Movie review: ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ lacks grit

Based on Delia Owens’ wildly popular best-selling novel of the same name, “Where the Crawdads Sing” is ostensibly a story of struggle, survival and tenacity — one where a young woman named Kya grows like a flower through concrete in a harsh 1950s and ’60s world, despite the best efforts of a callous and often cruel community. But it plays more like a glossy Nicholas Sparks-flavored melodrama than a tale that actually has any meaningful connection to the messy real world — wetland or otherwise.

Now streaming: ‘The Bad Guys’ are a good time

"The Bad Guys" is a fun family film that zips along on stylish, fast-paced heist movie irreverence and some welcome visual originality. This is DreamWorks animation as filtered through the lens of a Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino action movie. And that proves to be a winningly slick combo.

Here are all the movies coming to Tubi in July

Need something new to watch this month? Tubi has you covered. The free streaming platform is celebrating summer movie season in a big way this July with classics like “Jaws” and “The Matrix” (and the franchises that followed both blockbusters). There’s also the “Divergent” series, along with summer comedies and blockbusters like “The Sandlot”and “Hulk.” Plus Tubi is debuting four new original features that touch on everything from aliens to penguins to BMX glory.

‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ review: Did this really need to be a saga?

“Minions: The Rise of Gru” is confusing before it even starts: Where exactly does this story fall within the “Despicable” timeline? It brings in the character of Gru as a youngster, inexplicably elaborating on his origin in a movie that’s supposed to be about little weirdos who say “banana!” all the time. Did this really need to be a saga? Film critic Jesse Hassenger reviews the latest from Illumination.

‘Stranger Things’ season 4 storylines, ranked

“Stranger Things” returns to wrap up its fourth season with two feature-length episodes on Friday, July 1. And though there was some uncertainty ahead of the Volume 1 premiere about whether the show could recapture its old spark, it proved the naysayers wrong with one of its strongest (and spookiest!) seasons yet.

Movie review: 'Mad God' is a stop-motion masterpiece — and pure nightmare fuel

Special effects maestro Phil Tippett has lent his hand to some of the most iconic films of all time, including “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park." Now his 30-year passion project, “Mad God,” comes to theaters and streaming. Film critic Clint Worthington reviews this instant classic of stop-motion horror.