Latest Articles
Lord Of Misrule Review: Folk Horror Movie Completely Misunderstands What Makes It Work
Lord of Misrule is not a bad movie, but it is an underachieving one. The good ideas it has are buried under too much cliché to breathe.
Silent Night Review: John Woo’s Hollywood Return Is Messy, Guilty Fun
Silent Night winks at us as often as it tries for real drama, and which tone you accept will determine whether you have as much fun with it as I did.
Manodrome Review: Eisenberg Is Excellent In Impactful But Fatally Flawed Movie
Manodrome lacks depth as social commentary or character study, largely because of how it positions us in relation to its protagonist’s perspective.
Fingernails Review: A Gentle, Well-Acted Film That Should’ve Been More Interesting
It's hard not to wish Fingernails had grander designs. It shows just enough of its potential to leave us wanting those ideas expressed more fully.
Maestro Review: Bradley Cooper’s Bernstein Biopic Is Artful & Fractured
Maestro is not a biopic of an artist so much as a human artwork, capturing the questions he provokes and the contradictory answers that define him.
Origin Review: Convincing, Engaging & More Conventional Than It Seems
Only during Origin's final act, which makes an aggressive play for a big swell of emotion, did my appreciation start to curdle.
Hit Man Review: Breezy Comedy Is Richard Linklater’s Cure For What Ails Movies
Savor Hit Man, however you come across it - it's not every day the movies entertain us in this way at this level of execution anymore.
Memory Review: Thorny Drama Gets All Its Depth From The Actors
Everyone is doing great work in Memory, and for me, the experience of being swept up in the acting is always worth the price of admission.
No One Will Save You Review: Kaitlyn Dever Anchors Daringly Creative Genre Movie
Daringly creative, No One Will Save You is as much of an in-the-moment good time as it is worthy of lingering thought and discussion.
Sex Education (2019)
Sex Education Season 4 Review: A Worthy End To One Of Netflix’s Best Shows
Let Sex Education season 4, and our response to it, remind the powers that be in Hollywood why good writing should not be taken for granted.
The Monkey King Review: A Misfire For Netflix Animation
The heart of the problem is The Monkey King makes its central character, whose story has been told and retold for hundreds of years, uninteresting.
Jules Review: Make This Touching Sci-Fi Comedy Your Next Theater Outing
Jules is a lighthearted, empathetic film that multiple generations of family can see together and all find something worth taking with them.
Dreamin’ Wild Review: Music Drama Can’t Live Up To Its Own Expectations
Dreamin' Wild is sometimes too caught up in its own artfulness, and all that weighted form ends up trapping its ideas rather than giving them heft.
Sympathy For The Devil Review: Nicolas Cage Thriller Can’t Sustain Interest
Sympathy for the Devil is a missed opportunity with a collection of engaging moments, none sustained enough to really satisfy.
Dead Reckoning Recycles Parts Of Every Mission Impossible Movie – And It’s Genius
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 revisits storylines from every previous movie in the franchise, and that's definitely not an accident.
Blue Jean Review: An Incisive Portrait Of Internalized Homophobia
Give yourself over to Blue Jean’s wavelength, and I believe you'll find it engrossing, insightful, and, unfortunately, quite timely.
Oppenheimer Trailer: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt & A Disappointed Einstein
Universal Pictures releases a brand-new trailer for the upcoming Christopher Nolan historical drama Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy.
Love & Death (2023)
Love & Death Review: Elizabeth Olsen-Led Crime Drama Is More Than Meets The Eye
There is more reason to recommend it, but this series would be worth it just to watch what Elizabeth Olsen does with a role this nuanced.
Showing Up Review: A Richly Textured Meditation On The Exhibition Of Art
Among the many things that could result from watching it, Showing Up makes easy to understand why making and displaying art can be so agonizing.
Enys Men Review: Gripping Craft & Atmosphere Needed A Touch More Story
Those who enjoy cinema's more experimental works should seek this one out; more mainstream audiences may not find Enys Men to their liking.