Mixing the fun of “Guardians of the Galaxy” with the violence of “Deadpool”, “The Suicide Squad” rides its characters to success

When the first Suicide Squad movie was released, it was hastily marketed as a Guardians of the Galaxy-type movie, even though it decidedly wasn't. So it only makes sense that after that film flopped, Warner Bros. just decided to bring in the guy who made the Guardians of the Galaxy and redo it. The result...

Dripping with the heat of a Chicago summer, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is a detailed portrait of a momentous day

As Chadwick Boseman's final film before his shocking death last August, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, an adaption of the August Wilson play, is a solemn reminder of the incredible talent that he possessed. Much like Heath Ledger's passing, so much lay in his future and this final performance, boisterous, impassioned and ultimately self-destructive, may have...

“Widows” is a strong reversal of the heist movie stereotypes

Widows is framed as your normal heist movie. A plan goes wrong. A loaner comes to collect. Another job must be enacted to pay off the debt or dire consequences will ensue. The job has complications. On and on. But what writer Gillian Flynn and director Steve McQueen do is to take all of those...