5 Ways In Which “Blade Runner 2049” Evolves Beyond The Original

There is a scene early in “Blade Runner 2049,” Denis Villeneuve’s hypnotic and heart-bursting sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 future-shock detective movie “Blade Runner,” where two men crash through a wall. One is the bulbous Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista), who is one of many humanoid robots known as replicants, and the other is the slender, […]

6 Reasons Why “Submarine” is One of the Best Romantic Comedies of the 21st Century

A teenage boy walks through a sterile hallway, a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand. A girl looks up at him. “You should go in,” she declares. So the boy walks across a long, metal bridge toward a woman who lies asleep, looking half dead. You wouldn’t be alone if you assumed that extravagant, […]

6 Reasons Why “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Is a Sci-fi Action Masterpiece

At one point during the hellish climax of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)—James Cameron’s fire-and-brimstone sci-fi classic, which has been re-released in 3D—all hope seems lost. The film’s undulating villain, a shape-shifting robot known as the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), is face to face with his target, John Connor (Edward Furlong), in a steel mill, and […]

6 Reasons Why “Dunkirk” Is One of the Greatest War Movies Ever Made

There is a moment late in “Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan’s ferociously vivid account of the evacuation of over 300,000 cornered British soldiers from France during World War II, when a man accepts that he is going to die. He’s a naval commander named Bolton and since he’s played by Kenneth Branagh, every word he speaks carries […]

8 Reasons Why “War for the Planet of the Apes” is the Best Sequel of 2017 (So Far)

In the eerie opening scene of Matt Reeves’ wonderful new film “War for the Planet of the Apes,” a pack of human soldiers hides in a forest, waiting to attack a group of horse-riding apes who look strange, even menacing, from a distance. Yet from harrowing start to moist-eyed finish, “War” draws us close to […]