Movie reviews of George Wolf

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

Kusama keeps up a knowingly effective pace, dropping just enough breadcrumbs to keep you interested until the twist reveal she’s sitting on. Of course, she’s also got Kidman’s range to lean on, occasionally forgetting it doesn’t need that much help getting noticed. Review

Minding the Gap entertains as a testament to the love of skateboarding, but it transcends as an emotional statement on the fragile bonds of parenting and an earnest ode to the power of love. Review

Stops short of sermonizing, but with some truly amazing and insightful footage, uncovers plenty of sobering food for thought. Review

The spoon-feeding that’s waiting at the end of Serenity is well-intentioned but structurally misguided, landing so far from the mark that just embracing that early Body Heat wave and riding it out might have made for a better crash. Review

Would Glass have worked better if we hadn’t been standing around staring all this time? Probably. but Shyamalan got us here with skill, and he gets us out with a film that’s easy to respect, but hard to cheer for. Review

Everything is painted with the broadest brush available. Review

Rests as a film always competent and sincere, but seldom revealing. Review

The cast is universally charming, and when Koreeda is content to ride the casually observational pace he introduces, Shoplifters works humanistic wonders with its sweet vignettes of love and mercy. Review

The story bursts to vibrant life. The dazzling animation gives a big soul kiss to comic books and pushes nearly every frame to its action-following limit. Review

Amid heavy dialog that’s fast and free-flowing with an improvisational feel, the crowded mountain home becomes a nerve-wracking metaphor for the state of race relations. Review

But beyond all the button pushing, sentiment and nostalgia are characters, and this all falls like a tomato can in the fist round if we don’t have reason to care about them. We still do. Review

The dialogue is fast and smart, often evoking a more easily digestible Aaron Sorkin. Salient points are made and then rebutted through the precise timing and intricate blocking of an outstanding ensemble... Review

Always more fuzzy than consistently funny, Instant Family offers plenty of good feels backed up with some lived-in comfortability. Review

It is precisely this intimacy that fuels the film’s resonance, as one family’s story becomes a vessel for greater understanding. That’s no small achievement, and Boy Erased is no small triumph. Review

Always watchable, and engaging enough to keep you invested. But Lisbeth became memorable by being uniquely compelling, not merely satisfactory. Review

The Grinch is nearly as empty as Cindy Lou’s living room on Christmas morn. Review

Factual liberties are taken, timelines are sometimes carelessly misrepresented, and there’s a totally needless gag from Mike Myers, but whenever Bohemian Rhapsody is most unsteady, Queen’s music is there for a bailout. Review