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☆ 'Hocus Pocus 2' review: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker conjure the same old brew on Disney+
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Hocus Pocus 2” should benefit from that dynamic, delivering a breezy sequel – 29 years later – that should provide go-down-easy Halloween viewing for families in the less-demanding confines of Disney+. Then again, this kind of movie hardly needs to reinvent the cauldron, representing more of a cut-and-paste job. While the not-too-scary hijinks are acceptable for kids, those scenes will likely deliver more of a kick for parents who caught the movie way back when, helping turn it into a Halloween favorite. By that measure, “Hocus Pocus 2” finds what amounts to the streaming sweet spot, feeling just big enough, but not too big. “Hocus Pocus 2” premieres September 30 on Disney+.

☆ Ana de Armas’ fearless performance deserves a better movie than ‘Blonde’
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It’s not a fresh take or a wrong one, but the tone is so self-conscious and surreal as to blunt those insights. Dominik also distastefully deals with Monroe’s lost pregnancies by peeking at the fetus inside her, which becomes symbolic of just how overdone much of the movie is. Still, “Blonde” is almost wholly de Armas’ show, and to the extent it’s worth sitting through at all give her every ounce of credit. Indeed, once you get past admiring de Armas’ immersion into the role, that’s the only itch that “Blonde” seems to know how to scratch. “Blonde” premieres September 16 in select US theaters and September 28 on Netflix.

☆ 'Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga' review: Netflix presents the David-vs.-Goliath battle that roiled Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The best part of “Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga” is that it manages to tell a complicated financial story with a fair amount of humor and context, in a way that doesn’t demonize the various parties, which doesn’t spare them from various levels of mockery. The result is a Netflix docuseries that, despite a few excesses, exposes the more ridiculous aspects of stock trading and where all that paper can come to resemble a house of cards. Video Ad Feedback 04:37 - Source: CNN These GameStop traders struck gold. Perhaps the most salient impression watching “Eat the Rich,” though, is recalling just how big the story was – and how quickly media and markets move on, without addressing the vulnerabilities that allowed the GameStop saga to unfold. “Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga” premieres September 28 on Netflix.

☆ Jeffrey Dahmer is the Netflix its 'star' of the month with 'Monster' and "Conversations With a Killer'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But its current leading man, its MVP for the month, is Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious serial killer who died in 1994. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is currently Netflix’s most-watched title, according to its self-reported data released September 27, amassing more than 196 million viewing hours in the past week. And in case that hasn’t satisfied interest in all things Dahmer, that will be followed Oct. 7 by “Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes,” the latest installment in that docuseries franchise, which in the past has featured Ted Bundy and most recently John Wayne Gacy. While “Monster” might have sought to anticipate certain criticisms, that’s one that Netflix – and indeed, the entertainment industry – hasn’t resolved. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is currently playing on Netflix, and “Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes” will premiere Oct. 7.

☆ ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ was plagued with drama. It won the box office this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —It looks like “Don’t Worry Darling” didn’t have that much to worry about. (Warner Bros., like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. The solid box office was propelled by female viewers, who accounted for 66% of the film’s opening weekend totals, according to the studio. Ultimately, “Don’t Worry Darling” did what it was supposed to do, at least in terms of selling tickets. Now, those in Hollywood are wondering if “Don’t Worry Darling” will keep box office momentum going into its second weekend.

☆ 'Hostages' review: An HBO docuseries covers the Iran Hostage Crisis from all angles, including then to now
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —“Hostages” tells several major stories in one, from the history of US intervention in the Middle East to the Iranian hostage crisis’ impact on presidential politics to that period’s influence on media, launching “Nightline” as a byproduct. The result is a highly resonant trip down bad-memory lane, highlighting how those ripples remain evident 40-plus years later. “History will say that we made Reagan president of the United States,” says Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, one of the student leaders. “Hostages” airs September 28 and 29 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, which, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros.

☆ 'Sidney' review: An Oprah Winfrey-produced Apple TV+ documentary does justice to Sidney Poitier's remarkable life and career
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —In theory there’s only so much to be done with a celebrity biography, but when the subject is Sidney Poitier, that’s an unusually target-rich environment. “Sidney,” a documentary from director Reginald Hudlin produced by Oprah Winfrey, does the actor justice, providing context, depth and considerable warmth in chronicling his remarkable life and trailblazing career. “He was given big shoulders, but he had to carry a lot of weight,” says Denzel Washington. “Sidney” casts its own warming glow, in a way that sheds light not only Poitier’s path but also the decades in which he carved it out. “Sidney” premieres September 23 in select theaters and on Apple TV+.

☆ 'Don't Worry Darling' review: Florence Pugh isn't enough to redeem Olivia Wilde's tabloid-friendly second movie
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Florence Pugh makes the strongest case for seeing the film, but given how in-demand she is, if you miss this one, don’t worry. (The film is being released by Warner Bros., like CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. By that measure “Don’t Worry Darling” feels more like a modest setback than a major disappointment, but ultimately, it’s hard to call this project as a victory. “Don’t Worry Darling” premieres in US theaters on September 23. It’s rated R. The film is distributed by Warner Bros. Studios, which like CNN is part of Warner Bros.

☆ Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson 'Meet Cute' in a 'Groundhog Day'-style rom-com
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

(CNN) Time-traveling romance has a spotty history (just ask HBO), but like "Groundhog Day," that doesn't stop variations on the theme from happening again and again. Enter "Meet Cute," an unhelpfully-generic title for a movie most notable for pairing Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson, in a concept with barely enough meat for a "Black Mirror" episode, which likely explains its arrival via Peacock. "We just work," Sheila tells him, a theory that she can put to the test, over and over, altering the nature of their interaction in small and not-so-small ways and seeing how it plays out. The formula is obviously full of potential, which explains why writers keep returning to it, from "50 First Dates" to the recent Andy Samberg movie "Palm Springs." "It's OK for things to be messy sometimes," Sheila tells Gary, a line that possesses some significance in the larger story, but which doesn't necessarily apply quite as well in this sort of exercise.

☆ 'Andor' review: 'Star Wars' revives Diego Luna's character in a slow-moving prequel to 'Rogue One'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

(CNN) A prequel to a prequel, "Andor" brings a gritty tone and look to the "Star Wars" universe, as much the washed-out landscape of "Blade Runner" as George Lucas' far-away galaxy. Yet whatever promise that entails is mostly lost in flabby storytelling, essentially stretching what would have been a 10-minute movie prologue over the first three episodes. Disney+ has wisely decided to launch the 12-episode prequel to "Rogue One," starring Diego Luna as the spy Cassian Andor, with those three episodes, providing a somewhat better sense of the series' framework than the plodding first installment. Following a less-trodden path, though, doesn't excuse moving at the pace of a wounded Bantha, bogged down by flashbacks to the protagonist's childhood. Nor do these early episodes do enough to distinguish the shifting cast of supporting characters, a group that doesn't provoke much more than indifference.

☆ 'Reboot' review: Keegan-Michael Key and Judy Greer star in Hulu's comedy about the revival of a comedy from producer Steve Levitan
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The meta aspects of a Hulu comedy about the making of a Hulu comedy quickly pile up in “Reboot,” a fictional show about reviving a series from the early 2000s, reuniting the cast and crew with all their insecurities and old grudges. Created by “Modern Family’s” Steve Levitan, it’s a breezy and very-inside look at Hollywood, with a few too many rim shots but still a fair amount of laughs. She has her reasons, and finds the cast perhaps not surprisingly eager to reprise their roles, mostly for those sweet paychecks. Then again, that’s part of the latitude that streaming allows, and other elements, like the inter-generational conflict, prove frequently funny, and occasionally a little bit sweet. In 25 or 30 years, there might even be a “Reboot” reboot.

☆ ‘The Woman King’ surprises at the box office
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

1 spot at the domestic box office this weekend with a surprising $19 million, according to Sony (SNE). “The Woman King” is also an original and is not based on a previous piece of intellectual property like a sequel or superhero film. In modern day Hollywood, to take the box office crown without being connected to a prior hit or big franchise is a rare feat. Yet “The Woman King,” which was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and co-stars Lashana Lynch and John Boyega, took advantage of strong reviews and won the weekend for Sony. With few notable movies coming to theaters until early November, “The Woman King” could continue to find an audience and rack up sales at the ticket booth.

☆ 'L.A. Confidential' at 25
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

So it’s worth a moment, 25 years after its debut, to give some love to “L.A. Confidential,” the film noir adaptation of James Ellroy’s tale of corruption in the city of Angels that seemingly did everything right, only to be washed over by the understandable wave of enthusiasm that surrounded James Cameron’s massive hit, “Titanic.”Directed by the late Curtis Hanson, “L.A. Confidential” didn’t walk away from the Academy Awards empty handed, taking trophies for adapted screenplay and co-star Kim Basinger as the proverbial call girl with a heart of gold, and a striking resemblance to Veronica Lake. The investigation eventually swept up a trio of officers, turning them into unlikely allies in seeking to expose the truth. Confidential” was released by Warner Bros., which, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros.

☆ 'House of the Dragon' closes a chapter, but not before touching on a painful trope
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The following contains spoilers about the fifth episode of "House of the Dragon," which premiered Sept. 18. (CNN) "House of the Dragon's" fifth episode is actually significant for logistical reasons, essentially marking the end of the chapter before the show time jumps ahead, featuring older versions of some characters and somewhat shuffling the deck. The strides made in terms of greater inclusion have coincided with debate about how those characters are portrayed and the fates that they meet, giving rise to a much-discussed trope known as "Bury Your Gays." The phrase refers to a history in which gay characters have disproportionately died as a plot device, creating the impression they are more expendable in the eyes of storytellers. (The series plays on HBO, which, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros.

☆ 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' connects a complex history to the present
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

It's fascinating as history, but sobering as current events. Yet they took a back seat to the more pressing fight against Hitler, first in his quiet support for England, and later with America's entry into the war. Understanding the US's role during the Holocaust requires going back before it, contemplating anti-immigrant sentiment that percolated through the 1920s, auto magnate Henry Ford's virulent anti-Semitism and interest in eugenics and racial superiority. As historian Timothy Snyder notes, Hitler expressed admiration for brutality toward Native-Americans in seizing their lands, seeing it as "The way that racial superiority is supposed to work." Broken into three chapters, the first encompasses the prewar period, the second 1938-42 and the third the conclusion of the war and its aftermath.

☆ 'Do Revenge' links teen strangers on a train that runs out of steam
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

(CNN) "Do Revenge" has all the makings of an attention-generating machine, combining a "Mean Girls" vibe with the stars of two popular teen franchises in Camila Mendes ("Riverdale") and Maya Hawke ("Stranger Things"). It's too bad the Netflix movie doesn't match those qualities, offering a mishmash of homages that's mildly diverting but can't ace the final. Yet the plot (based on a script by Robinson and Celeste Ballard) doesn't pursue that enticing prospect with much conviction, which might explain why it runs out of steam down the stretch. The movie also owes debts to a lot of other teen fare, such as "Cruel Intentions," itself an adaptation of the French novel that became "Dangerous Liaisons." Mostly, it's a story of unlikely friendship, set against the backdrop of another private school where the parties make Roman bacchanals seem restrained and pale by comparison.

☆ ‘Confess, Fletch’ lets Jon Hamm show off his lighter side without Chase-ing the past
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jon Hamm hasn’t found many roles to rival his breakthrough “Mad Men” part, and “Confess, Fletch” certainly doesn’t either. “Confess, Fletch” doesn’t possess a whole lot of heft, but it manages to serve as an old-fashioned and playful star vehicle, carving out a version of the character that’s distinctive from Chase’s broader, more slapstick-oriented take. There are also small but playful touches, like Fletch wearing Lakers gear in, you know, Boston. Fletch might not really have any reason to confess, but on that modest level, the movie qualifies as a not-so-guilty pleasure. “Confess, Fletch” premieres in US theaters and on digital platforms on September 16.

☆ 'Blonde' review: Ana de Armas stars as Marilyn Monroe in a pretentious, overlong, NC-17 Netflix movie
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Netflix will surely get its money’s worth attention-wise thanks in part to its restrictive NC-17 rating, but the film’s merits burn out long before its credits ever roll. It’s not a fresh take or a wrong one, but the tone is so self-conscious and surreal as to blunt those insights. Norma Jeane is eventually transformed into Marilyn Monroe, but even then she consistently speaks of her star persona in the third person, as if the image stands apart and utterly separate from the human being behind it. Still, “Blonde” is almost wholly de Armas’ show, and to the extent it’s worth sitting through at all give her every ounce of credit. Indeed, once you get past admiring de Armas’ immersion into the role, that’s the only itch that “Blonde” seems to know how to scratch.

☆ 'The Woman King' review: Viola Davis stars in an action spectacle about female warriors
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Although “inspired by true events,” “The Woman King” clearly isn’t tethered to them, using the underlying story of 19th-century female warriors in an African kingdom as the jumping-off point for a rousing action vehicle, augmented by plenty of melodrama. It’s an egalitarian streak within a society where the king (John Boyega) still possesses a sprawling harem. Nanisca worries that her warriors “do not know an evil is coming,” a tease for the pending battle against the Oyo. If the finish is a bit too busy to be as rousing as intended, by then, “The Woman King” has made the most of its formidable arsenal. “The Woman King” premieres September 16 in US theaters.

☆ 'Clerks III' review: Kevin Smith's sequel is a sentimental valentine to the movie that launched his career
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Grappling with middle age, “Clerks III” turns out to be unexpectedly sentimental and nostalgic, reflecting that writer-director-editor-co-star Kevin Smith inherently recognizes this will likely be the gang’s final visit to Quick Stop Groceries. If so, it’s an uneven if gentle way to hang out the “We’re closed” sign. Things take a rather abrupt and darker turn, however, when Randal suffers a near-death experience, clearly inspired by Smith’s own cardiac episode in 2018. The weightlessness of the material was, initially, basically the point, which makes the reach for more emotional heft ungainly. “Clerks III” will play exclusively in theaters via Fathom Events from September 13-18.

☆ 'Cobra Kai' Season 5 review: The 'Karate Kid' series sequel hasn't lost its kicks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-09 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

(CNN) Crossing the streams with its sequels, the fifth season of "Cobra Kai" features heavy dollops of the second and third "The Karate Kid" movies while continue to carve out its own next-generation melodrama, all in extraordinarily nimble fashion. While it's not the best series on TV (OK, Netflix), there should be some kind of prize for the best revival culled from limited source material. Still, in order to battle the bad guy from "Karate Kid III," Daniel (Ralph Macchio) has enlisted the heavy from "II," Chozen (Yuji Okumoto), in an unlikely but utterly hysterical alliance. (A little fuzzy on his English, when Daniel suggests they need to cut off the head of the snake, the literal-minded Chozen pulls out a knife and is ready to go.) The kids, in fact, have as many shifting allegiances as the elder generation, whose AARP-eligible karate masters continue to prove remarkably spry.

☆ 'Pinocchio' review: Tom Hanks plays Geppetto in a lifeless Disney+ remake
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-08 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis’ reunion should be a source of curiosity, but their little puppet made of wood is in a movie that’s not so good. They build toward his encounter with the seafaring Monstro, upgraded to “sea monster” status, having maligned whales quite enough. It also largely squanders the vocal talents of the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Keegan-Michael Key as Jiminy Cricket and “Honest” John, respectively. While it’s perhaps unreasonable to expect a whole lot more from this sort of highly calculated leveraging of the studio’s library than a simple diversion for parents to share with kids, it’s not unreasonable to wish the live-action “Pinocchio” might have possessed a little more dimension than this. “Pinocchio” premieres September 8 on Disney+.

☆ 'House of the Dragon' plays a less-addictive game for an earlier throne
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-19 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

(CNN) HBO has followed the majesty of "Game of Thrones" with what might be called "games of throne" in "House of the Dragon," a series whose epic visual grandeur belies a smaller and less addictive power struggle, more narrowly focused on the Targaryen line. It's not bad, and there are dragons aplenty, but it doesn't produce the sort of characters that defined and elevated its predecessor to prestige-TV royalty. Martin 's prequel "Fire & Blood," the new series has the disadvantage of being set almost two centuries before the key events in "Game of Thrones," taking place 172 years prior to the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. That ratchets up the pressure to sink or swim -- or rather, soar or sputter -- strictly on its own terms. (As an aside, all those flowing blond-white Targaryen locks should lock up a hairdressing Emmy, if nothing else.)

☆ 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 2 review
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-28 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Understandably determined not to mess with success, “Only Murders in the Building” returns with a second season that self-consciously plays to its strengths, while layering the new mystery laid out by its cliffhanger ending on top of the old one. It’s every bit as breezy and fun, with lots of winking references to “Season 2” (the podcast, naturally, but you get the idea). While the show perhaps inevitably doesn’t feel quite as fresh this second time around, it gets plenty of mileage out of those small touches and the general obsession with true crime. You can indeed, which doesn’t prevent “Only Murders” from living up to its modestly scaled ambitions and once again knocking ‘em dead. “Only Murders in the Building” begins its second season June 28 on Hulu.

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