Movie reviews of George Wolf

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

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