In the spring of 1938, when the figure of Superman made his first appearance in the pages of DC's "Action Comics #1," President Franklin Roosevelt's efforts to combat the Great Depression via the New Deal were at their height. There had as yet been only one world war and Lou Gehrig was still playing for the New York Yankees.
Given the blockbuster success of the franchise built on this somewhat outlandish premise, however, the characters who populate it are unlikely to learn their lesson and quit messing with the big beasts anytime soon. Certainly not this summer at any rate, because here comes "Jurassic World Rebirth" (Universal).
'Tis the season for popcorn pictures and the slick but shallow sports drama "F1 the Movie" (Warner Bros.) fits the bill. While acceptable for grown-ups, however, this fictional glimpse into the world of Formula One is not apt fare for impressionable youngsters.
The same crackling wit that marked the 2022 debut of the murderously malfunctioning android of the title is present again as she makes a seemingly unlikely comeback in "M3GAN 2.0" (Universal). As was the case with the original film, however, her latest adventures are best savored by mature moviegoers.
Intriguing connections are made and emotional insights provided in the course of the animated adventure "Elio" (Disney). While this Pixar production doesn't necessarily rise to the rank of a classic, as some of that studio's productions have, it is certainly a treat -- and one that's appropriate for all but the tiniest movie fans.
A decade and a half after its popular animated namesake was released comes the live-action remake "How to Train Your Dragon" (Universal). While the basic story and some of the personnel remain the same, the new arrival, although appropriate for a wide audience, falls short of the heights to which its predecessor soared.
The Grim Reaper will have his revenge on those who try to cheat him of his haul. Such is the dubious message of the franchise whose sixth installment, "Final Destination Bloodlines" (Warner Bros.), maintains the series' high splatter factor while throwing in some "moral" posturing that only makes the film more repellant.
One thing seems certain about the exorcism-themed movie "The Ritual" (XYZ); it is not intended as the first installment in a franchise. "It really was a one-off," director David Midell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Enrico Natale, tells OSV News.
Tom Cruise takes his eighth turn as infinitely resourceful spy Ethan Hunt in the grand-scale adventure "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" (Paramount). The stakes for which Ethan is playing this time are nothing short of global and the odds against him... well, seemingly impossible. Sound familiar?
"Lilo & Stitch" (Disney) is the latest yield of a long-term project on the part of the Mouse House to remake some of their more popular animated features of the past into live-action films. The result in this instance is a morally sound but shrill updating of a well-received -- and, in some quarters, cherished -- 2002 release.
From the moment of his election in early 2013, Pope Francis naturally became one of the world's most newsworthy individuals. But it was especially in the latter half of his pontificate that he proved an intriguing figure for moviemakers. Both documentarians and the creators of feature films were drawn to him over that time.
Over the course of several years in the 1840s, Charles Dickens, already renowned for his novels, penned a different kind of text. Entitled "The Life of Our Lord," his version of the Gospel story was intended for a small and exclusive audience: the nine of his 10 children who survived infancy.
