Detroit News
Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
D
Bird Box (2018)
"Bird Box" winds up resembling M. Night Shyamalan's disastrous "The Happening," so maybe Malorie has it right: It's better not to look.
Posted Dec 21, 2018
2
C
Second Act (2018)
Eating a wad of raw cookie dough is satisfying, but it might also make you sick. That's how "Second Act" is.
Posted Dec 21, 2018
3
B
Bumblebee (2018)
Knight is able to milk the softness of Bumblebee's eyes, which are like two big, blue flashlights, and he gives the robot giant - and the story - a beating heart.
Posted Dec 21, 2018
4
C+
Welcome to Marwen (2018)
But in a complex story of redemption and resilience with the blurring of real life and fantasy, it's one item on a list that contains a lot of other unchecked boxes.
Posted Dec 21, 2018
5
Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018)
6
B
"No Date, No Signature" looks at the mean chaos of life and sighs in sadness and exasperation.
Posted Dec 16, 2018
7
B-
The Mule (2018)
A little nuance and it could have gotten there, but Eastwood's already moving on.
Posted Dec 16, 2018
8
B+
Vox Lux (2018)
"Vox Lux" throws a lot at the wall, and while not all of it sticks, it still manages to rattle a nerve and linger long after the credits roll.
Posted Dec 13, 2018
9
A
Roma (2018)
Alive in a way that few movies are, "Roma" is a sumptuous piece of filmmaking, a gorgeous look at life on a grand scale told through the prism of one family.
Posted Dec 13, 2018
10
A
Burning (Beoning) (2018)
Lee Chang-dong's "Burning" will leave you breathless.
Posted Dec 13, 2018
11
D
Mortal Engines (2018)
It adds up to a giant slog, a movie that, despite its ambitious look, doesn't manage to offer us anything new. In the Screen Age, we'd refer to it as an epic fail.
Posted Dec 13, 2018
12
C+
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
"Mary Queen of Scots" feels like sitting through a history lesson, and not a particularly enlightening one.
Posted Dec 13, 2018
13
A-
The Favourite (2018)
14
Once Upon a Deadpool (2018)
It turns out that even without all the naughty bits, "Deadpool" still works pretty darn well.
Posted Dec 12, 2018
15
B
Maria By Callas (2018)
A fascinating and loving documentary about the 1950s Greek-American opera sensation.
Posted Dec 7, 2018
16
C
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
"Mowgli" wasn't done any favors by happenstance. But even on its own it comes up short, lacking some of the bear necessities needed to tell this tale.
Posted Dec 7, 2018
17
A-
At Eternity's Gate (2018)
Dafoe adds another masterful performance to his resume; his work here is as deep and as piercing as his performance in "The Last Temptation of Christ" more than 30 years ago.
Posted Nov 21, 2018
18
C+
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
"Ralph Breaks the Internet" doesn't have anything new to say about our online behavior; it just wants us to log on and tune out.
Posted Nov 21, 2018
19
C+
The Front Runner (2018)
20
B-
Robin Hood (2018)
It may be stupid, but it's never dull.
Posted Nov 21, 2018
21
B-
Creed II (2018)
"Creed II" goes the distance, but it lacks the knockout punch of its 2015 and 1985 predecessors.
Posted Nov 21, 2018
22
A-
Green Book (2018)
23
B+
Widows (2018)
Steve McQueen's "Widows" is a heist movie with a pulse.
Posted Nov 15, 2018
24
B
Instant Family (2018)
25
C-
The "Fantastic Beasts" films have as much to do with the Potter world as the current Detroit Pistons have to do with the championship winning Bad Boys.
Posted Nov 15, 2018
26
A-
A Private War (2018)
"A Private War" doesn't ask you to understand the politics of war, only the human side. And it shows the toll war takes on people's souls, most of which it never gives back.
Posted Nov 15, 2018
27
B+
Wildlife (2018)
28
B+
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Taken as a whole, it's smart, snappy filmmaking from the duo who, 30-plus years into their careers, are still revealing new tricks hidden up their sleeves.
Posted Nov 15, 2018
29
C
Memoir of War (La douleur) (2018)
Pain, it turns out, can be unbearably dull.
Posted Nov 11, 2018
30
C
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
There's nothing about "The Girl in the Spider's Web" that feels pressing or timely, or like we need to be revisiting the Salander character.
Posted Nov 9, 2018
31
B-
The Grinch (2018)
32
B
Outlaw King (2018)
33
C
Boy Erased (2018)
"Boy Erased" has its heart in the right place in exposing these supposed treatment centers. But where it should light a fire, it barely musters any smoke.
Posted Nov 9, 2018
34
B+
What They Had (2018)
35
C
The Happy Prince (2018)
An honest-but-shapeless portrait that is more than warts-and-all. It's all warts.
Posted Nov 9, 2018
36
A-
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
It's not a rebirth for McCarthy, but it's an awakening, and a reminder of what she can do when she dives into a project worthy of her talents.
Posted Nov 2, 2018
37
Suspiria (2018)
"Suspiria" casts quite a spell.
Posted Nov 1, 2018
38
C
Viper Club (2018)
There are a number of interesting things going on in "Viper Club." Unfortunately, too few of them are happening on screen.
Posted Nov 1, 2018
39
A-
Bodied (2018)
40
D+
The unruly, incoherent "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" is like an explosion of special effects and set design in search of a story.
Posted Nov 1, 2018
41
B-
Nobody's Fool (2018)
An uneven, but forgivable, romantic comedy, Tyler Perry's "Nobody's Fool" is fine once it settles into its groove and decides what it wants to be.
Posted Nov 1, 2018
42
B
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Those attuned to Atkinson's comic stylings - he can make chewing a stick of gum an absurd piece of physical comedy - will find plenty of chuckles in this lightweight threequel.
Posted Oct 25, 2018
43
B-
Hunter Killer (2018)
44
B
Beautiful Boy (2018)
When the family dynamics are front and center, "Beautiful Boy" resonates, as it reflects the ugliness of addiction and the long tail it wags.
Posted Oct 25, 2018
45
B
Mid90s (2018)
At just 84 minutes, "Mid90s" feels brief, like a sketch rather than a full painting. But Hill is finding his footing, landing one trick at a time, and he's off to a strong start.
Posted Oct 25, 2018
46
C+
Araby (Arábia) (2018)
It's doubtlessly true, relentlessly dreary and certainly part of the modern conversation. The question is: Does it add anything to that conversation?
Posted Oct 18, 2018
47
C+
The Oath (2018)
"The Oath" has a sharp tongue and plenty to say about our times. It's just too bad it can't finish the conversation.
Posted Oct 18, 2018
48
A-
Halloween (2018)
"Halloween" is proof that horror icons never truly die. To come back to life, they just need a little love.
Posted Oct 18, 2018
49
C
The Sisters Brothers (2018)
"The Sisters Brothers" often feels like a journey in search of a destination.
Posted Oct 12, 2018
50
C+