Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

[7] Spoilers Ahead. J.J. Abrams (TV's Lost and Alias) serves up a second, fairly solid entry in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. This time Abrams reintroduces the character of the villainous Khan, played so memorably by Ricardo Montalban in the…
Creation (2009)

Creation (2009)

[7] Paul Bettany (Master and Commander) stars as English naturalist and evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin in this dramatic biopic from director Jon Amiel (Copycat, Sommersby). Creation focuses on the time during which Darwin struggled to complete his controversial book, The…
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

[6] Benedict Cumberbatch makes his first official sequel as Marvel's Doctor Strange, although he's appeared in many other Marvel movies since the first film was released in 2016. The core concept of this movie has dramatic potential, casting one of…
The Power of the Dog (2021)

The Power of the Dog (2021)

[8] Just as she did with The Piano nearly thirty years ago, director Jane Campion exposes the tragic consequences of rigid gender conformity in The Power of the Dog. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a deeply closeted gay cattle rancher in…
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

[7] Tom Holland, my personal favorite Spider-Man, returns in his third official film -- although his character has also appeared in many other Marvel movies that don't have his name in the title. This time, the young webslinger is dealing…
Atonement (2007)

Atonement (2007)

[7] Thirteen-year-old aspiring writer Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he didn't commit, effectively condemning him to years of prison and compulsory military service. The lovers (Keira Knightley and James McAvoy) stay connected through…
1917 (2019)

1917 (2019)

[8] Writer/director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) and co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns bring us back to the trenches of World War I with the harrowing journey of two British officers tasked with traversing enemy territory to deliver a message that will…
The Current War (2019)

The Current War (2019)

[7] Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon star as Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse in this fascinating and fast-paced telling of the historic race to see whose electrical system would be the one showcased at the 1893 World's Fair -- and…
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

[8] I've been hard on Marvel movies for being cookie-cutter and devoid of surprises, but Avengers: Infinity War stops that trend dead in its tracks. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War) are downright…
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

[7] After a mediocre beginning and a truly shitty-ass sequel, Marvel has made the wise decision of scrapping the Thor character as originally conceived and giving him a personality make-over. And that's why it feels like Thor has been possessed by…