‘THE INSPECTION’ An Understated Reckoning With Militant Homophobia
Jeremy Pope shines as a gay, black man wrestling through the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" era of Marines boot camp in this autobiographical queer drama from Elegance Bratton.
REVIEW
REVIEW
A Bit Naughty, A Bit Nice, ‘VIOLENT NIGHT’ Lives Up to Its Aggressive Holiday Title
David Harbour shines as a beat-down Santa Claus who returns to his brutal ways in ‘Violent Night’. While a bit overly self-aware in spots, the film from Tommy Wirkola is…
REVIEW
Cannibals Need Companionship Too In Rangy ‘BONES AND ALL’
Though it's not the inspired mash-up that a romantic cannibal roadtrip movie promises, 'Bones and All' features a strong cast (Rylance is especially great) and striking production elements. Luca Guadagnino…
REVIEW
Weinstein Investigative Procedural ‘SHE SAID’ Puts the Whole System on Trial
Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan join together to unspool the story behind the story of sexual predator and Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s downfall. ‘She Said’ is a sobering investigative procedural…
REVIEW
‘THE MENU’ Deliciously Satirizes the Cult of Kitchen
The Menu is a riotous dark satire that uses the upper-echelon of the food world to satirize class warfare. As if run through a Paco Jet, Ralph Fiennes delivers an…
REVIEW
‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’ Celebrates A Life Through the Largess of the Blockbuster
Chadwick Boseman's unexpected passing informs the heart and soul of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', a richly-textured, thematically-layered follow-up to one of Marvel's biggest and best. The production elements shine and…
REVIEW
Wanna-Be Antihero ‘BLACK ADAM’ A Slave to Formula
Dwayne Johnson's 'Black Adam' doesn't shake up the DCEU so much as add another shaky layer to the universe's confusion. As a standalone film, 'Black Adam' sloppily borrows ideas from…
REVIEW
‘HALLOWEEN ENDS’ Simultaneously a Weird and Rote Send-Off to a Killer Icon
'Halloween Ends' lives up to its name in unexpected ways, taking a largely unexpected route to the conclusion of the franchise before ultimately caving and offering up exactly what fans…
REVIEW
‘THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN’ Examines the Tragic Hilarity of a Country at War With Itself
'The Banshees of Inisherin' is a striking dark comedy brimming with thematic depth, boasting a strong cast and sizable ideas but unlikely to click with mainstream audiences. McDonagh's strange little…
REVIEW
‘SMILE’ Curses Audience With a Bloody Good Time
A surprisingly brutal and weird horror movie from a major studio, Smile has something to say about the "grin and bear it" mantra of traumatized Americans but is most fun…