‘The Farewell’ explores the fibs one family tells in love
Is there ever such a thing as a good lie? Even when it’s told as part of a farewell? Billi, a struggling young artist in Brooklyn, isn’t so sure. I mean, yes, ... Read More »
Simba and Mufasa return to take viewers on emotional ride
Simba has a lot to learn. And Mufasa, his roaring royal pop and the Pride Lands’ Lion King, is eager to teach him. Mufasa takes time to help Simba explore the vast ... Read More »
Apollo 11 joins Mary Poppins for July streaming
Defying gravity and capturing the imagination define two of our streaming films for July. Mary Poppins could fly, of course, with the opening of her umbrella. Apollo 11 chronicles humanity’s victory of ... Read More »
Movies to get your red, white and blue on
July is what I call Red-White-and Blue days of summer. This is when the themed t-shirts come out, there are red, white and blue hair ribbons and caps, plus corn on the ... Read More »
America’s Got Talent to aliens: July’s 5 family things
Aliens aside, I’m always looking for something to watch with my children that doesn’t involve animation, superheroes, princesses or sports stars. Those four categories are great, but they’ve slowly become my kids’ ... Read More »
MTV to add ‘gender fluid’ contestants to dating show
MTV, the network that has lost 50% of its viewers, is trying to lure more eyes to its dating show. For the first time in the history of dating shows on television, ... Read More »
Actors can’t replace previous star power of Men in Black
When Columbia Pictures dropped rising star Will Smith and respected veteran actor Tommy Lee Jones into the original Men in Black film in 1997, it immediately became a family favorite. The family-friendly feel continued ... Read More »
June streaming includes two kinds of superheroes
Superheroes are ultra-popular movie themes these days, but they’re also often ultra-violent and, sometimes, profane. They’re also loved by young children, even if the kids never have watched one and even though ... Read More »
‘Darkest Hour’ a great film to honor WWII sacrifice
Just in time for Flag Day and the commemoration of D-Day, the movie Darkest Hour is finding new fans. It’s a suspense filled historical drama about British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s handling ... Read More »
Clint Eastwood turns 89, shares plane crash story
Clint Eastwood, the longtime actor and director, revealed something that many people don’t know about him. After high school, Eastwood, 89, moved to Seattle and worked as a lifeguard before he was ... Read More »
‘Secret Life of Pets 2’ joins ‘Les Miserables’ for June movie spotlight
The Secret Life of Pets was the fourth-highest grossing film of 2016 and one of the most family-friendly, too, with plenty of laughs and life lessons for parents and children. Its sequel ... Read More »
Will political correctness kill classic films?
The rise of political correctness can be seen across movie screens this weekend. “The Hustle,” a gender-swap remake of 1988’s “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” rails against the patriarchy between sight gags. “Avengers: Endgame” ... Read More »
Faith-based ‘Like Arrows’ tops May’s streaming lineup
The filmmakers of Like Arrows, Alex and Stephen Kendrick, are the names behind some of the most successful films in faith-based entertainment— including War Room, Courageous and Fireproof — but they’ve also ... Read More »
For fans, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ succeeds with a compelling story
Avengers: Endgame is the Russo Brother’s love letter to fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that doesn’t disappoint through its epic 3 hour and 1 minute runtime. The film sets out ... Read More »
‘Unplanned’ sees weekend success, beats Captain Marvel in per-screen revenue
The pro-life move Unplanned had unplanned success at the box office over the weekend. The results come even after the best efforts of some to keep movie goers from learning about it. ... Read More »
New film ‘Breakthrough’ leads April’s family-friendly spotlight
Labeling a film “the best faith-based movie” you’ve seen doesn’t always help. On one hand, some skeptics of faith films might pay attention and watch it. On the other hand, skeptics also ... Read More »
“Unplanned’ is an R-rated movie everyone should see
Unplanned, out in theaters this week, is the R-rated movie everyone needs to see, including teenagers. I know, I know. R-rated is bad. Really bad. So why do I think everyone should ... Read More »
K-Love bans ‘Unplanned’ movie promotion
The popular behemoth Christian music network K-Love isn’t feeling the love from fans. Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood clinic director whose life is the basis of the new movie “Unplanned,” is ... Read More »
‘Unplanned’ movie directors share conviction for the unborn
Following on the success of the God’s Not Dead series, these two film producers hope Unplanned will also start a discussion on a contemporary topic. Filmmakers Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman are no ... Read More »
REVIEW: ‘Captain Marvel’ is different, and that’s good
My seven-year-old daughter won’t get to watch the newest superhero movie, Captain Marvel. There’s too much violence. And a bit too much language. It deserves its PG-13 rating. But that doesn’t mean ... Read More »
‘Arctic’ is the best survival movie of all time
“Squeeze,” he tells her. That’s one of the only ways the man can communicate with this badly injured woman and make sure she’s still alive in the movie “Arctic”. He wraps her small ... Read More »
March movie reviews show changes in world gone by
Sometimes, it’s helpful to look back at our ancestors’ world and consider how times have changed. It can spark a sense of gratitude for our many blessings. It also can cause us ... Read More »
Barack Obama comes out against pop culture, rap
Famous for inviting to the White House misogynist rap artists who mix lyrics of drugs, one-night stands and violence, Barack Obama is now slamming pop culture for espousing bad values on young ... Read More »
‘Run the Race’ marks Tim Tebow’s debut as film producer
Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback now readying for his fourth season as a minor-league baseball player, knows that being a good Christian doesn’t solve everything. Even watching ... Read More »
Keith the Critic ranks the movies of 2018, promotes local Movie Festival
Keith Van Sickle is known in the Topeka/Lawrence/Kansas City area as Keith the Critic, local movie reviewer. He is also the force behind Slash ‘n Bash Horror/Sci-Fi Film Festival every year in ... Read More »
