Odie Henderson

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Odie Henderson

It’s hard to believe that 29 years have passed since Tom Cruise’s first turn as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in the “Mission: Impossible” movie franchise. If you’ve forgotten this passage of time, the flashback montages that occupy this eighth installment will serve as a shocking reminder. These two elements take up much of the first hour, and neither works as well as McQuarrie and his co-writer, Erik Jendresen, intended.

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Odie Henderson

Reviewing a comedy essentially boils down to one simple question: Was it funny? Everything else is secondary, perhaps even irrelevant. Because if you laughed hard enough, and you are an honest critic, you’ll have to concede that the movie worked regardless of any other faults it had. I’ve seen comedies with questionable acting that looked as if the budget was 45 cents—but they were still funny as hell. That merits at least a mildly positive review.

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Odie Henderson

Alongside Cruise’s latest are sequels for “Nobody,” “The Karate Kid,” “28 Days Later,” “The Old Guard,” and of course, “Jurassic Park.”Not to be outdone, the remake mill is grinding out remakes of “Lilo & Stitch,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “The War of the Roses.” Summer also brings “Highest 2 Lowest,” a reimagining of Kurosawa that marks the reunion of Spike Lee and Denzel Washington; their last joint was “Inside Man” almost 20 years ago.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Odie Henderson

My birthday falls on Mother’s Day this year, so this critic’s notebook is all about me. Mind you, I have not forsaken mothers. Last year’s Mother’s Day notebook was all about the woman who gave me both life and my love of movies. I cycled through several memorable films that I watched with Mom while I was growing up, including “Trilogy of Terror,” “Mildred Pierce,” and “Purple Rain.” And while I mentioned “Midnight Run,” the last movie I saw in a theater with her, I didn’t mention our first movie.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Odie Henderson

To call acclaimed director François Ozon’s latest French language feature, “When Fall is Coming,” a thriller might seem like a misnomer. The film plays like a drama; there are no jump scares or there’s no ominous music on the soundtrack. The secrets each character keeps aren’t shrouded in mystery or even given much explanation.