reviews movie 355

Mace: That’s real love, huh? Khadijah: That’s real life , Mace. Mace: James Bond never has to deal with real life. Khadijah: James Bond always ends up alone.

Sex and Skin: Only morning-after snuggles.

Our Take: The 355 is overplotted but underwritten, a globetrotting chase flick with plenty of halfway-decent action sequences but minimal reasons for us to care about the characters’ fates. Sure, Khadijah has a life partner and Graciela has children, so cue the requisite scene in which the bad guys point guns at them – a scene so boilerplate, we don’t really get all that upset, since we’re being exploited for our base emotional concerns. That exploitation extends to the overall conflict, where nefarious agents fight over the ability to destroy billions of lives while on the couch, mindlessly scrolling their phone as Emily in Paris autoplays in front of them. I shrug, and argue that Thanos destroying half the known Marvel Universe upped the ante for mega-scale movie conflicts. Maybe it’s time for movies to generate suspense from situations that are fathomably smaller-scale?

There’s much to be said for action films that are more style than story – see John Wick or Mad Max: Fury Road , and feel the invigoration of the form. Kinberg dials up a few rock-solid moments that less demanding audiences may find perfectly suitable for an evening of light escapism. But otherwise, this is a switchbackin’, doublecrossin’, rug-pullin’, plot-holin’ story that does exactly what we expect it to: confound us with its needless complications (leave this M.O. for M:I , I say), take a passing glance at a feminist issue (can women be kickass world-saving do-gooders and have personal lives? Answer: It depends!) and force a cheer for the assemblage of a no-dudes-allowed superagent team (GROSB: Get Rid Of Slimy Boys). Color me underwhelmed.

Our Call: I’m waffling here. The 355 doesn’t really come close to meeting its potential, so SKIP IT. But if you’re not ponying up 20 bucks, it’s possibly an entirely passable yeah-sure-why-not kind of watch.

Will you stream or skip the girl power action movie #The355 on VOD? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) February 5, 2022

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com .

Stream The 355

Whoopi Goldberg Gets Up to Face Sen. Tim Scott During Uncomfortable 'View' Interview: "That Was Me Talking to You"

Shannen doherty gives heartbreaking health update that cancer has spread to her brain: "my fear is obvious", is 'yellowstone' on tonight season 5 streaming info, return date, alyssa farah griffin and sunny hostin have blowout fight on 'the view': "this is not what the show is about", 'live with kelly and mark' derailed as kelly ripa sifts through her notes for what seems like forever, katherine heigl says working with an intimacy coordinator on 'firefly lane' made her realize how "unprotected" she was on set: "i was so grateful".

Screen Rant

The 355 review: trite spy movie is shallow & entirely missable.

The 355 is an entertaining if unremarkable spy movie, with predictable story beats and mediocre action that's only somewhat saved by its strong cast.

Spy movies are no strangers to Hollywood, but The 355 flips the script and trades in a typically male-fronted cast for an all-women team. Starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz and Fan Bingbing, The 355 follows in the trend of movies like Ocean's 8 and Atomic Blonde — though it's not based on a preexisting franchise — by subverting cast expectations within the spy genre. The film was directed by Simon Kinberg ( Dark Phoenix ), who co-wrote the script with Theresa Rebeck ( Smash ) from a story by Rebeck and Bek Smith ( Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ). The 355 is an entertaining if unremarkable spy movie, with predictable story beats and mediocre action that's only somewhat saved by its strong cast.

The 355 follows Mace Brown (Chastain), a CIA operative tasked with retrieving a hard drive from defected Colombian DNI agent Luis (Édgar Ramirez) that could usher in the end of the world if it falls into the wrong hands. However, her operation goes awry when German BND agent Marie (Kruger) also attempts to recover the drive, which causes trouble for Mace and her partner Nick (Sebastian Stan). When the drive is stolen from Luis, Mace must team up with Marie, former MI6 agent Khadijah (Nyong'o), DNI psychologist Graciela (Cruz) and Chinese MSS agent Lin Mi Sheng (Fan) in order to get it back and prevent the global destruction it could cause.

Because Hollywood has been making spy movies for many decades, it can be difficult for filmmakers to offer something completely fresh and original. Even Atomic Blonde , which was hailed as a breath of fresh air in the action genre, was compared to John Wick . With The 355 , Kinberg and Rebeck don't make much of a case for it with regards to offering something different. The 355's main point of differentiation is that it's a women-led team, but its story could've been pulled from any number of previous spy movies, with entirely predictable twists that viewers will be able to see coming a mile away. Unfortunately, Kinberg and Rebeck offer little reason to check out The 355 .

For the film's part, however, the cast is compelling to watch. Chastain's Mace falls victim to the issue of a story's main character being the least interesting one, with her primary characteristic being that she doesn't have any personal attachments. Kruger has much more to work with as Marie, a German agent who turned in her rogue father at a young age. Similarly one note are Khadijah and Graciela, who are the opposites of Mace and Marie, both having personal attachments in the form of significant others and families, making them reluctant to get involved. Fan's character gets the least amount of screen time of the leads, leaving her with little to work with as well. But whereas the characters aren't particularly complex, the dynamic of the group is entertaining to watch as their various personalities clash or come together. Individually, they aren't very compelling, but as a group they're fun to watch.

Half the sell of any action spy movie is the action, but The 355 doesn't offer much in the way of memorable action scenes. They're serviceable, with the cast and stunt crew doing a good enough job to keep viewers watching. Because of The 355 's PG-13 rating, the movie lacks the brutality of some other entries in the genre, and with the derivative script, Kinberg's film would've benefitted from more captivating action sequences. As it stands, the action sequences are largely unexceptional, not even managing to rise above the less-than-clever script. Perhaps the most interesting thing about The 355 is its lack of gratuitous violence toward women, though the leads get into plenty of scrapes throughout the course of their mission. However, the goodwill of that lack of violence is lost through a number of contrived lines and pandering to a shallow idea of "girl boss" spies.

Ultimately, The 355 is an okay action movie that doesn't set itself apart from the pack of spy films. As a result, those interested in the cast would be fine checking it out — if they feel safe to do so in a theater or by waiting until its home release. But those who aren't intrigued by the premise or the cast would also be fine skipping this one. The 355 proves it's not enough for Hollywood to increase the number of women in a typically male-dominated genre. A compelling story, characters, and exciting action are necessary.

Next: The 355 Movie Trailer

The 355 will release in theaters on Thursday evening, January 6. It is 124 minutes long and rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, brief strong language, and suggestive material.

Key Release Dates

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The Crowded Room review: a series of miscalculations

“The Crowded Room is a psychological thriller that doesn't have much to offer when it comes to thrills or surprises.”

Throughout the first half of its 10-episode season, The Crowded Room does not have a story. It has a twist, which it drags out for nearly six hours. In doing so, the new Apple TV+ series leaves its two immensely capable leads, Amanda Seyfried and Tom Holland, stranded with nothing to do but be vessels for The Crowded Room ’s endless exposition dumps. When it’s later revealed that not everything is as it seemed in the show’s first half, it’s hard not to realize in the same breath just how much more interesting The Crowded Room could have been if it had simpy played it straight from the very beginning.

Unfortunately, these kinds of miscalculations are present in all of The Crowded Room ’s 10 episodes. Even when the series has reached some of its most moving and compelling moments — most of which occur in its final few installments — it dampens their impact with “twists” that not only come across as frustratingly hokey, but also seem to exist solely to justify The Crowded Room ’s overlong 10-hour runtime. There’s an intriguing, well-acted series in The Crowded Room . The problem is that it’s buried under 6 hours’ worth of unnecessary filler.

Loosely inspired by Daniel Keyes’ 1981 nonfiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan , The Crowded Room picks up with its lead, Danny Sullivan (Holland), after he is arrested for participating in a public shooting that leaves three people injured. Following his arrest, Danny catches the attention of interrogator Rya Goodwin (Seyfried), who conducts a series of one-on-one interviews with him in the hopes of unearthing the truth behind the crime. The Crowded Room uses these interviews as a way into its numerous flashbacks, which gradually reveal exactly how Danny went from being a relatively sweet kid born and raised in upstate New York to a hostile shooter.

Along the way, The Crowded Room , which comes from A Beautiful Mind writer Avika Goldsman, introduces viewers to a handful of key figures in Danny’s life, including his stepfather Marlin, (Will Chase); his mother, Candy (Emmy Rossum); a free-spirited partier named Ariana (Sasha Lane), and his Israeli landlord, Yitzak (Lior Raz). In its early episodes, The Crowded Room primarily focuses on the time Danny spent living with the latter two characters. To say anything more here about their roles, though, would be to spoil many of the surprises that The Crowded Room spends a considerable amount of time trying to hold on to.

The problem is that many of The Crowded Room ’s twists are painfully obvious from the moment the show begins. Even those who have no knowledge of the 1981 novel that served as the series’ inspiration will likely find themselves catching on quickly to the revelation that The Crowded Room essentially grounds the first and second halves of its season around. That, in turn, makes the show’s needlessly long runtime feel alternately confounding and irritating.

Once it’s done away with its initial façade, The Crowded Room picks up quite a bit in its second half, which adopts an increased focus on actors like Seyfried and Christopher Abbott, who shows up late in the series as Danny’s lawyer and makes one of the biggest impressions of any of its cast members. Seyfried, for her part, is given so little to do in The Crowded Room ’s first five episodes that it is, at first, hard to understand why she agreed to star in the series, especially coming off her career-best turn in last year’s The Dropout .

When Rya is actually allowed to start driving the series’ narrative forward, it becomes easier to see why Seyfried was drawn to the role. Her work in the series’ final third, particularly her scenes with Abbott, Holland, and Rossum, just further cements Seyfried’s place as one of the most underrated and capable screen actresses working right now. Overall, The Crowded Room is often at its best when it is at its most empathetic, which is why Seyfried’s Rya, whose interest in Holland’s Danny extends far beyond her own professional curiosity, is so key to many of its best moments.

As for Holland himself, quite a lot of noise has been made about the effect his role here had on him. It’s clear from the moment The Crowded Room begins that the Spider-Man star fully threw himself into the splintered headspace of his character, however, The Crowded Room spends so much time trying to dance around the emotional realities of Danny’s life that it ends up wasting Holland. It’s only in the series’ final three episodes that the actor is finally able to portray all the aspects of Danny that likely made him an appealing character in the first place. Once he’s allowed to do so, it’s made blindingly clear just how much better The Crowded Room could have been if it had just been written as a four- or six-episode limited series.

Cutting down its number of episodes would have allowed The Crowded Room to excise some of its most trying installments, which include an episode-long excursion to London that might as well have been titled Filler . The show could have similarly lost a handful of late-season twists that are clearly meant to heighten its stakes and tension, but mostly come across as cheesy and hackneyed. While Rossum, Jason Isaacs, and Emma Laird do their best to breathe real life into some of The Crowded Room ’s supporting figures, their performances suffer due to the show’s indecisive characterizations of their roles.

The same can be said for The Crowded Room itself, which suffers from an unevenness that is present in nearly every aspect of it. The show is, in a bit of a tragically ironic twist of fate, brought down by its own conflicting impulses. On the one hand, it’s a series that desperately wants to imbue its characters’ journeys with as much empathy and heart as it can. On the other, it’s a wannabe genre experiment that feels the need to tell its story in the most overcomplicated manner possible. Ultimately, the most interesting thing about The Crowded Room is just how resolutely it refuses to get out of its own way.

The first three episodes of The Crowded Room are now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes premiere weekly. Digital Trends was given early access to all 10 of the series’ episodes.

Editors' Recommendations

Entergalactic isn’t like most other animated movies that you’ll see this year — or any year, for that matter. The film, which was created by Scott Mescudi a.k.a. Kid Cudi and executive producer Kenya Barris, was originally intended to be a TV series. Now, it’s set to serve as a 92-minute companion to Cudi’s new album of the same name. That means Entergalactic not only attempts to tell its own story, one that could have easily passed as the plot of a Netflix original rom-com, but it does so while also featuring several sequences that are set to specific Cudi tracks.

Beyond the film’s musical elements, Entergalactic is also far more adult than viewers might expect it to be. The film features several explicit sex scenes and is as preoccupied with the sexual politics of modern-day relationships as it is in, say, street art or hip-hop. While Entergalactic doesn’t totally succeed in blending all of its disparate elements together, the film’s vibrantly colorful aesthetic and infectiously romantic mood make it a surprisingly sweet, imaginative tour through a fairytale version of New York City.

Andrew Dominik’s Blonde opens, quite fittingly, with the flashing of bulbs. In several brief, twinkling moments, we see a rush of images: cameras flashing, spotlights whirring to life, men roaring with excitement (or anger — sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference), and at the center of it all is her, Marilyn Monroe (played by Ana de Armas), striking her most iconic pose as a gust of wind blows up her white dress. It’s an opening that makes sense for a film about a fictionalized version of Monroe’s life, one that firmly roots the viewer in the world and space of a movie star. But to focus only on de Armas’ Marilyn is to miss the point of Blonde’s opening moments.

As the rest of Dominik’s bold, imperfect film proves, Blonde is not just about the recreation of iconic moments, nor is it solely about the making of Monroe’s greatest career highlights. It is, instead, about exposure and, in specific, the act of exposing yourself — for art, for fame, for love — and the ways in which the world often reacts to such raw vulnerability. In the case of Blonde, we're shown how a world of men took advantage of Monroe’s vulnerability by attempting to control her image and downplay her talent.

Meet Cute wants to be a lot of things at once. The film, which premieres exclusively on Peacock this week, is simultaneously a manic time travel adventure, playful romantic comedy, and dead-serious commentary on the messiness of romantic relationships. If that sounds like a lot for one low-budget rom-com to juggle — and within the span of 89 minutes, no less — that’s because it is. Thanks to the performance given by its game lead star, though, there are moments when Meet Cute comes close to pulling off its unique tonal gambit.

Unfortunately, the film’s attempts to blend screwball comedy with open-hearted romanticism often come across as hackneyed rather than inspired. Behind the camera, director Alex Lehmann fails to bring Meet Cute’s disparate emotional and comedic elements together, and the movie ultimately lacks the tonal control that it needs to be able to discuss serious topics like depression in the same sequence that it throws out, say, a series of slapstick costume gags. The resulting film is one that isn't memorably absurd so much as it is mildly irritating.

Great Movies

Collections, tv/streaming, movie reviews, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

Jean ( Rosy McEwen ) is dying her hair blonde on a quiet night in. The only noise is the sound of a dating show on her television. Her eyes are blue, but soon we notice that so much of the world around her is also blue. Her bathroom is a pretty pale blue, and so is her jacket, the P.E. uniform at the school where she teaches—which also has blue walls. Her car is a darker shade of blue, and the lights of her favorite club are mostly blue. The palette gives the movie its title but beyond its creative premise, Georgia Oakley ’s “Blue Jean” uses its melodic visual aesthetic as part of the story. It immerses the viewer in the cold, isolated feelings of Jean’s repressed existence in late 1980s England when Margaret Thatcher was about to sign legislation to ostracize the gay and lesbian community. Jean's neighbors and family give her funny looks, and she has to suffocatingly hide who she is from her coworkers.

With her feature debut, director Oakley uses an incredible amount of detail in bringing to life the characters she’s written and the painstaking efforts to color code her sets, costumes, and lighting to get just the right emotional tone and shades of '80s pastels. Her style is reminiscent of another British filmmaker, Joanna Hogg , who also takes great pains crafting gorgeous compositions for her frame. Other than blue, from blue grays to saturated deep blues, the color that makes the second most notable appearance is pink, as if emphasizing the rigid gender expectations society, her co-workers, and relatives have for Jean. Her much more feminine coworker and sister wear shades of pink with ease, but Jean is off in her blue world and its blue hues. The two colors contrast, yet Victor Seguin’s cinematography incorporates them flawlessly into a dreamlike vision shot on 16mm. Jean’s story may be heartbreaking, but Oakley and her crew’s technical work is awe-inspiring.

What little breathing room Jean enjoys outside her home extends only to queer safe spaces like the lesbian bar where she shoots pool and drinks with friends or her girlfriend’s home with other lesbian roommates. Even then, Jean still doesn’t look fully comfortable switching from passing straight at work to being herself, occasionally looking around as if afraid to be caught. She panics over her girlfriend, Viv ( Kerrie Hayes ), and her much more out and proud behavior. Jean worries she’ll lose her job at the school if they find out she’s a lesbian, and the feeling only intensifies when a new lesbian student arrives and starts visiting Jean’s favorite nightspot. Jean’s efforts to push the young girl back into conformity backfire, forcing her to reckon with hiding her identity.

McEwen brings Jean’s complex inner conflict to life with every measured stare and carefully guarded pose. Her body language is as tense as a trip wire, set to snap at any second, which is radically different from the energy Hayes gives Viv, an unapologetically tattooed and head-shaved punk ready to return dirty stares with a flirtatious one. She’s not one to be intimidated, but Jean sadly lives in a perpetual state of caution, bringing problems to their relationship.

“Blue Jean” may be a period piece, but it’s timely as LGBTQ rights regress in both the U.K. and the U.S., with the rhetoric of “save the children” once again weaponized against the queer community. Jean’s central struggle to come out or continue hiding to save her job is a problem she agonizes over throughout the movie, turning down invites to go to the pub with coworkers and guarding herself against being associated with other lesbians. Jean quickly retreats when a bully torments new student Lois ( Lucy Halliday ) or when Viv calls her at work. “I know it seems unfair, but I’m trying to help you,” Jean insists when coaching Lois to avoid doing anything that may draw attention. Through their shared experiences, the movie’s scope widens, showing the difficulty of living as a queer person when homophobia is internalized, in person, on the news, and practically in the air. At one point, Viv angrily confronts Jean about her efforts to kick Lois out of the lesbian bar, “How is that girl going to know she has a place in this world?” And sadly, it seems as if more and more people today are forced to ask a similar question.

Oakley’s care and McEwen’s intense performance make “Blue Jean” one of this year’s most impressive movies. It deals with so much heartbreak without as many words; its pain is communicated through its somberly beautiful palette and performances. In addition to Soraya Gilanni's production design and Kirsty Halliday's costumes, the film’s soundtrack immerses the audience in the era's music, with songs that range from new wave tracks like New Order’s “Blue Monday” and Pink Rhythm’s “Melodies of Love” to the disco-tinged delights of Jimmy Ross’ “First True Love Affair (Larry Levan Remix)” and the punk beat of The Larks U.K.’s “Maggie Maggie Maggie Out Out Out.” But as Jean argues with her sister about holding onto her old wedding photo and shrinks behind her coworkers bad-mouthing gays and lesbians like her, the focus returns to her face, carefully obscuring her outrage, and tallies the day-to-day indignities she endures to fight for a place in a society that still rejects her. She’s powerless to change the world around her, but as we watch Jean find her strength, we see what’s possible when we make the world more accepting of ourselves and others.

Now playing in theaters.

Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a freelance writer and University of Southern California Annenberg graduate film critic fellow. Although she originally went to Boston University for biochemistry and molecular biology before landing in the sociology department, she went on to review films for The Boston Phoenix, WBUR, Dig Boston, The Boston Globe, and co-hosted the podcast “Cinema Fix.”

Now playing

The Boogeyman

Simon Abrams

Close To Vermeer

Sheila o'malley.

White House Plumbers

Master Gardener

Glenn kenny, film credits.

Blue Jean (2023)

Rosy McEwen as Jean

Kerrie Hayes as Viv

Lucy Halliday as Lois

Lydia Page as Siobhan

Stacy Abalogun as Ace

Amy Booth-Steel as Debbie

Aoife Kennan as Sasha

Scott Turnbull as Tim

Farrah Cave as Michelle

Georgia Oakley

Cinematographer

Latest blog posts

The 2023 American Black Film Festival Runs In-Person June 14-18 and Virtually June 19-25

Ghosts of War: Ted Geoghegan on Brooklyn 45

Joe Dante on The Movie Orgy

Peacock's Based on a True Story is a Frustrating but Promising True-Crime Parody

The Star Edition

CHANGE LOCATION

This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Animated versions of Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld share a scene in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” already one of the biggest 2023 movies.

The best summer 2023 movies list is here — our critic picks the top 10 you can’t miss

Including “barbie,” “the flash,” and summer’s most anticipated horror movie..

The prime summer months between now and Labour Day are normally a season to shudder for cinephiles. Blockbusters and low-wattage comedies and horrors rule the roost as we await the September arrival of prestige pictures and the start of awards season.

This summer promises something different. Movies that seem on the surface to be product-hustling popcorn amusements — I’m looking at you, “Barbie” — might actually have something deeper going on. Here’s hoping.

There’s already serious Oscar talk for at least three films newly arrived in theatres or heading there: animated adventure “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” romantic drama “Past Lives” and historical epic “Oppenheimer,” as varied a selection as you could ask for.

The next three months also give us a chance to say goodbye to Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford, 80) and welcome back to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, 60), as both of these enduring action heroes set out to save the planet in the marquee-filling “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.”

All of the above are among my Top 10 picks of films to anticipate this summer, along with another 10 good bets from the dozens of theatre-bound offerings. Five of these films I’ve already seen; I’ve included star ratings for them. Release dates are subject to change.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (now playing)

Animated versions of Hailee Steinfeld (L) and Shameik Moore (R) in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," already one of the biggest 2023 movies.

Extraordinary animation and muscular transformations make the continuing Spidey saga(s) of Brooklyn teen Miles Morales and his family, friends and foes even more of a marvel. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers approach this first part of a sequel to the 2018 multiverse adventure (Part 2 comes next year) as a series of colliding comic books, with many worlds, moods and characters — there are dozens of Spider-Men and multiple Spider-Women and villains. Pulling the web strands together is the heart and humour of the characters, especially Shameik Moore’s earnest Miles and his friend and romantic fascination Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), a.k.a. Spider-Woman in another realm.

Past Lives (June 9)

Greta Lee stars in "Past Lives," one of the most critically acclaimed 2023 movies so far this year.

This darling of the winter festival circuit — it garnered raves at Sundance and Berlin — hits theatres with sighs of wistful romance, triangular complications and the promise of a story well told. The feature debut of writer/director Celine Song, a Korean-Canadian playwright drawing in part from her own history, is a “what if?” tale of life choices that become momentous as years pass. Devoted childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung lose touch when Nora’s family emigrates from Seoul to Canada. As an adult, played by Greta Lee (“Russian Doll”), she’s a budding writer living in New York with her novelist husband, Arthur (John Magaro, “First Cow”). Life is good, but Skype sessions with Nora’s old flame Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) dissolve distance and decades, leading to thoughts about paths taken and forsaken.

The Flash (June 16)

Ezra Miller in"The Flash," poised to be the biggest superhero movie of summer 2023.

A series of real-life misdeeds has a contrite Ezra Miller looking for reinvention , and this Flash-first contribution to the DC Extended Universe, directed by Andy Muschietti, provides it with heart and humour. Miller ably plays three characters: the title speedster superhero and two squabbling versions of Barry Allen, his nerdy alter-ego. A time-travel mistake, made to undo family tragedy, alters The Flash’s world and prompts Krypton villain General Zod (Michael Shannon) to attack. Barry One must convince Barry Two to become The Flash — it’s sort of a reverse origin saga — while also persuading Michael Keaton’s Batman to come out of retirement. The story gets messy — multiple cameos and a rushed intro for Sasha Calle as Supergirl — but I like how it follows Keaton’s war cry: “Let’s get nuts.”

Asteroid City (June 23)

Scarlett Johansson in Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City," one of the most anticipated summer 2023 movies.

Meticulous madman Wes Anderson hits peak weird with a play within a film, written by a character played by Edward Norton and narrated by a character played by Bryan Cranston, set in an asteroid-struck desert town in 1955. It’s about time, grief, love, the meaning of life, the magic of the universe, gawking at atomic bombs and giving a rock back to E.T. The picture is packed with so many ideas and cast members old and new — Tom Hanks joins such Anderson regulars as Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright and Steve Carell — it’s difficult to keep track of where they are, what they’re doing, and what’s supposed to be real and what’s not. I dig it, as will devoted Anderson fans, but it’s a far-out trip for newcomers.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30)

Harrison Ford stars as the adventuresome title archaeologist for the fifth and final time in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," a big summer 2023 movie.

Not a classic Indiana Jones movie but not a disaster, either, and let’s face it — are you going to bail on the guy now? Set mostly in 1969 (with a 1944 prologue) Harrison Ford's fifth and final Indy romp settles for franchise tropes — MacGuffin, Nazis, tombs, whip cracks and sidekicks — as it labours through a global quest for a compact time machine. The device was constructed by ancient Greek math whiz Archimedes, who of course also broke it in two and designed elaborate hiding places. The film gets by on goodwill, some crackerjack special effects, director James Mangold’s relentless propulsion and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comic turn as Indy’s scheming goddaughter and tomb-raiding rival. Fare thee well, Indy!

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (July 12)

Cruise in "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," sure to be one of the biggest summer 2023 movies.

Never bet against a Tom Cruise movie. Last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick” is credited with almost single-handedly reviving a pandemic-struck film exhibition industry. Cruise also recently topped a poll of moviegoers who were asked to name the stars most likely to draw them to a cinema. The seventh chapter in his durable “Mission: Impossible” franchise looks to be another home run for the time-defying action hero, as Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his IMF allies — including characters played by Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg — are once again obliged to save the world from a diabolical menace. This time the job may take a bit longer, as per the “Part One” in the awkward title. So expect an annoying cliffhanger ending, but did I mention the film stars Tom Cruise?

Barbie (July 21)

Emma Mackey, Simu Liu. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star in "Barbie."

Cheap laughs or heavy thoughts? An early teaser for Greta Gerwig’s live-action Barbie doll movie made it seem more like an “Archie” comic book film, with Margot Robbie as Betty, Ryan Gosling as Archie, Emma Mackey as Veronica and Simu Liu as Reggie. Another teaser confusingly indicated there are multiple Barbies and Kens. But as fuller plot details have emerged — Barbie No. 1 must leave her Barbie Land fantasy world to solve problems in the real world — so has hope that Gerwig and her co-writer/partner Noah Bambauch have crafted something that is more than just high-concept product hustling. The film’s full trailer has Barbie stopping a dance number in her dollhouse abode to ask fellow revellers, “You guys ever think about dying?” I am curious pink.

Oppenheimer (July 21)

Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (2023) by Christopher Nolan.

With “Dunkirk” director Christopher Nolan at the helm, this dramatization of atomic bomb “father” J. Robert Oppenheimer and his Manhattan Project team seems guaranteed to be worth every square inch of the IMAX screens the movie demands. Cue the “explosive” headlines, and ready the awards campaign for title star Cillian Murphy, whose thousand-yard stare in the trailers suggest he’s captured Oppenheimer’s guilty ambivalence as the man who helped end the Second World War but who also created the tool for a feared Third World War. Murphy’s co-stars are a roll call of Hollywood A-listers: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman, Rami Malek and more. Will this be the thinking person’s blockbuster?

Talk to Me (July 28)

Joe Bird stars in the horror film "Talk to Me."

Teens find a spooky embalmed hand that lets them physically commune with the dead — but only for a short while, or else demonic possession takes hold. What could possibly go wrong? Just about everything, as the motherless and grieving Mia (Sophie Wild), her kid brother and her rowdy friends are about to discover. This low-budget horror by Danny and Michael Philippou was snapped up by boutique label A24 at Sundance, a testament to the creativity and audience savvy of the twin bros, YouTube stars (RackaRacka comedy channel) making their feature debut. The story has shaky logic but a rock-solid sense of instilling dread with a minimum of special effects and a sound design that turns the chill up to 11.

Strays (Aug. 18)

No other trailer has made me laugh as hard this year as the one for Josh Greenbaum’s shaggy dog comedy, the tale of how man’s best friend plots revenge against his callous owner. Loveable but gullible Reggie, a border terrier voiced by Will Ferrell, can’t believe what’s happening to him after his scuzzball minder, Doug (Will Forte), abandons him far from home. Reggie soon gets the picture — and hatches a hilarious payback scheme — after meeting a streetwise Boston terrier named Bug, voiced by Jamie Foxx. With a voice cast that also includes Sofía Vergara, Isla Fisher, Josh Gad and Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”), this promises to be a dumb-but-fun diversion to liven up the August movie doldrums.

Other noteworthy movies to add to your summer movie list

“20 Days in Mariupol” (July 21)

“Afire” (July 14)

“The Blackening” (June 16)

“Blue Beetle” (Aug. 18)

“Elemental” (June 16)

“Gran Turismo” (Aug. 11)

“The Meg 2: The Trench” (Aug. 4)

“Something You Said Last Night” (July 7)

“Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)” (June 9)

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Aug. 2)

Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)

More from The Star & Partners

More entertainment, top stories.

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

'Transformers' movie review: 'Rise of the Beasts' rolls out with renewed franchise vigor

The genius who cast Pete Davidson as a talking robot that turns into a Porsche deserves an honorary Oscar. Perhaps an MTV Movie Award or something.

There’s actually a bunch of inspired choices in “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Friday), the latest installment of the popular sci-fi action franchise with metal aliens punching and blasting other metal aliens. The series has thankfully, found its way out of the doldrums of the Michael Bay era and discovered a satisfying groove of nostalgic bliss. It’s still a whole lot of earnest diatribes, hokey zingers and assorted nonsense but it’s at least crowd-pleasing, candy-in-your-popcorn nonsense.

The previous outing, 2018’s coming-of-age charmer “ Bumblebee ,” revisited the 1980s – the decade that spawned the Transformers toy and cartoon craze – and “Beasts” catches up with Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and the Autobot heroes in 1994. An artifact called the Trans Warp Key is sought after by a world-eating being called Unicron (Colman Domingo), so he can travel through time and space for a planetary smorgasbord that would rival a high-end Las Vegas buffet.

Naturally, this key is on Earth, Unicron’s henchman Scourge (Peter Dinklage) and the Terrorcons are after it, and the Autobots – stuck on our world and trying to get back to their home of Cybertron – team with a group of animal-themed transforming robots called Maximals, who ended up here after Unicron drove them off their planet. (The Maximals were introduced into "Transformers" lore with the '90s animated "Beast Wars" series.)

The plot hinges on human characters, too, and they’re a step up from the Bayhem days of Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Mark Wahlberg. Noah (Anthony Ramos), an ex-Army tech expert who cares for his sick little brother, and Elena (Dominique Fishback), a fledgling anthropologist who knows her ancient history but isn't getting to use it in her museum day job, are proud Brooklynites recruited into the effort to foil Unicron’s meal plans.

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts': New movie villains Terrorcons to wreak havoc on Brooklyn

Directed by Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”), “Beasts” boasts a diverse cast, spiffy visual effects and big robot-battling-robot action scenes that are much more coherent than the cacophonous Bay days. The writing is sharper and smarter as well, including a knowing Marky Mark jab, and while there are still lines like “Cross my spark and hope to die,” at least the characters know it’s corny and go with it.

More importantly, attention is paid to where the main players have been and where they're going. For example, this isn't the human-loving Optimus Prime of the 2000s "Transformers" films yet; since "Beasts" is sort of a prequel, the Autobot leader and Noah are distrustful of each other and verbally spar before finding common ground.

'Transformers': Every franchise movie, definitively ranked

Another integral aspect: The characters are mostly likable. Noah and Elena give the narrative heart and purpose, plus Noah’s fist-bumping buddy dynamic with new Autobot rebel Mirage is the main reason the film works. There's an all-star squad voicing the various Transformers, including nerd legend Cullen (who’s voiced Prime for four decades), Ron Perlman as Maximals’ gorilla leader Optimus Primal, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as wise Maximal falcon Airazor and Cristo Fernández (aka Dani Rojas on “Ted Lasso”) as Autobot mechanic Wheeljack.

Kids of the now will adore Davidson’s comic timing and humor as Mirage, the transforming robot role he was born to play. Kids of the ‘80s will appreciate the inclusion of Unicron – a character from the 1986 “Transformers” animated movie that was one of the late Orson Welles’ last film roles – as well as a major final-act surprise.

This is no “Beasts” of burden for anyone. It’s a rather enjoyable step in the right direction for a formerly flailing fan-favorite franchise.

Or browse by category:

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

Helping Kids Navigate the World of Artificial Intelligence

Connecting with Our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Roots Through Stories

Exploring and Celebrating Multicultural Families with Entertainment

New podcast series

White men can't jump (2023), common sense media reviewers.

Remake has lots of language, stereotypes, and drug use.

White Men Can’t Jump: Movie poster of remake.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

It's important to take care of your mental and phy

Kamal is a loving father, son, and husband with an

There's a lot of mutual stereotyping that happens

There's mention of and reference to crimes, lots o

Adults flirt, kiss, and have implied sex ("wanna d

Nonstop language, including variations on "f--k,"

Basketball teams, players, NBA, ESPN, Jordans, Nik

Characters talk about buying, dealing, and smoking

Positive Messages

It's important to take care of your mental and physical health equally. Kids need their parents; adults thrive when they can rely on their partners. Race doesn't define a person entirely, and despite historical injustices and remaining bitterness, Black and White people can get along. Dreams can come true.

Positive Role Models

Kamal is a loving father, son, and husband with anger issues. His dad has been a wonderful father, but he regrets not teaching his son how to manage his temper. Jeremy refuses to grow up, still hoping for a basketball career despite debilitating knee injuries and a painkiller addiction. His girlfriend just about gives up on him, forcing him to realize how much he needs her. Kamal's wife is very supportive of her husband, despite feeling disappointed in him at times. Kamal's dad has been a loving and attentive father, especially after Kamal's mother walked out on them.

Diverse Representations

There's a lot of mutual stereotyping that happens between the White character and the majority Black cast. These are mostly meant to be funny, and nobody is exempt from the teasing. The White character is depicted as a little kooky: a detox-obsessed vegan who carries an NPR tote bag. He's dating a Black woman. Another Black man teases his friend for dating White women. The Black character portrayals are more diverse because there are more characters. All characters are depicted as struggling to make ends meet, and some do this through illegal means.

Inclusion information : Black actors, Black writers

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

There's mention of and reference to crimes, lots of verbal taunts (including racial and sexual) and physical threats, some fistfights break out, and a man wields a flamethrower in a public place. Kamal's dad has MS and is hospitalized. A beloved character dies.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Adults flirt, kiss, and have implied sex ("wanna do some freaky s--t?"). There are references to being turned on, porn, pimping, "d--ks," dry humping, a stripper pole, "getting none tonight," and a man's bare bottom is seen in a locker room. There's mention of OnlyFans.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Nonstop language, including variations on "f--k," "s--t," "ass," and "goddamn." Also: "hell," the "N" word, "d--k," "p---y," "bitch," "dildos," "dope," "dumb," "loser," "stupid," "Jesus Christ."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Basketball teams, players, NBA, ESPN, Jordans, Nike, NPR, Gonzaga, Tesla, Instagram, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Google, TikTok, Nordstrom, OnlyFans, Ed Sheeran.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters talk about buying, dealing, and smoking weed, as well as eating cannabis products and edibles. A drug dealer at a gym offers a wide variety of pills. A main character is addicted to painkillers. Adults drink liquor. People are seen smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that White Men Can't Jump , a remake of the 1992 film , marks the feature debut of singer Jack Harlow across a mostly Black cast. The film has nonstop language, including racial and sexual taunts, and drug use. Some of the racial stereotypes could make some viewers uncomfortable and/or open conversations about their historical origins. Basketball players constantly mock each other. They also lose their tempers easily, making threats, and breaking into fistfights. A man wields a flamethrower, and a beloved character is hospitalized and dies. Characters talk about buying, dealing, and smoking weed, as well as eating cannabis products and edibles. These references are played for laughs. A drug dealer at a gym offers a wide variety of pills. A main character is addicted to painkillers. Adults drink liquor, and people are seen smoking. Most of the main characters are struggling to make ends meet. Adults flirt, kiss, and have implied sex. There are references to being turned on, porn, pimping, "d--ks," dry humping, a stripper pole, "getting none tonight," and a man's bare bottom is seen in a locker room. Language includes frequent use of "f--k," "s--t," "ass," "goddamn," "hell," the "N" word, "d--k," "p---y," "bitch," "dildos," and more.

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

In WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, Kamal Allen ( Sinqua Walls ) is a former high school basketball star now struggling to make ends meet to support his wife, Imani ( Teyana Taylor ), and son. Jeremy (Jack Harlow) is a former college basketball star whose knee surgeries have left him unable to play and addicted to painkillers. He spends his days trying to earn a few bucks coaching younger players and selling "detox" smoothies, but his professional girlfriend Tatiana ( Laura Harrier ) is losing her patience with him. When Kamal hears about an opportunity to earn a lot of money in a basketball tournament, he enlists Jeremy to play two-on-two with him. The pair pull together the tournament entry fee by hustling games on neighborhood courts around Los Angeles. Playing together forces them both to reconcile with their own pasts and face what's keeping them both unable to move forward in their lives.

Is It Any Good?

Uneven in its humor but driven by two solid central performances, this remake is sure to earn relentless comparisons with the original . White Men Can't Jump is also streaming in some territories on Disney+, which could mislead viewers into thinking the film has been toned down. In fact, this Jump has a definitive Black outlook -- White guy Jeremy, played by Harlow, is the odd man out, and the writing and directing team behind this version (unlike the original) is Black. The remake seems to be trying hard to be edgy, with music video director Calmatic at the helm, and it's sometimes successful. There's lots of verbal ribbing, as in the original, including some homophobic heckling and plenty of mutually racial taunts.

Much of the verbal jousting feels heavily scripted. Likewise, the banter between Harlow and Walls (and the back-up comedic pair of Myles Bullock and Vince Staples) doesn't always hit its mark, but there are occasional laugh-out-loud lines. Jump's appeal relies heavily on enjoying the two main characters and believing the deeper connection between Jeremy and Kamal. Walls is a charismatic leading man, and Harlow makes an impressive feature film debut here, though he definitely seems more comfortable with comedy than drama. The film also has tender moments of father-son love, male bonding, and men realizing they need the support of their women.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

White Men Can't Jump is a remake of an earlier film. If you've seen the original, how do the two compare? Do you think people can enjoy this film without knowing about or watching the original? Can they possibly enjoy it more?

One of the film's stars and its director come from the world of music. What added value do you think people known for other forms of art can bring to a movie?

One of the main themes of this film, and the basis for much of its humor, is racial stereotyping. Do any of the stereotypes hit home for you? Do any offend you? Why do stereotypes exist?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Champions Movie Poster: Marcus is in the center on a yellow background with members of The Friends team sitting beside him on a courtside bench underneath the title "Champions"

Coach Carter

Hoop Dreams

Do the Right Thing

Basketball movies, basketball games, related topics.

Sports and Martial Arts

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Subscribe Now! Get features like

Bloody Daddy movie review: This Shahid Kapoor-starrer serves everything half-baked

Bloody daddy movie review: from sketchy characters with no back stories to a wafer-thin plot, the film seems to have faltered in many places..

While well-made crime shows and films based on drug mafias have been keeping us hooked to the big screen and on streaming platforms, we are served a half-baked and bland Bloody Daddy. Right from sketchy characters with absolutely no back stories, a wafer-thin plot to a screenplay that unfolds like scattered pieces of a puzzle and a climax that takes no NASA brains to decode, this Ali Abbas Zafar directed film makes you wonder if he rushed to make it, write it, edit it and release it, basically faltering in every aspect of filmmaking. Also read: Shahid Kapoor jokes how he picks films like Bloody Daddy to take out frustration on set: ‘Been married for eight years’

Shahid Kapoor in a still from Bloody Daddy.

An adaptation of French film Sleepless Night (2011), the film has average dialogues and mediocre action scenes clubbed with uncooked characters that needed way more depth and detailing to leave a lasting impact. If anything works, it’s Shahid Kapoor’s heroic screen presence, but unfortunately, he also disappoints in the acting department this time. Maybe it’s got to do with his recent choices of playing angry men. I mean, we have seen him being needlessly broody, alcoholic, picking fights, and being eccentric a bit too much now. We have had enough of that crazy streak in Kabir Singh, and saw some glimpses of it Jersey and Farzi, too. So seeing Shahid do that same stuff, all over again in Bloody Daddy, wasn't really inviting.

Bloody Daddy chronicles the story of one night when NCB officer Sumair Azad ( Shahid Kapoor ) goes to meet drug lord Sikander Choudhary (Ronit Bose Roy) in his club to return a bag of cocaine in exchange for his kidnapped teenage son. But things don’t go as per plan and what ensues is a 'bloody' fight. It all starts when one morning, Sumair nabs drug dealers along with his colleague Jaggi (Zeishan Quadri), and seizes cocaine worth ₹ 50 crore. While Sumair somehow manages to retrieve the bag from NCB office to be able to keep his son safe, he’s oblivious to the fact that he’s being shortchanged at multiple levels within NCB. He ends up in fights with his colleagues Aditi Rawat (Diana Penty) and senior Sameer Singh (Rajeev Khandelwal). At one point, everyone is a suspect, and ahead of the climax, things become clear and it’s a cakewalk to figure how the end will eventually pan out.

With a runtime of two hours, it’s fast paced and well-edited but never rises beyond being a cat and mouse chase and fight. The action thriller that Zafar has co-written with Aditya Basu and Siddharth–Garima kicks off on a high note and in no time, nosedives into being a bland unfolding of events that doesn’t offer any adrenaline rush.

Given that the film was shot in 36 days during the Covid-19 pandemic, it opens with quite a few warnings regarding the initial lockdown, the second wave claiming lives, people rendered jobless, the increase in crime rate ahead of the third wave and everyone used to the new normal. And I expected Zafar to build the premise on these lines, however, I see nothing of this translate into the actual script, other than a few superficial scenes where we see people masked up, guests at a high-profile wedding being tested and criminals talking about how the pandemic has doomed their hotel and drug business, so they need to resurrect it.

Performance of supporting cast

For once I thought if not the screenplay, the casting would do some wonders, alas, it’s rather disappointing how every single actor has been made to look like a sidekick with nobody getting to showcase their acting chops to the best of their ability. Ronit Roy, a delight to watch on screen, doesn’t have a clear direction between being a good cop or a bad cop. Rajeev Khandelwal struggles in action sequences and never looks convincing enough. Sanjay Kapoor comes as a stylised villain only to vanish in thin air once his part is done. Ankur Bhatia and Vivaan Bhatena as bad guys, do a decent job but have too little to do. Lost in this male-dominated cast, we get Diana Penty trying to hold her ground and she isn’t that bad, actually. She doesn’t go overboard and maintains a calming balance. In fact, the young boy who plays Shahid’s onscreen son, Atharva, is quite good and refreshing.

The biggest joke of Bloody Daddy is in the title itself. After each action sequence, we see Shahid and Rajeev’s characters covered in blood stains, and the next moment, it’s all gone. They just start afresh from where they left the fight but, no blood on their faces or clothes. It’s actually difficult to digest such bad continuity breaks.

Overall, Bloody Daddy might keep you hooked only for the sheer thrill of watching Shahid do some action and stunts on screen, but it falls prey to its own cliches and tropes. The film is now streaming on Jio Cinemas.

Bloody Daddy Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Ronit Roy, Rajeev Khandelwal, Diana Penty, Vivan Bhatena, Sanjay Kapoor, Ankur Bhatia Director: Ali Abbas Zafar

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like.

Your Subscription Plan

IMAGES

The 355 Movie Streaming Online Watch on Lionsgate Play, Netflix
Movie Trailer: The 355
355 Movie Review
Watch the Trailer for Upcoming Spy Thriller ‘The 355’ Starring Lupita
The 355 DVD Release Date
'The 355': The lady spy film you didn't know you needed

VIDEO

Good Boy Bad Boy
SCARPA PHANTOM 6000 MOUNTAINEERING BOOTS
|| Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Vomiting ||
The Super Mario Brothers
দু'জন হ্যান্ডসাম ছেলে যখন,এক গরীব মেয়ের প্রেমে পড়ে-04.Romance Is a Bonus Book Bangla Explanation
The Spirit of Vail

COMMENTS

'The 355' Review
Director: Simon Kinberg Screenwriters: Theresa Rebeck, Simon Kinberg; story by Rebeck Rated PG-13, 2 hours 3 minutes He co-wrote The 355 with playwright Theresa Rebeck, who has a long history...
The 355
Top Critics All Audience Verified Audience M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut Here's the 411 on The 355 — it's a bloated bore. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 2, 2022 Ruth Maramis FlixChatter...
The 355 movie review & film summary (2022)
Powered by JustWatch "The 355" amasses some of the most talented and electrifying actresses in the world, then squanders them in a generic and forgettable action picture. Jessica Chastain is among them, and she helped shepherd the film from the beginning as one of its producers.
The 355
89% Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story -- Pollen -- The Devil Comes at Night -- First Contact -- The Neighbor 88% American Pain -- My Fault 69% Flamin' Hot 82% Unidentified...
'The 355' review: Jessica Chastain and Lupita N'yongo headline a ...
CNN — Showcasing a thrown-together international team of female spies, "The 355" mostly feels like the pilot for a TV series, just with an inordinately good cast. Any movie in this genre that...
The 355 Review
The 355 Review Meh-ssion: Impossible. By Matt Fowler Updated: Jan 8, 2022 9:11 am Posted: Jan 6, 2022 11:31 am The 355 premieres in theaters on Friday, Jan. 7.
The 355 review
The 355 review - Jessica Chastain-led action thriller is a disappointing dud The Oscar nominee leads an impressive cast in a frustratingly rote caper that ends up being as forgettable as its...
'The 355' review: Jessica Chastain in low-yield spy thriller
Review: Espionage team-up of 'The 355' fails to come together. Penélope Cruz, left, Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o and Diane Kruger in "The 355," co-written and directed by Simon ...
The 355 Movie Review
1:08 The 355 Official trailer Did we miss something on diversity? Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
The 355 (2022)
399 Reviews Hide Spoilers Sort by: Filter by Rating: 5/10 Modern Commercialism guskeller 8 January 2022 The 355 is modern commercialism. It has little to say and is painfully generic, but it plays up its female-centric cast, hoping to make up for its thin substance.
The 355 review: A sleek, silly, and surprisingly fun female spy
The familiar marks 355 hits — sneering, stubbled villains; glittery international set pieces; things that go boom — follow the smoothed-down grooves of a thousand other thrillers, and everyone in...
The 355 (2022)
5.6 /10 33K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 2,335 81 Play trailer 2:05 22 Videos 99+ Photos Action Thriller When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, a wild-card C.I.A. agent joins forces with three international agents on a mission to retrieve it, while staying a step ahead of a mysterious woman who's tracking their every move. Director
The 355 review: a powerhouse cast in a weaksauce Mission ...
The 355 continues the hot new streak of lousy lady action movies. Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, and Fan Bingbing are a strong team in a weak film
'The 355' Review: Exile in Bondville
'The 355' Review: Exile in Bondville Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing star in an espionage thriller that's slick but banal. From left, Penélope Cruz,...
The 355
Positive Elements The women of the 355 (a name I'll revisit in the Conclusion) feel alone for much of the film. They've all faced betrayal and loss. However, by working together, they gradually discover camaraderie and kinship.
'The 355' Review: Jessica Chastain in a Vigorous Formula Spy Flick
But "The 355" is a vigorous formula action spy flick with an out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire plot that mostly holds your attention, periodically revs the senses, and gives its actors just ...
Movie Review: Jessica Chastain's 'The 355'
The 355 was directed by X-Men: Dark Phoenix 's Simon Kinberg, who wrote the script with Smash creator Theresa Rebeck, and he's genuinely terrible with fight sequences, which is a real issue in ...
The 355 Reviews
Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 122 min See All Details and Credits Watch Now Stream On Stream On Stream On Metascore 40 Positive: 6 Mixed: 27 Negative: 7 Critic Reviews 75 Alan Ng
'The 355' Streaming Movie Review: Stream It or Skip It?
The 355 - named after a real-life American Revolution-era code word for a still-unnamed female spy - takes the convoluted shenanigans of the Bourne and Mission: Impossible films, and girl-ifies...
The 355 Review: Trite Spy Movie Is Shallow & Entirely Missable
The 355 is an entertaining if unremarkable spy movie, with predictable story beats and mediocre action that's only somewhat saved by its strong cast. The 355 follows Mace Brown (Chastain), a CIA operative tasked with retrieving a hard drive from defected Colombian DNI agent Luis (Édgar Ramirez) that could usher in the end of the world if it ...
The Crowded Room review: a series of miscalculations
Cons. Throughout the first half of its 10-episode season, The Crowded Room does not have a story. It has a twist, which it drags out for nearly six hours. In doing so, the new Apple TV+ series ...
Blue Jean movie review & film summary (2023)
Blue Jean. Jean ( Rosy McEwen) is dying her hair blonde on a quiet night in. The only noise is the sound of a dating show on her television. Her eyes are blue, but soon we notice that so much of the world around her is also blue. Her bathroom is a pretty pale blue, and so is her jacket, the P.E. uniform at the school where she teaches—which ...
Summer 2023 movies: Our critic's top 10
Asteroid City (June 23) Meticulous madman Wes Anderson hits peak weird with a play within a film, written by a character played by Edward Norton and narrated by a character played by Bryan ...
'Transformers' movie review: 'Rise of the Beasts' rolls out with
The plot hinges on human characters, too, and they're a step up from the Bayhem days of Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Mark Wahlberg. Noah (Anthony Ramos), an ex-Army tech expert who cares for his ...
White Men Can't Jump (2023) Movie Review
Kids say ( 2 ): Uneven in its humor but driven by two solid central performances, this remake is sure to earn relentless comparisons with the original. White Men Can't Jump is also streaming in some territories on Disney+, which could mislead viewers into thinking the film has been toned down. In fact, this Jump has a definitive Black outlook ...
Bloody Daddy movie review: This Shahid Kapoor-starrer serves everything
Bloody Daddy movie review: From sketchy characters with no back stories to a wafer-thin plot, the film seems to have faltered in many places. While well-made crime shows and films based on drug ...