San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
A critical consensus
An assessment of current motion pictures by major American film critics. Film criticism is rated on a scale of 10 (excellent) to 1 (poor). Criticism not available at press time will be reflected in future columns. A Bread Factory,
Part One
Roma
A Bread Factory,
Part Two
Shoah: Four Sisters Shoplifters Amazing Grace
The Favourite Burning
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Widows
Happy as Lazzaro Can You Ever Forgive Me?
First Man
The Hate U Give
The Grief of Others Wildlife
Free Solo
A Star Is Born Bathtubs Over Broadway The Ballad of Buster Scruggs The Old Man
& the Gun
Green Book People's Republic of Desire
The Price of Everything Bodied
Mirai
The World
Before Your Feet Border
At Eternity's Gate Life and Nothing More Under the Wire Meow Wolf:
Origin Story Monrovia, Indiana A Private War Distant Constellation Of Fathers and Sons Never Look Away Maria by Callas Searching for Ingmar Bergman Suspiria
Can You Ever Forgive Me? Melissa McCarthy is terrific in this reallife story of the writer Lee Israel who, after the collapse of her literary career, found a
N9.3
9.3 9.2
9.1 9.1 9.0 8.9 8.8 8.7
8.6 8.5 8.4
8.4 8.4 8.3 8.3 8.2 8.2 8.1 8.0
8.0
7.9 7.9
7.9 7.8 7.8 7.8
7.7 7.7 7.7 7.6 7.5
7.5 7.4 7.3 7.2 7.1 7.0 7.0
7.0
lucrative second career as the forger of letters by historical people. Directed by Marielle Heller, it’s a film of wit and atmosphere and about the most twisted rags to riches The Cleaners Infinite Football Ralph Breaks the Internet Sicilian Ghost Story Boy Erased Halloween
Family in Transition In Search of Greatness
Anna and the Apocalypse Creed 2
The Front Runner
El Angel
Prospect Everybody Knows Beautiful Boy Jonathan
The Mercy Overload Smallfoot
The House With a Clock in Its Walls Instant Family Fantastic Beasts:
The Crimes of Grindelwald Outlaw King
Mobile Homes Indivisible
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
The Grinch Bohemian Rhapsody The Girl in the Spider's Web Elliot the Littlest Reindeer The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Dead in a Week
(or Your Money Back) Night School Nobody's Fool
The Possession of Hannah Grace Venom
Robin Hood story you could ever hope to see. Rated R. 106 minutes.
— M. LaSalle Creed II The sequel to the 2015 “Creed” doesn’t have the newness of its predecessor,
M
but it does show that the characters and relationships established in the earlier movie will be good for the long haul. This is an entertaining Rocky-type film, with young Adonis Creed fighting the son of the man who killed his father in the ring. Rated PG-13. 130 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
LDivide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes This documentary provides an extensive laundry list of the shortcomings and culpabilities of the late GOP political consultant and media maven Roger Ailes. It’s good to have a critical accounting of his role in modern American politics, but most of what we see here has been reported elsewhere, and this film seems aimed at rallying the troops. Not rated. 107 minutes.
— W. Addiego
LDumplin’ In modern America, you’re nothing if you’re not a victim. And so, we get “Dumplin’,” a movie about an obese high school girl (Danielle Macdonald), who is verbally abused by her fellow students, who call her fat. Typical of the movie, which is conscientious and inoffensive, but also sentimental and bland, the mother is hardly a villain. She’s normal enough to be played by Jennifer Aniston, who spends most of the movie on the receiving end of her daughter’s hostility. Rated PG-13. 116 minutes.
— M. LaSalle
MAt Eternity’s Gate An inspired and heartfelt
performance by Willem Dafoe as Vincent van Gogh raises this movie far above the standard biopic. With Oscar Isaac as Paul Gauguin and Rupert Friend as Vincent’s brother, Theo. Directed by Julian Schnabel. Rated PG-13. 110 minutes. — W. Addiego
NThe Favourite Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are brilliant in this comedy-drama set during the reign of Queen Anne. Brilliantly directed by Yorgos Lanthimos on the knife edge between farce and drama, historical truth and anachronism. Rated R. 119 minutes. — M. LaSalle
NFree Solo Thrilling, vertigo-inducing documentary that chronicles Alex Honnold’s quest to scale the 3,000-foot vertical rock face of Yosemite’s El Capitan — with just his hands and feet — no ropes. It’s never been done; will he be the first? The photography is incredible, as is its subject. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes.
— G. Allen Johnson
LThe Front Runner The subject is inherently interesting — the scandal that imploded Gary Hart’s presidential bid — and Hugh Jackson is charismatic in the central role. But the movie is undramatic, and the film’s casual treatment of facts makes this a so-so proposition, after all. Directed by Jason Reitman. Rated R. 113 minutes. — M. LaSalle
LGoosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Beyond the limited screen time for Jack Black and some network TV-quality production values, the sequel to the 2015 film is completely satisfactory family entertainment. Three kids return for more light neighborhood terror. Wendi McLendon-Covey is excellent as a fun but weary mother who has no time for Halloween. Rated PG. 90 minutes.
— P. Hartlaub
NGreen Book Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali are ideally paired as an Italian American driver and an African American pianist on a concert tour through the deep South in 1962. Mortensen completely transforms and is probably on his way to an Oscar nomination. Rated PG-13. 130 minutes. — M. LaSalle
LThe Grinch The makers of “Minions” and the “Despicable Me” movies find a consistent offbeat humor in this “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” adaptation, while retaining the sneaky emotional core. But the uneven new film highlights the greatest problem of any big screen Seuss reimagination: It’s very hard to turn this 69-page picture book into a feature-length movie. Rated PG. 86 minutes.
MInstant Family This disarmingly effective dramedy, about a couple who become foster parents, manages to do a tricky tap dance: It’s often cutesy in the way of “The BLraids y Bcouncthin ,” t ’s o no2t6
t— P. Hartlaub