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Ever seen a movie that should have been great but just missed the mark? Such is the case with “Free State of Jones,” an earnest and well-meaning historical drama undone […]

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It’s taken Pixar 13 years to come up with a sequel to the smash animated hit, “Finding Nemo.” But even after all these years, this fish is still fresh. Ellen DeGeneres again provides the voice for the forgetful blue tang in “Finding Dory,” as she and her aquatic friends go on a cross-ocean adventure to find her lost family. While the movie lacks the strong story of its predecessor, there’s still an ocean of imagination on display, from the amazing visuals to the snappy sense of humor. And, yes, you may need a Kleenex or two. There are those who will say that “Finding Dory” is lesser Pixar. Maybe so, but “lesser Pixar” is still better than most movies, animated or otherwise. “Finding Dory” may well rescue this summer’s floundering box office. The standard buddy comedy gets a big boost from two charismatic stars in “Central Intelligence.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays a once overweight nerd who reconnects with his school’s most popular jock, played by Kevin Hart, on the eve of their 20th high school reunion. But now, The Rock is a rogue CIA super agent and Kevin is a morose accountant who gets suckered in on a spy…

If director James Wan had worked in the Golden Age of Hollywood, he might have made musicals. His camera work is more like choreography than direction. But it’s that showy style that makes his horror entry “The Conjuring 2” work as well as it does. The entire creative team behind the hit chiller “The Conjuring” is back, telling the so-called true story of a supernatural event. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play paranormal experts Lorraine and Ed Warren who travel to London in the 70s to investigate a case of demonic possession. While there are more than a few genuinely creepy moments, there are a couple of unintentionally funny ones, too. While overlong and derivative, “The Conjuring 2” is a generally effective creepfest that should summon up good box office numbers. “Now You See Me 2” is yet another sequel to a surprise box office hit. Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo and their band of vigilante magicians are back exposing corporate corruption, but this time biting off more than they can chew. There’s plenty of visual razzle-dazzle, but the filmmakers have outwitted themselves with an absurd, maze-like plot that’s just too tricky for its own good. Ever been to a movie…

So, can the Mother of Dragons become the Queen of Weepies? "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke takes on the lead role in the four-hankie romantic drama "Me Before You" and her sparkling performance is the best thing about the emotionally manipulative big screen adaptation of the popular novel by Jo Jo Moyes. Clarke plays Louisa, a working class young woman who is hired by a wealthy lady to be the caretaker for her paraplegic son Will, played by Sam Claflin of “The Hunger Games” fame. zin true rom-com fashion, things get off to a bumpy start. But eventually their relationship thaws and a budding romance begins to bloom. Louisa plans some elaborate and exotic adventures for them. It sure is handy to have someone with loads of dough in these situations. But Louisa discovers, to her dismay that Will intends to commit suicide. The likable stars help make this superficial romance more palatable. But the movie has met with a backlash from some who claim it promotes suicide. In fact, there’s a trending topic on twitter, #MeBeforeEuthanasia. Controversy aside, "Me Before You" is a romantic fantasy conceived in a Kleenex factory. Also opening this week, the Teenage Mutant Ninja…

The latest installment in the X-Men franchise follows the ‘younger mutants’ timeline from “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” Jennifer Lawrence is the nicer Mystique of days gone by and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto gets more than he can handle from Oscar Isaac’s mutant god, Apocalypse, the most powerful mutant of them all. Problem is, the appropriately named Apocalypse wants to cleanse the Earth of all mankind. Will the mutants step up to save the humans? With this terrific cast, a strong director in Bryan Singer and a $234 million budget, it should have been a lot better than it is. There’s a lot of noise both audibly and visually, but it all seems a bit too familiar. It’s not a bad movie, it’s just a predictable one. It plays a bit like someone accidentally inserted a reel from the recent Gerard Butler stinker, “Gods of Egypt.” Also opening this week, “Alice: Through the Looking Glass” is the sequel to Disney’s phenomenally successful live action version of “Alice in Wonderland.” Johnny Depp is back as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter all return to their roles for another Lewis Carroll adaptation. This time, however, director James…

The ‘buddy comedy’ gets a new treatment in an old way with “The Nice Guys.” The writer/producer/director team that brought you the “Lethal Weapons” movies reunite for a foul-mouthed action comedy set against the sleazy backdrop of 1977 Hollywood. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are terrific as a pair of mismatched private detectives who get in over their heads when working on the case of a murdered porn star. The movie is overlong and the mix of humor and violence doesn’t always work. But Crowe and Gosling are money. They may not really be playing nice guys, but the pairing is certainly a nice one. If you’ve never heard of the mobile video game Angry Birds, you’re probably still using a rotary dial phone. In the animated big screen adaptation, “The Angry Birds Movie,” Kansas City’s Jason Sudeikis provides the voice of Red, a furious flightless bird who battles invasive pigs. The loopy humor and frenetic action are clearly aimed at the younger movie-going demographic. It’s a harmless, well-animated farce that may not be inspired, but it’s no turkey. “Pelé: Birth of a Legend” is a family sports drama that focuses on the early years of Brazilian soccer superstar, Pelé.…

Although he died in 1920 at the age of 32, self-taught Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (Sree nee vasa Raman Oojen) is considered a pioneer who made major contributions to the field. “The Man Who Knew Infinity” is an earnest and well-meaning biopic starring Dev Patel as the mathematical genius and Jeremy Irons as his British mentor, professor G. H. Hardy. The film, which is based on Hardy’s memories, is very respectable but also very conventional and formulaic. It lacks the dramatic spark that fueled other films about math geniuses, like “A Beautiful Mind” and “Good Will Hunting.” Still, it’s sincere and well produced even if all of the elements don’t quite add up. “Rio, I Love You” is the third in a series of anthology movies, the first being “Paris, Je t’aime” and the second, “New York, I Love You.” Ten shorts from ten different noted international directors use the Marvelous city as the background for a very uneven mishmash of shorts that range from mildly intriguing to downright awful. None of the stories linger long enough to make much of an impact. The cast includes Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Vincent Cassel, Emily Mortimer and Rodrigo Santoro. The end result…

The latest comic book extravaganza from the folks at Marvel, “Captain America: Civil War” is everything that “Batman v Superman” wishes it could have been. A villain cleverly manipulates The Avengers into a battle that splits the team in two, pitting Iron Man and his super allies against Captain America and his Avenger crew. Naturally, when these forces got into battle with one another, mayhem abounds. Even though there are some dark themes in “Civil War,” the movie has plenty of action, good humor and a real sense of fun, so it never devolves into sharing the dour and brooding tone that plagued “Batman v Superman.” “Captain America: Civil War” proves that, a house divided…can be very entertaining. “Tale of Tales” is a fairytale movie that is definitely not for kids. Salma Hayek, Toby Jones, Vincent Cassel and John C. Reilly lead a cast of international stars in this offbeat and very disturbing film. It’s an adaptation of the 17th century collection of fairytales called the “Pentamerone,” featuring stories grimmer than Grimm. Three tales are interwoven, highlighting the themes of selfishness and lust. There’s enough nudity and bloody violence to earn it a hard “R” rating, but it’s being released…

Key & Peele’s first feature film together may be a one-joke affair…but it’s a very funny joke. Fans of the duo’s Comedy Central sketch show will love “Keanu,” a raunchy, irreverent satire…and so will many newcomers. The comics play nerdy cousins who pose as hardcore drug dealers in an effort to regain a stolen kitten. There’s enough violence, drugs and foul language in this gleefully goofy romp to easily earn an R-rating, but the vibe is so sweet natured, that it’s almost inoffensive. This “Keanu” is one cool cat. Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts and Kansas City’s Jason Sudeikis star in Garry Marshall’s latest holiday comedy, “Mother’s Day.” This ensemble sitcom weaves several stories about a number of folks as they prepare for Mother’s Day celebrations in Atlanta. The humor is forced, the sentiment is artificial and the story is chock full of awkward stereotypes. But thanks to the cast, undemanding audiences might find something to like in this extremely lightweight effort. It’s odd that a movie about one of the world’s greatest writers is so poorly written. Giovanni Ribisi plays a Miami newspaper writer who befriends Ernest Hemmingway, played by stage actor Adrian Sparks, in “Papa: Hemmingway in…

Someone must have watched the Pixar/Disney films “Brave” and “Frozen” and then decided they should do a very gloomy amalgamation of those stories. The result is “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” a sequel to 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman.” A great cast, terrific production values and impressive costumes almost save this murky and violent fairy tale…but it never achieves any real magic. Kansas City native Don Cheadle wrote, produced directed and stars in the involving biopic “Miles Ahead,” a fantasia on the life of jazz legend Miles Davis. Yes, the story is highly fictionalized, but it serves to create what feels like an authentic portrait of the troubled artist. Cheadle’s work is first rate on all counts, demonstrating that the gifted actor has been paying attention. Like jazz, it’s a creative riff on the melody of Davis’ eventful life. Do you like movies that creep you out? “The Invitation” is a well-acted and unsettling horror thriller that is as affecting as it is disturbing. A man and his girlfriend are invited to a dinner party at his ex-wife’s house. It doesn’t take long for them to discover that someone has ulterior motives. If you enjoy slowly building suspense, then this…

After viewing Melissa McCarthy’s goofy comedy “The Boss,” you may be tempted to say, “You’re fired!” McCarthy plays a self-centered business tycoon who gets busted for insider trading and attempts a comeback after her jail stint. The language is foul and the humor is as crass as it is broad. McCarthy’s comic skill is the movie’s only saving grace. To say “The Boss” is a slight improvement over McCarthy’s “Tammy” is damning with faint praise. If you like “The X-Files,” then the involving sci-fi opus “Midnight Special” might be right up your alley. Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Shepard are part of a terrific cast that breathes life into the tale of a strange child whose supernatural gifts bring about conflict between a religious cult and the federal government. You probably won’t know where this strange tale is headed, and that’s a good thing. Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick are charismatic actors but their considerable charms aren’t quite enough to save the overly wacky screwball comedy “Mr. Right.” Sam is a super skillful hitman who falls for the eccentric Anna who, it turns out, has some violent talents of her own. The bloody mayhem and quirky humor…

Hank Williams was one of the greatest country music stars of all time. His short and complicated life could make a truly great movie. Sadly, the musical biopic “I Saw […]

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The much-heralded superhero smack down has finally arrived. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is action-packed and visually striking. Problem is, it’s just not much fun. Ben Affleck dons the […]

The post FREEZE FRAME: “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” “Remember” appeared first on KKFI.

In a future dystopian society, pretty young people will stand around looking bored while computer generated mayhem swirls around them. Or at least that’s how it plays out in “The […]

The post FREEZE FRAME: “The Divergent Series: Allegiant,” “Hello, My Name is Doris,” “The Bronze” appeared first on KKFI.