“Black Widow”: One-Sentence Review

Pull over F9, the only summer “family” movie that matters is Black Widow, a worth-the-wait Marvel prequel with a perfect balance of charm, wit, and action.

10 out of 12 Tamales

“The Tomorrow War”: One-Sentence Review

Despite the perplexing time-travel logic distracting from what works, namely Chris Pratt, J.K. Simmons, and the genuinely frightening aliens, The Tomorrow War is must-watch entertainment—mostly.

7.5 out of 12 Tamales

“F9: The Fast Saga”: One-Sentence Review

Leaving behind the tiny sliver of reality and plausibility the Fast franchise had left, F9 quadruples down on high-octane ridiculousness—road trips to space, superhero-esque leads, and the complete erasure of the laws of physics.

4.5 out of 12 Tamales

“Luca”: One-Sentence Review

Luca’s sweet and simple take on friendship and charting your own path is undeniably Pixar—gorgeous visuals, nostalgic settings, memorable characters and all, with only a slight (slight) hint of derivativeness.

9 out of 12 Tamales

“In the Heights”: One-Sentence Review

The optics are fresh and exciting, but In the Height’s acoustics are inevitably only a precursor to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s follow-up magnum opus, Hamilton.

7 out of 12 Tamales

“Mare of Easttown: Season One”: One-Sentence Review

HBO Max’s everyone-might-have-done-it series, Mare of Easttown, may overplay the subterfuge, but Kate Winslet and the cast’s exceptional performance keep the audience enthralled.

9 out of 12 Tamales

“Army of the Dead”: One-Sentence Review

All brawn, no smarts—who cares—Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead is the perfect Netflix summer tentpole, a smash ‘em up,  gnash ‘em up that’s pure brainless-zombie fun.

8 out of 12 Tamales

“Cruella”: One-Sentence Review

Stylishly punk rock, Cruella, thanks in large part to a debonairly devilish Emma Stone and a great supporting cast, is a fashionable edition to Disney’s live action library. 

10 out of 12 Tamales