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
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…
REVIEW
Mia Goth Has the ‘X’-Factor in Devilish Prequel ‘PEARL’
An electrifying improvement over ‘X’, Ti West’s Technicolor slasher is a darkly funny thirst trap; a gory origin story that sees Mia Goth give an absolute scene-stealing performance as the…
REVIEW
‘DON’T WORRY DARLING’ Caught Between Sexy Paranoid Thriller and MAGA Utopia
Olivia Wilde's feminist satire boasts a terrific Florence Pugh performance, a remarkable score, and illustrious production details (including some impressive camerawork) but the whole of 'Don't Worry Darling' is let…
REVIEW
‘BARBARIAN’ Is Part ‘DON’T BREATHE’, Part ‘WRONG TURN’ and it Rules
A case of an accidental double booking goes full nightmare in Zach Cregger's simmering horror feast 'Barbarian'. Part suspense-driven horror thriller, part gonzo camp-fest, the tonally turbulent but ferociously fun…
REVIEW
‘THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING’ and the Problem of Story Telling as Storytelling
A visually-arresting story about a scholar and the djinn who offers her three wishes, ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ doesn’t quite bring the magic. Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton are…
REVIEW
‘BEAST’ a Shaggy Summer Slasher With Sharp Claws
Man vs. Lion B-movie ‘Beast’ doesn’t rewrite the creature feature playbook but nor does it need to. Strong pacing, gnarly animal action, and a worthy lead in Idris Elba make…
REVIEW
Exhaustingly Excessive Actioner ‘BULLET TRAIN’ is Pure Joyless Destruction
David Leitch's cartoonish adaptation of 'Bullet Train' is a loud, violent, messy action-thriller that borrows liberally from a handful of movie genres - thriller, actioner, whodunnit, crime drama - to…