![For a certain type of action movie fan, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: January pulp trashterpiece season. Last year, that slot was occupied by the lean, mean flying machine “Plane,” starring Gerard Butler; this year, it’s the off-brand “John Wick” ripoff “The Beekeeper,” starring Jason Statham and directed by David Ayer. This […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/TNH-L-FilmReview-TheBeekeeper-WBOX-011224-03-4.jpg?w=132 "For a certain type of action movie fan, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: January pulp trashterpiece season. Last year, that slot was occupied by the lean, mean flying machine “Plane,” starring Gerard Butler; this year, it’s the off-brand “John Wick” ripoff “The Beekeeper,” starring Jason Statham and directed by David Ayer. This […]")
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‘The Beekeeper’ review: Statham stars in ‘The Beekeeper,’ a kill-ty pleasure
For a certain type of action movie fan, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: January pulp trashterpiece season. Last year, that slot was occupied by the lean, mean...
![Running into your biggest heartbreak in an airport is a very relatable fantasy. The randomness of the encounter, the forced proximity and the ticking clock of a departing flight all make for a setting ripe with potential for romantic reconciliation, or more likely, cathartic closure. In her sophomore feature, star Meg Ryan brings this specific fantasy to (magical) reality in “What Happens Later,” a winsome reckoning with love lost, and then found, at least for a night. Ryan, the rom-com queen herself, star of “When Harry Met Sally,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” makes her screenwriting debut on […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TNH-L-FilmReview-WhatHappensLater-WBOX-110323-01.jpg?w=132 "Running into your biggest heartbreak in an airport is a very relatable fantasy. The randomness of the encounter, the forced proximity and the ticking clock of a departing flight all make for a setting ripe with potential for romantic reconciliation, or more likely, cathartic closure. In her sophomore feature, star Meg Ryan brings this specific fantasy to (magical) reality in “What Happens Later,” a winsome reckoning with love lost, and then found, at least for a night. Ryan, the rom-com queen herself, star of “When Harry Met Sally,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” makes her screenwriting debut on […]")
![Back in 2010, Sylvester Stallone created the mother of all geezer teasers in “The Expendables,” collecting every over-the-hill action star in a single movie like they were Pokémon — gotta catch ‘em all. Since then, our favorite monuments of masculinity have come and gone, but nevertheless, the Expendables persist, whether we want them to or […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TNH-L-FilmReview-Expend4bles-WBOX-092223-01.jpg?w=140 "Back in 2010, Sylvester Stallone created the mother of all geezer teasers in “The Expendables,” collecting every over-the-hill action star in a single movie like they were Pokémon — gotta catch ‘em all. Since then, our favorite monuments of masculinity have come and gone, but nevertheless, the Expendables persist, whether we want them to or […]")
![How about another round of religious trauma, the movie? Five years after “The Conjuring” Cinematic Universe spinoff “The Nun” glowered her way to boffo box office numbers (the highest grossing in the successful franchise), the imposing sister is back in “The Nun II,” this time directed by Michael Chaves, who helmed the latest CCU installments […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TNH-L-FilmReview-TheNun2-WBOX-090823-01.jpg?w=119 "How about another round of religious trauma, the movie? Five years after “The Conjuring” Cinematic Universe spinoff “The Nun” glowered her way to boffo box office numbers (the highest grossing in the successful franchise), the imposing sister is back in “The Nun II,” this time directed by Michael Chaves, who helmed the latest CCU installments […]")
![For Jaime Reyes — the Blue Beetle — being a superhero is a family affair. While most superheroes shield their identities from loved ones, in “Blue Beetle,” the first DC Comics movie to feature a Latino superhero, it’s a group project. When recent college grad Jaime (Xolo Maridueña) unknowingly brings home an alien scarab in a fast-food box handed to him by industrial heiress Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), which she spirited away from the headquarters of the family business, he’s egged on by his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo) and uncle Rudy (George Lopez) to check it out. The scarab quickly […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TNH-L-FilmReview-BlueBeetle-WBOX-081823-01.jpg?w=140 "For Jaime Reyes — the Blue Beetle — being a superhero is a family affair. While most superheroes shield their identities from loved ones, in “Blue Beetle,” the first DC Comics movie to feature a Latino superhero, it’s a group project. When recent college grad Jaime (Xolo Maridueña) unknowingly brings home an alien scarab in a fast-food box handed to him by industrial heiress Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), which she spirited away from the headquarters of the family business, he’s egged on by his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo) and uncle Rudy (George Lopez) to check it out. The scarab quickly […]")
![For a certain millennial population, the name “George Foreman” is more likely to conjure up an image of a favorite kitchen appliance before it brings to mind “heavyweight champ.” Indeed, the boxer/preacher/entrepreneur might be better known these days for his Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, a gadget renowned in college dorms and bachelor pads across […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TNH-L-FilmReview-BigGeorgeForeman-WBOX-042823-01.jpg?w=132 "For a certain millennial population, the name “George Foreman” is more likely to conjure up an image of a favorite kitchen appliance before it brings to mind “heavyweight champ.” Indeed, the boxer/preacher/entrepreneur might be better known these days for his Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, a gadget renowned in college dorms and bachelor pads across […]")
![“Eat, Pray, Love” is so over — ladies, we’ve officially entered the “Threaten, Extort, Kill” era. This unusual new ethos of empowerment is the guiding theory behind Catherine Hardwicke’s crime comedy/feminist manifesto “Mafia Mamma,” starring Toni Collette as Kristin, a harried American mom and marketing exec who discovers her own power after she ascends to […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TNH-L-FilmReview-MafiaMamma-WBOX-041423-01.jpg?w=132 "“Eat, Pray, Love” is so over — ladies, we’ve officially entered the “Threaten, Extort, Kill” era. This unusual new ethos of empowerment is the guiding theory behind Catherine Hardwicke’s crime comedy/feminist manifesto “Mafia Mamma,” starring Toni Collette as Kristin, a harried American mom and marketing exec who discovers her own power after she ascends to […]")
![There’s an exasperating trend in superhero movies that has reached the end of its shelf life and needs to be chucked. Back in the 2010s, a light touch on the tone seemed fresh and funny, with quippy, ironic dialogue popularized by Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” that felt revolutionary and snarky — motor-mouthed performances from stars […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TNH-L-FilmReview-Shazam-Fury-WBOX-31723-01-1.jpeg?w=140 "There’s an exasperating trend in superhero movies that has reached the end of its shelf life and needs to be chucked. Back in the 2010s, a light touch on the tone seemed fresh and funny, with quippy, ironic dialogue popularized by Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” that felt revolutionary and snarky — motor-mouthed performances from stars […]")
![It’s been fascinating to watch the rise, and evolution, of the faith-based movie over the years, and director Jon Erwin has been a part of that. He’s carved out a niche for himself, collaborating with his brother Andrew and focusing on true stories with a musical element, including “I Still Believe,” about Christian music star […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TNH-L-FilmReview-JesusRevolution-WBOX-022423-01-1.jpg?w=132 "It’s been fascinating to watch the rise, and evolution, of the faith-based movie over the years, and director Jon Erwin has been a part of that. He’s carved out a niche for himself, collaborating with his brother Andrew and focusing on true stories with a musical element, including “I Still Believe,” about Christian music star […]")
![Fun fact about Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 classic comedy “House Party,” starring comedic duo Kid ‘n Play: it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” no doubt referring to the high-top fade and iconic kick-step dance that it popularized. It’s no wonder […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TNH-L-FilmReview-HouseParty-WBOX-011323-01-1.jpg?w=140 "Fun fact about Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 classic comedy “House Party,” starring comedic duo Kid ‘n Play: it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” no doubt referring to the high-top fade and iconic kick-step dance that it popularized. It’s no wonder […]")