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☆ 'Bupkis' review: Pete Davidson is the worst part of a Peacock series about being Pete Davidson
  + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —Give Pete Davidson a bit of credit for making himself the least interesting part of a series about being Pete Davidson. Having already played a version of himself in the Peacock movie “The King of Staten Island,” Davidson certainly doesn’t seem overly concerned about stretching his acting chops. Davidson is introduced Google-ing himself, chafing at living in the public eye while residing (uncomfortably at times, as an early sequence demonstrates) with his mom. “Bupkis” is at times very funny, but when it comes to getting to know more about Pete Davidson, the show’s admirable qualities are more in spite of that than because of it. “Bupkis” premieres May 4 on Peacock.
☆ Amazon's $300 million new spy series 'Citadel' debuts to mediocre reviews and could be another high-profile miss for the streamer
  + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com   time to read: +4 min
Amazon's ambitious new spy series, "Citadel," starring Priyanka Chopra, premiered today. Costing as much as an estimated $300 million, it stands to be one of the most expensive series ever made. It has a 56% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 41 reviews. Amazon has a lot riding on its new ambitious spy series, "Citadel," but so far critics are less than impressed. Rotten Tomatoes deems a 60% score or less to be "rotten."
☆ 'Return of the Jedi' missteps: Five ways the 'Star Wars' sequel messed up, from a certain point of view
  + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +5 min
That’s in part because those shortcomings have echoed through the years, as subsequent “Star Wars” mythology has contorted itself, sometimes messily, in order to accommodate them. Still, Episode VI ill-served some of the original trilogy’s significant characters, in ways that have been debated across the decades, yielding the kind of arguments that have become one of the “Star Wars” franchise’s most renewable resources. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in "Return of the Jedi," which was released in 1983. Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock“From a certain point of view.” Let’s stipulate that Anakin Skywalker “became” Darth Vader when he turned to the dark side. “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” will play in select theaters beginning April 28.
☆ 'Ghosted' review: Chris Evans and Ana de Armas reunite in a spirited action comedy
  + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —“Chris Evans and Ana de Armas” is about all that’s required to make the sales pitch for “Ghosted,” a spirited if familiar action-based romantic comedy, where the sparring banter generally outshines the muscular stunts. Throw in clever cameos and this Apple TV+ movie delivers on its promise of unpretentious fun. Unlike the needy Cole, “Ghosted” doesn’t ask for anything more than a couple intermittently attentive hours of your time. Thanks to Evans and de Armas, it’s the sort of invitation that’s pretty hard to ignore. “Ghosted” premieres April 21 on Apple TV+.
☆ 'Star Trek: Picard' series finale Episode 10 review: 'The Last Generation' fights the Borg (again), with an ending that's easy to resist (SPOILERS)
  + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
The following contains spoilers about the “Star Trek: Picard” series finale, “The Last Generation.”CNN —Jean-Luc Picard and his crew fought the Borg again in the finale of “Star Trek: Picard,” but despite the oft-used phrase about the futility of fighting them, the highly sentimental ending to the Paramount+ series – including 15 minutes of character-driven material after the battle – likely gave many fans what they wanted, but still turned out to be pretty easy to resist. Patrick Stewart has gamely anchored this latest offshoot of Gene Roddenberry’s creation into his 80s, in this third round flanked by most of the original “Star Trek: The Next Generation” lineup. Still, the extended curtain calls reinforced a sense that the nostalgia, while initially welcome, had essentially reached its limit. There’s nothing wrong with serving that devoted audience, but the 10-episode sendoff still began to feel like too much of a good thing. Nobody can accuse Paramount of under-utilizing the “Trek” shingle, with “Strange New Worlds,” “Lower Decks” and “Prodigy” set to return later this year, plus a just-announced movie featuring Michelle Yeoh.
☆ 'The Mandalorian' season 3 finale review: 'The Return' hits the reset button (SPOILERS)
  + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers about the seventh episode of “The Mandalorian,” Season 3, “The Return.”CNN —To borrow a line from another Disney+ series, it’s been the Empire all along. It was the kind of cinematic sequence that would surely play well in the planned movie that will capitalize upon this timeline of the “Star Wars” universe. That said, after resolving the fate of Mandalore, the finale essentially hit the reset button on the show’s central premise in the form of happy ending. That involved formalizing the central duo’s bond by having the Mandalorian adopt Grogu, before assuming a new bounty-hunting role focused on pursuing Imperial remnants across the galaxy. Overall, to say the third season wasn’t always neat or pretty would be an understatement.
☆ 'National Treasure: Edge of History' review: A Disney+ series adds a young-adult chapter to the movies
  + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +2 min
CNN —Giving the “National Treasure” movies a young-adult spin, “National Treasure: Edge of History” transforms the franchise into a Disney+ series, one that offers the same playful approach to the past while weighing that down with tiresome relationship issues and a protagonist with her own Scooby gang. The opening episodes have their moments, but it’s less something to treasure than at best mildly enjoy. Nicolas Cage starred in the 2004 movie and its sequel, a sort of discount “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The baton here passes to Lisette Olivera as Jess, a whip-smart Dreamer whose father, a protector of treasures, disappeared when she was a baby. As the recent “Willow” reminds us, Disney has aggressively mined its movie library for titles that might lend themselves to streaming-series treatment, and “National Treasure,” with its episodic aspect as Jess must locate and crack new clues, perhaps works on that level better than most. “National Treasure: Edge of History” premieres December 14 on Disney+.
☆ 'Kindred' review: Hulu adapts Octavia E. Butler's novel into another time-travel tale that takes its sweet time
  + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +2 min
CNN —After starting out well, “Kindred” gets lost in a maze of its own making, adapting Octavia E. Butler’s time-traveling novel into an eight-part Hulu series that spends far too much time spinning its wheels. The series does begin promisingly enough, as Dana (Mallori Johnson) moves into a new house in Los Angeles and begins to experience a series of eerie visions. Mallori Johnson (left) in the Hulu series "Kindred." Brace yourself, in other words, for a lengthier commitment to glean greater insight into how all of this works. “Kindred” premieres December 13 on Hulu.
☆ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ rekindles the wonder in a way that demands to be seen
  + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +5 min
CNN —“Avatar” took a very basic story and adorned it with eye-popping spectacle, in a way that made the film a must-see commodity, and a record-breaking hit in the process. Thirteen years later, braving much different theatrical tides, director James Cameron has done it again with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a state-of-the-art exercise that rekindles that sense of wonder and demands to be seen by anyone with lingering interest in watching movies in theaters. The children, in particular, must grapple with the personalities and pettiness associated with becoming the new kids on the reef. Ultimately, though, “The Way of Water” melts away any skepticism that it might be too late or too long in its return to Pandora. “Avatar: The Way of Water” premieres December 16 in US theaters.
☆ 'Top Gun' and 'Avatar' nab Golden Globe nominations, pointing the way for the Oscars
  + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —The cliché about award shows is that it’s an honor just to be nominated. Having endeavored to address those issues on both fronts, the Globes are here again, although not everyone has embraced the event or the HFPA with open arms. "Avatar: The Way of Water" debuts Dec. 16. The steep decline in award-show viewing, exacerbated by the pandemic, hasn’t made studios or talent any less enthusiastic about earning such recognition. In that sense, however tarnished the Golden Globes might be, its example could be another factor that helps point the way for the Oscars when those nominations are unveiled in January.
☆ 'The White Lotus' season finale review: 'Arrivederci' says goodbye to a brilliant second season (SPOILERS)
  + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +4 min
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers about “The White Lotus” season finale, “Arrivederci.”CNN —It started with floating bodies, and finally brought home its various threads with a sly nod to the fact that the sex in this visit to “The White Lotus” tended to be transactional. In between, the second installment proved almost as engrossing, uncomfortable and meme-worthy as its Emmy-winning predecessor, which is no small accomplishment for writer-director Mike White. Tanya, however, wasn’t the only character being manipulated for money or advantage, which is what connected the show’s various threads. Discovery), but thanks to “The White Lotus,” it’s home to one of the best things on television, and as anthology-style concepts go, potentially one of the most durable. So now that everyone obsessed with the show has said “Arrivederci” to Sicily, the only real question is, “Where are we going next?”
☆ 'Pinocchio' review: A reimagined story is beautiful but comes with too many strings attached
  + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —The mere title “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” announces that this stop-motion animated movie reflects the keen eye and visual style of the directing auteur, with a healthy dose of revisionism and reimagining baked into that. Yet despite its beauty, several of those narrative touches don’t fully work, leaving behind a movie that’s aesthetically lovely but narratively uneven. Perhaps foremost, del Toro makes the ill-advised decision to incorporate songs into the story, although he keeps interrupting them, which might speak to a certain lack of conviction about that particular aspect. It’s around that point where del Toro (who shares directing credit with animator Mark Gustafson) appears determined to connect this “Pinocchio” to larger and more ambitious themes. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” premieres December 9 on Netflix.
☆ 'The Whale' review: Brendan Fraser's standout performance can't keep Darren Aronofsky's film afloat
  + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —The love showered on Brendan Fraser out of film festivals inflates expectations for “The Whale” wildly out of proportion, in a movie based on a play that occurs almost entirely within a lone apartment. Weighted down not by its morbidly obese protagonist but rather its stick-thin supporting players, Fraser deserves praise for his buried-under-makeup performance, but that’s not enough to keep the movie afloat. Adapted by Samuel D. Hunter from his play, “The Whale” actually derives its title from the book “Moby Dick,” although the convincing enormity of Charlie’s physique obviously provides another meaning. As poignant and heartbreaking as Charlie’s plight is, “The Whale” can’t transcend the line between theater and film. While it’s easy to root for Fraser to earn accolades, in the annual hunt for award-worthy movies, consider this another one that got away.
☆ "Emancipation" review: Will Smith casts an Oscar-shaped shadow over Antoine Fuqua's earnest movie
  + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —Any discussion of “Emancipation” will inevitably be clouded by the Will Smith of it all, and Apple’s decision to release the movie into the teeth of awards season. Taken to work laying railroad track, Peter overhears word of Lincoln’s pronouncement and realizes his best chance at freedom involves reaching the Union Army in Baton Rouge. Effectively adopting a Haitian accent, Smith captures the physicality of the role, and Peter’s defiance toward his captors without uttering a word. “Emancipation” premieres December 2 in US theaters and December 9 on Apple TV+. It’s rated R. (Disclosure: The writer’s spouse works for a unit of Apple.)
☆ 'Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo' review: HBO shines a light on decades of alleged abuse within a mega-church
  + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +4 min
CNN —Spanning decades, “Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo” is another #MeToo story, this time on a disturbingly epic scale, exploring alleged sexual abuse that occurred across generations in a Guadalajara, Mexico-based mega-church, and the victims that eventually rose up to speak out. Founded in 1926, La Luz Del Mundo (Spanish for “The Light of the World”) says it has branches around the world, carrying the word of God from a designated apostle chosen from the ranks of its guiding family. CNN has reached out to La Luz Del Mundo for comment. While HBO’s poster for “Unveiled” features the line, “Bringing the truth into the light,” time will tell whether that light turns out to be the best disinfectant. “Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo” premieres December 6 at 9 p.m.
☆ 'Sr.' review: Robert Downey Jr. deals with his late dad in an intimate Netflix documentary
  + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —At the end of “Sr.,” a documentary so personal the word “intimate” almost doesn’t do it justice, Robert Downey Jr. ponders what his 90-minute ode to his father was really all about. The simple answer, stripped of celebrity, is the painful process of saying goodbye to an aging, increasingly infirm parent, filtered through the careers of these two entertainers. It’s a conversation Downey Sr. clearly doesn’t relish having, although their interplay throughout is one of warmth, forgiveness and love, and if there was second guessing or recriminations on the way to making that peace, you won’t find it here. Shot over three years, the film captures Downey Sr.’s physical decline as he experiences the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. “I’ll miss him,” Downey Jr. says after visiting the old man with his own young son, Exton.
☆ 'George & Tammy' review: Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon stand by an oft-told musical tale
  + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
Chastain continues to carve out an inordinately unique niche of standout performances playing women named Tammy, although “Tammy Faye” embodied a different realm of high-profile personalities. That is, of course, an oft-told tale, a la “Sid and Nancy” or Ike & Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” among past dramatizations within different musical genres. Understandably, stars are invariably drawn to these kind of showy roles, with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” and “Elvis” among the recent examples. Thanks to Chastain and Shannon (who admirably pull off their own singing), “George & Tammy” provides a warts-and-all window into Wynette and Jones’ lives. “George & Tammy” premieres December 4 at 9 p.m.
☆ 'Violent Night' review: David Harbour delivers the goods by putting Santa Claus in 'Die Hard' mode
  + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —The idea of a nasty Christmas movie is nothing new, but “Violent Night” still manages to deliver the goods, mixing “Die Hard” and “Rambo”-style action with a fair amount of hokey ho-ho-hokum. David Harbour makes a particularly good cranky, butt-kicking Santa, in a movie that offers the sort of shared experience that should bring theaters some much-needed cheer. Still, pulling off that combination of over-the-top violence, goofy comedy and (in this case) Hallmark-style meaning-of-Christmas stuff is a pretty formidable challenge, and while the setting proves slightly claustrophobic, “Violent Night” mostly overcomes it. That might not be the formula for a fun-for-the-whole-family holiday perennial, but to its credit, those sitting through “Violent Night” should rarely stay silent for long. “Violent Night” premieres December 2 in US theaters.
☆ 'Willow' review: Warwick Davis returns in Lucasfilm's series sequel for Disney+
  + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
Setting that aside, a Disney+ revival series isn’t without its charms, in a more contemporary narrative that brings back Warwick Davis while focusing on the next generation. The latter were played by Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, respectively, who as an off-screen bonus got married after the film. Jonathan Kasdan (who also worked on “Solo”) serves as showrunner, collaborating with four directors who each oversaw back-to-back episodes. While that combination doesn’t add up into making “Willow” significantly worthier of the “beloved” label than its late-’80s predecessor, consumed on its own unpretentious terms, it’s easy enough to like. “Willow” premieres November 30 on Disney+.
☆ ‘Glass Onion’ sharpens the ‘Knives Out’ formula in a polished Netflix sequel
  + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —Rising to the challenge of matching its successful predecessor, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” maintains the razor-sharp formula, with a setup that feels even more conspicuously like an Agatha Christie homage before an extremely clever series of twists kick in. Writer-director Rian Johnson again assembles a solid cast behind Daniel Craig, but it’s his use of language – where nary a word is wasted – that finally gives the sequel its edge. Netflix opportunistically stepped up to acquire the “Knives Out” franchise and, departing from its usual “Stroke the filmmakers’ egos” approach to theatrical distribution, will actually give the movie a wide one-week-only release before it hits the streaming service in late December. Happily, “Glass Onion” finds new layers to explore, in a way that makes the prospect of a new “Knives Out Mystery” every few years sound like a perfectly reasonable idea, wherever and however one chooses to consume it. “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” premieres November 23 in US theaters and December 23 on Netflix.
☆ 'Welcome to Chippendales' review: Kumail Nanjiani stars in a Hulu limited series that looks a little under-dressed for success
  + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —Hulu has carved out an impressive niche of salacious fact-based limited series, including several with a true-crime hook. “Welcome to Chippendales” checks off those boxes, but in a less-appealing package that’s surprisingly lifeless, and even with its trashy selling points looks under-dressed for success. The story begins with Indian immigrant Somen “Steve” Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani) who is introduced as a gas-station/quickie-mart attendant before he gambles his savings by opening a high-end backgammon club. Ultimately, though, “Chippendales” is defined by its trashier aspects, while its assortment of supporting players and their soap-opera problems too often feel as if they’re just killing time. “Welcome to Chippendales” premieres November 22 on Hulu.
☆ 'Wednesday' review: Jenna Ortega makes Netflix's Addams Family series look like a snap
  + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
CNN —Although the main character’s name was inspired by the poetic line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe,” “Wednesday” is generally a delight, thanks almost entirely to Jenna Ortega. Having outgrown her Disney Channel days, Ortega makes the Addams Family’s now-high-school-age daughter the coolest humorless goth sociopath you’ll ever meet, in a Netflix series that’s more kooky than spooky or ooky. – a “five-fingered discount.” The writers extract a great deal of comedic mileage from that extremity, so give them a hand. Seeking to bring something new a property like the Addams Family, which has been done so many times before, isn’t easy without altering its DNA. To its credit, “Wednesday” rises to the challenge and mostly manages to make it look like a snap.
☆ 'The Walking Dead' series finale review: Episode 24 of the extended 11th season finally comes to an end, after biting off more than it could chew (SPOILERS)
  + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +4 min
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers about “The Walking Dead” series finale, “Rest in Peace,” which premiered November 20. CNN —Forgive AMC, at least a little bit, for almost drunkenly celebrating “The Walking Dead” in its heyday by feeding audiences as much content related to the zombie drama as they possibly could. In its early seasons, “The Walking Dead” excelled in part because of its unpredictability, as the montage of characters who had died reminded the audience. Those plans later morphed into a limited series, but the sense that “The Walking Dead” was no longer the priority in AMC’s “Dead” universe had been pretty well cemented. Television is always hungry for another hit, and at its height “The Walking Dead” was the TV equivalent of a supernova.
☆ 'Bones and All' review: Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell star in Luca Guadagnino's tale of fine young cannibals
  + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +3 min
A road movie about youthful flesh-eaters finding love (the title “Fine Young Cannibals” comes to mind), it’s a strange and intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying stew. There’s an unavoidably episodic quality to the pair’s travels, and strictly in terms of screen time, Chalamet plays a significant but relatively modest role. It’s that rare movie that despite its flaws leaves you wanting more, where the limited series version would potentially be more rewarding. Russell nevertheless delivers a breakthrough performance, anchoring the movie in Maren’s uncertainty and vulnerability, which provides necessary ballast given the florid nature of the characters around her. “Bones and All” just takes that dynamic more literally than most, while narratively speaking, feeling more like an appetizer than a meal.
☆ ‘Slumberland’ strands Jason Momoa in a nightmare of a movie
  + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +2 min
CNN —A movie about dreams becomes the stuff of nightmares in Netflix’s utterly misguided “Slumberland,” an attempt to build a sprawling fantasy adventure from the bones of the early-20th-century newspaper comic strip. Most notable as a vehicle for Jason Momoa, this wannabe spectacle from “The Hunger Games” director Francis Lawrence serves up lots of special effects desperately in search of a story. The realm of dreams is described as “a world with no consequence,” but as constructed, that comes in a movie with no clear creative compass, proving more mystifying than magical. Along the way, they run afoul of something called the Bureau of Subconscious Activities, a surreal bureaucracy that sees Flip as an outlaw. Those attributes feel wasted, however, in the surreal confines of “Slumberland,” which, as amusement-park-type names go, doesn’t even qualify as a nice place to visit.
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