The Art of Self-Defense (2019)

A sandpaper dry satire on toxic masculinity and “bro culture,” Riley Stearns’ The Art of Self-Defense has a terrific Jesse Eisenberg playing a meek, timid man who turns to karate to become what intimidates him.

Michael WardJuly 18, 20192019, Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, Phillip Andre Botello, David Zellner, The Art of Self-Defense, Comedy

Stuber (2019)

With the terrific chemistry developed between Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista on screen, Stuber survives a mediocre, throwback plot and story, delivering some of the biggest laughs of the summer.

Michael WardJuly 15, 2019Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, Mira Sorvino, Natalie Morales, Iko Uwais, Betty Gilpin, Karen Gillan, Jimmy Tatro, 2019, Action, Comedy, Stuber, Michael Dowse, Tipper Clancy

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

Inspirational documentary, Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, is a family-friendly, incredibly safe film looking at the life and times of the teenage shark attack victim now a professional surfer, wife, and mother.

Michael WardJuly 15, 20192019, Documentary, Unstoppable, Bethany Hamilton, Adam Dirks, Alana Blanchard, Cheri Hamilton, Timmy Hamilton, Noah Hamilton, Nanea Hamilton, Tyler Wright, Coco Ho, Aaron Lieber, Carol Martori

Halston (2019)

1970s fashion designer Halston gets the documentary treatment in a story of fame, glory, celebrity, and how those same things can cannibalize someone’s vulnerabilities.

Michael WardJuly 15, 2019Tavi Gevinson, Liza Minnelli, Marisa Berenson, Joel Schumacher, Pat Cleveland, Bob Calacello, Carl Epstein, Lesley Frowick, Sassy Johnson, Naeem Khan, John David Ridge, 2019, Documentary, Frédéric Tcheng, Halston

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, Spider-Man: Far From Home is an audience-friendly summer blockbuster that continues Marvel’s winning streak.

3 Faces (2019)

An insightful, curious road-trip through modern-day Iran serves as a backdrop for Jafar Panahi’s latest act of cinematic defiance.

Michael WardJuly 3, 2019Behnaz Jafari, Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei, 2019, 3 Faces, Iran, Foreign, Drama, Nader Saeivar

Pasolini (2019)

Willem Dafoe is exceptional as infamous film director Pier Paolo Pasolini in Abel Ferrara’s far-ranging unconventional biopic.

Michael WardJuly 3, 2019Willem Dafoe, Ninetto Davoli, Riccardo Scamarcio, Valerio Mastandrea, Roberto Zibetti, Damiano Tamilia, Adriana Asti, Maria de Medeiros, Lucien Rumiel, 2019, Pasolini, Drama, Abel Ferrara, Maurizio Braucci, Nicola Tranquillino

Midsommar (2019)

Ari Aster is a very talented filmmaker, but Midsommar is a messy, fascinating, inconsistent descent into millennial madness.

Michael WardJuly 3, 2019Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Will Poulter, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe, Isabelle Grill, Hampus Hallberg, Gunnel Fred, Anna Åström, Liv Mjönes, Henrik Norlén, Balázs Megyeri, 2019, Horror, Ari Aster

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Admittedly exhausted and disappointed with these Annabelle films, I found Annabelle Comes Home quite the pleasant surprise.

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Toy Story 4 is one of the best films of 2019.

5B (2019)

Honoring the doctors and nurses who willingly put themselves on the front lines in the opening years of the AIDS epidemic, 5B is an emotional documentary that shares new stories from a tragic period in recent history.

Michael WardJune 14, 2019Alison Moed Paolercio, Cliff Morrison, David Denmark, Mary Magee, Sasha Cuttler, Lorraine Day, Rita Rockett, Hank Plante, 2019, Documentary, 5B, Paul Haggis, Dan Krauss

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)

A marked improvement on the first film, The Secret Life of Pets 2 proves to be a slapdash series of scenes and vignettes loosely tied to its predecessor.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Big beasts break things in the dark in this loud, empty-headed sequel to 2014’s Godzilla.

Rocketman (2019)

I’ll see your Bohemian Rhapsody and raise you Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman…

Michael WardMay 30, 2019Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gemma Jones, Steven Mackintosh, Tom Bennett, Kit Connor, Matthew Illesley, Charlie Rowe, Tate Donovan, Celinde Schoenmaker, Ophelia Lovibond, 2019, Musical, Rocketman, Dexter Fletcher, Lee Hall

Booksmart (2019)

The much-anticipated Booksmart instantly stakes its claim as one of the best high school movies of recent memory and one of 2019’s best films.

The Most Dangerous Year (2019)

Vlada Knowlton’s powerful and important film,The Most Dangerous Year, documents the effort to eradicate the rights of transgender individuals in the State of Washington in 2016.

Michael WardMay 17, 20192019, Documentary, The Most Dangerous Year, Aidan Key, Joe Fain, Cyrus Habib, Tiffany Dolmseth Kelly, Vlada Knowlton, Annabelle Knowlton, Huddle Morris Blakefield, Meghan Hebert-Trainer, Ryan Trainer, Kevin Hatfield, Asaf Orr

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

If you are familiar with Pokémon, then Pokémon Detective Pikachu is for you. For everyone else, good luck - You can come on by, but you really weren’t invited to the party.

The Hustle (2019)

The talents of Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson are wasted in this lackluster and disappointing remake of Steve Martin and Michael Caine’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.