Aladin: Where's the magic?

If the movie slut found a magic lamp which awarded her three wishes, she'd wish for a movie with some memorable music and one that didn't look like a Broadway tourist play unfurled on the big screen. Wish number three would be that she skipped this flick.

If that sounds harsh, maybe it is. Maybe MS went in with expectations that were too high. The story of Aladin and his magic lamp should be, well, magical. Sadly, the magic was missing.

Booksmart: Revenge of the geeks

Molly and Amy had it all figured out. Buckle down in high school, make top grades, get into an ivy league college, land a killer job.

Imagine their consternation when they discover that the "losers" and partyers were also accepted by top colleges.

Now, the night before graduation, they have to make up for the four years of fun they didn't have.

That's the set-up in this flick, which is comedienne Olivia Wilde's directorial debut. And it's a good one. Trouble is, the movie devolves into a typical crazy-teens-run-amok film. Drugs. Sex. And a little growing up. But not much.

There are genuinely smart and funny moments in Booksmart, but not enough of for the Movie Slut to elevate it beyond its genre.

Photograph: Smile. Don't say cheese

He's a street photographer at Mumbai's Gateway monument.

She's an accounting student from a middle-class family who's walking by.

That's how boy meets girl in this lovely love story.

If, like the Movie Slut, you're sick of boy-meets-girl-and-they-hop-into-bed stories, which have proliferated in recent years, this flick is for you.

Love grows slowly and steadily in this story. We meet Rafi and Miloni and gradually learn who they are in a deeper way than today's typical love stories allow.

Of course there are problems. It may be modern-day Mumbai, but class distinctions create barriers that are difficult to cross.

Can Miloni and Rafi cross the divide?

Poms: No Cheers

So,  you might think this is a comedy. Septuagenarian cheerleaders. Funny. Right?

Wrong.

That doesn't mean Diane Keaton isn't sparkling as Martha, a gal who moves to a retirement community and can't find a club to join until she starts one of her own. With pom-poms. The problem is she's come there to die. (No spoiler alert necessary since moviegoers learn this right from the get-go.)

Maybe the dying of cancer plot could be handled with humor. (Doubtful.) Still, advertising this as laugh at the multiplex is a stretch. It's like asking audiences to forget that Godzilla is a huge, hairy monster wreaking havoc on Tokyo

The White Crow: One giant leap for cinema

They called him White Crow because he was different. And it was these idiosyncrasies that made Rudolf Nureyev a ballet sensation. This new movie about the exquisite Russian dancer, directed exquisitely by Ralph Fiennes, will have you soaring in your seat.

You probably already know about his defection to the West in 1961. But that doesn't dampen the suspense in the final scenes when his handlers try all the tricks in the book to prevent him from defecting.

Still, it's the breathtaking dancing that elevates this flick beyond any other the Movie Slut has seen in months.

Bravo!

The Hustle: Skip it.

Do NOT see this movie!

Rebel Wilson may be tolerable in small doses, a secondary character in an ensemble cast. But as a star she doesn't shine.

DO NOT see this movie!

Instead, watch "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," one of the films it tries and fails to knock off.

DO NOT SEE this movie!

Unless you love comedies without laughs.

DO NOT SEE THIS movie!

Even the usually entertaining Anne Hathaway is a disappointment.

DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!

Tolkien: Rings true

So here we have Nicolas Hoult as J.R.R. Tolkein, author of the insanely popular Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books. His World War I experiences fed the fantasies he wrote.

And then we had Nicholas Hoult in "Rebel in the Rye" playing J.D. Salinger, author of the wildly popular "The Catcher in the Rye," whose World War II experiences shaped one of the most beloved and enduring fictional characters: Holden Caulfield.

And the similarities don't end there. Both flicks were panned by critics. And both were thoroughly enjoyed by the Movie Slut.

You don't have to be a Hobbit fancier to like this movie. It's about Tolkein's childhood, early adulthood, and the events that led him to write his fantastic fantasies.

Long Shot: A sure bet

So, you can't see Charlize Theron and Seth Rogan as an item? Throgan is just not doing it for you?

Well, see this flick and chances are you'll change your tune.

So what if he's a slovenly, plodding member of the Fourth Estate and she—one of the most powerful (and beautiful) women in the world—is about to launch a bid for the presidency.

We believe.

And the fact that we believe is a testament to the smart script and the top-notch acting skills of the two stars. The laughs are a bonus.

Avengers Endgame: Let's hope so

Hail, hail, the gangs all here. Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America, Valkyrie, Spider Man, and a battalion of other Superheros, who show up for cameos at the end of this tiresome three-hour megaplex bore. There's a plot of sorts. It involves time travel, a Movie Slut favorite. But alas, even this usually inspired plot twist falls flatter than Captain America's shield.

Diehard fans of the Avenger flicks claim to love this movie. As for the rest of us, we're hoping it really is The End.