Life
Laid-back ‘Sword of Trust’ could have been a sharper satire
Seattle’s Lynn Shelton goes South for a funny but too-low-key comedy about Confederate dunderheads.
Life
‘Marianne & Leonard’ sketches portrait of the artist and his muse
It’s about Leonard Cohen and his long relationship with the Norwegian woman who inspired some of his songs.
Life
Restraint, Awkwafina’s performance hold ‘The Farewell’ together
This comedy, about a Chinese-American slacker visiting the old country, avoids becoming maudlin.
Life
Toxic machismo gets a shocking send-up in ‘Art of Self-Defense’
Jesse Eisenberg and Alessandro Nivola are superb in this dark, violent and highly original film.
Life
‘The Lion King’ remake is technically perfect, but oddly inert
This photo-realistic remake of the 1994 animated classic looks great but is a passionless non-event.
Life
One-note ‘Crawl’ revels sadistically in graphic gator gore
A woman and her father battle a hurricane and huge alligators. There’s not much else going on.
Life
This 1980s-style buddy comedy puts stars in the driver’s seat
Comedian Kumail Nanjiani gets a much-deserved breakout role playing Stu the Uber driver in “Stuber.”
Life
‘Midsommar’: There’s creepy stuff galore under the midnight sun
From explicit nudity to spooky Swedes, director Ari Aster’s follow-up to “Heriditary” is truly bonkers.
Life
‘Spider-Man’ good enough but suffers from ‘Avengers’ hangover
For Peter Parker (Tom Holland), the loss of his mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is an issue.
Life
‘Yesterday’ gets by with a little help from a great cast
It’s also got a killer idea — a global hiccup leaves just one man who remembers the Beatles.
Life
It’s no classic, but ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ gets the job done
When teenagers foolishly enter a spooky basement, a demon doll gets loose to wreak havoc.
Life
‘Ophelia’ unsteadily revisits ‘Hamlet’ from female perspective
There’s fine acting from Daisy Ridley and Naomi Watts, but this fails as both potboiler and quasi-Shakespeare.
Life
Four big stars for comic, poignant and wonderful ‘Toy Story 4’
The animated franchise that can do no wrong returns with another thoroughly lovable adventure.
Life
‘Last Black Man’ mourns for the lost soul of San Francisco
The film is a moody, surreal elegy to a city that’s been conquered by gentrification and wealth.
Life
‘Dead Don’t Die’ puts a Jim Jarmuschian spin on the zombie genre
In-jokes and deadpan drollery by the likes of Bill Murray abound in this enjoyably shaggy outing.
Life
‘International’ hits a low-key point in the ‘MIB’ franchise
It’s agreeable enough, with nice rapport between stars Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth.
Life
After a smart start, ‘Late Night’ peters out in the late going
Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling are fun to watch, but the plot takes an unwelcome conventional turn.
Life
‘Phoenix’ one of the darkest moments in the ‘X-Men’ franchise
Clunky dialogue and phoned-in performances make this feeble outing unworthy of any timeline.
Life
Mild-mannered approach makes ‘Secret Life of Pets 2’ refreshing
This good-natured sequel’s a welcome change from the hyperactivity of most kids’ movies.
Life
Small details add up to a compelling story in ‘The Souvenir’
The film, about a young woman dallying with a sketchy older man, is challenging and hard to shake.