To be catfished: lure (someone) into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona. Now what happens if your dad is the one catfishing you? That’s the based-on-a-true-story basis for James Morosini’s funny, heartfelt, wildly entertaining I Love My Dad starring Patton Oswalt in the titular role as dad … or as Becca, if…

Ron Howard does it again. This time, the prolific director takes his talents to Thailand in a fast-paced, enthralling retelling of a miracle. Thirteen Lives (On Amazon Prime Video August 5) tells the incredible true story of the Thai Cave Rescue, an event that captivated the world. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell as the…

Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson stars in writer Katy Brand and director Sophie Hyde’s endearing story of a retired school teacher who embarks on a journey of sexual reawakening. Spending the entirety of the dialogue-centric film opposite sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack), the film is very much like theater for the big screen.…

Writer-director Cooper Raiff stars alongside producer Dakota Johnson in the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” streaming now on Apple TV+. The endearing dramedy follows Andrew (Raiff), a recent postgraduate who accidentally gets a job hosting bar mitzvahs for the kids in his younger brother’s class. When he meets a young…

Actor and activist Evan Rachel Wood tells a harrowing story of surviving domestic violence in “Phoenix Rising,” an HBO documentary which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Director Amy Berg directs the two-part film, now streaming on HBO Max. It follows Wood’s journey from establishing herself as a young actor to becoming staunch…

A refreshingly mature romantic comedy from writers Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger, I Want You Back stars Charlie Day and Jenny Slate as strangers-turned-friends who help each other in the disappointing love department. Set apart from cookie-cutter “romcoms” from the last two decades, this Valentine’s Day release gets back to basics: characters who form a…

It doesn’t get better than this. Much like Lucille Ball, Aaron Sorkin is a master storyteller and uses his magic, once again, to write and direct Being the Ricardos, an intimate look at a woman, a marriage and a high-pressure job of performing for 60 million people every Monday at nine o’clock. While some viewers…

Based on J.R. Moehringer’s 2005 memoir, The Tender Bar is a nostalgic, coming-of-age story that’s simple in premise and complex in character. Directed by George Clooney and adapted by screenwriter William Monahan, the film centers on a young man’s (Tye Sheridan) life in Long Island; a lower-middle-class life full of eccentric characters like a struggling…

“Laughter is such a great part of life,” Hannah (Melanie Lynskey) explains to a ghostly Lady Wadsworth (Judy Greer). And laughter is what writing/directing team Justin and Christian Long know best. From a stoned tour guide to a spoiled man-child (Ryan Phillippe), the Long brothers show off their keen observation of ridiculous human behavior in…

I did not want to see Jungle Cruise. There, I said it. And I typically never include first person in my reviews, but it’s warranted here. I groaned at the prospect of seeing a big screen adaptation of a Disney attraction, one I was certain was going to be green screen scene after green screen…