movies

In the Dark: McKinnon still the best, even when playing second fiddle

Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon in Susanna Fogel's The Spy Who Dumped Me

‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’

Starring: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon

Directed by: Susanna Fogel

Rated: R

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In the Dark: Here we go again - with love

The stars of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’

Starring: Lily James, Amanda Seyfried

Directed by: Ol Parker

Rated: PG-13

Here we go with the feel-good movie of the summer. It’s a sugary sequel to “Mamma Mia,” which managed to gross over $600 million world-wide in 2008. This second verse is poised to do it again with a lot of talent in front and behind the camera making it all come together for a definite chick flick pleaser.

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In the Dark: Action movie takes The Rock to new heights

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson stars in Skyscraper

‘Skyscraper’

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Rated: PG-13

Ours is not to question why, but to just sit back and be entertained. As silly and preposterous as this new action film is, it is still highly entertaining, and that’s what summer movies are all about.

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In the Dark: Clear winners and losers as summer heats up

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson stars in Skyscraper

Halfway through the summer movie season, there are clear winners and losers at the box office and with critics. Superheroes and dinosaurs are at the top, but there, is a plethora of movies that have underperformed in what is already a season that has offered less to movie fans.

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In the Dark: Still incredible nearly 15 years later

Incredibles 2 cast photo

‘Incredibles 2’

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by: Brad Bird

Rated: PG

In the pantheon of animated studios, Pixar remains the best, not only for the high-quality graphics, but for the storylines and characters as well. It’s been almost 15 years since the first “Incredibles” premiered in 2004. It was a huge hit then and outshined such luminaries as “Toy Story 2” and “Shrek.” So my only complaint about this movie is why did it take so long to get here?

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In the Dark: A story of love interrupted and rekindled

Rachel Wesiz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola in Disobedience

‘Disobedience’

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams

Directed by: Sebastian Lelio

Rated: R

Earlier this year, director Sebastian Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman” took home the Best Foreign Film Oscar, and he’s in the midst of remaking “Gloria” with Julianne Moore taking on the iconic Gena Rowlands role. Somewhere in between, he managed to direct and write (along with Rebecca Lenkiewicz) this adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s novel.

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In the Dark: Latest Schumer comedy is funny, if a little heavy-handed at times

Amy Schumer and Rory Scovel in I Feel Pretty

‘I Feel Pretty’

Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams

Directed by: Amy Kohn, Marc Silverstein

Rated: PG-13

Just hearing the title of this makes me want to break into the song from “West Side Story.” It’s Maria’s big number as she sways and preens in front of the mirror. There is a lot of that going on in this movie, too, but it may be just an illusion and not a celebration of love at first sight.

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In the Dark: Wes Anderson's latest animated film has bark and bite

The animated cast of Isle of Dogs, Wes Anderson's latest film

A few months ago, sitting through the trailer for this movie, I heard comments around me like “weird,” “interesting,” and, yes, it is kind of weird and interesting. After all it is a Wes Anderson movie so that’s to be expected.

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Quiet film with heart-pounding moments

Never has quiet been so creepy as in this horror story with a heart. Starring real life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, and directed by Krasinski as well, this is a post-apocalyptic nightmare where, as the title indicates, just one little bump can lead to terrifying consequences.

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In the Dark: At least sequels offer second chances

Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2018)

The first rule of reboot is make it better than the first version. This doesn’t so much break the rule as it ignore the rule. The biggest change from Angelina Jolie’s two features as adventure seeker Lara Croft to this Alicia Vikander version is an obvious shift from sexy to athletic. Vikander has even been taken to task on social media for her androgynous look by gamers and fans of the video game on which these movies are based.

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