|
|
A Nightmare Wakes
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
"... Unkel effectively blends story and myth, as the creation of the novel is nearly as famous as the creation of the Creature himself."
Posted Jan 30, 2021
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Midnight Sky
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
While not a bad movie by any stretch, it's just kinda...basic?
Posted Dec 28, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
Wonder Woman 1984 does an astounding job of making its central heroine into a warrior for love and peace.
Posted Dec 24, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Soul
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
There's as much to laugh about here as there is to take in the implications and complexities of what the beforelife and afterlife seem to be.
Posted Dec 23, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
News of the World
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
News of the World colors so deeply inside the lines it leaves white spaces around its borders.
Posted Dec 22, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Greenland
(2020)
|
Gary M. Kramer
|
Greenland, may show the sky is on fire, but it is a misfire.
Posted Dec 18, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Max Cloud
(2020)
|
Gary M. Kramer
|
Max Cloud is equal parts homage and rip-off, which might help it generate a fanbase and perhaps even a sequel. Adkins is appealing enough here to warrant another go at saving the galaxy.
Posted Dec 18, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
This is the kind of movie that goes down super smooth, while igniting an emotional fire within the viewer.
Posted Dec 18, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Alabama Snake
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Weaves archival footage/audio, interviews, and re-enactments into a surprisingly dense narrative about the alleged crime.
Posted Dec 10, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Let Them All Talk
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
. Let Them All Talk is a fantastic couch movie, perfect for drinking wine, having some good cheese, and focusing on fictional troubles for a while.
Posted Dec 10, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Mank
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Feels a lot closer to a Fincher passion project than any of his previous work.
Posted Dec 05, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
All My Life
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
The film doesn't work because the characters feel like memories that have been brushed smooth, without any of the weird or uncomfortable features that make us human.
Posted Dec 04, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Interesting if not as a study of the actual man behind the crime, but rather as a look into his legacy - what his bold, reckless act means to those within its historical wake.
Posted Nov 24, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Hillbilly Elegy
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
The script is chock-full of the empty kind of "Live Laugh Love" platitudes that clog the aisles of Marshall's and stores targeting 'wine moms.'
Posted Nov 24, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Croods: A New Age
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
...when other studio animated films are as thoughtful and engaging as Zootopia, The Croods: A New Age feels wishy-washy at best.
Posted Nov 24, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Vanguard
(2020)
|
Gary M. Kramer
|
A subpar globe-hopping action film... Chan is mostly wasted here.... [T]he fight scenes here are, at times, as lame as the CGI lion that mauls a baddie.
Posted Nov 20, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Belushi
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Will likely end up being the definitive documentary on the life of John Belushi, and deservedly so.
Posted Nov 20, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
(2019)
|
Dan Scully
|
A film nerd's dream.
Posted Nov 19, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Vigil
(2019)
|
Gary M. Kramer
|
For all its style and atmosphere, its jump scares and body horror, The Vigil works best as a psychological thriller.
Posted Nov 18, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Freaky
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
Freaky is an enjoyable film overall...and it feels like it was written for today's expectations around culture and diversity.
Posted Nov 13, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Kindred
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Succeeds in updating a classic horror shell and giving it modern resonance.
Posted Nov 10, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
May the Devil Take You: Chapter Two
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
If you're looking for a chilling ghost story with a handful of seriously spooky moments, you'll be pleased.
Posted Oct 31, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
My Zoe
(2019)
|
Gary M. Kramer
|
Delpy's film does what it sets out to do, which is show how deeply Isabelle loves Zoe. Again, that was never in doubt, and the actress' gutsy film and performance drive that obvious message home.
Posted Oct 29, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Jumbo
(2020)
|
Gary M. Kramer
|
Jumbo benefits from Merlant's committed performance. Viewers who suspend their disbelief may even find this film unexpectedly moving.
Posted Oct 29, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Bullets of Justice
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Whether the film intends to be this bananas or is just banking on a state of overall confusion after the fact is something I will never be equipped to determine.
Posted Oct 29, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
On the Rocks
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
On the Rocks may be too heavy for a date night, but not substantial enough to leave a lasting impression
Posted Oct 23, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Roald Dahl's The Witches
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
The Witches feels like a paycheck movie from a man who used to spend fortunes doing whatever he wanted.
Posted Oct 22, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
David Byrne's American Utopia
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
Much to my relief, American Utopia is absolutely worthy of being called Stop Making Sense 2: Twice in a Lifetime.
Posted Oct 16, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Lupin III: The First
(2019)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
...Lupin remains as graceful, charming, and boundless as ever. Lupin III: The First, is a great entry point for those curious about the character because it blends old and new so effectively...
Posted Oct 16, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Mortuary Collection
(2019)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
As a whole, The Mortuary Collection is a consistent package, which may be the most important quality in an anthology. None of the stories are outright scary, as there is rarely tension, leaning more on the gross out angles than jump scares.
Posted Oct 15, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Lapsis
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
The imaginative concept is bolstered by a bizarre sense of humor, and a lot of big, pertinent ideas.
Posted Oct 14, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Hunted
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Had me exclaiming to no one at all, 'this is so metal'.
Posted Oct 14, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
An Unquiet Grave
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
It creeps under the skin undetected, and by the time the credits roll, an indelible and unsettling feeling takes over. I haven't shaken it since.
Posted Oct 14, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Detention
(2019)
|
Dan Scully
|
A novel and compelling way to tell the tale, serving to show the trickle-down effects of institutional trauma.
Posted Oct 14, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Def by Temptation
(1990)
|
Dan Scully
|
Yeah, it's all pretty bonkers to look at, but for the most part, it's really effective, and not in a 'so bad it's good' kind of way.
Posted Oct 12, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Survival Skills
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
A few segments go so dark for so long that the film effectively becomes a drama...only to snap back into absurdism.
Posted Oct 12, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Bloody Hell
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Pure genre bliss.
Posted Oct 12, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Dinner in America
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Filled with attitude, angst, and the most hilarious use of a feline corpse I've ever seen.
Posted Oct 12, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Time
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
Time is certainly about the mass incarceration of Black men in America, but it doesn't turn to statistics or even logic to try and win over skeptical minds. It turns to emotions.
Posted Oct 09, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Forty-Year-Old Version
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
But one thing is clear: Radha Blank is someone to watch, as The Forty-Year-Old Version would be one of the best-written films of any year.
Posted Oct 09, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
A lean, mean package of entertainment.
Posted Oct 08, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
A Call to Spy
(2019)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
Fans of World War II films should definitely seek this one out, as the story is well told, and all three lead actresses give stellar performances.
Posted Oct 02, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Scare Me
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
The film has an incredible energy to it, but when it is suddenly tasked with being a movie with a narrative, it stumbles a bit. Just a bit.
Posted Oct 01, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Trial of the Chicago 7
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
The Trial of the Chicago 7 may be more interesting than much of the other films about this period, but it also only feels like the tip of the iceberg...
Posted Sep 28, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Antebellum
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
If Antebellum really leaned into its exploitative heart, and went HARD with its tone, the inherent goofiness to the cinematic stunt being pulled might really work.
Posted Sep 19, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Softie
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
Softie, about one man's quest to bring a true populist movement to the Kenyan political landscape is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring.
Posted Sep 18, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Rent-a-Pal
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
This is one of those movies that would probably work better as a short.
Posted Sep 17, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Broken Hearts Gallery
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
It feels like The Broken Hearts Gallery would have benefited from not being a romantic comedy, since romance is the least engaging aspect of the film.
Posted Sep 11, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
(2020)
|
Ryan Silberstein
|
While conceptually interesting and well made, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is as insufferable as it is insightful.
Posted Sep 04, 2020
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Centigrade
(2020)
|
Dan Scully
|
Painful to watch because the characters are unbearable, the stakes aren't well constructed, the pacing is dreadful, and no narrative arc of any kind occurs.
Posted Aug 28, 2020
Edit critic review
|