Rewrite the stars.   "The Greatest Showman" is the directorial debut from Michael Gracey, written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) and Bill Condon (Chicago) and features music from "La La Land"'s lyricists. The film stars Hugh Jackman (Logan), Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea), Zac Efron (High School Musical), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation).  "An original...

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Last Call Pitches. This review contains spoilers.  "Pitch Perfect 3" is directed by Trish Sie (Step Up All In) and stars Anna Kendrick (Trolls), Rebel Wilson (How to be Single), Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen) among many others. 'Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face...

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The game has evolved.  This review contains spoilers.  "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is directed by Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher) and written by Chris McKenna (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Erik Sommers (The LEGO Batman Movie), Scott Rosenberg (Beautiful Girls) and Jeff Pinkner (Fringe). The film stars Dwayne Johnson (San Andreas), Kevin Hart (Ride Along), Jack Black (School of Rock), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) and pop star...

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The Empire Strikes Back...Again? This review contains spoilers. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is directed and written by Rian Johnson (Looper) and stars Daisy Ridley (Murder on the Orient Express), Adam Driver (Paterson), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and the late Carrie Fisher (Star Wars). "Having...

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He made a bet. She made history. This review contains spoilers.  "Battle of the Sexes" is directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine, Ruby Sparks) and written by Simon Beaufoy (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). The film stars Emma Stone (La La Land), Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Andrea Riseborough (Birdman) and Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph). "The true story of the 1973...

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If you can't beat the house, be...The House. "The House" is the directorial debut from Andrew Jay Cohen. Cohen is familiar with the comedy genre though, co-writing "Bad Neighbours", "Bad Neighbours 2", "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" as well as this film alongside Brendan O'Brien. The film stars Will Ferrell (Elf, Anchorman), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, Sisters), Jason Mantzoukas (The League)...

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She'll Follow You.  This review contains spoilers. “Ingrid Goes West” is the directorial debut from Matt Spicer who also co-writes the film alongside David Branson Smith. The film stars Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Elizabeth Olsen (Avengers) and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton). “An unhinged social media stalker moves to LA and insinuates herself into the life of an Instagram star”. “Ingrid...

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More Daddies. More Problems.  "Daddy's Home 2" is directed by Sean Anders (Horrible Bosses 2, That's My Boy) who also co-writes the film alongside John Morris (Dumb and Dumber To, We're the Millers). The film sees Will Ferrell (Elf, Step Brothers), Mark Wahlberg (Transformers, Deepwater Horizon) and John Cena (Trainwreck, WWE) return, this time joined by on-screen fathers Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Signs) and...

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Small bear. Big Trouble.  "Paddington 2" is directed by Paul King (Paddington, Little Crackers) and stars Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky, Godzilla), Hugh Grant (About a Boy, Bridget Jones's Diary), Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter, Edge of Tomorrow) and Julie Walters (Brave, Harry Potter). "Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of...

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All in.  This review contains spoilers.  "Justice League" is directed by Zack Synder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 300) with assistance from Joss Whedon (Avengers). The film stars Ben Affleck (Argo) as Batman, Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious) as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Aquaman, Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as The Flash, Ray Fisher as...

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A New Game Begins. This review contains spoilers.  "Jigsaw" is directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig (Predestination, Daybreakers). The film stars an all new cast including Matt Passmore (The Glades), Callum Keith Rennie (The Man in the High Castle), Hannah Emily Anderson (Lizzie Borden Too an Ax), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) and Paul Braunstein (The Thing). Somehow, someway Jigsaw himself, Tobin Bell also...

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Everyone is a suspect.  This review contains spoilers.  "Murder on the Orient Express" is directed by Kenneth Branagh (Cinderella, Thor) who also stars in the film as the famous detective, Hercule Poirot. The ensemble of suspects includes Penelope Cruz (Pirates of the Caribbean), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Josh Gad (Frozen), Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands), Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns),...

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Celebrate the holidays like a mother.  "A Bad Moms Christmas" sees directing duo, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (The Hangover, Bad Moms) return for possibly one of the fastest sequels ever - "Bad Moms" was released in just August of 2016. The original trio of Moms return: Mila Kunis (Friends with Benefits, Black Swan), Kristen Bell (Frozen, Veronica Mars) and Kathryn Hahn (The...

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Get Up. Live Your Day. Get Killed. Again. This review contains SPOILERS.  "Happy Death Day" is directed by Christopher Landon (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) and stars Jessica Rothe in her first major role (Rothe can also be seen as Alexis in La La Land). Rothe is supported by a fairly large ensemble cast including Israel Broussard...

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No Hammer. No Problem. This review contains SPOILERS. "Thor: Ragnarok" is directed by Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows) and stars Chris Hemsworth (Ghostbusters, Rush), Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager, Kong: Skull Island), Cate Blanchett (Cinderella, Carol), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day) and Tessa Thompson (Creed, Dear White People). "Imprisoned, the mighty Thor finds himself in a...

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They should have gone to Ibiza. This review contains SPOILERS. "The Ritual" is directed by David Bruckner (The Signal, Southbound) and stars Rafe Spall (Roadies, Black Mirror), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey, Coronation Street), Arsher Ali (Line of Duty, Arthur & George) and Sam Troughton (Robin Hood [TV], Hex). "A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a...

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The sequel 35 years in the making... THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. "Blade Runner 2049" is directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario) and stars Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Drive), Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones), Ana de Armas (War Dogs, Knock Knock) and Jared Leto (Suicide Squad, Dallas Buyers Club). "A young blade runner's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track...

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Starting over is not for beginners.  "Home Again" is the directorial and screenplay debut from Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of rom-com legend, Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, The Intern). The film stars Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Big Little Lies), Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex, The Twilight Saga), Nat Wolff (Paper Towns, Death Note), Pico Alexander, Jon Rudnitsky (Saturday Night Live) and Lake Bell (Man Up,...

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WINnie or POOh? "Goodbye Christopher Robin" is directed by Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold, My Week with Marilyn) and stars Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, About Time), Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street), Kelly MacDonald (Brave, Black Mirror) and introduces Will Tilston. "A behind-the-scenes look at the life of author A.A. Milne and the creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories inspired by...

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ANOTHER real spy movie? This review contains spoilers.   "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" is directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) who also has a writing credit alongside Jane Goldman (The Woman in Black, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children). The sequel stars Taron Egerton (Eddie the Eagle, Sing), Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Love Actually), Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The...

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I Have Questions.  THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILER DISCUSSION. "mother!" is directed and written by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream) and stars Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook), Javier Bardem (Skyfall, Pirates of the Caribbean 5), Ed Harris (The Truman Show, Apollo 13), Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns, Hairspray) and Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, American Made). "A couple's relationship...

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The CIA. The White House. Pablo Escobar. One Man Played Them All. "American Made" is directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity) and written by Gary Spinelli (Stash House). The film stars Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun), Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, About Time) and Sarah Wright (Parks and Recreation, Walk of Shame). "A pilot lands work for the CIA...

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You'll float too. This review contains spoilers.   "It" is directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama), based on the world famous novel written by Stephen King and has been adapted to the big screen by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation) and Gary Dauberman (Annabelle: Creation). The film stars Bill Skarsgård (Atomic Blonde) as the infamous Pennywise. Making up 'The Losers' Club' are Jaeden...

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Killa P.   "Patti Cake$" is the feature length directorial debut from Geremy Jasper. Jasper also makes his screenplay debut with this flick. The film introduces Danielle MacDonald in the leading role. Bridget Everett (Inside Amy Schumer, Lady Dynamite), Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down) and Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull, Casper) co-star. "PATTI CAKE$ is centered on aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a....

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Get Triggered.  "The Hitman's Bodyguard" is directed by Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3, Red Hill) and stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Green Lantern), Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained) and Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, Harry Potter). "The world's top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences...

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See How The Other Half Steals.  "Logan Lucky" is directed by Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike, Ocean's Eleven) and stars Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street), Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Paterson), Daniel Craig (Skyfall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Girlfriend Experience). "Two brothers attempt to pull off a heist during a...

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The hangover will be the least of their problems.   "Rough Night" is the feature length directorial debut from Lucia Aniello. The film stars Scarlett Johansson (Lucy, Avengers), Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters), Jillian Bell (Office Christmas Party, 22 Jump Street), Zoe Kravitz (Divergent, Big Little Lies) and Ilanda Glazer (Broad City, The Night Before). "Things go terribly wrong for a group of...

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There are other worlds than these.  "The Dark Tower" is directed by Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) and is based on the best-selling series of books written by Stephen King. The film stars Idris Elba (Luther, Thor), Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Mud) and Tom Taylor (Doctor Foster). "The last Gunslinger has been locked in an eternal battle with the Man in Black, determined to...

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Risk everything...for love.  This review contains spoilers.  Everything, Everything is directed by Stella Meghie and is her first major theatrical release. The film is based on the popular novel by Nicola Yoon and has been adapted by J. Mills Goodloe (The Age of Adaline, The Best of Me). The film stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) and Nick Robinson (Jurassic World, The 5th...

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Nothing is harder to track than the truth. This review contains spoilers. Wind River is directed and written by Taylor Sheridan and is the conclusion to his "American Frontier" trilogy (Sicario, Hell or High Water). The film stars Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, Arrival) and Elizabeth Olsen (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla). "An FBI agent teams with a town's veteran game tracker to investigate a...

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You don't know the real story. This review contains MILD spoilers.   Annabelle: Creation is directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) and stars Lulu Wilson (Ouija: Origin of Evil, Deliver Us From Evil), Talitha Bateman (The 5th Wave), Stephanie Sigman (Spectre, Miss Bala) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace, Lantana). "Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and...

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An adventure beyond words.  The Emoji Movie is directed by Tony Leondis (Igor, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch) and features the voices of T.J. Miller (Cloverfield, Deadpool), James Corden (Into the Woods, Gavin & Stacey), Anna Faris (Mom, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Sisters). "Gene, a multi-expressional emoji, sets out on a journey to become...

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Blonde Wick.  This review contains spoilers.   Atomic Blonde is directed by David Leitch (John Wick) and stars Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Monster), James McAvoy (Split, X-Men: Days of Future Past) and Sofia Boutella (The Mummy, Kingsman: The Secret Service). "An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a...

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No help above, no hope below.  47 Metres Down is directed by Johannes Roberts (The Other Side of the Door, Storage 24) and stars Mandy Moore (Tangled, A Walk to Remember) and Claire Holt (H2O: Just Add Water, The Originals). "Two sisters vacationing in Mexico are trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean. With less than an hour of...

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Long live evil.   Descendants 2 is directed by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical, Hocus Pocus) and stars Dove Cameron (Liv and Maddie, Hairspray Live!), Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce (Jessie, Jake and the Never Land Pirates), Booboo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) and China Anne McClain (A.N.T. Farm, K.C. Undercover). "Mal returns to the Isle of the Lost to...

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You'll be glad you came.   Girls Trip is directed by Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man Holiday, Scary Movie 5) and stars Regina Hall (Scary Movie, Law Abiding Citizen), Queen Latifah (Hairspray, Chicago), Jada Pinkett Smith (Bad Moms, Gotham) and Tiffany Haddish (Keanu, All Between Us). "When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild...

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Time is running out. This review contains spoilers. Dunkirk is directed and written by Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight) and stars an ensemble cast that includes Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Inception), Mark Rylance (The BFG, Bridge of Spies), Tom Hardy (Legend, Mad Max: Fury Road), Kenneth Branagh (Valkyrie, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and pop sensation Harry Styles. "Allied soldiers from Belgium, the...

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An Awkward True Story. The Big Sick is directed by Michael Showalter (You're Whole, Hello, My Name is Doris) and stars Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, Adventure Time), Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, What If), Holly Hunter (The Incredibles, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond, Ice Age). The Big Sick is an early awards frontrunner, can a romantic comedy...

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It's not over until lightning strikes.  This review contains Spoilers.  Cars 3 is the directorial debut from Brian Fee who previously worked in the art department for most Pixar releases. The film features the voices of Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris, Marley & Me), Armie Hammer (The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Lone Ranger), Larry the Cable Guy (Cars) and introduces Cristela Alonzo to...

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For freedom. For family. For the planet.  This review contains Spoilers.  War for the Planet of the Apes is directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and stars Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games, Zombieland). "After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts...

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Oh Brother.  Despicable Me 3 is directed by Kyle Balda (Minions, The Lorax), Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me, Minions) and the directorial debut from Eric Guillon. The film features the voices of Steve Carell (The Office, The 40 Year-Old Virgin), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) and Trey Parker (South Park). "Gru meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to...

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All you need is one killer track.   Baby Driver is directed and written by Edgar Wright (The World's End, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and stars Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars, Divergent), Lily James (Cinderella, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained, Law Abiding Citizen) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). "After being coerced into working for...

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Guess who's back...back again.  This review contains Spoilers.  Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts (Cop Car) and stars Tom Holland (The Impossible, Captain America: Civil War), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes), Zendaya (Shake It Up!) and Laura Harrier. "Several months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to...

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Knowing is good. Knowing everything is better.  The Circle is directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now, Smashed) and stars Emma Watson (Beauty and the Beast, Harry Potter), Tom Hanks (Toy Story, Bridge of Spies), John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Attack the Block) and Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who). "A woman lands a dream job at a powerful...

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Cannes' Treat  Okja is directed by Joon-ho Bong (Snowpiercer, Mother) and stars Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange, Narnia), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Southpaw), Paul Dano (Looper, Prisoners), Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror, Love, Rosie) and Seo-Hyun Ahn (The Housemaid, Monster). "Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend - a massive animal named Okja". The...

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For one world to live, the other must die.  This review contains spoilers.  Transformers: The Last Knight is directed by Michael Bay (Transformers, 13 Hours) and stars Mark Wahlberg (Patriot's Day, Ted), Laura Haddock (The Inbetweeners Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy), Josh Duhamel (Safe Haven, Las Vegas), Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal, Red Dragon) and Isabela Moner (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life)....

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This post is the start of what I hope to become a new segment on A Selenator's View. I've found that there are some films that I just don't have enough to say about to write a full-length review and I often watch films for the first time after their DVD release. Unless I really am passionate about a film I have watched...

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Did she? Didn't she? Who was to blame?  This review contains Spoilers  My Cousin Rachel is directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Changing Lanes) and stars Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Constantine) and Sam Claflin (Me Before You, The Hunger Games). "A young Englishman plots revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he...

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Welcome to a New World of Gods and Monsters This review contains Spoilers  The Mummy is directed by Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us) and stars Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Star Trek Beyond), Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle, X-Men: First Class) and Russell Crowe (Noah, Gladiator). "An ancient princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing...

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License to Kill. License to Chill.  Keeping Up with the Joneses is directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Paul) and stars Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Due Date), Isla Fisher (Now You See Me, Grimsby), Jon Hamm (Mad Men, The Town) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman, Fast & Furious). "A suburban couple becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly...

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