Susan Ellingburg

Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer

Star Wars Goes Rogue to Satisfactorily Fill In a 40-Year-Old Gap

It’s not the best Star Wars movie ever, but certainly not the worst. This "non-series" prequel to Episode IV offers plucky characters, impressive...

December 15, 2016

Star Wars Goes Rogue to Satisfactorily Fill In a 40-Year-Old Gap

Like Will Smith and Sentimentality? Look into Collateral Beauty

A powerful story of love and loss. The acting is as good as you’d expect and the story is much more interesting than the trailer suggests. Making...

December 14, 2016

Like Will Smith and Sentimentality? Look into Collateral Beauty

Suspenseful Allied Has the Look of a Classic

If you ever see Casablanca or a Hitchcock film and mourn “they don’t make 'em like that anymore,” then I have good news: they just did. Allied has...

November 22, 2016

Suspenseful Allied Has the Look of a Classic

As Title Suggests, Loving Speaks Softly, Maybe Too Softly

When two simple people who simply want to live in peace find themselves in the middle of a landmark Supreme Court case, their story unfolds with...

November 10, 2016

As Title Suggests, Loving Speaks Softly, Maybe Too Softly

Arrival's Impact is More Cerebral Than Emotional

This thinking person’s alien movie is less about creatures from space and more about how humans communicate. Arrival cleverly and unexpectedly...

November 10, 2016

Arrival's Impact is More Cerebral Than Emotional

Ben-Hur is Beautiful but Bloody

This action movie/bromance/Bible-era tale is a spectacle in the style of old Hollywood. It's more of a retelling than a remake of the 1959 classic...

August 17, 2016

Ben-Hur is Beautiful but Bloody

Florence Foster Jenkins is the Feel-Good Movie of a Feel-Bad Year

You don't have to be a music lover to appreciate this inspiring story of a woman who believed in the power of music—and the men who worked to make...

August 10, 2016

Florence Foster Jenkins is the Feel-Good Movie of a Feel-Bad Year

There’s Still Plenty of Fight Left in Jason Bourne

Reasonably suspenseful with nary a dull moment, this is not one of those action movies with snappy asides and flashes of humor.

There’s Still Plenty of Fight Left in Jason Bourne

Ghostbusters Just a Big Marshmallow That Could Use Some Toasting

Not so much a remake as a re-imagining. It's fairly fun in a fluffy kind of way, but there's no plot to speak of and the effects are nothing to...

Ghostbusters Just a Big Marshmallow That Could Use Some Toasting

Captain Fantastic: Good for Discussion, Bad for Christians

Nope, it's not a superhero story and if you think the "fantastic" in the title means "great," think again. This odd, thought-provoking film is not...

Captain Fantastic: Good for Discussion, Bad for Christians

Independence Day: Resurgence is Disaster-by-Numbers

Not the most amazing movie of the summer, but fun enough to be a good excuse to sit in an air-conditioned theater for a couple of hours.

Independence Day: Resurgence is Disaster-by-Numbers

Pay Attention! Now You See Me 2 Turns the Trick of Sequel Success

A smart, stylish movie that fools the eye even as it delights it. Prepare to watch closely—you’ll still be caught looking, but it’s all part of the...

Pay Attention! Now You See Me 2 Turns the Trick of Sequel Success

Money Monster Should be One at the Box Office

A fast-paced, entertaining adventure that gets just about everything right. With all due respect to superheroes, Money Monster is my favorite "sit...

Money Monster Should be One at the Box Office

There's a Lesson for Us in Captain America: Civil War

“I'm going, but I don't want to see 'my friends' fight," said my companion. The battles are epic and the quips keep coming, but this dark story...

There's a Lesson for Us in Captain America: Civil War

Newest 'Mind in Another's Body' Movie is Criminal-ly Average

A new but predictable entry in the "one man's memories in another man's body" genre. The cast list is impressive but the movie is ho-hum. Take your...

Newest 'Mind in Another's Body' Movie is Criminal-ly Average

First-Person Action of Hardcore Henry Not for the Squeamish

Gamers will love this first-person frenzy of violence and death; everyone else probably not so much.

First-Person Action of Hardcore Henry Not for the Squeamish

Miracles from Heaven Will Make You Smile

Thanks to strong performances, a story that's funny and touching in turns, and an uplifting message, all but the most cynical will leave the...

Miracles from Heaven Will Make You Smile

Tina Fey Tackles New Territory in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Tina Fey is engaging in this insightful story of a safe, boring TV producer who transforms herself into an intrepid war correspondent. In time...

Tina Fey Tackles New Territory in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

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