Bumblebee (2018)

Bumblebee (2018)

[4] In this much more family-oriented prequel to the 2007 Transformers movie, a teenaged girl named Charlie (True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld) repairs an old Volkswagen Beetle that turns out to be a Transformer scout named B-127. She nicknames him 'Bumblebee' and soon…
How Green Was My Valley (1941)

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

[9] Director John Ford follows up The Grapes of Wrath with another powerfully moving, literary adaptation about working families weathering a crushing economic tide. How Green Was My Valley, based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, centers around the warm-hearted Morgan family…
Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

[3] I've never read Lewis Carroll's novel, but I loathe every film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland I've ever seen. Walt Disney's animated version is marginally better than the studio's hideously garish 2010 remake, but it's just as aimless, pointless, and tediously…
A Monster Calls (2016)

A Monster Calls (2016)

[7] A twelve-year-old boy (Lewis MacDougall) is visited by a towering tree monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) who helps him deal with school bullies and his mother's terminal cancer. A Monster Calls is a beautifully crafted film directed by J.A. Bayona (The…
Coyote vs. ACME (2026)

Coyote vs. ACME (2026)

[4] The Looney Tunes characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and company) were at the forefront of pop culture for half a century, but since the 1980s they've been sadly fading from relevance and memory. I grew up watching these characters…
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

[7] Director Tim Burton's career since 1999's Sleepy Hollow has been spotty at best, but Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of the brighter spots in his 21st century output. Asa Butterfield (Hugo) stars as Jake, an awkward teenager who…
Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella (1950)

[4] Cinderella was the biggest hit Walt Disney had since 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt credited it for saving the company from bankruptcy. While I'm certainly thankful the film allowed Disney's legacy to continue, I can't say it's among…
Explorers (1985)

Explorers (1985)

[6] Three junior-high students interpret cryptic messages from outer space to build a ship and make first contact with extra-terrestrials in Explorers. Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) launched the notable careers of young co-stars Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and River Phoenix…
The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

[5] After a seven-year hiatus, Star Wars returns to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu. Based on a television series you don't need to watch to enjoy the feature version, the film features a loner mercenary nicknamed 'Mando' who takes…
The Sheep Detectives (2026)

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

[8] In this refreshingly sophisticated and highly emotional family film, Hugh Jackman (Logan) plays a sheep herder who reads mystery novels to his flock every evening -- and they understand what they hear. When the sheep find him dead one morning, they…