Movie & Television Reviews

Life in plastic may be fantastic but the tedious ideology-driven comedy “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) is not. Although genuinely objectionable elements are relatively few, moreover, this is distinctly not a movie for the age group to which the figurine of the title is primarily marketed.

The onset of overlapping strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has put Hollywood on hiatus.

In a timely move, the folks behind the slick, vibrant espionage thriller “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” have added an experimental Artificial Intelligence project run amok to their roster of villains.

Hollywood has decided that Asian American women deserve their very own raunchy road movie. And so viewers are invited along for “Joy Ride” (Lionsgate). They’d do well to skip the trip.

The latest title in a franchise that’s been going strong since 1997, “Diablo IV” (Blizzard) sees an epic confrontation between a rogue angel and a fugitive demon, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.

The story of Ballard’s battle against the sexual enslavement of kids — a horrifying form of depravity that’s disturbingly widespread — makes for a valuable and ultimately uplifting experience.