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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Megan Leavey
Starring: Kate Mara, Ramon Rodriguez, Common, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, and Edie Falco
Synopsis: This true life story is about a Marine named Megan Leavey (Mara) who worked as a K-9 handler during the war in Iraq. She formed a bond with her dog that went deep, then both of them were injured in the line of duty as a roadside bomb exploded. Leavey chose not to re-enlist, but she was initially denied the opportunity to adopt her dog. She fought like heck to get him and, eventually, her story made national news, and her dog Rex were reunited. This was a beautiful story beautifully told. Leavey was someone who needed direction and connection in her life, she found both through her service and her partner, Rex. Her fight to be able to adopt her partner is beautiful and stirring, and comes to a satisfying end. This is a movie that everyone will enjoy and is a powerful story of those who serve and sacrifice so much to keep our country safe. It's well worth checking out.
Rating: PG-13 for war violence, language, suggestive material, and thematic elements.
Rating: Three stars out of four.

The Mummy
Starring: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Jake Johnson
Synopsis: In 2017, it’s no longer good enough to make a successful film. You have to aspire to more. We are in the era of film franchises, and we’ve already seen it this summer. The fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean Movie,” the sixth “Alien” film and in April we saw the eighth “Fast & Furious” movie. Even better is if you can build a cinematic universe. With the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now 15 films deep. And the DC Cinematic Universe is already three films thanks to “Wonder Woman,” with plans going on the next five years. Universal decided it could have a film universe of its own. Long ago plans for a re-make of “The Mummy” were announced. But in late May, three weeks before its release, Universal upped the ante by announcing its Dark Universe series. “The Mummy” was the start of a new franchise. The hope was that would spark fan interest. But middling reviews and boring trailers didn’t lead to much buzz, as “The Mummy” fell flat in America with just $31.7 million on opening weekend despite the star power of Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe. And for good reason. Despite the talent and studio hopes, this is a bad and unnecessary re-make. And if it’s the precursor for what’s to come, the Dark Universe should stay hidden. I remember when “The Mummy,” starring Brendan Fraser, debuted in 1999. It was a fun, funny, B-Action movie. It spawned two sequels and a spin-off over the next decade, and all of them were a light-hearted mix of classic monster movies, action and comedy. And casting played a key in that. I was weary when I heard “The Mummy” was being re-made, and ever wearier when I read that Cruise was taking the lead role. The trailers that were released didn’t make me feel any better. And they were all a precursor to a film that tries too hard to add humor (and fails in doing so) while creating no interesting characters or story. If I was looking for a bright spot, I’d point to Johnson. His character serves mostly to advance the plot and provide comic relief, but at least he looks like he’s trying to have fun with this movie. The rest of the cast give flat, uninspired performances that suggest even during production they knew it wouldn’t work. And it doesn’t. The story and visual effects are a shoulder shrug. This is somewhat surprising given that Christopher McQuarrie, David Koepp and Alex Kurtzman were among the six writers that worked on this film. All are talented storytellers who’ve delivered engaging films. The fact this is so inane, given the talent involved and the fact this is supposed to be the kick-off of a cinematic universe, is even more surprising. Kurtzman served as director here, and he doesn’t get much out of the material or the cast. Crowe appears as Dr. Henry Jekyll, who will likely be the lynchpin of this universe, is particularly uninspiring. But this movie is bad from start to finish and, worse yet, unnecessary. Prior to the summer I identified five potential blockbusters I thought might flop. To this point, “The Mummy” is the worst of those movies, and might be the worst film I’ve seen so far this year. There is nothing appealing about it and, at this point, I don’t see how it can be the start of anything. This is one mummy that should have remained entombed in the dessert.
Rating: PG-13 for violence, action and scary images, and for some suggestive content and partial nudity.
Verdict: One star out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, June 16 — "All Eyez on Me," "Rough Night," "47 Meters Down," "Cars 3"
Wednesday, June 21 — "Transformers: The Last Night"
Wednesday, June 28 — "Baby Driver"
Friday, June 30 — "Despicable Me 3," "The House"