Angry Birds Fails to Soar

First the good news: at press time, The Angry Birds Movie is the best-reviewed video game film adaptation of all time. The bad news is that it’s still Rotten on the Tomatometer. It’s the story of Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), an oft-enraged bird who fears that a group of pigs want to invade his avian paradise. Critics say The Angry Birds Movie has a colorful look and a few decent gags, but it wastes a stellar voice cast on a script filled with lowbrow humor and mixed messages.

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne squared off against an obnoxious fraternity in 2014’s Neighbors, and the result was a Certified Fresh hit comedy. This time around, Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) face a similar predicament when a sorority led by party girl Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz) moves in next door, so they reunite with frat boy Teddy (Zac Efron) to fight fire with fire. Critics say Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising manages to squeeze enough fresh laughs out of its recycled premise to make it worth a watch, even if it doesn’t feel like a particularly necessary sequel.

Shane Black may not have invented the odd couple action/comedy, but he’s one of its greatest purveyors – he wrote the script for Lethal Weapon and directed Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Now he’s back with The Nice Guys, and critics say this wild and woolly comedy – about a private eye who teams up with an enforcer to find a missing woman – boasts terrific comic chemistry between Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, along with a surfeit of groovy 1970s style.

Maria Bamford‘s Lady Dynamite is a vibrant, subversive, sweet, meta-fictional ride – but also a courageous, boundary-busting and ultimately deep portrayal of a troubled psyche.

A thrilling celebration of the bizarre, Preacher boasts enough gore, glee, and guile to make this visually stunning adaption a must-see for fans of the comic and newcomers alike.

Chelsea comes up short in its attempts to innovate the conventional talk show format — and even worse, it frequently fails to be smart or funny.