BREAKING NEWS: CITIZEN KANE LOSES BEST PICTURE TO HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY BREAKING NEWS: HITCHCOCK'S VERTIGO BOMBS AT BOX OFFICE, DEEMED COMMERCIAL FAILURE BREAKING NEWS: KUBRICK'S 2001 TOO CONFUSING, AUDIENCES DEMAND REFUNDS BREAKING NEWS: BRANDO REFUSES OSCAR, SENDS APACHE ACTIVIST IN HIS PLACE BREAKING NEWS: THE EXORCIST FIRST FILM NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE FEATURING PROJECTILE DEMON VOMIT BREAKING NEWS: SPIELBERG'S JAWS BREAKS ALL-TIME BOX OFFICE RECORD BREAKING NEWS: LUCAS STEALS SPIELBERG'S BOX OFFICE RECORD WITH STAR WARS BREAKING NEWS: SPIELBERG RECLAIMS RECORD FROM LUCAS WITH E.T. BREAKING NEWS: WATERWORLD BECOMES MOST EXPENSIVE FILM IN HISTORY AT $175 MILLION BREAKING NEWS: SHOWGIRLS SETS RECORD FOR MOST RAZZIES WON BY SINGLE FILM BREAKING NEWS: ACADEMY VOTERS ASKED TO ACTUALLY WATCH ALL NOMINATED FILMS BREAKING NEWS: CITIZEN KANE LOSES BEST PICTURE TO HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY BREAKING NEWS: HITCHCOCK'S VERTIGO BOMBS AT BOX OFFICE, DEEMED COMMERCIAL FAILURE BREAKING NEWS: KUBRICK'S 2001 TOO CONFUSING, AUDIENCES DEMAND REFUNDS BREAKING NEWS: BRANDO REFUSES OSCAR, SENDS APACHE ACTIVIST IN HIS PLACE BREAKING NEWS: THE EXORCIST FIRST FILM NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE FEATURING PROJECTILE DEMON VOMIT BREAKING NEWS: SPIELBERG'S JAWS BREAKS ALL-TIME BOX OFFICE RECORD BREAKING NEWS: LUCAS STEALS SPIELBERG'S BOX OFFICE RECORD WITH STAR WARS BREAKING NEWS: SPIELBERG RECLAIMS RECORD FROM LUCAS WITH E.T. BREAKING NEWS: WATERWORLD BECOMES MOST EXPENSIVE FILM IN HISTORY AT $175 MILLION BREAKING NEWS: SHOWGIRLS SETS RECORD FOR MOST RAZZIES WON BY SINGLE FILM BREAKING NEWS: ACADEMY VOTERS ASKED TO ACTUALLY WATCH ALL NOMINATED FILMS
FILM REVIEWS · FEATURES · FESTIVALS · INTERVIEWS Thursday, April 30, 2026
SILVER SCREEN RIOT
Probably hates your favorite movie. Since 2012.

#BEN MENDELSOHN

FESTIVAL
Sundance ‘24: ‘FREAKY TALES’ A Disjointed Tapestry of Stories, Ideas, and Tones, with Nazis

Sundance ‘24: ‘FREAKY TALES’ A Disjointed Tapestry of Stories, Ideas, and Tones, with Nazis

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s Freaky Tales, a madcap 1987 Oakland-set anthology, is a lot. Told in four loosely threaded together chapters, this interconnected story of the intersection of corruption, subculture, and violence in Reagan-era west coast America bites off more than it can chew, becoming more of an implosive collision than a meaningful exploration...

REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘READY PLAYER ONE’ 

Out in Theaters: ‘READY PLAYER ONE’ 

Part geeky circle-jerk, part eye-boggling hootenanny, and part arresting Spielbergian adventure cinema, 'Ready Player One' ascends its humdrum chapter book roots to champion a director with an unmatched eye for…

REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘DARKEST HOUR’

Out in Theaters: ‘DARKEST HOUR’

‘Darkest Hour’ sees director Joe Wright back on top of his game directing Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill to one of his finest onscreen roles. More importantly, the film that…

REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’

Out in Theaters: ‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’

There's no getting around it, 'Rogue One'’s clunky script leaves something to be desired but  wowing visual glamor, classic Star Wars feel, a darker nature and that killer third act…

REVIEW
‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ Trailer is F**king Amazing

‘ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY’ Trailer is F**king Amazing

Breathe people breathe…Ok I can’t hold it in. My god, it looks so glorious. So absolutely glorious. From the sights (AT-ATS in action, a semi-complete Death Star, new Stormtroopers), sounds (that iconic dark side score, that blaring alarm, that sweet zap of blaster fire) and new characters (Felicity Jones‘ already amazing rebel protagonist, Ben Mendelssohn...

REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘MISSISSIPPI GRIND’

Out in Theaters: ‘MISSISSIPPI GRIND’

Strong chemistry between Mendelsohn and Reynolds ease the more predictable elements from taking hold and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's ability to slam the occasional magical surrealism into their pragmatic…

FESTIVAL
Sundance Review: MISSISSIPPI GRIND

Sundance Review: MISSISSIPPI GRIND

There are some people who just can’t help but roll the dice. No matter how far ahead or behind they are, they just need to have one more go at the “big win”. And as any longtime gambler knows, the win is incomparable elation. Though in the long run, this mentality always loses. Statically, a...

REVIEW
Out in Theaters: EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS

Out in Theaters: EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS

To watch Exodus is to endure exodus. At 150 mins, it's easily one of the most taxing films of the year and surely one of its least inspired blockbusters. Darren…