David Weiner

The holiday movie season is officially upon us, and in between shopping sprees and social gatherings, sometimes a break inside a darkened theater provides the perfect entertainment diversion. With so many great new films to choose from opening between now and Christmas Day, we've narrowed down the field to 10 that we're excited about and feel could be worth your hard-earned cash....

This year, horror, fantasy, neo-noir and kiddie-comedy options provide broad counterprogramming to the more serious — and seriously good — fare available from big studios and indie distributors alike, making for an especially festive fall at the movies. With so many films to choose from opening during the next eight weeks, we've picked a dozen films worthy of a trip to the multiplex before the post-Halloween holiday crunch commences....

It's usually a foregone conclusion that when a Hollywood blockbuster movie franchise gets to a sixth entry in the series, it probably won't be that good. It's the sequel law of diminishing returns. But a popcorn-munching optimist can still hope for a sequel that can surprise in unexpected ways. Mission: Impossible — Fallout is that sequel in spades. It elevates the franchise to next-level status — and then some....

As a playful antidote to the emotionally devastating finale of Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios’ next-up superhero saga, Ant-Man and the Wasp, is a joy to watch, packed with light-hearted humor, narrative momentum and feisty action. A marked improvement over its origin-story predecessor, the new Paul Rudd/Evangeline Lilly starrer is a highly entertaining popcorn flick that serves as a diversion from the summer heat — and from our increasingly unsettling authoritarian reality....

There’s a moment in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom when Chris Pratt tells Bryce Dallas Howard, “If I don’t make it back, remember you’re the one who made me come here.” That amusing blame-game sentiment may apply to some moviegoers expecting the same menu of predictable Jurassic theme-park thrills in the theater, only to find themselves on more of a bumpy chaos theory ride with sadistic tendencies in this fifth go-round of big-budget dino mayhem....

This summer, audiences can expect a healthy dose of sequels and spinoffs, superheroes and spies, and some quality character dramas, with a few more eye-opening documentaries. To help you cut through the clutter, L.A. Weekly shines the spotlight on 12 films that we can’t wait to watch....

Make no mistake: Margot Robbie runs the show onscreen and behind the scenes of the new thriller Terminal, in which she plays a vengeful femme fatale with an agenda taking on hired assassins and shadowy characters in a neon-lit, anachronistic film-noir setting....