Lead actor Jason Bateman (as Max) and lead actress Rachel McAdams (as Annie) involve themselves in a string of daring game nights. Photo: CNS/Supplied. By John Mulderig Family values and much enjoyable humour are offset by numerous distasteful jokes and an excess of vulgar language in the comedy Game Night. Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s film makes acceptable...

Jennifer Lawrence stars in a scene from the movie Red Sparrow. Photo: CNS/Fox. Not one sparrow, so we are assured on the highest authority, falls to the ground without God’s knowledge. In the case of the potentially engaging espionage thriller Red Sparrow (Fox), however, such awareness may represent the downside of omniscience. Twisty and sophisticated, though not without holes in ...

Lupita Nyong’o (left) portays Nakia with lead actor Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the war hero Black Panther. Photo: CNS. By John Mulderig Director and co-writer Ryan Coogler’s adaptation of Black Panther is sprawling, energetic, lightened by some clever humour but, ultimately, overlong. Though the mayhem on screen, which ranges from hand-to-hand combat to a high-flying, high-tech ...

Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone portray themselves in the movie 15:17 to Paris. Photo: CNS/courtesy Warner Bros. By John Mulderig The good news about the drama The 15:17 to Paris, as well as the real-life events on which it’s based, is that, given the right circumstances and motivations, ordinary people can achieve great things. The bad news is that, when they are...

Maurice Compte and Gerard Butler star in a scene from the movie “Den of Thieves. Photo: CNS/STX Entertainment. By Kurt Jensen The hyper violent Den of Thieves is supposed to be a rollicking, quirky and farcical saga about a gang of bank robbers in dystopian and usually night-time Southern California led by Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) and pursued by renegade, dyspeptic cop Nick Flanagan...

Animated characters Aunt Lucy, voiced by Imelda Statunton and Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw, appear in the movie ‘Paddington 2’. Photo: Warner Bros. By John Mulderig Unlikely as it seems, ‘Paddington 2’ (Warner Bros), an endearing blend of animation and live action, sends the much-loved bear of its title (voice of Ben Whishaw) to the slammer. More predictably, once imprisoned –...

Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart star in a scene from the movie ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’. Photo: Sony. By John Mulderig More than a few parents have, no doubt, had occasion to be alarmed at how easily – and how often – kids become absorbed by gadgetry these days. Perhaps they can take comfort in the fact that such preoccupation is nothing compared to what transpi...

The life of pop entertainment pioneer PT Barnum provides the subject matter for the big, brash musical ‘The Greatest Showman’. Photo: Fox. By John Mulderig The life of pop entertainment pioneer PT Barnum provides the subject matter for the big, brash musical ‘The Greatest Showman’. Ironically, the film arrives in theaters almost seven months to the day after the demise of the 19th-century...

(L-R) David Tunley, Victoria Rogers and Cyrus Meher-Homji, authors of a recent book on pianist Eileen Joyce, which was launched at the University of Western Australia on 4 December. Photo: Caroline Smith. By Caroline Smith When David Tunley, Victoria Rogers and Cyrus Meher-Homji set out to write about the career of Eileen Joyce, their task was a significant one: not only to reveal how...

The animated character Ferdinand appears in the movie “Ferdinand.” The Catholic News Service classification is A-I, general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG, parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. Photo: CNS/Blue Sky. By John Mulderig Generations of children have fallen in love with the peace-loving protagonist of ...