Mara Reinstein

Richard Hatch may be the original Survivor winner, but his checkered past can’t be ignored — that’s a big reason why the notable name is not part of the upcoming 20-year anniversary all-champs edition, Survivor: Winners at War. “I don’t know if we didn’t ask him because I think we called every single winner about […]

There wasn’t a lot of diversity in this morning’s 2020 Oscar nominations. The early-morning announcement started generating controversy before Issa Rae and John Cho even finished reading the list. Not only was the director category female-free (just like the Golden Globes), but almost none of the acting nominations featured minority representation. Aside from Cynthia Erivo, […]

The Golden Globe Awards movie nomination list didn’t arrive without controversy — yes, Greta Gerwig and/or Marielle Heller absolutely should have been nominated for Best Director for Little Women and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, respectively. Yet it’s still difficult to argue against any of the specific honorees in the big categories. There are no left-field choices, no […]

Hey, remember your New Year’s resolution to be outside more and exercise? Well, this is your annual reminder that staying indoors to watch great movies has its benefits too. If you loved that the Cineplex was steeped in ‘90s nostalgia in 2019, consider that the 2020 lineup travels even farther back. By year’s end, you’ll […]

If you can press pause on The Irishman, then I can press pause on extolling the virtues of all the wonderful films delivered to us in 2019. Those 4-star gems aren’t going anywhere, except for the Oscars. This is a post about the movies on the other end of the spectrum. I’m talking about the […]

2.5 stars (out of 4) No one will ever confuse Cats with an edgy hip-hop musical that chronicles Alexander Hamilton and the American revolution. Hello, kitty? Ever since its debut on the London stage back in 1982, this has been an odd and absurdly melodramatic show in which humans dressed as furry felines sing and […]

3.5 stars (out of 4) Charlize Theron is Megyn Kelly. Nicole Kidman is Gretchen Carlson. Admit it — half the appeal of seeing current-event films is judging how well A-list stars can portray B-list stars. Is it a perfect physical and vocal match? Can a familiar face truly disappear into this kind of role? For […]

Oh, sure, Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt can swear up and down they were sound asleep when the early-morning Golden Globe nominations were announced. Keep in mind they’re also award-worthy actors, and they know a recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a big deal. The HFPA members have always loved gazing […]

How to describe the year of 2019 in movies? To paraphrase that scholarly villain known as Thanos, it … was … inevitable. The biggest hits at the box-office were based on tried-and-true titles that have kicking around in your pop-culture consciousness for years, if not decades. Think The Lion King, Aladdin, Frozen 2, John Wick: […]

“The Charlize Theron‘s transformation into Megyn Kelly in Bombshell is incredible.” “Adam Sandler does his best work in Uncut Gems, but he’s not getting a Best Actor Oscar nomination.” “Florence Pugh will be the breakout of Little Women, no offense to Emma Watson.” “Cats can’t be that awful, right?” There, now you know exactly how […]

3 stars (out of 4) Well, of course, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood has arrived just in time for Thanksgiving. No other holiday imbues the wholesome values long-championed by iconic children’s TV host Fred Rogers. In a less obvious way, the release date also serves as a reminder to express gratitude for a very […]

3 stars (out of 4) Let it go. A Disney princess once imparted this essential life lesson from high atop an icy mountain and the wisdom is as relevant as ever when considering Frozen 2. Is the film as spectacular as the 2013 original? Will it strike the same resonant chord in children of all […]

It takes all of three minutes for the new Charlie’s Angels movie to subvert expectations. There’s Kristen Stewart, almost unrecognizable in a fluffy blond hair, shamelessly flirting with a male mark at an outdoor hotel café in Rio. We’ve seen this scene play out before, countless times. But then she drop-kicks him, takes off the […]

2 stars (out of 4) What a sad, sad day in rom-com land. Last Christmas, a Yuletide-themed movie starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding — only two of our favorite, most appealing stars — is a big, fat lump of coal. An aimless, overstuffed mess with glaring identity issues, it will yield little joy during […]

3 stars (out of 4) If you’ve seen The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed and Goodfellas, then you already know director Martin Scorsese is a master at unleashing kinetic energy in which anti-heroes spin mercilessly and wildly out of control. His latest much-anticipated mob epic, The Irishman, is … not that movie. Instead of […]

2.5 stars (out of 4) When was the last time you went to the movies just because you heard it was a technical marvel that needed to be seen on a jumbo screen? Chances are, the picture in question was set in outer space. Gravity. The Martian. First Man. Avatar. A Star Wars flick. These […]

You want glamour? A slew of A-list celebrities? Legit important movies? Unusually friendly volunteers in bright orange T-shirts? Spend a Saturday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. For the 2019 edition, Jennifer Lopez, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy and Chris Evans all walked the red carpet for their respective new films […]

2 stars (out of 4) Joker is one of the least amusing movies you will ever see, to the point that the standard song “Smile” is used ironically. You’re more likely to grimace and cringe and cover your eyes in horror — that is, if you can even stomach all of it. Some will rave […]

3.5 stars (out of 4) Hustlers is a fascinating true story dramedy about a group of enterprising exotic dancers in New York City that band together and swindle Wall Street sleaze balls out of money. There’s a valuable lesson in here, as these degraded women get too greedy in their quest to topple the patriarchy […]

Brad Pitt. Will Smith. Tom Hanks. Chris Evans. Scarlett Johansson. If you loved these actors in the class of ’19 summer movies — and judging by the box-office numbers, you did! — then hold on to your popcorn: They’re all back in business and on the screen during the most wonderful time of the year. […]

1.5 stars (out of 4) It’s wretched, ugly, unseemly and serves no real purpose except to unleash torment on anyone that happens to catch a glimpse. Oh, you think I’m referring to Pennywise the Clown? The description also fits IT Chapter 2. Shudder. Granted, most sequels are bloated money-grabs. But this one is a special […]