Tron: Ares Uploads Ambition, Deletes Emotion

Tron: Ares Uploads Ambition, Deletes Emotion

Tron: Ares ★ ★ ½ Tron: Ares, the latest in Disney’s neon-lit series, once again zaps users into The Grid—a sleek, digital battleground where light trails and nostalgia collide. It’s the second sequel and we’re familiar with the premise—yet we’re given a convoluted,...
Roofman Drops in on an Out of Reach Ordinary Life

Roofman Drops in on an Out of Reach Ordinary Life

Roofman ★ ★ ★ ½ Roofman is based on the true story of Jeffrey “Jeff” Manchester, a Charlotte, N.C., man who notoriously robbed an unknown number of McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants by breaking in through the roof. As an underemployed, divorced Navy veteran...
Bone Lake Flirts With Temptation but Never Entices

Bone Lake Flirts With Temptation but Never Entices

Bone Lake ★ ★ ½ Bone Lake is a thriller that explores temptation in a relationship already being tested—with metaphors so on the nose even Pinocchio would be jealous. This is a film with a great deal of missed opportunities with intriguing ideas that, had they been...
Good Boy Fetches Shadows in a Silent Haunted House

Good Boy Fetches Shadows in a Silent Haunted House

Good Boy ★ ★ ★ Good Boy took more than three years to film. It was shot in director Ben Leonberg’s home. It’s a haunted house horror film that doesn’t show us anything new or redefine the genre—except for one astounding choice. The main protagonist is a dog, and it’s...
The Strangers: Chapter 2 Cuts Deep, Then Talks Too Much

The Strangers: Chapter 2 Cuts Deep, Then Talks Too Much

The Strangers: Chapter 2 ★ ★ The Strangers: Chapter 2 is a much more entertaining film than its predecessor. If you’re willing to turn off your brain, leave logic and reason at the concession counter, munch your popcorn and enjoy the ride, you might actually have a...
The Smashing Machine Finds Humanity in the Hurt

The Smashing Machine Finds Humanity in the Hurt

The Smashing Machine ★ ★ ★ ★ The Smashing Machine tells the biographical story of wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson). The title is based on his nickname, given because of his brutal ground-and-pound striking and vicious wrestling takedowns....