Reading about the development process of “A Minecraft Movie� feels like reading the treatment for a season arc on “The Studio,� the new Apple TV+ series satirizing Hollywood, in which Seth Rogen plays a newly minted studio head tasked with shepherding a “Kool-Aid� movie from brand to screen.
For 10 years, various writers and directors took a swing adapting the Swedish video game that enthralls children, who apparently yearn for the mines. The result? A movie that makes more sense as a punchline on “The Studio� than it does as a film itself.
This is a light and breezy affair with a few unexpected twists, some social commentary that doesn’t entirely land, and it might not have enough staying power for it to be truly memorable. -- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service Read moreMovie Review: 'Clown in a Cornfield' a light, breezy slasher
This flick isn’t a masterpiece, not even a vulgar one, but it’s cheeky and entertaining enough in its giddy hyper-violence, thanks almost entirely to the star turn of Josh Hartnett, who has proven in his recent renaissance that he’s especially great in bozo mode. -- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service Read moreMovie Review: Josh Hartnett saves 'Fight or Flight' from crash landing
Perhaps we don’t need the reminder that our personal relationships with animals are some of the most special and rewarding ones that we can enjoy as human beings, but “The Penguin Lessons� also underscores that our relationships with people are even more important, and that sometimes animals are the best stewards for this particular journey.-- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service Read moreMovie Review: A teacher's pet warms the heart in 'Penguin Lessons'