abc movie reviews today

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ jolts box office with $110 million opening weekend

‘beetlejuice beetlejuice’ jolts box office with $110m opening weekend, ‘deadpool’ tops charts yet again as 'reagan' beats expectations, box office boom to continue with upcoming fall flicks, 'beetlejuice beetlejuice' premieres at venice film festival, letoya luckett talks role in new thriller, ‘twisters’ shakes up the movie theater experience, glen powell honors late 'twister' star bill paxton as 'twisters' arrives in theaters, 'beverly hills cop 4' 'review: the secret sauce may be gone, but the memory lingers, review: the random lunacy is reliably hard to resist in 'despicable me 4', review: jessica lange gives one of her best performances in 'the great lillian hall', review: 'hit man' is one of the best movies of the year, musical movies on the rise, stars talk 'aquaman and the lost kingdom', review: 'leave the world behind' will fry your nerves to a frazzle, review: oscar attention must be paid to rosamund pike in 'saltburn', review: 'harlan coben’s shelter' delivers pleasures of the unexpected, review: 'blue beetle's' true superpower is 'la familia', barbie to break a major ticket sale record, amc reports best week in ticket sales on heels of ‘barbenheimer’, what barbie’s box office success could mean for mattel and hollywood, 'barbie' review: margot robbie and ryan gosling are match made in movie heaven, review: 'oppenheimer' is one of the best movies you’ll see anywhere, tom cruise looks to lift the summer box office with a new mission: impossible movie, review: 'across the spider-verse': you've never seen anything like it in your life, review: 'past lives' is one of the best movies of the year, best movies to watch for at the box office this summer, review: nicolas cage and nicholas holt are a kick to watch in 'renfield', 'super mario bros. movie' sets box office record, 'avatar: the way of water’ hits $1b at the box office, review: bill nighy delivers a master class in acting in 'living', review: you've never seen anything like 'avatar: the way of water', review: 'emancipation' is a sorry misfire, but a noble one, review: brendan fraser is extraordinary in a tour de force performance in 'the whale', 'amsterdam' review: film is packed with big names but falls short, 'tár' review: cate blanchett is thrillingly alive in her role as lydia tár, 'pinocchio' review: hi-diddle-dee-dee, it didn’t work for me, review: 'the last movie stars' is a 'moving' dive into a beloved hollywood couple, review: 'vengeance' marks a dynamite feature directorial dynamite for b.j. novak, review: 'the gray man' is only good enough to rank as watchable, review: 'nope' is a spellbinder that keeps pushing boundaries, 'top gun: maverick' smashes holiday box office records, zach braff talks new 'cheaper by the dozen', entertainment choices to keep you busy this weekend, trailer to showtime’s new series 'the first lady' drops, best movies of 2021 and what's to come in 2022, 'spider-man' franchise returns to big screen, jared leto talks new movie ‘house of gucci’, review: 'licorice pizza' one of the best movies of the year, 'house of gucci' review: lady gaga puts real sizzle in the oscar race.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 78% Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Link to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• 95% Rebel Ridge Link to Rebel Ridge
• 96% Red Rooms Link to Red Rooms

New TV Tonight

• 83% How to Die Alone: Season 1
• 59% Emily in Paris: Season 4
• 20% Three Women: Season 1
• -- Universal Basic Guys: Season 1
• -- My Brilliant Friend: Story of the Lost Child: Season 4
• -- The Old Man: Season 2
• -- Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Season 1
• -- The Circle: Season 7
• -- Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father: Season 1
• -- In Vogue: The 90s: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 61% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 77% Kaos: Season 1
• 85% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 97% English Teacher: Season 1
• 95% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist: Season 1
• 94% Only Murders in the Building: Season 4
• 93% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows

Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 95% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Link to Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch

Toronto Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Pachinko ‘s Lee Min-ho Spills Season 2 Secrets

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

• Trending on RT
• Best Horror Movies

Top 10 Box Office

• Toronto Film Festival
• Free Movies on YouTube

What to Watch: Horror Edition

Our recs for the best new horror films to see this Fall, including Smile 2 and Terrifier 3

Toronto Film Fest: Movie Scorecard

Piece by Piece just got its Tomatometer score

Lee Min-ho Spills Pachinko Season 2 Secrets

Plus, how his character evolves this season and his favorite look of the series

What to Binge in September

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon , Tulsa King , Slow Horses , and more

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Scores Massive Opening

The film earned the second-highest September debut ever

50 Best New Action Movies

Netflix's Rebel Ridge : Director Jeremy Saulnier makes his Certified Fresh comeback

100 Best Movies on Netflix

Edge of Tomorrow returns, and Rebel Ridge makes big originals debut

The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Cast on Reuniting with Tim Burton

Plus, how Michael Keaton brought back the iconic character

The Perfect Couple is perfect with fans

Free Movies Online

Mean Girls and more!

New & Now In Theaters

WATCH AT HOME

Popular streaming movies.

• Rebel Ridge 95%
• Longlegs 85%
• Beetlejuice 83%
• The Deliverance 34%
• Ghostlight 100%
• Borderlands 10%
• Hit Man 95%
• The Perfect Couple 61%
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 85%
• Kevin Can F**k Himself 91%
• Dark Winds 100%
• Slow Horses 100%
• English Teacher 97%
• Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist 95%
• Only Murders in the Building 94%
• Bad Monkey 93%

Coming Soon To Theaters

Latest certified fresh movies & tv, new reviews added, new tv this week.

• How to Die Alone 83%
• Emily in Paris 59%
• Three Women 20%
• Universal Basic Guys
• My Brilliant Friend: Story of the Lost Child
• The Old Man
• Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy
• Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father
• In Vogue: The 90s
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 78%
• Deadpool & Wolverine 79%
• Alien: Romulus 80%
• It Ends With Us 57%
• The Forge 70%
• Twisters 75%
• Blink Twice 74%
• Despicable Me 4 56%
• The Front Room 55%

Trailers & Videos

The wild robot.

Check out the official trailer for The Wild Robot starring Lupita Nyong’o!

Smile 2 , Terrffier 3 , and More

Our recommendations for what horror films to watch this Fall

Pachinko : Season 2

Lee Min-ho is spilling some season 2 secrets

On the Street

Asking strangers at Comic-Con what's the best thing they've watched this summer

Plus, how Micheal Keaton brought back his iconic character

Movie & TV guides

Verified Hot Movies

Discover What to Watch

Best Movies of All Time

Megalopolis

Like wandering through the dreams of one of the most important filmmakers of all time.

Now playing

The Last of the Sea Women

The Wild Robot

We Live in Time

Look Into My Eyes

The Front Room

Matt and Mara

The Thicket

The Mother of All Lies

The Paragon

From the blog.

TIFF 2024: Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Elton John: It’s Not Too Late, Paul Anka: His Way

Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Paul Anka all came to Toronto this year with movies.

A 9/11 Memory: A Historic Day, and Just Another One

TIFF 2024: Unstoppable, Triumph, April

TIFF 2024: Table of Contents

TIFF 2024: Paying For It, Viktor, Mr. K

Everything the Light Touches: James Earl Jones (1931-2024)

TIFF 2024: The Room Next Door, Hard Truths

TIFF 2024: Young Werther, Addition, My Father’s Daughter

TIFF 2024: Daniela Forever, Can I Get a Witness?, Ick

TIFF 2024: Bonjour Tristesse, The Fire Inside, The Last Showgirl

TIFF 2024: The Life of Chuck, Nightbitch, K-Pops!

TIFF 2024: Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Sharp Corner, The Quiet Ones

TIFF 2024: Dahomey, Bird, Oh Canada

Review collections.

The Best Action Movies of 2024

The Best Comedies of 2024

The Best Horror Movies of 2024

The Best Movies and Mini-Series of 2024

Latest reviews.

Popular reviews

The Substance

The best movie reviews, in your inbox

All Movies and TV shows on ABC

Wondering what can you watch on ABC? Discover all the online movies and TV shows that are currently streaming on ABC right here. JustWatch is a streaming search engine that allows you to search and browse through different providers, including ABC. Search, filter and compare prices to find the best place to buy or rent movies and TV shows.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Movie Reviews

• Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Newsletter

Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza in My Old Ass . Marni Grossman/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A teen meets her middle-aged self in 'my old ass' and finds hindsight isn't 20/20.

September 11, 2024 • Imagine camping out in the woods, taking mushrooms, and meeting your future self ... played by Aubrey Plaza. That's what happens to 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) in this charming, quirky comedy.

Aaron Pierre in Rebel Ridge. Allyson Rigg/Netflix hide caption

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

September 11, 2024 • In Netflix's new film Rebel Ridge , Aaron Pierre plays Terry, a young Black man who enters a small Southern town to post bail for his cousin. But when the local cops seize his money, he faces off against the corrupt chief of police (Don Johnson). Things escalate, and soon he uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens his life.

Brandy Norwood in The Front Room . A24 hide caption

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

September 10, 2024 • Maybe you think you've seen every scary mother-in-law fiction has to offer — you absolutely haven't. In the new movie The Front Room , a pregnant woman (Brandy Norwood) allows her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) to move in. In a film that's part creepy and part very darkly funny, the two women square off for control of the house and the child on the way.

Turns out Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) hasn't changed much in 30-odd years — he's less of a villain, but still a pain in the neck. Parisa Taghizadeh/Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

Beetlejuice is back, in a supernatural screwball sequel

September 6, 2024 • Director Tim Burton seems more interested in updating than duplicating his 1988 hit. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice demonstrates affection for the characters and genuine curiosity in how they’re doing now.

Clockwise from left: Wicked, Here, Emilia Pérez, A Real Pain, Piece by Piece and Blitz. Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Shanna Besson/Pathé, Searchlight Pictures and Apple TV+ hide caption

Here are 25 movies we can't wait to watch this fall

September 6, 2024 • Here are the new releases coming your way between now and Thanksgiving — we've got award contenders, goofy comedies, a smattering of romance, plenty of anti-heroes, and a musical documentary in LEGOs.

Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Warner Bros Pictures hide caption

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

September 6, 2024 • There's a reason Beetlejuic e was a hit back in 1988: it delivered both the spectacle and big stars of a major studio film, and the hilarious, weird vision of director Tim Burton. Now he returns with the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — which stars Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Michael Keaton, and Jenna Ortega. But does Beetlejuice Beetlejuice capture any of the original's silly, surreal, singular magic? Should it even try?

John Cho in Afraid . Glen Wilson/Sony Pictures hide caption

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

August 30, 2024 • The new movie Afraid is latest in the well-established genre of "the computer is alive" stories. John Cho plays a dad who has a chance to try out a very advanced AI system at his home — and it does a lot more than talk back.

Bill Skarsgård in The Crow. Larry Horricks/Lionsgate hide caption

'The Crow' puts the ick in gothic

August 29, 2024 • In the new film The Crow , Bill Skarsgård plays a man who gets brutally murdered alongside his soulmate (FKA twigs). He returns to life as an unstoppable figure of vengeance, hunting down their killers. It's not a remake of the 1994 cult classic; the filmmakers are pitching it as a brand new reimagining of the comic book series that inspired the original film. But how does this new movie stack up?

José Coronado plays film star Julio Arenas in Close Your Eyes. Film Movement hide caption

Quietly transcendent 'Close Your Eyes' may be among the best films you see all year

August 23, 2024 • Over the past 50 years or so, Spanish filmmaker Víctor Erice has directed just four features. His latest, about a filmmaker who revisits a past project, has the pull of a well-crafted detective story.

Channing Tatum stars as Slater King in Blink Twice. Zachary Greenwood/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

Zoë Kravitz's 'Blink Twice' is a very weird and ambitious big swing

August 23, 2024 • In the new psychological thriller Blink Twice , Naomi Ackie plays a woman who is invited to the private island of a tech billionaire, played by Channing Tatum. He's recently re-entered public life after a scandal and has gathered his friends for a long party. But as the party stretches on, it's clear that something is seriously amiss. Blink Twice is the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, and the vibes are definitely pretty weird.

Alien: Romulus is the latest movie in the long-running Alien sci-fi/horror series. But it actually takes place shortly after the events of the very first film: Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic, Alien . 20th Century Studios hide caption

'Alien: Romulus' is another franchise movie that brings more nostalgia than novelty

August 16, 2024 • The latest installment of the "Alien" series is an efficient and reasonably entertaining thriller. But dwelling too obsessively on the past won't guarantee a franchise's future.

Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson in Alien: Romulus . Murray Close/20th Century Studios hide caption

'Alien: Romulus' goes deep (space) into the horror

August 16, 2024 • Alien: Romulus is the latest entry in the venerable Alien sci-fi/horror film franchise, and it leans hard into the horror. The new movie stars Cailee Spaeney as one of a young crew of space miners, along with David Jonsson as her android brother. You'll never guess what species of slimy extraterrestrial evil they encounter. Faces get hugged, chests get burst, and acid blood eats through everything.

Izaac Wang stars as Chris Wang in Didi. Focus Features hide caption

'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

August 15, 2024 • The movie Didi is a vibrant coming-of-age dramedy and was a Sundance film festival favorite. It stars Izaac Wang as a 13-year-old just trying to survive the awkwardness of puberty as a Taiwanese-American kid living in the Bay Area. He's got a crush to impress, complicated friendships to navigate, and family members who are sooooo embarrassing. Didi was directed by Sean Wang, who earned an Oscar nomination earlier this year for his documentary short Nai Nai & Wai Po .

Hunter Schafer in Cuckoo. Felix Dickinson/Neon hide caption

Hunter Schafer's 'Cuckoo' serves up Alpine horror

August 12, 2024 • In the new, stylishly odd horror film Cuckoo , Hunter Schafer plays an American teenager who reluctantly moves with her family to a mysterious resort in the German Alps. Her rebellious spirit clashes with the resort's creepy proprietor, played by Dan Stevens. When weird stuff starts happening, long-buried family secrets come to light and the resort's true nature stands revealed.

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck become uneasy partners in crime in The Instigators. Apple TV+ hide caption

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are 'The Instigators' in a classic heist film throwback

August 9, 2024 • After a heist goes bad, two inept Boston crooks (played by Damon and Affleck) become uneasy partners. The Instigators is a reasonably enjoyable film that reflects an earlier cinematic era.

Instigators

Blake Lively in It Ends With Us. Sony Pictures hide caption

'It Ends With Us' is a melodrama with serious undertones

August 9, 2024 • The 2016 Colleen Hoover novel It Ends With Us was a massive bestseller. And now that book is a movie. Blake Lively stars as Lily Bloom, a woman who falls for a hot neurosurgeon played by Justin Baldoni — who also directs the film. But their relationship is complicated by the return of her old flame (Brandon Sklenar). She also has to reckon with her feelings about her abusive father and the mother who stayed with him.

Lily Collias brings a nearly wordless intensity as Sam in Good One. Smudge Films hide caption

In ‘Good One,’ a family camping trip is full of emotional switchbacks

August 8, 2024 • On its surface, Good One is about a teen on a backpacking trip with her dad and his friend. But the film is so sharp and engrossing you might not notice the deeper story taking shape underneath.

(l-r) Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing . A24 hide caption

Colman Domingo's 'Sing Sing' is a rare empathetic prison drama

August 5, 2024 • The moving drama Sing Sing stars Colman Domingo as the leader of a tight-knit theatre ensemble within one of the most notorious maximum-security prisons in the United States. Most of the cast are alumni of the actual program who had input on the filmmaking process. The movie showcases the ups and downs of putting on a show without being overly sentimental or cliché.

Josh Hartnett in Trap . Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

M. Night Shyamalan lays his own parent 'Trap,' and it's truly bonkers

August 2, 2024 • M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller Trap stars Josh Hartnett as a father attending a pop concert with his teenage daughter. But all is not as it appears. It quickly turns out that the entire concert is surrounded by police who are trying to catch a dangerous serial killer in the most difficult way possible. There is a lot going on in this bonkers movie: lots of pop songs, and lots of strange decision-making.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in an odd-couple action hero pairing. Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios hide caption

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a self-cannibalizing slog

July 26, 2024 • Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have good, thorny chemistry in this odd-couple action hero flick. But brand extension disguised as a satire of brand extension is still just ... brand extension.

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a self-cannibalizing slog

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine . Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios/Marvel hide caption

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a feast of inside jokes

July 26, 2024 • In the highly meta Deadpool & Wolverine , Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman finally meet up for their own big movie. Deadpool is still smarmy, Wolverine is still tragic, and they have to get together to save the world. Along the way, Deadpool continues his usual routine of endless wisecracking. The movie is jam-packed with fan service and Easter eggs. But how will casual Marvel fans like the movie?

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a feast of inside jokes

Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones play rival storm chasers in Twisters . Universal Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures & Amblin Entertainment/Universal Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures & Amblin Entertainment hide caption

'Twisters' swirls an old-fashioned rom-com into an effects-happy action movie

July 19, 2024 • This follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster Twister updates the original by making its heroine — not its hero — the center of gravity, but alas, the script doesn’t let her be a whole lot of fun.

Glen Powell in Twisters. Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal hide caption

'Twisters' has us spiraling

July 19, 2024 • Twiste r was one of the biggest disaster movies of the '90s. Now, it's finally got a sequel — one with an all-new cast, state-of-the-art effects, and a whole lot of tornadoes. The new film stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones as rival storm-chasers who have a habit of running into tornadoes while everyone else is fleeing. Twisters was directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who also directed the Oscar-nominated Minari .

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

The 30 Best Movies to Watch on Every Streaming Service

This article will be updated as movies move on and off streaming services. An asterisk indicates a new addition to the list.

Don’t we all deserve to watch something that’s actually great? Too often, the competing streaming algorithms at Netflix , Max , and Amazon Prime Video push a smattering of undifferentiated piffle. So many of the major services seemingly just want to highlight their own latest acquisition or buzzy project. But we at Vulture have no horse in the streaming race: Our job is to help you figure out what to watch by recommending the best movies each of these services has to offer at any given time.

To that end, we have gone over the must-see titles on each platform and winnowed them down to the list below. It could easily be 100 movies long, but we tried to keep it manageable — a tight 30! — and if you come back every month, you can expect to see it updated with new selections. Read on to jump to a streaming service and find something to watch, starting with this week’s critic’s pick.

Jump to a streaming service: Netflix | Amazon Prime Video | Max | Hulu | Apple TV+ | Peacock | Disney+ | Paramount+ | The Criterion Channel

This Week’s Critic’s Pick

Oldboy (netflix).

Year:  2003 Runtime:  2h Director:  Park Chan-wook

It’s hard to explain to people how this movie moved through the film-loving world before Film Twitter was a thing. Recently restored for its 20th anniversary,  Oldboy  has now been dropped on Netflix again, and it’s lost none of its searing power. It’s the tale of a man who is kidnapped, and its genius is that it’s not a whodunit as much as a whydunit, forcing viewers and protagonists to wonder about a truly grisly motive until the final unforgettable act.

How We Pick Our Films

Critic Brian Tallerico watches and writes about movies and TV every day. To curate Vulture’s streaming lists, he dives into each service’s catalogue to surface acclaimed, surprising, or otherwise noteworthy titles — using his taste and a lifetime of cinema study as his guide, instead of whatever the algorithm happens to be pushing. After triple-checking to make sure they’re still available, he watches each, then writes his recommendation. Below we’ve collected selections from each streaming service. We highlight more than just Oscar winners or popcorn flicks: These films present interesting ideas, made an impact on cinema, and changed our culture.

*Godzilla Minus One

Year:  2023 Runtime:  2h 5m Director:  Takashi Yamazaki

Netflix stunned people when they stealthily dropped this worldwide hit on their service on June 1st, making a movie that wasn’t even on VOD finally available at home. The winner of the Oscar for Best Visual Effects,  Godzilla Minus One  is a masterful blend of action and social commentary, considered by many to be among the best in this generations-spanning franchise.

May December

Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 57m Director: Todd Haynes

Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman star in the latest from Carol and Far from Heaven director Todd Haynes, a stunning character study of an actress who discovers that some people are impossible to figure out. Portman plays a star who tries to get under the skin of Moore’s character, a woman who raped a child when she was a teacher, and later married that young man. Charles Melton is phenomenal as the now-grown victim, stuck in perpetual adolescence.

*Miami Vice

Year:  2006 Runtime:  2h 12m Director:  Michael Mann

Just over 20 years after the premiere of the hit series that introduced the world to Crockett and Tubbs, Michael Mann returned to Florida for this stylized adaptation starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Divisive on its release because it’s not exactly a traditional blockbuster,  Miami Vice  has developed a loyal following over the years for its gorgeous cinematography and intoxicating style.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Year:  1975 Runtime:  1h 29m Director:  Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

During a hiatus between the third and fourth seasons of  Monty Python’s Family Circus , the gang of mega-talented comedians decided to make movie history. Inspired by the King Arthur legend,  Holy Grail  is a timeless comedy, the rare kind of film that will still be making people laugh hundreds of years from now. And while the Monty Python boys were already famous, this film took them to another level, cementing their place in movie history.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Year: 2023 Runtime: 2h 20m Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson

This is how you do a big-budget blockbuster sequel, developing the themes of the first movie and setting up the stake for what now appears will be one of the best trilogies in superhero history. Packed with so much detail and creativity, it’s a film you’ll want to watch over and over again.

Amazon Prime Video

Year:  1981 Runtime:  1h 47m Director:  Brian De Palma

Brian De Palma’s best film stars John Travolta as a sound effects technician who is out recording sounds one night when he thinks he hears something terrifying. De Palma’s films often riff on Hitchcock, and this is his  Rear Window , taking the voyeuristic elements of that film and applying them to a deeply cynical but brilliant study of violence, politics, and sex in the early 1980s.

The Holdovers

Year: 2023 Runtime: 2h 13m Director: Alexander Payne

Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph won Golden Globes, and Randolph won an Oscars, for this phenomenal holiday comedy, exclusive to Peacock. The ‘70s-set story of a boarding school over holiday break already feels like a comedy classic, a movie that people will be watching, especially around the end of the year, for generations to come.

Interstellar

Year:  2014 Runtime:  2h 49m Director:  Christopher Nolan

The most underrated film from the director of The Dark Knight and Oppenheimer remains this 2014 sci-fi epic, a film that’s better if you approach it as an emotional journey instead of a physical one. Matthew McConaughey gives one of the best performances of his career as an astronaut searching for a new home for mankind, and realizing all that he left behind to do so. It’s a technical marvel with some of the most striking visuals and best sound design of Nolan’s career.

Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 55m Director: Greta Gerwig

One of the biggest films of 2023 has landed on Max. Greta Gerwig’s daring blockbuster is a comedy that works both as a reminder of the power imagination and the fight for equality. Anyone who thinks this movie is anti-male isn’t paying any attention. The theme of the movie is that no one — not even Barbie or Ken — should be defined by traditional roles. We should all be free to play however we want. It’s a wonderful film that will truly stand the test of time.

Dune: Part Two

Year:  2021, 2024 Runtime:  2h 36m, 2h 46m Director:  Denis Villeneuve

You can now watch the entire  Dune  saga to date on Max, the exclusive home to the highest grossing film of 2024 so far. The second half of Villeneuve’s saga fulfills the promise of the first, turning the set-up of the 2021 film into a full-blooded action tale of a new messiah. Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya lead an all-star cast in a film that understands both scope and character. It may not play quite as well at home as it did in theaters, but it still rocks.

Lost in Translation

Year:  2003 Runtime:  1h 42m Director:  Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola exploded onto the filmmaking scene with her second film, this dramedy about a fading movie star who meets an American girl in Tokyo and both of their lives change. Bill Murray does career-best work in the film (and should have won an Oscar), and he’s matched by Scarlett Johansson, but  Lost in Translation  really is Coppola’s film, a tender, brilliant character study with personal resonance.

The Lighthouse

Year:  2019 Runtime:  1h 50m Director:  Robert Eggers

Is this the best COVID lockdown movie? Sure, it came out the year before, but a lot of people watched it on streaming while they were going crazy with people with whom they were stuck. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are fearless in Robert Eggers’ black-and-white nightmare about two New England lighthouse keepers who learn that nothing is scarier than being trapped with someone unbearable. It’s a twisted gem.

Year: 2019 Runtime: 2h 12m Director: Bong Joon-ho

Remember not that long ago before the world changed, and we could all rally around a South Korean film becoming the first foreign flick ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture ? It really was a crazy time. At one point Hulu was the only place you’ll find Bong Joon-ho’ s hysterical and thrilling study of class conflict for a long time, but the beloved thriller is now on Max, too.

Spirited Away

Year: 2001 Runtime: 2h 4m Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Almost all of the Studio Ghibli films are on Max, the exclusive home to them when it comes to streaming. The truth is that we could write thousands of words about the impact of Hayao Miyazaki and his colleagues (and we have: here’s a ranking of the entire output of the most important modern animation studio in the world), but for now we’ll recommend starting with Spirited Away , My Neighbor Totoro , and Castle in the Sky . You won’t stop.

All of Us Strangers

Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 45m Director: Andrew Haigh

One of the best films of 2023 is exclusively available on Hulu thanks to the relationship between the company and Fox Searchlight—both owned by Disney, essentially. Andrew Scott is stunning as a man who essentially travels in time to visit the parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy) who died when he was young, all while starting a relationship with one of his neighbors (Paul Mescal). Imagine getting to say what you never could to those you lost and allowing them a chance to see how you’ve changed too. It’s a beautiful, moving piece of work.

Anatomy of a Fall

Year: 2023 Runtime: 2h 31m Director: Justine Triet

The latest Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay is already exclusively on Hulu thanks to their relationship with Neon. The great Sandra Huller stars as a woman whose husband dies from a fall at their home. Was it suicide or murder? More than a mere courtroom drama, this is a dissection of a marriage that’s raw, brutal, and real.

Year: 2020 Runtime: 1h 48m Director: Chloe Zhao

The Oscar winner for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress , this 2020 drama is one of the most moving films of the young decade so far, and it’s exclusively on Hulu thanks to the company’s relationship with Searchlight (they’re both owned by Disney). Frances McDormand stars as Fern, a woman displaced by the loss of her husband and job, sending her out on the road. Blending non-fiction filmmaking choices like the use of non-actors telling their own stories with a deep sense of character-building, this is a phenomenal film.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Year: 2019 Runtime: 2h 42m Director: Quentin Tarantino

It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost a half-decade since Quentin Tarantino’s last movie, one of the last greats of the 2010s. Wildly misunderstood during production (and even a bit after release), it’s way more than just a reclamation of the Sharon Tate murders, it’s a funny, scary, smart alternate version of Hollywood history with some of the career-best performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Oscar winner Brad Pitt.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Year: 2023 Runtime: 3h 26m Director: Martin Scorsese

One of the most acclaimed films of the 2020s is now exclusively available for subscribers of Apple TV+. Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro star in an epic drama that’s about nothing less than the violent formation of this country. When the Osage people became the richest per capita in the country, the white power figures in the region did everything they could to take it from them. As well-made as any streaming original of all time, it’s not only the best film on Apple TV+, it’s one of the best films you could watch on any streaming service, anywhere.

Wolfwalkers

Year: 2020 Runtime: 1h 43m Directors: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart

Wolfwalkers should have won the Oscar in early 2021. It’s a lyrical and gorgeous final act to Cartoon Saloon’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy,” the story of a girl named Robyn Goodfellowe, whose father has been hired to hunt wolves. Robyn befriends a shapeshifter, a girl who is both wolf and human, in a story that incorporates modern storytelling with Irish folklore and inspired visual style.

*Do the Right Thing

Year:  1989 Runtime:  1h 59m Director:  Spike Lee

Over 35 years after its release, Spike Lee’s masterpiece feels as urgent and current as the day it was released. After the unrest in early 2020, many people seemed to revisit this classic, to discover it’s lost none of its power. In fact, every viewing of  Do the Right Thing  feels fresh and new again. It’s one of the best films ever made.

Year: 1974 Runtime: 2h 10m Director: Roman Polanski

Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown. One of the best movies of the ’70s, this Best Picture nominee (and Best Screenplay winner) tells the story of Jake Gittes, played unforgettably by Jack Nicholson, as he investigates an adulterer and finds something much more insidious under the surface of Los Angeles. It’s a must-see, as important as almost any film from its era.

The Godfather

Year:  1972 Runtime:  2h 55m Director:  Francis Ford Coppola

It’s only the film that made Al Pacino a star and kicked Francis Ford Coppola’s career into the stratosphere — maybe you’ve heard of it? In all seriousness, the entire  Godfather  trilogy is available on Paramount+, including the superior recent cut of the third film. You could then slide from some of the best filmmaking of all time into the streaming service’s original series  The Offer , about the making of Coppola’s masterpiece.

Year: 2023 Runtime: 1h 45m Director: Celine Song

This phenomenal Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay nominee isn’t on any of the other streamers. It stars the excellent Greta Lee and Teo Yoo as a couple who were close as children but reunite years later after she immigrated to the United States. It’s as much a story of what people leave behind when they change their entire lives as it is a traditional story of unrequited love. It’s beautiful and unforgettable.

The Lion King

Year:  1994 Runtime:  1h 33m Director:  Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff

A key part of the Disney Renaissance, this animated classic is one of the most beloved Disney films in the history of the company. It’s one of the Disney movies that became more than just a movie, inspiring sequels, theme park attractions, and even a massive hit Broadway show. People keep returning to the story of Simba as it gets passed down from generation to generation, probably earning a new fan somewhere in the world every single day.

The Criterion Channel

Year: 1952 Runtime: 2h 23m Director: Akira Kurosawa

Even if Criterion had only a handful of Kurosawa films, it would still be difficult to choose between The Seven Samurai , Rashomon , and Ran , to name a few. So why Ikiru ? Well, it’s an unqualified masterpiece, about a man with stomach cancer coming to terms with the end of his life. It’s hard to believe Kurosawa made it when he was just over 40.

In the Mood for Love 

Year: 2000 Runtime: 1h 38m Director: Wong Kar-wai

Movies don’t get more hypnotic than this, a story of love and longing set in Hong Kong in 1962. Gorgeously shot by cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin, In the Mood for Love also features career-defining performances by Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk. The two play neighbors who develop an attraction to one another in a way that feels both deeply cinematic and completely human.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles 

Year: 1975 Runtime: 3h 21m Director: Chantal Akerman

The 2022 Sight & Sound critics poll named Chantal Akerman’s masterpiece the best film of all time, and it’s sitting on the Criterion Channel waiting for you to find out why. This 1975 examination of the gradual breakdown of the routines of an ordinary life turns everyday detail into something unforgettable, even transcendent. Critics have loved this film for decades and now it’s had an incredible resurgence almost six decades after its release.

• now streaming
• streaming recommendations
• streaming services
• amazon prime video
• the criterion channel

Most Viewed Stories

• Cinematrix No. 169: September 11, 2024
• Hugh Grant Was Born to Play the Villain
• Which All-Starrs Did Ringo Have to Fire?
• Dave Grohl’s Got Another Confession to Make
• All the Winners (and EGOTs) of the Creative Arts Emmys
• Why Is Taylor Swift Hugging Brittany Mahomes Such a Big Deal?

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

Peter Travers

Peter Travers is a film critic and journalist. Get Peter Travers's latest news stories and articles, connect with millions of users and join the conversation at ABC News.

Peter's Latest Work

Review: michael keaton stars in his funniest role ever as beetlejuice makes his freak flag fly, review: director azazel jacobs gives 'his three daughters' a rattling tension and a sense that love has many faces, 2024 fall movie preview: a look ahead at the most highly anticipated upcoming films, review: 'the deliverance' is full of cliches and gets laughs, not scares, review: 'strange darling' is a cinematic punch in the gut that'll keep you guessing, review: beauty can be an ugly business in 'skincare,' a summer fun flick, review: 'blink twice' is a ticking time bomb of a movie that makes every second count, review: 'alien: romulus' is hard to resist, review: elliot page delivers a deeply moving performance in 'close to you', review: cliches come fast in 'it ends with us', review: 'industry' reveals a broken world that looks scarily like our own, review: 'trap' quickly dives off the cliff from disappointment to disaster.

• Privacy Policy — 
• Your US State Privacy Rights — 
• Children's Online Privacy Policy — 
• Interest-Based Ads — 
• Terms of Use — 
• Do Not Sell My Info — 
• Contact Us — 

© 2024 ABC News

Featured today

Most popular celebrities

What to watch, exclusive videos, imdb originals.

Explore what’s streaming

Explore movies & tv shows, more to explore, recently viewed.

Apollo 13: Survival – a 'real, rare and breathtaking tale of survival'

Netflix documentary includes 'remarkable' archival footage from near-disastrous moon mission

• Newsletter sign up Newsletter

The story of the three astronauts aboard Apollo 13, a Nasa spacecraft bound for the moon, who managed to make it back to Earth in April 1970 is "nothing short of astounding", said Adrian Horton in The Guardian . Little wonder then that Netflix has chosen it as the subject of its latest documentary, "meticulously and sumptuously rendered through restored archival material".

Yes, we have watched the retelling of these events before, notably in the Oscar-winning film starring Tom Hanks in 1995, but "Apollo 13: Survival" reveals never-before-seen footage, interviews with the original team for the first time, plus access to the 7,000 hours of complete audio recordings.

That the three astronauts – Fred Haise, Jack Swigert and mission commander Jim Lovell – got home is shown here to be nothing short of a miracle. They spent four "harrowing, near-suffocating" days in a lunar module designed for two people and 45 hours with just a "few light bulbs' worth" of power after the explosion almost drained the spacecraft of oxygen and electrical power. In a triumph of understatement, this was the event that prompted Swigert to utter the phrase: "Houston, we've had a problem here."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

"Apollo 13: Survival" recounts the audacious rescue effort, coordinated from Nasa's control room in Houston 200,000 miles away. "Unprecedented and untested manoeuvres" were deployed to get the astronauts home, including "transferring flight data by hand to the 'lifeboat' module, catapulting off the moon's orbit, manually aiming an unpredictable rocket blast at the earth". Each of them was a last resort, "dicey and high-risk". Indeed, said The Irish Examiner' s Esther McCarthy, "as Nasa's brightest sought solutions", news networks put the crew's chance of survival at 10%. 

Aside from the series of scientific masterstrokes that brought the astronauts home, the director Peter Middleton wanted to focus on the "emotional heart of the film" and the "very real impact" of the unfolding crisis on the three astronauts and their families. To that end, the team reached out to the Lovell family, who shared their extensive personal archive with the team. The film is dedicated to Jim's wife, Marilyn, who died in 2023. The archival footage is "remarkable", added Horton in The Guardian, and includes crew recordings during two crucial engine bursts and photos of Marilyn reacting to each "hairs-breadth success on the news".

One of the most notable aspects of the story is the fact that "even in crisis the (almost entirely) men of Nasa are near-psychotically cool cucumbers, relaying stressful information as if reading Ikea furniture directions". Similarly, this latest retelling "avoids sensationalism, baiting or cheesy re-enactments". It is "a real, rare and breathtaking tale of survival and ingenuity, clearly and painstakingly told".

"Apollo 13: Survival" is available on Netflix 

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox

A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com

Today's Big Question Kyiv is hoping for permission to use US missiles to strike deep into Russian territory

By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published 11 September 24

Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages

By The Week Staff Published 11 September 24

The Explainer Hypothesis that reality is an advanced super-computer simulation is backed by philosophers, scientists – and Elon Musk

By The Week UK Published 11 September 24

The Week Recommends BBC Two's three-part documentary features 'genuinely revealing' interviews with the Ukrainian president

By Ellie O'Mahoney, The Week UK Published 11 September 24

The Week Recommends Marinated feta; go-to chocolate cake; a fresh way with Brussels: Autumn is not going to know what hit it

By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published 10 September 24

The Week Recommends From the depths of the Namib Desert to Finnish Lapland, these remote destinations are ideal for stargazing

By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published 10 September 24

The Week Recommends The Scottish seaside town has it all, from cheese toastie shacks to Michelin-starred restaurants

By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published 9 September 24

The Week Recommends This Cornish seaside village offers plenty of fun for surfers and families alike

By Hollie Clemence, The Week UK Published 9 September 24

The Week Recommends A pop icon, Shakespeare reconsidered and a sublime musical about mortality are all on the boards

By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published 8 September 24

The Week Recommends This Caribbean-inspired recipe is mouthwateringly delicious

By The Week UK Published 8 September 24

The Week Recommends Çıralı has been spared the 'scourge' of all-inclusive resort development

• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Advertise With Us

The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

• ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream Watch Now
• 9/11 Tribute in Light Watch Now
• THE LOOP | NYC Weather and Traffic Cams Watch Now

Sandy Kenyon's movie reviews and more

• Trending on RT

• TV & Streaming Shows
• Best & Popular

TAGGED AS: popular , series , streaming , television , TV

(Photo by Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection. THE PERFECT COUPLE.)

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

Want to know what popular and new TV shows this week are keeping watchers glued to the screen and Rotten Tomatoes users engaged on site? Here’s the current top 25 series, including The Perfect Couple , Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power   (streaming on Amazon ), and the Jeff Goldblum-starring Kaos .

Click on each show for reviews and trailers, where to watch, and how to cast your own ratings vote. Check back weekly for latest updates to the charts. (And also check out the most popular movies out right now !)

The Perfect Couple: Limited Series (2024) 61%

Kaos: Season 1 (2024) 77%

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2 (2024) 85%

Terminator Zero: Season 1 (2024) 89%

Slow Horses: Season 4 (2024) 100%

Kevin Can F**k Himself: Season 1 (2021) 82%

Dark Winds: Season 2 (2023) 100%

English Teacher: Season 1 (2024) 97%

Bad Monkey: Season 1 (2024) 93%

Only Murders in the Building: Season 4 (2024) 94%

From: Season 3 (2024) --

Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1 (2024) 78%

A Discovery of Witches: Season 3 (2022) 86%

Industry: Season 3 (2024) 96%

The Accident: Season 1 (2024) 29%

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist: Limited Series (2024) 95%

Pachinko: Season 2 (2024) 100%

The Old Man: Season 2 (2024) --

Supacell: Season 1 (2024) 100%

Tell Me Lies: Season 2 (2024) --

The Bear: Season 3 (2024) 89%

Sunny: Season 1 (2024) 90%

The Terror: Infamy (2019) 80%

Presumed Innocent: Season 1 (2024) 78%

Disclaimer: Season 1 (2024) 91%

Related news.

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

Netflix’s 100 Best Movies Right Now (September 2024)

Best TV Shows of 2024: Best New Series to Watch Now

More Countdown

Toronto Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

The 35 Best 1950s Horror Movies

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

September 11, 2024

Pachinko ‘s Lee Min-ho Spills Season 2 Secrets

September 10, 2024

Weekend Box Office: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Scores Second-Highest September Opening Ever

September 9, 2024

Top Headlines

• Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch –
• Toronto Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard –
• The 35 Best 1950s Horror Movies –
• 30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming –
• 50 Best New Action Movies of 2024 –
• Netflix’s 100 Best Movies Right Now (September 2024) –

Program: The Screen Show

Source: ABC Radio National

Brought to you by

Presented by

Jason Di Rosso interviews the makers of the movies and TV you need to see.

Airs Thursday 10am. Repeated: Friday 9pm, Saturday 8pm.

James McAvoy: Speak No Evil + Hugo Weaving: Slow Horses

Published: 1h ago Thu 12 Sep 2024 at 12:00am

More from The Screen Show

Josh margolin pays homage to his grandmother in action-comedy thelma.

Published: 5 Sep 2024 Thu 5 Sep 2024 at 12:00am

Rising Australian star Charlie Vickers on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Published: 29 Aug 2024 Thu 29 Aug 2024 at 12:00am

Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters director Paul Feig on his new film Jackpot!

Published: 22 Aug 2024 Thu 22 Aug 2024 at 12:00am

Canadian director Matthew Rankin's charming Universal Language

Published: 15 Aug 2024 Thu 15 Aug 2024 at 12:00am

Feature Articles

Birdeater is a new aussie horror about 'a national male identity in crisis'.

Published: 24 Jul 2024 Wed 24 Jul 2024 at 12:28am / by Nicola Heath

Why Rashida Jones found filming in Japan 'relaxing' as a Black woman

Published: 11 Jul 2024 Thu 11 Jul 2024 at 11:27pm / by Yasmin Jeffery

When Saigon fell in 1975, Vietnamese movie star Kieu Chinh began calling her famous friends

Published: 18 Apr 2024 Thu 18 Apr 2024 at 11:24pm / by Nicola Heath

Dev Patel faced 'catastrophe every day' directing his first movie Monkey Man

Published: 9 Apr 2024 Tue 9 Apr 2024 at 8:14pm / by Nicola Heath

Discover more podcasts

Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts

Vote for your fall favorites in our TODAY Bestsellers: Viewers’ Choice poll

• Share this —

• Watch Full Episodes
• Read With Jenna
• Inspirational
• Relationships
• TODAY Table
• Newsletters
• Start TODAY
• Shop TODAY Awards
• Citi Concert Series
• Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

• On The Show
• TODAY Plaza

Remembering James Earl Jones’ most memorable roles, from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘The Lion King’

James Earl Jones’ death at the age of 93 will leave a void in Hollywood. The highly respected, baritone-voiced actor was a veteran presence on the big screen — as well as the stage, earning a trio of Tony Awards — and the small screen, where he made multiple guest appearances on a wide range of shows.

Jones was in rarified air as a thespian, achieving the coveted EGOT status by winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Although it should be noted he was recognized with an honorary Oscar in 2011, and he didn’t win one for acting in a specific role or in a competitive field.

Jones will be remembered by scores of fans for his work in films, with his distinctive voice and presence figuring prominently in several movies. His cinematic body of work, which began in the 1964 political satire “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” is a testament to his talent and ability to connect to a role and a story. He would go on to star in such movies as “Conan the Barbarian,” “Matewan,” “Claudine,” “‘The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings” and “The Hunt for Red October.”

Here’s a look at some of his most memorable parts and films.

'The Great White Hope'

Jones had already notched the first of his two Tonys — he’d also win a lifetime achievement award — by appearing in the Broadway show “The Great White Hope.” He would star in the 1970 big-screen adaptation, earning him his only Oscar nomination, playing Jack Jefferson, a character based on boxer Jack Johnson. Jones’ character is outspoken and has to cope with the public’s opinion of him, as well as his talents in the ring and interracial romances.

'Star Wars'

Jones didn’t physically appear as Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, but he famously voiced the character, whose name alone conjures images of villainousness and evil. David Prowse is the actor in the costume, but Jones’ booming and authoritative voice added color to the part and resulted in one of the more memorable characters in cinematic history.

'Coming to America'

It’s probably no coincidence that Jones had a knack for playing memorable fathers. In this classic 1988 comedy, he plays the king of the fictional country Zamunda and grows impatient when his son, played by Eddie Murphy, comes to America to find a bride. As a supporting actor in the film, he adds just enough bluster to make fans appreciate that he can be brusque, even as he wants the best for his son.

'Field of Dreams'

Jones stars as cranky, reclusive author Terence Mann, who initially doesn’t buy into Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella’s (Kevin Costner) quest or reasoning to find him after Kinsella builds a baseball field in his cornfield. Eventually, Mann comes around and then delivers a stirring monologue at the end of the film about why Kinsella simply can’t sell his farm, reminding him that people will come to watch baseball.

'The Sandlot'

Jones could’ve been an intimidating presence, which was played up in this 1993 coming-of-age comedy. While the baseball-playing kids in the movie fear a dog called The Beast, which precludes them from retrieving baseballs, they also fear the blind Mr. Mertle, who, it turns out, was a baseball player in Babe Ruth’s time who is happy to talk about the sport with them.

'The Lion King'

Yet another role that showcases Jones' patriarchal prowess. He voiced Mufasa in this enduring 1994 musical. He plays a ruler murdered by his brother, only to guide his son, Simba, who harbors guilt about his father’s death. Mufasa’s spirit helps Simba by urging him to reclaim his rightful place as king. 

Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.

September 2024

August 2024.

Latest Clips

Meet the cast.

Recommended Shows

MORE TO WATCH ON FREEFORM, FX & NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Follow General Hospital:

• Corrections
• Campaign 2024
• Putin's war in Ukraine
• Business & Economy
• Media Spotlight
• Waste, Fraud & Abuse
• Inside the Beltway
• Inside the Ring
• Higher Ground
• Entertainment
• Just the Headlines
• Photo Galleries
• Dive Deeper
• 40 years of The Washington Times
• Threat Status
• Energy & Environment
• Banking & Finance
• Health Care Reform
• Second Amendment
• Immigration Reform
• Homeland & Cybersecurity
• Aerospace & Defense
• Taxes & Budget
• Law Enforcement & Intelligence
• Transportation & Infrastructure
• Commentary Main
• Charles Hurt
• Cheryl K. Chumley
• Kelly Sadler
• Jennifer Harper
• Tim Constantine
• Joseph Curl
• Joseph R. DeTrani
• Billy Hallowell
• Daniel N. Hoffman
• David Keene
• Robert Knight
• Clifford D. May
• Michael McKenna
• Stephen Moore
• Tim Murtaugh
• Peter Navarro
• Everett Piper
• Scott Walker
• Black Voices
• To the Republic
• Sports Main
• Washington Commanders
• Thom Loverro
• Horse Racing
• NASCAR & Racing
• District of Sports Podcast
• Sports Photos
• Health Care on the Hill
• Invest in Portugal
• Health Care 2022
• Africa FDI Edition
• Immigration 2022
• Future of Clean Energy
• The Baltic States 2022
• Invest in Ireland
• ESG Investments
• U.S. & South Korea Alliance
• Invest in Malta
• National Clean Energy Week
• Victorious Family
• Energy 2024
• Infrastructure 2024
• Free Iran 2024
• Transportation 2024
• Reinventing after Globalization
• The Chiefs Forum: The Next 100 Days
• Harm Reduction and Public Health
• Subscriber Only Events
• Higher Ground Events
• All Podcasts
• The Front Page
• Politically Unstable
• History As It Happens
• Bold & Blunt
• The Higher Ground
• Court Watch
• Victory Over Communism
• District of Sports
• Capitol Hill Show
• The Unregulated Podcast
• The Rebellion Podcast
• Play Sudoku
• Crossword Puzzle
• Word Search

Susan Ferrechio and Seth McLaughlin dig into the first presidential debate between Trump and Harris

WATCH: Inside the geopolitical significance of Myanmar’s civil war Yun Sun joins Threat Status

Repairing America, one relationship at a time Dr. Warren Farrell on Bold & Blunt

Latest episode: What happened to the Israeli left? How the peace camp lost influence

Movie review: in ‘the critic,’ ian mckellen’s theater critic takes his job very seriously.

The arts rarely have anything good to say about critics. That they’re not generally the hero of many stories is, at the very least, understandable. More often they’re portrayed as joyless, cruel and a little pathetic; themselves failed artists who live to take down others, or, worse, sycophants in search of a famous friend.

Without getting into any sort of philosophical, or even factual debate about the nature of the kind of person drawn to criticism (besides perhaps a staunch antipathy to either job security or amassing wealth), it is safe to say that the drama critic of “ The Critic ” takes all the worst stereotypes to hysterical heights.

Set in the 1930s in London, Ian McKellen is Jimmy Erskine, a veteran theater critic whose reviews can make or break a play or a performer. He has a monastic devotion to telling the truth, as entertainingly as he can, and knows what he must sacrifice to do so.

“The drama critic is feared and reviled for the judgement he must bring,” McKellen says in an ominous voiceover. “(He) must be cold and perfectly alone.”

When one woman dares to chat him up after a play, offering her take on the material and performances, he swiftly tries to have her removed from the restaurant claiming he must be protected from the general public. When an actress, Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), confronts him about his wildly inconsistent criticisms of her (how can she be both plump and emaciated, she wonders), he refuses to apologize. And he scoffs when the new boss at the newspaper, David Brooke (Mark Strong), implores him to tone it down: “Be kinder,” he says. “More beauty, less beast.”

But what starts as satire spirals into a wildly messy tragedy with contrivance upon contrivance. This is a film that could have listened to its anti-hero’s advice to the flailing actress: Do less. That someone as great as Lesley Manville, as Nina’s mother, gets a mere handful of scenes and is only minimally consequential to it all is telling. It strives to be an intricate spider-web of compelling, intersecting stories, but few characters are fleshed out enough for us to care.

PHOTOS: Movie Review: In ‘The Critic,’ Ian McKellen's theater critic takes his job very seriously

“ The Critic,” handsomely directed by Anand Tucker (“Hilary and Jackie,” “Leap Year”) and written by Patrick Marber (“Closer,” “Notes on a Scandal”), is very loosely based on Anthony Quinn’s novel “Curtain Call,” itself more a murder mystery than this ever allows itself to be. Instead, the film is about the desperate lengths a man will go to when his job and freedom are threatened. Erskine is the kind of gentleman critic whose power and authority have gone unchallenged for so long, he’s become delusional beyond recognition. His words don’t just destroy, though. They’ve also inspired. Even the actress he obliterates time and time again admits as much: She tells him it was his writing that made her fall in love with the theater.

There are some fun ideas here, and good performances. McKellen is having a wonderful time living inside this charismatic monster who you are with until you’re really not. Erskine is also gay; an open secret that becomes a liability with his new boss and the rise of fascist thought around him. But none of it really adds up to anything poignant or enormously entertaining; its darkness is both lopsided and superficial, as most become casualties of Erskine’s aims. Theater critic as tyrant is a juicy premise; “The Critic” just can’t live up to the promise.

“The Critic,” a Greenwich Entertainment release in select theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “some language and sexual content.” Running time: 100 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide

Top of the Times

• TV LISTINGS
• JOIN / SIGN IN

More channels at the American TV Listings Guide ..