of fine British actors. But the improbable melodramatic flourishes and abrupt climax undermine a promising setup. This critic says “No” to “The Critic.”

“Uglies” is a Netflix offering adapted from Scott Westerfeld’s sci-fi novel series. Joey King stars in the tale of a future society where operations to make people pretty are mandatory at age 16. You may have flashbacks to other YA sci-fi series like "The Hunger Games," "Divergent" and "The Maze Runner," but those movies are much better than this. The cliffhanger climax hints at more episodes to come, but don’t hold your breath. Ineffective direction, iffy special effects and stilted dialogue make “Uglies” unattractive.

It's taken 36 years, but Michael Keaton's wisecracking demon returns to haunt supernatural TV hostess Winona Ryder in Tim Burton's gory gothic comedy, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." Surprisingly, the over-the-top farce has aged pretty well. Jenna Ortega, who stars in Burton’s Netflix series “Wednesday,” plays Winona's estranged teenage daughter. She doesn't believe in ghosts, but after her grandfather's grisly death, it doesn't take long for her to realize that mom knows what she's talking about. Catherine O’Hara, Willem Defoe, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux and Danny DeVito all join in on the macabre fun. Clever visuals, including some of Burton’s patented stop-motion animation sequences, fast pacing and a dark and twisted sense of humor all work together to bring "Beetlejuice" back from the cinematic dead.

Liev Schreiber stars in "Across the River and Into the Trees," a winsome big screen adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's final and critically assailed novel. Schreiber plays a terminally ill American Army Colonel in Venice during the waning days of WWII. He meets and has an unlikely entanglement with a Contessa 30 years his junior, played by Matilda De Angelis. This low-key film is modestly successful in exploring Hemingway's dual themes of recapturing one's youth and dying with dignity. "Across the River and Into the Trees” is a glossy Venetian travelogue boosted by Schreiber's authoritative presence.

In conjunction with the ongoing Disney 100 exhibit at Union Station, classic Disney films are being showcased on the Extreme Screen. You still have time to catch “Frozen, “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella.” More information is available at extremescreen.unionstation.org.

The crime drama "1992" is a typical thriller but is infused with social relevance. Tyrese Gibson plays a worker at a metals plant who winds up battling thieves out to steal platinum. Scott Eastwood and the late Ray Liotta are the bad guys using the chaos of the LA riots that ensued after the death of Rodney King to cover their tracks. It's modestly effective despite some glaring plot holes.

The 40th President of the United States gets the movie biopic treatment in "Reagan." Dennis Quaid plays the actor turned politician in a well-produced but superficial overview that the term "hagiography" was coined for. It's less an insightful look at the man and more of a fawning idealization promoting a political viewpoint. While it skims the surface, "Reagan" is still an informative synopsis that should appeal to the Gipper's many admirers.

Luke Wilson and Greg Kinnear headline the family friendly sports movie, "You Gotta Believe." It tells the true story of a ragtag little league baseball team whose coach is afflicted with cancer. His struggles inspire them, propelling a team with little natural talent to the Little League World Series. The filmmaking is standard, but the heartwarming story carries the day.

Director Lee Daniels offers yet another rip-off of "The Exorcist." In the dreary Netflix horror entry "The Deliverance," Andra Day plays an alcoholic mother whose three children are threatened by an evil spirit. The only thing more prevalent than cliches are f-bombs. I suspect that Day and the talented cast that includes Glenn Close, Mo'Nique and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor would like their names exorcised from the credits.

After 45 years and eight previous "Alien" movies, is it possible for yet another installment to be exciting, suspenseful and fresh? In the hands of director Fede Alverez, the answer is "Yes." In "Alien: Romulus" the action takes place between the events of the first and second movies. Springfield, Missouri native Cailee Spaney stars in the tale of space miners who encounter a dangerous life form on a derelict space station. The screenplay and execution are smart and the movie adds some genuine surprises. "Alien: Romulus" is a sturdy and welcome addition to the "Alien" franchise.

"The Union" is a harebrained but mildly entertaining Netflix spy comedy starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg. Secret agent Berry kidnaps construction worker and former high school flame Wahlberg to recruit him into an unlikely international espionage operation. It's derivative and doesn't make a lick of sense, but the game cast makes "The Union" bearable.

"My Penguin Friend" is an amateurish but harmless family film inspired by a true story that made waves on the internet. Jean Reno plays a Brazilian fisherman who rescued a wounded penguin. They bonded and the penguin made regular 3000-mile swims from his home in Argentina to visit his Brazilian pal. The filmmaking plods but the sweet story carries the day.

If you haven't read the novel "The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat" and watch the Hulu adaptation, you may wonder what's missing. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba play lifelong friends who endure considerable pain and joy over the years. It's sincere, but the soapy storyline meanders and the movie has a sheen of artificiality that it can never quite shake.

The healing power of the arts is the focus of the moving and thoughtful drama, "Sing Sing." Coleman Domingo is excellent, starring alongside a group of actual former inmates in the story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the infamous Sing Sing maximum-security prison. The fact that these incarcerated thespians are playing a version of themselves adds greatly to the movie's authenticity and demonstrates that humanity and empathy can resurface when even the hardest criminals are given a chance at self-expression.

Another film about an intriguing prison program is the topic of the touching Netflix documentary, "Daughters." It was the winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Through a handful of personal stories that unfold over a few years’ time, “Daughters” explores the Daddy Daughters Dance program that allows prisoners at a Washington DC correctional facility to have contact with the offspring they so seldom see. While the filmmaking is standard, this behind-the-scenes overview provided by “Daughters” is heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measure.

The noisy and outrageous Amazon Prime comedy, "Jackpot!" is a comic twist on dystopian movies like "The Hunger Games" and "The Purge." In the near future, a lottery takes place where the winner gets $3 billion...but if someone kills them within 24 hours, the killer gets the money. Awkwafina goes on the run when her ticket hits and John Cena plays a mercenary for hire who tries to protect her. Director Paul Feig has given us some very funny movies like "Bridesmaids" and "Spy," but this foul-mouthed opus is just too manic and grating. “Jackpot!” isn’t quite able to hit the comic jackpot.

Yearning for another movie based on a video game series? If so, you still may want to avoid "Borderlands." Director Eli Roth, best known for his gory splatter films strands Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Jamie Leigh Curtis and Mark Twain Prize winner Kevin Hart in a sci-fi action comedy guaranteed not to win any awards. It's loud and annoying and Jack Black's robot Claptrap is the most annoying space character since Jar Jar Binks. "Borderlands" borders on awful.

Okay, Cohorts...and you know who you are...the wait is over. Colleen Hoover's "It Ends with Us" has finally arrived on the big screen. This adaptation of Hoover's bestselling novel stars Blake Lively as a florist whose family history of abuse haunts her relationships. Lively is appealing and Justin Baldoni, who also plays one of Lively's romantic partners, does passable work, but this well-meaning film version is a bit too contrived for full emotional impact.

If you took a Coen Brothers film and replaced the caustic wit with snarky profanity, it might look a bit like the Apple TV+ heist comedy, "The Instigators." Matt Damon and Casey Affleck lead a terrific cast in a noisy crime flick about a group of dimwitted amateur thieves who try to rob the corrupt Boston mayor...but everything goes wrong. You can't blame the players, but "The Instigators" might have worked better if it weren't for the story's many implausibilities.

In conjunction with Union Station’s Disney 100 exhibit, a lineup of classic Disney movies will be featured on the Extreme Screen through September 19th. More info is available at unionstation.org.

The fourth feature length film from the SpongeBob SquarePants universe is a wacky animated farce on Netflix. The scandal involving standup comic Louis C. K. is the subject of a documentary from the folks at the New York Times.

The cast of "The Fabulous Four" may indeed be fabulous, but they're the only thing remotely redeeming about this awful, raunchy comedy. Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally star in the story of old friends who travel to Key West to attend a wedding. If you enjoy foul-mouthed bickering from women of a certain age, go for it, but "The Fabulous Four" is a feeble farce.

Daisy Ridley stars in the old school Disney+ biopic, "Young Woman and the Sea." It's a beautifully produced story about the troubles and triumphs of Gertrude Ederly, the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. It's an involving and family-friendly tale that, while predictable, is an inspiring portrait of buoyant fortitude.

The war movie "Land of Bad" crashed and burned at the box office when it was released in theaters in February. However, it's found its audience on Netflix and currently sits atop the viewership list. Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth star in an action-packed war thriller about a US Army Delta Force squad's ill-fated attempt to rescue a CIA operative in the Philippines. While it stretches credibility, it provides some well-staged adrenaline jolts for fans of the genre.

The Icelandic film “Touch” is a sweet-natured and winsome romantic drama about an elderly widower obsessed finding his first love, a Japanese woman whom he’d met in London some fifty years earlier, and who had mysteriously disappeared. Told in multiple flashbacks, this multicultural melodrama is a very low-key and slow-moving story. But appropriate to its title, “Touch” is genuinely touching.

Action fans, you’ll be glad to know that “Twisters” doesn’t blow. It’s officially called a “standalone sequel,” with only a tenuous connection with the 1996 disaster hit, “Twister.” Daisy Edgar-Jones stars alongside man of the hour Glenn Powell in the tale of a brainy meteorologist and an egotistical social media influencer who get in over their heads chasing storms in Oklahoma. “Twisters” is a rousing crowd pleaser sure to sweep disaster fans off their feet.

"Widow Clicquot" is a period drama that's both a salute to early feminism and a bodice ripper. Haley Bennett stars in the tale of a young woman who, in early 1800s France, takes over her late husband's vineyard. Through great struggles and with smart innovation, she manages to establish one of the most successful businesses in the Champagne industry. “Widow Clicquot” is a well-acted and modestly effective tribute to the fortitude of an early female entrepreneur.

Crooner Harry Connick, Jr. stars in the routine Netflix romantic comedy, "Find Me Falling." He plays a rock star who returns to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus after 20 years in hopes of finding the woman who inspired his first big hit song, "The Girl on the Beach." The locale is the only thing remotely interesting in “Find Me Falling,” but that might be just enough for this harmless fantasy to score with fans of the genre.

The intriguing Max documentary "Wild Wild Space" is both an enlightening look at how small businesses have developed to launch commercial satellites into Earth orbit and a cautionary tale about the dangers of orbiting garbage, the billionaire space monopoly and the inevitable militarization of space. “Wild, Wild Space” is instructive and sobering.

Flimflamming advertising exec Scarlett Johannson fakes a moon landing and lands hunky NASA flight director Channing Tatum in the spacey but stylish romantic comedy, "Fly Me to the Moon." Tatum is working hard to make sure that the Apollo 11 project successfully lands and returns to Earth and Johansson becomes an attractive distraction. It's overlong, utterly implausible and Tatum is badly miscast. But somehow this well produced Hollywood product manages to generate a few looney laughs. While it never fully takes off, "Fly Me to the Moon" is a pleasant enough flight.

In the romantic drama "Dandelion," KiKi Layne stars as a struggling singer/songwriter who engages in an ill-fated affair with a shiftless musician, played by Thomas Doherty, whom she meets at a festival in South Dakota. While the filmmakers strive for earthy realism, the movie never quite rings true. The original songs by Taylor Swift collaborators Bryce and Aaron Dressner are a bright spot, but "Dandelion" is as lightweight and flighty as a dandelion seed.

Just who is the Apple TV+ sci-fi mini-series "Sunny '' made for? I'm not sure even the show's creators know. Rashida Jones stars as Suzi Sakamoto, a woman living in Japan in the near future whose husband and son mysteriously disappear after a plane crash. She's given a robot named Sunny from her husband’s electronics company that was designed to comfort her. It isn't compelling enough to be a thriller, mysterious enough to be a whodunit or funny enough to be a comedy. Full disclosure, I could only make it through four episodes of "Sunny" before I bailed. Better title: "Gloomy."

Eddie Murphy’s patented cheeky persona is the saving grace of the otherwise graceless Netflix sequel, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." Murphy returns to the role 40 years after the initial hit action comedy and his adventures play like they were stamped out of a template. The nostalgia factor kicks in as many of the original cast members return, but “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” is a disappointment. It plays like a pale imitation of itself.

The title may be "Despicable Me 4," but it's actually the sixth movie in the hit animated franchise. And speaking of a template, "Despicable Me 4" also follows its fruitful formula. Threatened by a super villain, Gru and his clan go into witness protection. Will the Minions come to the rescue? Guest voices include Will Ferrell, Sophia Vergara and Steven Colbert who join Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig and company. “Despicable Me 4” is more of the same, but that's mostly a good thing.

And here’s yet another sequel. From the other end of the cinematic universe comes the third installment of the sleazy “X” slasher movie franchise, “Maxxxine.” Mia Goth returns as a serial killer turned porn actress in 80s Hollywood who tries to make the transition to mainstream horror movies. She finds herself the potential victim of yet another serial killer. Other fine actors go slumming along with Goth, including Elizabeth Debicki, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins and Kevin Bacon. "Maxxxine" is well made and has a terrific central performance by Goth and filmmaker Ty West provides a clever poke in Hollywood’s eye. Still, “Maxxxine” is ultimately just a lurid slasher movie with arthouse pretensions.

In the mood for a 2-hour therapy session? In the provocative drama "Daddio,” Dakota Johnson plays a troubled young woman who confesses all to a brash cab driver, played by Sean Penn, when the ride home from the airport is delayed by a traffic accident. “Daddio” is a very adult drama that’s enlightening and grating in equal measure.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker tries her hand at filmmaking and the result is the very definition of low key. "Janet Planet" tells the episodic tale of a hippie acupuncturist played by Julianne Nicholson and her overly clingy 11-year-old daughter, played by Zoe Zeigler. "Janet Planet" is a well-acted slice of life drama, but the glacial pace may well try your patience.

Lily Gladstone stars in the irreverent Apple TV+ drama, "Fancy Dance." Gladstone plays a Native American woman searching for her missing sister on the Seneca reservation while attempting to gain custody of her young niece. While "Fancy Dance" struggles with its melodramatic elements, it succeeds as an edgy glimpse at an underrepresented culture.

Jessica Alba's self-imposed exile from acting has ended with the Netflix action opus, "Trigger Warning." She should have held out longer. The movie is a tired and ridiculous rehash of familiar thriller elements that sees our heroine, a CIA Special Ops agent, returning to her rural New Mexico home upon her father's mysterious death. She becomes embroiled in a conflict involving political corruption, stolen military weaponry and domestic terrorism. Take this warning. Avoid "Trigger Warning."

In the Netflix sci-fi flick "Spaceman," Adam Sandler plays a cosmonaut who befriends a giant space spider. No, this ain't a comedy. "Spaceman" is a slow-moving but thoughtful drama from the director of the acclaimed series, “Chernobyl.” It attempts to tackle some thorny existential questions. Sandler plays a Czech cosmonaut sent solo to explore a mysterious glowing space cloud beyond Jupiter. He and the wise space spider chat about his strained relationship with his pregnant wife back on Earth, played by Carrie Mulligan. While "Spaceman" doesn't deliver on its promise of enlightenment, it's a modestly effective psychoanalysis session.

Jack Black is back as the voice of Po, the dumpling-loving martial arts master in the Dreamworks animated comedy, “Kung Fu Panda 4.” New to the voice cast are Awkafina and Viola Davis. It’s exactly what you’d expect, a fast paced, well animated farce with plenty of frenetic action and goofy humor. In other words, “Kung Fu Panda 4” delivers the same qualities that made the first three movies box office hits. Undoubtedly, it will have fans saying, “Skadoosh!”

Millie Bobby Brown of "Stranger Things" fame stars in the Netflix medieval action fantasy, "Damsel." She plays a young woman tricked into marrying a prince. Problem is, she's to be used as a sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon. It's workmanlike and Brown is an appealing heroine, but don't be fooled. "Damsel" is not Disney, and this fairytale is too dark and violent for the kiddies. Still, “Damsel” is a reasonably entertaining bit of mythology with modern feminist sensibilities.

The delay is over Dunatics. Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic "Dune: Part 2" has finally arrived on the big screen and it's a sweeping saga that arguably tells Frank Herbert’s intricate messianic tale better than any of the previous film and TV adaptations. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are back on planet Arrakis battling an evil empire, harsh deserts, and a very dense storyline. The dazzling visuals and intimate moments help to compensate for the movie's sometimes plodding pace. And if you haven't guessed, part three, "Dune Messiah" is looming just beyond those sandy hills.

If you didn't get enough sand from "Dune," then check out "Io Capitano," one of the nominees for this year's Best International Feature Oscar. Two naive teens from Senegal decide they're going to migrate to Europe to become pop stars. Their treacherous journey across the Sahara to Libya is beyond harrowing as they are forced to face death at multiple points from the harsh environment as well as corrupt police and greedy smugglers. While it's overlong and repetitious, "Io Capitano" is a compelling drama and should be required viewing for anyone contemplating such a perilous journey.

The main question surrounding the Netflix drama "Tyler Perry's Mea Culpa," is this: Is it bad enough to be unintentionally funny or campy enough to be a guilty pleasure? Sadly, no. It’s just plain bad. In this steamy erotic thriller, Destiny's Child alum Kelly Rowlands plays an attorney who gets intimately involved with her client, an artist accused of murder. It's all goofy, but the wheels completely fall off in the third act. Perry needs to plead "Mea Culpa" for his absurd script.

Two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank stars in the family friendly social drama, "Ordinary Angels." It tells the inspirational true story of Sharon Stevens, an alcoholic hairdresser who seeks redemption by rallying her Kentucky community to help a child in desperate need of a liver transplant. Sharon takes on innumerable obstacles facing the girl and her family, while dealing with considerable baggage of her own. While it’s manipulative and hits a lot of familiar notes, "Ordinary Angels" is a well-meaning drama that may well evoke a tear or two.

Filmmaker Wim Wenders' "Perfect Days" is one of the nominees for this year's Best International Film Oscar. It's a very Zen experience as it conveys the daily routine of a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo. Koji Yakusho won the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Fest for his nearly silent performance. It's a very slow-moving tale, an empathetic portrait of an everyday worker. It can be seen as a celebration of the dignity of labor and the pride an individual can take in their job. While “Perfect Days” is very deliberately paced, patient viewers may succumb to its understated charms.

“Out of Darkness” is a horror thriller set in the year 43,000 B.C. A handful of cave people desperately in search of food arrive by raft at an unexplored beach. The efforts of these hunter/gatherers seem fruitless as the area proves to be a wasteland. When night falls, however, they’re confronted by an unseen entity that apparently is hunting them. It’s bone cold and very off-putting. The well-made chiller “Out of Darkness” seem to imply that man’s basic nature hasn’t changed much in 45,000 years.

“Bob Marley: One Love” is both entertaining and disappointing at the same time. The late reggae icon's music propels what is otherwise a very bland reenactment of segments of his life. You can't blame Kingsley Ben Adir who is fine in the title role and the soundtrack is engaging, but the movie's awkward structure prevents “Bob Marely: One Love” from gaining any potential dramatic momentum.

One thing about the new Marvel superhero opus "Madame Web" is "You've seen it all before." Dakota Johnson is passable in the origin story of a woman with the ability to see short spans into the future. She and some innocent teens are hunted by a power-hungry villain, played by Tahar Rahim, who's horribly miscast. I see the future of “Madame Web” and it's going nowhere.

Don't see the lush French historical romance "The Taste of Things" on an empty stomach. The first 20 minutes consists of the loving preparation of mouth-watering gourmet meals. Juliette Binoche stars in the romantic tale of a cook and the renowned chef she works for, set in the late 1800s. “The Taste of Things” is sophisticated and tasty.

As Whitney Houston once sang, "Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all." That seems to be the sentiment behind Jennifer Lopez's phantasmagorical mini-movie musical, "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story," now on Amazon Prime. It's a self-produced and financed vanity project, filled with celebrity cameos, that serves to promote the singer/songwriter/dancer's latest album. It's an imaginative series of music videos strung together into the loose-fitting story of a hopeless romantic constantly in search of love. It's one odd duck of a movie, but an engaging one.

Movies about motorcycle culture in the 1960s were popular drive-in fodder back in the day. "The Bikeriders" is a throwback that removes the fabricated glamor and replaces it with gritty realism. Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy give solid performances in Jeff Nichols' talky tale about a Midwestern racing club that devolved into a criminal gang. It's fictional, inspired by a photobook of the era and, like a work of journalism, the movie is a bit dramatically removed from its subject and the characters' motives are murky. It moves, but “The Bikeriders” lacks dramatic horsepower.

"Ghostlight" might be called the little movie that could. This low budget indie release stars an unknown cast in a beautifully acted comic drama about a troubled construction worker who fumbles his way into a community theatre production of "Romeo and Juliet." The experience helps him, and his family find solace after a tragic loss. The fact that Keith Kupferer, his real-life daughter Katherine and wife Tara Mallen play the main roles only adds to the film's authenticity. "Ghostlight" is a minor gem.

Actress Alice Englert attempts to follow in the footsteps of her famous, Oscar-winning filmmaker mom Jane Campion. Her writing and directing debut, “Bad Behaviour” is now available on video on demand platforms. Englert stars alongside Jennifer Connelly in a grating tale of mother-daughter disfunction. It’s well acted, but Englert’s film is awkward, clumsy and pretentious. Plus, it’s populated with unpleasant characters whose actions are inscrutable. The title of “Bad Behaviour” is a bit too on the nose.

The folks at Disney/Pixar retain their status as the gold standard of animation because of their meticulous dedication to getting the screenplay right as well as the animation and voice work. "Inside Out 2" is no exception. This worthy successor to the 2015 hit sees our heroine Riley grappling with new emotions as she turns thirteen: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Disgust. Whip smart and sharply funny, "Inside Out 2" probably works best for older kids and adults, so find a kid you can take with you as an excuse.

How's this for something different? Julia Louis Dreyfus stars in the daring fantasy drama, "Tuesday," She plays the mother of a terminally ill young woman, played by Lola Petticrew. Things get strange when death arrives in the form of a molty macaw. First time filmmaker Daina O. Pusic goes for broke in her movie debut, offering a strange, philosophical treatise on grief. It doesn't all work, but you gotta give ‘em credit for originality.

"Treasure" is a well-meaning but misguided father-daughter comic drama. Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry star in the story of a journalist who tries to reconnect with her dad by traveling to Poland where he spent time as a prisoner in Auschwitz during WWII. The whole affair seems very labored and inauthentic.

Venerated French actor Daniel Auteuil stars in the moving drama, “Farewell, Mr. Haffmann.” He plays a Jewish jeweler who must hide in the basement of his Paris shop during the 1942 Nazi occupation while his apprentice pretends to be the store owner. “Farewell, Mr. Haffmann” is an involving and thoughtful period piece.

In a scene from the fourth entry in the "Bad Boys" franchise, "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," Will Smith is repeatedly slapped by Martin Lawrence. Intentional or not, the moment gets the requisite laughs. The hip but aging Miami detectives are back, this time as fugitives when they try to crack corruption within their own ranks. These movies have become increasingly silly, but, unlike the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, they haven't been launched into space. Yet. For best results, set your mind on cruise control for another affable, outlandish ride.

The latest Disney+ "Star Wars" series is set in a galaxy far, far away and long, long ago. "Star Wars: The Acolyte" is a prequel to the prequels, set 100 years before the action of "Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." Amandla Stenberg leads the cast in the female-centered tale of a former apprentice Jedi who may or may not be murdering Jedi masters. It's a space-based whodunit filled with witches, mistaken identities and Force-fu fighting. It all seems pretty familiar at this point, but "The Acolyte" provides an adequate amount of action, eye candy and daring do for die-hard "Star Wars" fans.

Matthew Modine and Kansas City, Kansas native Cynthia McWilliams star in the inspirational sports drama, “Hard Miles,” now available on video on demand platforms. It tells the true story of a biking coach for inmates at a juvie correctional facility. He takes the troubled teens on a 1000-mile bike ride from Denver to the Grand Canyon to teach them to face physical and emotional challenges. While conventional, “Hard Miles” is a well-meaning and benign effort boosted by an agreeable cast.

Glen Powell co-wrote, produced and stars in Netflix's tongue-in-cheek thriller, "Hit Man." Richard Linklater directed this surprisingly sunny neo-noir entry, where Powell plays a nerdy teacher who poses as a slick hitman to help the cops entrap wannabe murderers. Things get dicey when he falls for a beautiful femme fatale, played by Adria Arjona. While it's certainly amoral, it's also clever and involving. "Hit Man" is a hit.

In the sweet-natured comic drama "Ezra," Bobby Cannavale gives a strong performance as a struggling standup comic who takes his autistic son on an ill-advised road trip to escape the influence of doctors and authorities. Young William Fitzgerald is credible in the title role and the capable supporting cast includes Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne. A committed ensemble positive vibe helps to smooth over some of the movie’s maudlin elements.

Inseparable friends face pregnancy together in the often crude and rude comedy, "Babes." Ilana Glazer wrote the script and stars as a promiscuous single who leans a bit too heavily on her bestie and mother of two, charmingly played by Michelle Buteau. If coarse humor turns you off, "Babes" isn't for you. For others, it's an often funny and occasionally touching look at unshakable female bonds.

The considerable efforts of three gifted actresses, Diane Keaton, Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates, can't save the trite and tired comedy, "Summer Camp." They play friends who reunite for their 50th camp reunion and old resentments reemerge. I'm glad these ladies are getting work, but "Summer Camp" is enough to make you swear off reunions.

"Sight" tells the remarkable true story of Dr. Ming Wang. Terry Chen plays Dr. Wang, an immigrant to the US who developed groundbreaking eye surgery techniques. It spotlights his personal struggles as a youth in China and the tragedies that propelled his determination. The filmmaking may be sluggish and uninspired, but Dr. Wang's life certainly is not. "Sight" works as well as it does due to its life-affirming themes.

Many newspaper comic strips have gone the way of the dodo bird, but Garfield lives on. The new animated farce "The Garfield Movie" is a wacky entry providing a back story that introduces us to Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt, and his long-lost dad, voiced by Samuel L. Jackson. It ain't Pixar, but “The Garfield Movie” is an amusing enough family flick.

Jennifer Lopez stars in the splashy, big-budget Netflix sci-fi thriller, "Atlas." J. Lo plays a troubled data analyst who, in the distant future, goes on a mission to a far off planet to stop a rogue AI robot who plans to destroy the human race. Her distrust of all artificial intelligence is nearly her undoing. Like "Terminator," "Atlas" is a cautionary tale, but wants to have it both ways when it comes to AI. It's an action-packed but thematically scattershot affair.

They have the need. The need for speed. The Amazon Prime documentary, "The Blue Angels” is a behind the scenes look at the pilots who present the precision air show acrobatics that dazzle audiences around the country. The aerial cinematography is impressive, but the movie is a bit humdrum when on the ground. Overall, it's a respectful, eye-catching salute to those daring pilots.

If being sentimental, sweet-natured, and family-friendly is a crime, then "IF" is guilty on all counts. Filmmaker John Krasinski's fantasy about a young girl who can see other people's imaginary friends is certainly corny and saddled with a score that pounds the emotional moments like a sledgehammer. But Ryan Reynolds and young Cailey Fleming give very appealing performances and the movie generates plenty of warmth. Families be aware and cynics beware.

If David Lynch decided to make a movie about teen angst and alienation, it might have looked a bit like Jane Schoenbrun's bizarre psychological horror entry, "I Saw the TV Glow." In the 1990s, two teens played by Justice Smith and Bridgette Lundy-Paine, become obsessed with a horror TV show, and begin to lose their grip on reality when the series ends. While it goes off the rails, it's a very interesting cinematic experiment for fans of the avant-garde.

The Netflix animated fantasy "Thelma the Unicorn" was written and directed by Jared Hess and Lynn Wang the couple behind "Napoleon Dynamite." It's the story of a pony who longs to be a singer and gets her chance at fame when she pretends to be a unicorn. While harmless, this is one of the weaker contemporary cartoons that borrows too many elements from other, better stories. "Thelma the Unicorn" is only for the most undemanding tots.

Letica Wright and Josh O'Connor star in the realistic drama, "Aisha," now available on video on demand platforms. Wright plays a Nigerian refugee facing heartbreaking obstacles as she strives for protective status in Ireland. “Aisha” is a subtle, understated social drama bolstered by fine performances.

When they decided to reboot the "Planet of the Apes" franchise in 2011, eyes rolled. But the refreshed franchise turned out to be a winner. The fourth entry, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," is a rousing, eye-popping and intelligent sci-fi thriller that can stand on its own even if you haven't seen the other episodes. Three hundred years after the apes gained intelligence, a peaceful clan is enslaved by a tyrannical monarch. How human. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is an utterly involving adventure flick.

The skillfully made, low budget neo-noir thriller "The Last Stop in Yuma County" plays like a drive-in movie from decades past. At a remote desert rest stop in the 1960s, bank robbers terrorize folks awaiting the delayed arrival of a gas tanker truck. Although it's overly familiar, “The Last Stop in Yuma County” is a taut and violent tale that ably amps up the suspense.

The Netflix rom-com "Mother of the Bride" is a categorically bad movie. Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt lead the cast in yet another awkward story about an exotic destination wedding and the in-laws-to-be who were formerly romantically linked. We’ve seen it all before and done better. "Mother of the Bride" may make you crave divorce before the ceremony.

The involving Apple TV+ series "Dark Matter'' is a deftly acted sci-fi tale based on the best-selling novel. Blake Crouch who wrote the book, serves as the series showrunner. Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly star in the story of a man who is literally dragged into an alternate reality. He doggedly searches the multiverse to get back to his reality and the people he loves. “Dark Matter” smartly deals with the themes of choice, identity and making the most of one's life.

Ryan Gosling is on a roll. His latest movie, "The Fall Guy" is a cheeky big screen adaptation of the 1980s TV series that starred Lee Majors. Gosling plays a movie stuntman who takes a gig on a film directed by his ex-girlfriend, played by Emily Blunt. Director David Leitch is himself a stuntman and one of the best stunt directors around. “The Fall Guy” is overlong and goofy but is filled with great stunts and good vibes.

Ready for a period piece where Johnny Depp speaks only in French? He plays King Louis XV in "Jeanne du Barry," starring, written, produced, and directed by French star Maïwenn. It's a biopic about the king's infamous mistress Madame du Barry whose story has already been told about a dozen times on film. While sumptuously produced, this version is slow moving and never as compelling as it should have been.

Jerry Seinfeld makes his directorial debut with the genuinely wacky Netflix comedy, "Unfrosted," about the 60s era rivalry between Kellogg's and Post cereal as they fought to develop the Pop Tart. Seinfeld's supporting cast is full of top comics who are obviously having a blast. For the most part, the giddiness is contagious.

The Amazon Prime rom com "The Idea of You" is aimed squarely at middle-aged women. Anne Hathaway plays a 40-year-old art dealer who winds up having an affair with a 24-year-old Harry Styles-type boy band member, played by Nicholas Galitizine. The stars are appealing and, for the most part, the movie is engaging even for those outside the demo. One quibble: There's no reason to include raunchy elements. The R-rated “The Idea of You” could easily have been rated PG-13 and cast a much wider net.

The tennis movie "Challengers" takes the term 'love' in a kinky direction. Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist star in a raunchy comic drama about a ménage à troi involving championship level competitors. The actors are fine and look convincing on the court. The timeline of director Luca Guadagnino's story bounces back and forth between the past and present, a bit like watching a tennis match. While it’s guilty of a few foot faults, "Challengers" is a clever if overly slick enterprise.

If "The Hunger Games" had been made by video game gearheads, it might have looked like the blood-soaked sci-fi comedy, "Boy Kills World." Bill Skarsgård plays a mute avenger seeking to assassinate the leader of a dystopian city who murdered his family. It has a Hong Kong action meets Cartoon Network vibe. The cheeky, irreverent humor works for a while until everything gets bogged down in repetitive, violent mayhem. “Boy Kills World” is half of a good movie.

"We Grown Now" is a restrained and lyrical look at the joys and difficulties of families living in the Chicago projects in the 1990s, seen through the eyes of two young boys. Blake Cameron James is Malik and Gian Knight Ramirez plays Eric, pals who make the best of things, mostly through their imaginations. The brief scenes between Jurnee Smollett and S. Epatha Merkerson as Malik’s mother and grandmother are sensitively played. While some might find it a bit too sentimental and slow moving, it's nevertheless a heartfelt portrait that emphasizes the humanity of its characters. “We Grown Now” stands in stark contrast to the Hollywood cliche of 'The Hood."

Director Guy Ritchie's paints with very broad strokes for his wacky action comedy "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson lead the cast as criminal mercenaries recruited by Winston Churchill to secretly disable Nazi ships in Africa that supplied their deadly U-boats. The action is too exaggerated to make this a credible depiction of actual events, but it's an entertaining fabrication just the same.

You have to tune into a certain twisted sense of humor to get much out of the bizarre absurdist ecological comedy, "Sasquatch Sunset." Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough star in the tale of a small family of Bigfoot creatures who struggle to survive over one calendar year. If you think that sex and scatology among wild animals is hilarious, then “Sasquatch Sunset” is the movie for you. Count me out.

If David Lynch had directed “Somewhere in Time,” it might have looked a bit like Bertrand Bonello’s “The Beast.” Lea Seydoux and George MacKay star in a sci-fi horror tale inspired by Henry James’ novella, “The Beast in the Jungle.” A woman undergoes a procedure to have consciousness of her past lives wiped from her DNA. “The Beast” is clever and creepy but it’s undermined by stilted dialogue in the final act.

In the Hulu time travel romance "The Greatest Hits," Lucy Boynton plays a deeply troubled young woman who is mystically transported to the past whenever she hears a song that she and her deceased boyfriend first heard. Can she change the past to save him, or should she move on to a new romance? It doesn't all work, but a likable cast and tuneful soundtrack make "The Greatest Hits" an agreeable distraction.

Contemporary political divisions and paranoia add an uneasy edge to filmmaker Alex Garland's chilling speculative nightmare, "Civil War." Kirsten Dunst is solid as a famed photojournalist who races with colleagues to get to Washington, DC before rebel forces attack the White House.  And KC native Stephen McKinley Henderson scores as an aging reporter. “Civil War” is an extremely well made and violent thriller that doesn't make any political statements except to imply that our Union may not be as secure as we think.

"La Chimera" is an acclaimed entry that blatantly screams 'Italian arthouse movie." It is a nominee for Best Film at this year’s Donatello Awards, the Italian equivalent of the Oscars. In Alice Rohrwacher's cinematic fable, Josh O'Connor plays a troubled British archeologist in Tuscany who joins with thieves to rob ancient graves. They're looking for fortune, he's looking for a route to the underworld to reconnect with his dead lover. “La Chimera” is deliberately paced and rife with symbolism and will appeal mainly to lovers of the avant-garde.

"Scoop" is a Netflix behind-the-scenes journalism drama about the leadup to Prince Andrew's notorious 2019 BBC interview in which he implicates himself as a part of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal. Billie Piper plays the reporter who worked to secure the interview and Gillian Anderson is the Newsnight anchor who grilled the prince. While it's a sufficient drama, it isn't particularly insightful. Don't expect "All the President's Men." For greater impact, just watch the actual interview.

Bollywood meets “John Wick” in the over-the-top, ultraviolent thriller, “Monkey Man.” Actor Dev Patel wrote, directed and stars in the tale of an impoverished Indian man who extracts bloody vengeance on the people who killed his mother and destroyed his boyhood home. Patel shows some impressive chops in his flashy directorial debut mixing grisly mayhem and social commentary. It’s overblown, but for action fans, “Monkey Man” is a stylish guilty pleasure.

When does a movie filled with foul language seem quaint and benign? When it's the British comic mystery, "Wicked Little Letters," Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley star in a true story set in a small English village in the 1920s. A prim and proper woman received a series of profane anonymous letters and the resulting scandal made national headlines. A great cast and cheeky script make "Wicked Little Letters" a modest charmer.

The Amazon Prime movie "Música" is a wildly imaginative romantic musical comedy written and directed by Rudy Mancuso and based on his own life story. Rudy has synesthesia, a condition that turns every sound he hears into music, and that complicates his career pursuits and love life. While it is sometimes a bit gimmicky, "Música" is still an entertaining and inventive lark.

Author Karen Kingsbury eschewed Hollywood, producing her own cinematic rendition of her novel "Someone Like You." Sarah Fischer plays a twentysomething woman who discovers love…AND that she was an in vitro baby AND that her identical sister was birthed and raised by another family, AND one member of this clan needs a kidney transplant. This faith-based tearjerker is very contrived but will score for those predisposed to lightweight Lifetime Channel fare. Others, beware.

Liam Neeson once again plays a man grudgingly forced into violence in the drama "In the Land of Saints and Sinners." During Ireland's political and social upheaval in the 1970s, a hit man tries to extract himself from the bloodshed but is reluctantly pulled back in. It's got its merits, including a first-rate cast of Irish acting stalwarts, but "In the Land of Saints and Sinners" is awfully grim and off putting...and you may need subtitles to get through the thick Irish brogue.

Younger fans of the hit series "Only Murders in the Building '' may not know much about the earlier career of comedian Steve Martin. The involving Apple TV+ film "STEVE! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces" provides an entertaining and imaginative overview of his life and career, from his neurotic struggles to find an audience for his quirky standup comedy to triumphs and failures in the movies. And Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville skillfully closes the circle by highlighting Martin’s success late in life both artistically and personally. “STEVE! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces” is wild and crazy, in the best ways.

“Renegade Nell” is a passable Disney+ adventure series that mixes the historic and the fantastic. Louisa Harland plays Nell Jackson, an 18th century English female highwayman who has been framed for murder. On the lam and pursued by enemies who dabble in dark forces, Nell’s destiny changes when she encounters a magical spirit called Billy Blind who occasionally imbues her with supernatural strength and agility. If you think it all sounds very Disney, you’d be right…except its violence earns it a PG-13 rating, making “Renegade Nell” iffy viewing for the very young.

Kansas City native son Paul Rudd is joined by originals Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson for another comically spooky go-round, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” The old team up with the new to combat a malevolent spirit bent on polarizing New York City. Admittedly, we've pretty much seen it all before, but it's still good fun.

Another Kansas City native son David Dastmalchian, is excellent in the eerie horror entry, "Late Night with the Devil." On Halloween night 1977, a talk show host tries to boost his sagging ratings by showcasing guests who are involved in paranormal activity. And all you-know-what breaks loose. “Late Night with the Devil” is an extremely inventive, skillfully made and genuinely creepy experience.

Oscar winner Regina King gives a strong performance as Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm in the Netflix biopic, "Shirley." It focuses on Chisolm's extraordinary campaign for President in 1972. While the film is respectful and competently made, its concentration on the nitty-gritty of her presidential run inhibits much insight into her inner life. In any case, "Shirley" is a worthwhile and revealing history lesson.

Tenacity and feminism are at the core of the biopic “Cabrini.” Christiana Dell’Anna plays Mother Cabrini, the Italian immigrant who courageously fought racism and sexism on her way to becoming America’s first saint. This faith-based film concentrates less on faith than as it does on Mother Cabrini’s unshakable determination. It’s affected, but it’s a reverential portrait.

A talented cast, fast pace and a handsome production elevate “The Crime is Mine,” a broad French period farce that could be seen as a cinematic cousin to the musical “Chicago.” A poor actress achieves success and fame after she’s accused of a murder she didn’t commit. It’s endearingly goofy.

The action thriller "Love Lies Bleeding" is an example of extremely well-made sleaze, a midnight movie with a mind. Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien star in a twisted lesbian romance embellished with violent revenge and occasional magic realism. It's sordid and excessive but give a tip of the hat for the cinematic skills on display.

"Arthur the King" stars Mark Wahlberg in the true story of a pro adventure racer who befriends an injured stray pooch while at a world championship event in the Dominican Republic. Their harrowing adventures go viral on social media. Although the filmmaking is boilerplate, it's a sweet story that will tug at the heartstrings.

Anthony Hopkins stars in “One Life,” the heroic true story of Sir Nicholas Winton, a British man who saved nearly 700 Czech children during WWII. It’s an honorable if uninspired version of the story. While the filmmaking is standard, the sentiment is real. Keep those tissues handy.

The life of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is the subject of the intriguing and creatively produced Amazon Prime documentary, "Frida." She tells her own story, rendered through her writings, archive footage and inventive animation of her art. It's an involving, adults-only feature that provides a revealing glimpse into the painter's life.

Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine star in “American Dreamer,” now available on video on demand platforms. It’s a dark comedy based on a story from NPR’s “This American Life.” Dinklage plays a belligerent down-on-his-luck college professor who moves in with a wealthy elderly woman with the understanding that he’ll inherit her home when she dies. An affable cast elevates an otherwise glum comedy that can’t quite establish a consistent tone.