New in Theaters May 17, 2019 "John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum," "A Dog's Journey" and "The Sun is Also a Star"

A Dog's Journey

Starring: Dennis Quaid and Josh Gad
Rated PG   

In this bookend to the film “A Dog's Purpose,” Bailey continues his journey in many reincarnations to watch over his humans.

The film suffers from being overly emotional at times and very cheesy. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, because that combination works well in this film.

“A Dog's Journey” is best enjoyed if you see “A Dog's Purpose” first.

It gets a B and is rated PG.

The Sun is Also a Star
Starring: Charles Melton and Yara Shahidi

Rated PG-13   

Natasha is not the type of girl who meets a cute boy (named Daniel) on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when her family is twelve hours away from being deported, but she does.

“The Sun is Also a Star” is yet another in a line of young adult coming of age movies with a hook. This time it's not a conflict of cultures or medical issues but a clash of philosophies. Natasha is a firm believer in science and Daniel believes in fate and love at first sight.

The film is aimed at the teen market, as I don't believe adults will respond to this type of superficial and convenient storytelling. As with the recent films “5 Feet Apart” and “After,” this type of movie is a one-trick pony using every cliche in the book to manipulate its young audience into caring, without the benefit of good character development.

The film is rife with one-dimensional characters, hackneyed dialogue and an over-produced soundtrack.

It gets a D and is rated PG-13.

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum
Starring: Keanu Reeves and Halley Berry
Rated R   

“John Wick 3” begins just after the events in 'Chapter 2' as our gun-toting hero now has a $14 million dollar price on his head.

The film starts off with the non-stop high violent action that you'd expect from a “John Wick” sequel. But somewhere around the 40 minute mark, the movie becomes tiresome, confusing and repetitious.

And that's the core problem with a franchise action film. One you've peaked, you have no where to go.

In the end “John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum” kills everything including any fun or any desire to see a chapter 4.

It gets a D and is rated R.