|
A-
|
My Old Ass
(2024)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Similar concepts might have been explored before, but they haven’t been nearly as fun as this one.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
|
|
B
|
The Outrun
(2024)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Ronan excels at channeling Rona’s destructive fury and then tapping into her more subdued state as she begins her journey towards self-healing.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
|
|
B
|
Winner
(2024)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
The bigger appeal may be the reteaming of Fogel and her Cat Person star Jones, who reunite for another humor-heavy look at something that, taken another way, could have been conceived entirely as a dark and dreary drama.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
|
|
A-
|
Will & Harper
(2024)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
This isn’t meant to be a definitive portrait of what it’s like to be transgender in America, but rather an intimate story of friendship centered on one particular person.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
|
|
B+
|
Hit Man
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Hit Man finds a perfect tone all its own, keeping its own ridiculousness in check, but still taking things as far as possible.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
|
|
C+
|
Poolman
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
There is a great deal of intrigue but just as much baffling confusion, revealing a film with tremendous potential that makes selective use of its assets for a hypnotic but ultimately chaotic viewing experience.
Posted Jul 24, 2024
|
|
B+
|
Problemista
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Problemista is a singular, wildly original vision that knows exactly how to temper one over-the-top protagonist with her perfect foil
Posted Jul 23, 2024
|
|
B+
|
Origin
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Origin will go far in reaching those who seek to understand if there is indeed some unifying root cause for hatred and discrimination all across the world.
Posted Jul 23, 2024
|
|
B
|
Self Reliance
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Self Reliance works best as a laugh-out-loud comedy when crazy things are happening, but its exploration of the underlying seriousness of it all — while intriguing — isn’t nearly as potent.
Posted Jul 23, 2024
|
|
A-
|
Dune: Part Two
(2024)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
A stunning below the line masterpiece that takes surprising and even dark tones, with brilliant performances by Chalamet and Ferguson, even if the story goes by very fast at the core of the film.
Posted Feb 22, 2024
|
|
A
|
Dune: Part Two
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
A bonafide masterpiece that delivers on the promise of the first movie, while adding so much more in terms of layers and depth.
Posted Feb 21, 2024
|
|
B-
|
Madame Web
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Madame Web does its best to not be another Catwoman.
Posted Feb 13, 2024
|
|
B+
|
Bob Marley: One Love
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Marley and his music make One Love a far more potent biopic than might have been the case in the hands of a lesser filmmaker.
Posted Feb 08, 2024
|
|
D-
|
Lisa Frankenstein
(2024)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
A monstrously stitched together film that lacks life and that cannot be brought back to life by even the most electric Hollywood magic
Posted Feb 07, 2024
|
|
B+
|
Argylle
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Offers a clever enough twist on the genre that it remains thoroughly entertaining as Vaughn uses his cast quite brilliantly.
Posted Jan 31, 2024
|
|
B
|
Rob Peace
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
As strong as Rob Peace is as a biopic, it feels somewhat misguided at times, and at times, it just feels kind of staid.
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
B
|
Suncoast
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
More than anything, the film shines a spotlight on a true star in Nico Parker.
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
B+
|
A Real Pain
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Eisenberg has made a far stronger and more mainstream film here, but one that still allows him to include things that are important and personal to him
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
B+
|
Exhibiting Forgiveness
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Kaphar's writing and direction makes Exhibiting Foregiveness such a powerful and singular drama that will leave you quite shaken up by its emotional ending.
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
A
|
Love Me
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Pulls you in with its deeply thoughtful approach to a love story.
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
C
|
Good One
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Disappointing, because you get to the end of it and wonder, “What was the point? What are we supposed to get out of this?”
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
D+
|
Between the Temples
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Has such a talented cast and original premise that could have gone to so many more interesting places ... all of that is squandered for a comedy that’s never very funny, as hard as it tries.
Posted Jan 27, 2024
|
|
B-
|
Mean Girls
(2024)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
Fey both saws off the edges of her original script (unfortunately) and adds a few gags that she had clearly left in the tank (thankfully), resulting in a movie that has no reason to exist but whose source material
Posted Jan 11, 2024
|
|
B
|
The Beekeeper
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Statham continues to be a dynamic leading man who gets you interested enough in the character’s background you’ll probably want to see more of Adam Clay.
Posted Jan 10, 2024
|
|
C-
|
The Book of Clarence
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Tries way too hard to achieve something that never quite works. Just skip this and watch The Life of Brian instead.
Posted Jan 08, 2024
|
|
B
|
Night Swim
(2024)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Anyone who wants a fairly quick, breezy film full of genuine scares, Night Swim does a fine job offering just that.
Posted Jan 04, 2024
|
|
D-
|
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
(2023)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
Not one part of this movie--the effects, the storyline, the emotional core--works. Everything is recycled from other superhero movies. It's time to give the genre an at sea burial.
Posted Dec 21, 2023
|
|
B
|
Ferrari
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
There’s also so much melodrama involving bad accents, that it’s hard to forgive its problems once the actual racing begins.
Posted Dec 20, 2023
|
|
C+
|
The Color Purple
(2023)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
The problem stems from the source from which this version is adapted—the musical. Taking out the emotional core of the story--the horrific suffering of the protagonists--in place of song and dance, does just that-eliminate the emotional core of the story.
Posted Dec 19, 2023
|
|
A
|
Wonka
(2023)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
One possible way of measuring whether a prequel is a good movie is whether it makes you want to revisit the old original. The new Warner Bros. film, Wonka, makes you watch not only the original but also this worthy successor, again, and again.
Posted Dec 19, 2023
|
|
D+
|
Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
One of Snyder’s worst efforts to date ... dull and derivative, with very little to warrant there even being a Part 2, and therefore, just an atrocious waste of time and money.
Posted Dec 15, 2023
|
|
A
|
The Iron Claw
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
[Sean Durkin] is a filmmaker clearly able to tell such an undeniably emotional story with the clearest of visions.
Posted Dec 12, 2023
|
|
B
|
Next Goal Wins
(2023)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
This paint-by-numbers sports triumph comedy is simple and amusing enough, with solipsistic director Taika Waititi mostly out of his own way
Posted Nov 18, 2023
|
|
B-
|
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023)
|
J. Don Birnam
|
A highly entertaining film with the signature, luscious costumes and sets, this "Hunger Games" prequel nevertheless stumbles with the uneven story of the franchise's main villain's origin story
Posted Nov 18, 2023
|
|
B
|
Napoleon
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
A visually-stunning old school cinematic epic with unbelievably majestic battle sequences that’s frequently held back by Phoenix’s notably erratic performance.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
|
|
B
|
Thanksgiving
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Roth has successfully subverted the slasher genre while maintaining enough of its tropes that those who love seeing stupid people being murdered should have a fun time at Thanksgiving.
Posted Nov 15, 2023
|
|
B+
|
The Marvels
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Director Nia DaCosta delivers a winner thanks to a formidable heroic trio.
Posted Nov 08, 2023
|
|
B+
|
The Killer
(2023)
|
Edward Douglas
|
Prime David Fincher, a cleverly-crafted revenge thriller that keeps you on your toes.
Posted Nov 01, 2023
|
|
|
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
The film's animation style evokes the rebellious free-form of a teen doodling in the margins of their school books, propelled by overactive imaginations and inclined as many high schoolers are toward the strange, grimy, and grotesque.
Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
4/4
|
Oppenheimer
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Nolan's film illuminates not only the intellectual life and complicated legacy of one of America’s most consequential scientific minds but also the array of opposing, divided systems that drove his ambition and determined his actions.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
|
|
|
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
McQuarrie’s lasting contribution is a style of intensely pressurized efficiency. His films push the Mission: Impossible franchise away from espionage melodrama and toward a spectacle of function, of situation and action over emotion and impact.
Posted Jul 17, 2023
|
|
C-
|
The Flash
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Going back in time and revisiting nearly every previous era of DC in order to tell a story about the importance of letting go, The Flash is just running in place.
Posted Jul 17, 2023
|
|
A
|
Past Lives
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Without sacrificing its slender sense of flow, Past Lives is especially astute in articulating all the forces — culture, language, time, fate, love, and connection — that overlap to form the possibilities of her characters’ lives.
Posted Jun 03, 2023
|
|
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Vol. 3 scales up with an excessive 150-minute runtime but commits that length to splashing Gunn’s signature brand of gooey sentimentality across the biggest, loudest, most color-mad canvas that a Disney budget can afford.
Posted May 09, 2023
|
|
|
Beau Is Afraid
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
A shallow simulation of a magnum opus, filled mainly with flourishes but missing the vital spark of life that animates all its countless, superior inspirations.
Posted Apr 21, 2023
|
|
C-
|
Renfield
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Renfield features running gags about ska music and some guy named Kyle, and even its needle drops feel like missed opportunities.
Posted Apr 17, 2023
|
|
|
Air
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
A solid exercise in brand mythology, putting the “commercial” in commercial filmmaking, but one with such a predestined outcome that all its Mad Men-esque wheeling and dealing can’t mask the sensation of all its characters running in place.
Posted Apr 07, 2023
|
|
A
|
John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Even as the world around Wick expands, and the death count spikes exponentially, Chapter 4 remembers well that the body keeps the score; Reeves makes the weariness of this long-anguished assassin more palpable than ever.
Posted Mar 25, 2023
|
|
C-
|
Scream VI
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
Too cliche-riddled and irony-poisoned to avoid collapsing into exactly the sort of artificial franchise extension Craven would have slashed to ribbons.
Posted Mar 18, 2023
|
|
4/5
|
Magic Mike's Last Dance
(2023)
|
Isaac Feldberg
|
The sequences that set Mike free to move — his opening seduction of an exceptionally willing Maxandra, and the finale’s sizzling reprise, in which he’s happily outmatched and out-maneuvered by the ballet dancer Kylie Shea — are the film’s surest-footed.
Posted Feb 14, 2023
|
>
