Articles by Paul Hall

We’ve all lost someone, and most of us have begged for the chance to change the result. In the film Don’t Let Go, one man gets that opportunity. Detective Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo) gets a shocking call from his niece Ashley (Storm Reid). It’s shocking not because she’s calling — Ashley often called her Uncle Jack to discuss much of life, since her father had been involved with the wrong crowd. The relationship built between Jack and Ashley over the years had been a foundational constant in each of their lives. Uncle Jack saved his niece from anything he could […]

After spending most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents Cole (Michael Peña) and Elena (Eva Longoria), Dora (Isabela Moner) has grown up. But the next exploration Dora’s parents take will be without her, as she is sent to Los Angeles to be with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg) in the film Dora and the Lost City of Gold. High school can be as treacherous as any jungle and Dora is just trying to “be herself” as her parents told her, but that kind of positivity is foreign to the teens creating a different atmosphere for our young […]

Growing up can be difficult. New terms, new friends and new experiences are around every corner. In the new film Good Boys, the major transition for the beanbag boys, as they call themselves, is from fifth grade to sixth grade and all of the “adult” things that will change life as they know it. Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon) are trying to fit in. When Max is invited to his first kissing party, he of course wants to go with his best friends. But there is one problem for the trio: No one knows […]

The Fast & Furious franchise has a ninth installment due in 2020, but it is so profitable that we now have a spinoff featuring two of the characters who arrived in the middle of the franchise. Hobbs & Shaw brings all of the action, comedy and outright fun to life away from the series’ arc. Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) have never liked each other. Hobbs has spent his life in law enforcement tracking down bad people — including Shaw — and putting them in prison. Shaw is an incredibly successful criminal. Hobbs and Shaw are […]

Remaking a classic poses extreme risks. Viewers will ultimately compare the current vision to the original offering, and it will lead to some positive as well as negative results. With Disney remaking the classic 1994 animated offering of The Lion King, the risks are great, but the rewards include opening the story for a new generation of viewers and bringing in a whole big bucket of cash. The plot stays true to the original. Mufasa (voice of James Earl Jones) stands as the leader with young Simba set to one day inherit his father’s kingdom. But trouble is brewing as […]

Ridesharing is an easy way to get around town when you can’t or don’t want to drive. I’ve used it on a number of trips, and I always find myself in the back seat of a new and interesting driver’s vehicle in a variety of cities. But I’ve also heard the stories — the stories of the rides that aren’t as basic as mine. And when you take a cop looking to catch a bad guy and put him in the car of a driver desperate for a good rating, you get the film Stuber. Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is an […]

We have grown up alongside Sheriff Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and a variety of memorable toys. The Toy Story series has been like a metaphor for us in life, and our emotional attachment to these lovable characters has grown through the years. Nine years ago, we collectively wept as Toy Story 3 concluded, but now everyone is back in Toy Story 4, except, of course, Andy, who has moved on. But can this installment still ignite the feelings that we last had nine years ago? Woody lives with his new child, Bonnie, but as she […]

To watch superheroes come into their own onscreen is a totally fascinating process. And we get to watch Spider-Man do just that as he swings from buildings around the world in Spider-Man: Far From Home. What is the world going to do in a post-Avengers: Endgame world? Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker (Tom Holland), has only one thing on his mind: a trip to Europe with his high school friends. He doesn’t know what comes next for himself or the world; he is intently focused on letting MJ (Zendaya) know how he feels about her. And, of course, Peter […]

Imagine there’s no Beatles — it’s NOT easy if you try. In the film Yesterday from director Danny Boyle, viewers get to experience a world without the classic music, until one man reintroduces the classic songs to the world. Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is a struggling artist who is playing the smallest venues and trying to make ends meet while keeping his dream alive. But after a gig at a music festival that is less than successful, he tells his manager and longtime friend Ellie (Lily James) that he is done with trying to make it in music, then rides […]

In 1992, Walt Disney Pictures gave us the animated film Aladdin. That film took viewers on a magic carpet ride, soaring above its competition, and introduced us to a fabulous big blue genie with a spectacularly irreverent voice brought to life by the late Robin Williams. Fast-forward nearly 27 years later, and we get a live-action Aladdin for today’s generation. Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a thief who steals to eat and simply survive. In the markets of Agrabah, he is referred to as a street rat and finds himself constantly chased through the streets. When he stumbles upon a young […]