Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga) and Bradley Cooper feature in a scene from the movie “A Star is Born”. Photo: Warner Bros/CNS. By Kurt Jensen The third remake of that sturdy warhorse A Star Is Born (Warner Bros) pays occasional homage to its forebears, particularly the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason, which only serves to indicate that its formulaic “stan...

Reid Scott, Michelle Williams and Tom Hardy star in in a scene from the movie “Venom”. Photo: Sony/CNS. By John Mulderig Whatever you do, don’t call that alien who has taken up residence in your body a parasite. The polite term, it seems, is “symbiote”. Such is the dubious lesson in etiquette conveyed by the sci-fi-driven, Marvel Comics-based bit of nonsense Venom (Columbia). Direct...

Kodi Smit-McPhee stars in a scene from the movie “Alpha”. Photo: Sony/CNS. By Theresia Titus Set in Europe, Director Albert Hughes latest blockbuster Alpha dates back to 20,000 years ago, when hunting was still the main occupation of men. The film brings to life the imagination of Hughes, telling a story of friendship between man and his furry friends. The film opens with a group of...

Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro and Jack Black star in a scene from the movie “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”. Photo: Universal/CNS. By John Mulderig For all its spells and incantations, the witchcraft-themed fantasy The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Universal) lacks magic. Though some of the humour works, the film makes little impression and registers as only passable entertainm...

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star in a scene from the movie “A Simple Favour. Photo: Lionsgate/CNS. By John Mulderig A Simple Favour (Lionsgate), director Paul Feig’s glossy screen version of Darcey Bell’s 2017 novel, is undeniably ingenious. Yet the dark doings, both past and present, that drive the plot of this lurid thriller involve repellent behaviour that, while not exactly endo...

Taissa Farmiga stars in a scene from the movie “The Nun” as Sr Irene. Photo: Warner Bros/CNS. By Theresia Titus  For those who fancy watching horror movies, The Conjuring is no longer an unknown name to the horror-movies sphere. Released in 2013 and directed by James Wan, the film sets a new standard for its likeness. This year, The Conjuring story continues with The Nun. While The ...

Dennis Quaid and Myles Truitt star in a scene from the movie “Kin”. Photo: Lionsgate/CNS. By John Mulderig As scripted by Daniel Casey and directed by brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker, Kin (Summit), a gritty but somewhat intriguing crime thriller with an overlay of science fiction, explores shades of right and wrong via a road trip through seamy swaths of Rust Belt and rural America. I...

Constance Wu and Henry Golding star in a scene from the movie "Crazy Rich Asians". Photo: Warner Bros/CNS. By Joseph McAleer  The award for the most accurate film title of the year goes to Crazy Rich Asians (Warner Bros), a romantic comedy about, well, members of a certain ethnic group who are insanely wealthy. They are also, at times, out of their minds. Unfortunately, what should ...

Tom Cruise stars in a scene from the movie “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”. Photo: Paramount Pictures/CNS. By John Mulderig Tom Cruise’s by-now iconic American agent Ethan Hunt is at the top of his game in the engrossing espionage sequel Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Paramount). Despite extensive, though mostly restrained, action and the eventual showcasing of Hunt’s fraught marit...

Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal star in a scene from the movie The Equalizer 2. Photo: Sony/CNS. By John Mulderig Reprising his role as dispenser of do-it-yourself justice Robert McCall, Denzel Washington once again imagines that vengeance is his in The Equalizer 2 (Columbia). Neither Washington’s gifts nor the good his character sometimes achieves compensate for the gruesome ma...