[7.1/10] Chuckle-worthy and cute enough, if not exactly groundbreaking. The story of a dog named Olive, who misunderstands Santa’s message noting “all of the other reindeer” and believes she’s been summoned to the North Pole to save the day, is a clever little premise. But the execution is pretty paint by numbers in a “believe in yourself and defeat the nefarious bad guy” sort of way. But this is mostly aimed at kids, with a few jokes for adults here…

[7.3/10] One of the things I like about kids movies these days is that they tend to be pretty clear about what the characters want and how that drives the story. I’m sure there’s some selection bias there, with plenty of kid-focused dreck that doesn't make it onto my radar. But one of the benefits of aiming at the kid audience is that films almost have to be clearer about motivation and its connection to story or you risk losing…

3.3/5. You’ve seen Hidden Figures before. Maybe you haven’t seen this exact movie -- about how three unduly unheralded African American women helped NASA in the early 1960s -- but if, like me, you dutifully watch the slate of Oscar-nominated films year after year, then within ten minutes, you’ll already know this movie by heart.

It features a gutsy but unorthodox protagonist trying to make a dent in a system that marginalizes and ignores her. It’s a period piece, with…