It’s like the feeling you get when you wake up from a realistic dream and need a moment to get your bearings.

A mismatched pair of blue macaws return for adventure in the Amazon with their new family in tow in the animated sequel Rio 2. When last we saw Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway), they were together and safe in their brand-new bird sanctuary in the jungles of Rio de Janeiro. With a […]

A onetime topflight salsa protégé is drawn back to the rigors of dance in Cuban Fury. In his early teens, Bruce Garrett (Nick Frost) was a salsa savant, ready to make his mark on the world by claiming a local major dance title. With his revered salsa coach, Ron (Ian McShane), awaiting his arrival, Bruce […]

A blue macaw and his human owner form an unbreakable bond that’s jeopardized when he’s stolen by smugglers in the animated Rio. Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is a blue macaw who’s made the most of his coexistence with humans. He and his adoptive owner Linda (Leslie Mann) spend their days in symbiotic bliss. They do […]

I grew up at the perfect time for the Muppets. I was a child when Sesame Street started airing on PBS, and The Muppet Show came a few years later with a whole new batch of characters that were better in many ways than the iconic creations on Sesame Street. The Muppets jumped to the […]

A 40-year-old wordsmith enters a national spelling bee by exploiting a loophole in its rules in Bad Words. Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), an editor with savant-like memory, decides to enroll in the latest Golden Quill spelling bee. Of course, it’s a contest meant for eighth graders, and Guy’s nearly three decades older than the other […]

An opportunistic concierge is framed for murder and sets out to clear his name in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes Anderson‘s latest quirky comedy is a powerful addition to his anthology of the absurd. If you’ve never encountered any of Anderson’s unique films, be forewarned that they’re somewhat of an acquired taste. His latest tale […]

An erudite beagle and his adopted son meet history’s most famous figures as they travel through time in the animation redux Mr. Peabody & Sherman. In this new, slightly reimagined update of a classic cartoon spin-off, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) grows up as an outcast. He’s not at all interested in conventional canine cavorting. […]

World War II Allied forces commission a group of art historians to track down and recover priceless works of art stolen by Nazi Germany in The Monuments Men. War claims many casualties, but one we rarely consider is the potential loss to the world of art. For many, it must seem almost criminal to try […]

Three unenlightened best friends find it challenging to keep their vow to avoid a serious romantic relationship in That Awkward Moment. When one of their friends finds out that his storybook marriage is over, the three agree on a pact to swear off all serious romantic relationships. Casual sex is the order of the day, but […]

A dysfunctional family gathers together in a time of need, only to find more challenges than answers, in August: Osage County. Many years ago, my grandfather shared with me a key piece of wisdom that, I’m embarrassed to say, I learned far later than I should have. I’d been struggling with some family dynamics, and […]

A highly motivated stockbroker rises from neophyte to Nero in The Wolf of Wall Street. With all the more recent news about Wall Street excess, it’s sometimes easy to forget the myriad of scandals that came before. In the ’80s and ’90s, we had crooks like Michael Milken, Ivan Boesky and, of course, the folks […]