The Film Maven

In a year where Disney gave us the utterly darling, and original, Hoppers, Toy Story 5 feels like a reheated lunch.

Disclosure Day is less an introspective, contemplative story about alien life, but a propulsive race against time whose high stakes premise smothers everything, including any type of interest in its characters.

What you see is exactly what you get from Masters of the Universe: a big, bulky action movie that owes its life to Marvel (particularly Thor: Ragnarok). That being said, its colors, vivacity, humor, and heart makes it better than anticipated.

It's a lovable mess, but it works.

The first Devil Wears Prada was certainly an artifact of the 2000s and this sequel is too, in that it's a soul-less nostalgia grab with some interesting opinions it doesn't really want to dive into.

Michael is a fun and serviceable biopic that suffers from a lack of depth and a variety of cooks in the kitchen who over salt the works.

You, Me & Tuscany is a deliciously charming throwback and a new step forward for the romantic comedy genre. It's also a showcase for Bailey, who'd do well to do several more of these movies as her affection and personality work so well with something frothy like this.

There are countless space movies to choose from and there are moments where Project Hail Mary tries to have the dark human emotion, and ask the big questions, that movies like Arrival and Interstellar have done. There are also moments where it just wants to be a fun space film. The two tones don't gel smoothly, but Gosling is gold.

Buckley is a powerhouse and Gyllenhaal's script is so bold and fresh that even when it doesn't work it pulls you in.

Hoppers is one of the best Pixar movies in recent years, though the script does feel slight in character motivations.