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One the most watched sporting events of all time is celebrated in the crowd-pleasing comic drama, “The Battle of the Sexes.” Emma Stone and Steve Carell star as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, who, in 1973, faced off on the tennis court in a battle with significant social implications. The stars are appealing even if the movie is a little unfocused. “The Battle of the Sexes” doesn’t ace the story, but it’s a match worth approaching.   “American Made” tells an astonishing true story in a sly, decadent way. Tom Cruise is solid as a former TWA pilot who, in the 1980s, was recruited by the CIA to do aerial surveillance in Central America, only to become involved in drug smuggling, gun running and government corruption. The movie revels in its moral ambiguity, forcing us to root for Tom even though we know he’s an utter reprobate.   “Different Flowers” is a likeable, low-key comic drama shot largely in the KC area, written and directed by KC native Morgan Dameron. Emma Bell and Hope Lauren are very engaging as sisters who take off on a wild road trip after one of them gets cold feet on her wedding day.…

Is the third time the charm for Lego’s animated franchise? Well, even though the novelty is wearing a bit thin, “The Lego Ninjago Movie” is, for the most part, cheeky, […]

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Filmmakers have been trying for years to adapt the political thrillers by the late author Vince Flynn. His CIA super agent Mitch Rapp finally makes his big screen appearance in […]

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A white, plus-sized female rapper from a depressed New Jersey suburb may be the most unlikely movie lead of the year. In “Patti Cake$,” Australian actress Danielle Macdonald plays a […]

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Robert Pattinson works hard to shake his “Twilight” image in “Good Time,” a gritty crime drama that takes place in one night. He plays a none-too-bright bank robber who tries […]

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Actor Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh go rogue with their independently produced and distributed comic heist movie, “Logan Lucky.” Tatum plays a fired miner who decides to rip off all the cash for a big race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He recruits a ragtag posse of hayseed thieves for a complicated caper. The terrific cast includes Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane, Daniel Craig and Hilary Swank. Soderbergh seems to be doing a self-parody of his best-known movie. So, you could call this goofy but entertaining popcorn flick, “Redneck Ocean’s 11.”   Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, two extremely likable actors, give a big boost to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” an overlong and violent action comedy about a protection agent escorting a hired killer to testify at a trial at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. There’s not a moment of credibility in this over-the-top farce, but it has wild stunts, lengthy car chases and plenty of R-rated mayhem for fans of the genre.   “Saturday Night Live’s” Kyle Mooney stars in and co-wrote the offbeat comedy, “Brigsby Bear.” It’s a high-concept, low-key tale about a man, kidnapped at birth and raised in isolation. When he’s freed at…

The term “uplifting” is often overused, but it’s apt when describing “Step,” a documentary about a step dancing team from an all-girls high school in inner city Baltimore. Don’t expect lots of dance footage, however. “Step” instead focuses on the personal struggles of several team members, all of whom face unique challenges. The film shows how the work and discipline of the dance team help the girls in their academic and personal lives.   It’s virtually impossible not to get caught up in these girls’ lives and enthusiastically root them on. That makes the climatic dance competition all the more compelling. “Step” is an involving documentary in step with the times.   Oscar-winner Brie Larson stars in the big screen adaptation of Jeannette Walls’s best-selling memoir about her difficult upbringing in a family run by two very eccentric parents. Larson is fine as the adult Jeannette, but young actresses Ella Anderson and Chandler Head are equally good as the childhood versions. How well this movie works for you may relay on your reaction to Woody Harrelson as the family’s iconoclastic, alcoholic patriarch and Naomi Watts as Jeannette’s spacey artist mom.   Director Destin Daniel Cretton takes a sincere approach, but…

One way or another, you will be disturbed by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow’s grim and troubling historical drama, “Detroit.” Either the police brutality and racism will rattle you or the movie’s sadistically violent depiction of it will do the trick. During the summer of ’67, civil unrest gripped much of Motor City. An incident at the Algiers Motel left three black men dead and three white police officers accused of homicide.   Bigelow places the audience in the midst of the mayhem, forcing us to be witnesses and providing no relief. Some viewers may resent the relentlessly brutal, sledgehammer approach to the material, but there is no denying its effectiveness. “Detroit” takes an unblinking look at a very dark incident in our history, one that, sadly, still resonates today.   The drama, “Lady Macbeth” isn’t about Shakespeare’s villainous Scottish queen, but was inspired by her ruthlessness. Although based on a Russian novel, the action of “Lady Macbeth” has been shifted rural Victorian England in 1865. Newcomer Florence Pugh plays Katherine, a young woman stuck in a loveless marriage to a nasty landowner. Things get complicated when she has a torrid affair with a virile workman, played by Cosmo Jarvis. When…

The provocative Charlize Theron and some smashing fight choreography provide a potent one-two punch for “Atomic Blonde,” an ultra-violent adaptation of a popular graphic novel. Theron plays a British secret agent with a particular set of skills who is sent on a dangerous mission to Germany in 1989, just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. This celebration of sex and violence works in spite of its herky-jerky pace and ludicrous storyline. Theron’s tough-as-nails performance and a nostalgia-inducing 80s score help make “Atomic Blonde” a decadent guilty pleasure.   The plot of the animated flick “The Emoji Movie” plays a bit like homage to “Inside Out,” but it lacks the same depth. So just what happens inside a kid’s cell phone? We discover that the emojis live in the city of Textopolis and anxiously await their chance to be called upon for a text message. Things get complicated with one emoji is too animated to maintain a single facial expression. Comic T.J. Miller, James Corden, Maya Rudolph and Sir Patrick Stewart provide the voice work for this silly but likable farce.   “A Ghost Story” is an extremely smart, thoughtful and arty entry in the genre. Oscar-winner Casey Affleck…

British actress Sally Hawkins gives the kind of performance Oscar loves in “Maudie,” a biopic about Maude Lewis, the late Canadian folk artist who gained fame in the 1950s. The story covers her struggle with crippling rheumatoid arthritis, her dysfunctional family, stark poverty in rural Nova Scotia and her awkward marriage to her boorish and sometimes abusive husband, well played by Ethan Hawke.   While it never gives us any insight into what made her great, the film’s sincere approach and the terrific performances transform “Maudie” into a touching and very warm character study.   From the other end of the cinematic universe comes “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” French filmmaker Luc Besson’s wacky adaptation of a sci-fi comic book series. Dane DeHaan plays Valerian, an intergalactic agent who upholds the law in multiple dimensions, aided by his partner and lover, Laureline, played by Cara Delevigne. The plot and dialogue are derivative and goofy in the extreme, but the movie’s giddy playfulness and impressive visuals should be enough to please fan boys.   “The Little Hours” is an adaptation of a couple of bawdy comedic stories from Boccaccio’s 14th century work, “The Decameron.” Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Aubrey…

It may seem absurd, but I’m not monkeying around. The franchise update of “The Planet of the Apes” series that began in 2011 may be the best Hollywood franchise reboot ever. The third installment, “War for the Planet of the Apes,” is a visually spectacular and riveting drama that focuses on the ongoing confrontation between two species vying for world domination.   Director Matt Reeves uses special effects the way that they should be used, to help drive a compelling story. Andy Serkis, aided by the work of a crack team of computer animators, is terrific as Caesar, the intelligent chimpanzee who became the reluctant leader of the ape rebellion. When a human colonel, played by Woody Harrelson, kills his wife and young son, Caesar goes on quest for revenge.   Like all good sci-fi, there is depth to this story. It’s layered with sly social commentary and deals with themes that seem downright biblical.  The only downside to this involving entry is its extensive length.   Apes may not really be intelligent, but the filmmakers behind “The War for the Planet of the Apes” know their audience is.   “Wish Upon” is the latest in a long line of…

Okay, so just who needs yet another reboot of the Spider-Man franchise? After all, this is the third time the story has been reworked since 2002. Well, I guess we do since “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is arguably the best Spider-Man movie, yet.   British actor Tom Holland from “The Impossible,” plays Peter Parker, the awkward high school nerd who wants nothing more than to become a member of The Avengers. The well-meaning teen aims to please, but Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr., realizes he just isn’t ready. Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man attempts to prove him wrong when he’s confronted with a challenge from super villain, The Vulture, played by Michael Keaton.   Naturally, the screenwriters have provided plenty of challenges for our young superhero-in-training.   The movie is well over two hours long, but that time is filled to the brim with action, humor and spectacular production values that have improved significantly since 2002. Keaton is excellent as a man driven to the brink and he provides plenty of menace for our young hero.   But the movie belongs to Holland who hits all the right notes as the naive but gifted kid with a lot of growing up…

Decadent, violent, profane…and wildly entertaining, “Baby Driver” is a zippy heist film fueled by a kinetic soundtrack that should appeal to both Baby Boomers and Millennials. Ansel Elgort plays a skilled getaway driver who uses music to help him concentrate and overcome tinnitus. Things get sticky when he crosses his fellow thieves, played by Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx. In the case of “Baby Driver,” style provides a high-octane boost over substance.   Fans of Gru and The Minions should enjoy “Despicable Me 3,” which is actually the fourth installment in the franchise. Gru meets his long lost twin brother Dru and they decide to commit one last dastardly crime. While not quite up to the level of the previous films, it’s still a clever and likable animated farce.   Director Sophia Coppola brings a very restrained tone to her remake of the old Clint Eastwood Civil War drama, “The Beguiled.” Coin Farrell plays a wounded Union deserter who is cared for by Nicole Kidman at her small Southern girls boarding school. Jealousy and sexual tension are the result. It’s modestly effective, but perhaps a bit too low key for its own good.   Veteran cowboy actor Sam…

Just how does one transform $260 million into something pretty much worthless? Just ask director Michael Bay, who spent all that dough on the latest Hasbro Toys come to life extravaganza, “Transformers: The Last Knight.” It’s not that you can’t see where the money was spent. After all, the movie provides two hours and forty-eight minutes of special effects overkill that undoubtedly employed a lot of computer animators. But the end result is a mind-numbing mix of robot battles, insipid dialogue and borderline racist and misogynistic hokum that feels totally out of step with the times.   Mark Wahlberg is back as inventor Cade Yeager, who, as it turns out, is the chosen one in an epic battle between Earth’s protectors and the Transformers’ home pseudo-planet. By the time the final conflict comes around, you might be wishing for both to blow up.   The movie’s only saving grace is a slumming Sir Anthony Hopkins who mostly manages to retain his dignity as he collects his check.   The fifth “Transformers” installment isn’t the worst movie ever made, but it may be the biggest waste of money.   Also opening this week, “Ripped” is a stoner sci-fi comedy starring Faizon…