NEW YORK (CNS) -- Matt Damon plays a man in search of redemption and renewal in the bleak yet touching drama "Stillwater" (Focus). Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy, the film succeeds on a personal and cultural level, though its brief forays into overtly political territory are far feebler. Its ambiguous treatment of faith, together with other elements, marks it as fare for grown-ups.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- An Arthurian legend comes to the big screen in writer-director David Lowery's "The Green Knight" (A24). Lovely to look at but difficult to plumb, the film successfully immerses viewers in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- For most of its running time, the lighthearted adventure "Jungle Cruise" (Disney), adapted by director Jaume Collet-Serra from a Magic Kingdom theme park ride, registers as a diverting, if insubstantial, fantasy.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- A day at the beach is no day at the beach in the thriller "Old" (Universal). Though it boasts an intriguing set-up and a reasonably credible conclusion, the long middle portion of writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's film is, by turns, tedious and chaotic. Some of the diffuse developments that take place as it lurches along, moreover, make this dark fantasy inappropriate for youngsters.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- Silly and ponderous, yet morally interesting, the action adventure "Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins" (Paramount) has been adapted from the world of Hasbro toys by director Robert Schwentke.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- Much of the dialogue in the somber "Joe Bell" (Roadside) sounds as if it could have been engraved on stone tablets. That's because all the words are intended to have weight and serve as a warning. Unfortunately, the heavy-handedness of the narrative only serves to undermine its impact.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- The horror sequel "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions" (Columbia) turns out to be a case of cinematic recidivism. Thus, on screen, the seemingly invisible yet vastly powerful corporation that tormented an ensemble of characters in the 2019 original is once again up to its old tricks. For the audience, meantime, the vague sadism of the kickoff is still discernible as the filmmakers behind this follow-up rinse and repeat.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- There's a strained tone to "Space Jam: A New Legacy" (Warner Bros.), director Malcolm D. Lee's sequel to the 1996 sports comedy. Whatever fun might have been had from remixing the original's blend of live action and animation as well as of basketball and the Looney Tunes gang of cartoon characters is thus lost amid the grinding gears of bad writing and an irritatingly smug outlook.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- As an addition to the Marvel Comics cinematic universe, the origin story "Black Widow" (Disney) provides the expected elements of large-scale special effects and intrepid derring-do.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- Its chaotic plot and somewhat colicky disposition may leave viewers of the sequel "The Boss Baby: Family Business" (Universal) wishing the stork had stayed home this time. Admittedly, there's little to object to in returning director Tom McGrath's follow-up to his 2017 animated comedy, at least for teens and grown-ups. Yet the movie's laughs are few, its pace frenetic and its tone irritating.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- In the documentary "Lourdes" (Distrib Films), filmmakers Alban Teurlai and Thierry Demaiziere present a moving portrait of one of the world's most popular pilgrimage sites and of the suffering people who are drawn to it.
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- Nondenominational religious flourishes and an emphasis on the value of family offset occasionally intense showdowns and some unsavory vocabulary in "F9: The Fast Saga" (Universal).
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