Movie reviews of George Wolf

Hathaway is a worthy Oscar winner, and though Wilson’s pony could really use more tricks, she can be funny. What either one of them saw in this inane script is beyond me and beneath both of them. Review

Tolkien turns an ambitious quest into a rather pedestrian journey. Review

The Intruder is a little creepy, too often unintentionally funny and in need of some work. Review

Long Shot has the heart, charm and hilarity to win you over long before then. Review

In the latest of many challenging indie roles he’s been choosing post-Twilight, Pattinson is again impressive. In a succession of unlikable characters, he gives Monte a gradually sympathetic layer, an element that becomes critical to making the film’s third act as effective, and ultimately hopeful, as it is. Review

It truly is an incredible survival story, and by grounding it in the spirit of a distraught mother, Breakthrough finds some solid ground. Review

Directors Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson hit all the right benchmarks in their 76 minutes: a penguin adventure that will delight the kids told through often breathtaking footage plus, for the adults, nostalgic odes to parenting and classic hits. Review

It’s a thrilling, absolute can’t-miss testament to soul personified. Review

Director Jenny Gage, whose All This Panic mined genuine young adult emotion, is powerless to shape this material into anything more than plug-and-play emptiness. Review

The result is a film that’s confident but unassuming, fun without being silly, and satisfying from nearly every angle. Review

There really isn’t much Shazam! doesn’t deliver (okay, maybe it delivers a slightly bloated running time that includes two post-credits stingers), and as fast as you can say the magic word, DC has the best film in its universe since Bale was the Bat. Review

The Best of Enemies tells a good story and does plenty right while doing it, but is held back by missed opportunities. Review

The film has a respect for books and libraries that is indeed admirable, but by the time Goodson starts reading from Steinbeck on live TV, it becomes painfully evident what The Public wants to be when it grows up. Review

The Beach Bum is a mildly funny one trick pony, a rambling barfly always cracking up at his own jokes. Review

Zahler’s command of his playbook is hard to ignore. Though the glory of Concrete‘s payoff never quite rises to the breathtaking heights he’s hit before, his confident pace and detailed observations make for completely absorbing storytelling. Review

So much YA drama is anchored by this cheap enlightenment, and there is plenty here to wallow in. Review

It is 97 minutes of can’t-look-away intensity, a bold experience that may leave you asking “what just happened?” while you look for a nice place to lie down. But oh, those dreams you’ll be having. Review

Like a pop-up book full of highbrow surprises, Ruben Brandt, Collector is never less than delightful. Review

Apollo 11 stands even taller for its own humble nature. Even in this grand scale, the film never feels like it is trying to deliver a final word, in fact just the opposite. Review

Perry does manage a genuine laugh or two among the painful shenanigans, but the best thing about this Madea is that there are so many that have come before. Review

Packed with excitement, sincerity and visual amazeballs, The Hidden World ties a can’t-miss ribbon on a wonderful trilogy. Review

The result is never less than believable, a no muss, plenty of frigid fuss endurance tale that feels real. And real cold. Review

While never hilarious, Isn’t It Romantic manages consistent charm and an effective running gag about keeping it all PG-13. Review

Director Adam Shankman can find none of the authentic energy that infused his effervescent take on Hairspray, settling instead for a laziness that has little regard for continuity, logic or organic humor. Review