| | | Hit Man (2023) | The movie is never quite as funny as you expect it to be, nor quite as sexy as it clearly wants to be, and not quite as thrilling as it could be. Still, Linklater is a filmmaker who always puts something compelling on the screen. |
| | | Ezra (2023) | Spiridakis’ personal experiences can be felt through his movie’s sincerity. And I appreciate his willingness to buck what many would say a movie about neurodiversity “should be”. |
| | | Coup de Chance (2023) | While classic (Woody) Allen hallmarks can be seen throughout, “Coup de Chance” also emanates a beguiling freshness that not only distinguishes it from the filmmaker’s recent efforts, but from much of what passes for adult dramedies today. |
| | | The Dead Don't Hurt (2023) | Viggo Mortensen gives us a good one with “The Dead Don’t Hurt”, a uniquely intimate and heartfelt drama set within the margins of an old-fashioned movie Western. |
| | | In A Violent Nature (2024) | Don’t go into “In a Violent Nature” expecting a meaty story or rich character work. At the same time, don’t go in expecting a conventional, garden-variety slasher flick. The sheer choices and craft alone is enough to separate it from the pack. |
| | | Death Race 2000 (1975) | Director Paul Bartel squeezes all he can out of the film’s modest budget, putting together some thrilling race sequences and visualizing a dystopian future that admittedly looks cheap at times but also shows insightful imagination. |
| | | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) | “Furiosa” is a stylish, immersive, and unabashedly cinematic experience that represents the manic vision of George Miller in all its delightfully demented glory. |
| | | Atlas (2024) | “Atlas” doesn’t challenge or provoke, but it does entertain. There’s some good action, cool world design, and even some wry wit to keep things light. So know what you’re in for. It might help you better enjoy what you get. Read More | Posted May 24, 2024 |
| | | Pandemonium (2023) | Forbidding imagery, inspired practical effects, the disquieting score from composer Benjamin Leray – it all feeds into the eerily captivating vision of a filmmaker who wants us to think as well as squirm. |
| | | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) | There is plenty of fat that could have been trimmed to make this a tighter and more riveting experience. As it is, "Kingdom" will sit as a serviceable but rather prosaic early summer feature. |
| | | The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) | A stripped down version of 2008’s “The Strangers” that feels like a 30-minute pilot episode drawn out to feature length. We spend most of our time waiting for something to happen…anything. And when it finally does, the payoff isn’t worth the wait. |
| | | You Can't Run Forever (2024) | The story makes good use of its Northwest setting and even better use of Simmons, who remains a chilling presence even as things start to go off the rails. |
| | | The Last Run (1971) | A rock-solid crime genre flick and yet another terrific vehicle for George C. Scott. It tells a wily story that’s propelled by good performances and a cool Euro-American style. |
| | | The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023) | A character-rich crime thriller laced with black comedy....Galluppi presents it all with such panache, capturing a distinctly Southwest flavor and shrewdly commanding the film’s tricky tone in a way that brings the film’s many influences to light. |
| | | The Idea of You (2024) | The movie mostly follows the tried-and-true romcom blueprint... It has its share of cheese and sitting through the boy band performances can be a challenge. But Hathaway anchors the film and ultimately makes it work in spite of itself. |
| | | Something in the Water (2024) | Street squeezes out some pretty good tension, at least early on. But as it moves forward the film has trouble sustaining any real sense of terror or suspense. And it quickly begins to run out of gas despite clocking in at under 90 minutes. |
| | | The Fall Guy (2024) | It’s not bad but not all that memorable either. Kinda like most of the summer popcorn movies that we still enjoy. |
| | | Nowhere Special (2020) | Uberto Pasolini keeps his focus firmly on the people at the story’s core….As a result he wins our investment and keeps it for the duration. We feel the weight of every choice, we relish every tender moment, and we hurt with the inevitability of reality. |
| | | Challengers (2024) | It all coalesces into a story...that’s content with following its three main characters rather than fleshing them out. So we’re left with incredibly shallow people and superficial relationships, all fueled by the power of desire and not much else. |
| | | The First Omen (2024) | It’s a smart, crafty, and artfully made horror film that doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares or tired gimmicks. It features confident direction and storytelling topped off with a fearless Nell Tiger Free lead performance. |
| | | Boy Kills World (2023) | Its story is primarily a revenge tale... But both the visual and narrative style turns it into a delightfully bonkers and blood-drenched extravaganza that you’d swear was plucked straight from the pages of a comic book. |
| | | Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver (2024) | The second hour kicks in and Snyder gets down to doing what he does best. The glacial pacing of the first 60 minutes gives way to an action-packed second half that’s full of exciting set pieces and cool combat in spite of its obvious PG-13 edit. |
| | | Abigail (2024) | One grisly B-movie co*cktail that should have been a lot better than it actually is. What we end up with is an unfortunate misfire built on the misguided notion that if you throw enough blood and f-bombs at your audience they won’t notice the flaws. |
| | | The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) | This movie is much more about our unsavory yet likable antiheroes killing LOTS of Nazis in a number of ungentlemanly ways while thumbing their noses at the weak-kneed Admirals cowering back in London. Who wouldn’t love that? |
| | | Arcadian (2024) | “Arcadian” is a genre lover’s delight that never loses sight of the humanity at its core. |
| | | Irena's Vow (2023) | It’s hard not to moved by “Irena’s Vow” and the remarkable true story of courage and sacrifice it tells. Louise Archambault’s direction is assured and focused while Sophie Nélisse, though not a newcomer, is an actress to keep your eye on. |
| | | The Long Goodbye (1973) | It all comes down to the wisecracking Gould – messy and unkept, with a cigarette loosely dangling from the corner of his mouth. He’s the special sauce that makes the whole thing work and a perfect fit for the kind of movie Altman is shooting for. |
| | | Civil War (2024) | (Garland) doesn’t get bogged down in the polarizing whys. He knows we will bring those to the table ourselves. Rather he wants us to think about the possible consequences of today’s contempt-driven division and consider our roles in it. |
| | | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) | Fans will relish the massive destruction-driven battles, the film’s playful self-awareness, and the classic monster movie feel....It’s pure popcorn entertainment and throwback escapism. |
| | | Monkey Man (2024) | As for “Monkey Man”, it’s an admirable yet perplexing first effort in desperate need of some fine-tuning. It’s a movie with flashes of genius but hampered by a few head scratching choices and some miscalculations that unfortunately hold it back. |
| | | You Have No Idea (2022) | A new documentary that’s as much about information and awareness as it is a heartfelt personal story... an evocative film that pulls at our heartstrings while enlightening us to a number of past and present-day truths. |
| | | Sleeping Dogs (2024) | ...has a surprisingly smart and layered story with enough of its own identity to get through its handful of flaws. Not everything clicks firmly into place. But it’s hard to push back too much when a filmmaker has you as invested as I was. |
| | | Road House (2024) | It’s as harmless as it is forgettable which may not be a ringing endorsem*nt. But it’s a fitting description of this kinda fun yet glaringly flawed time-passer. |
| | | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) | Some will be drawn to its heavy nostalgia; other to its playful spirit and fun visual effects. But those things alone can’t save “Frozen Empire” from its overstuffed story, too many characters, and its overall lack of anything original. |
| | | In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023) | Lorenz smartly leans into the film’s strengths, particularly the stellar cast and its intriguing setting. But the movie too often loses itself in its efforts to balance a violent action film with a talky character drama. |
| | | Immaculate (2024) | “Immaculate” exists alongside many other movies that basically do the same thing. That will be enough for some. But those wanting more will have to wait for the next nunsploitation movie to come down the pike. |
| | | Late Night with the Devil (2023) | ...a genuinely creepy and utterly absorbing high-concept chiller that gives a welcomed leading role to the always captivating David Dastmalchian. |
| | | Jawan (2023) | “Jawan” is such a wild ride, playfully blending genres while also making serious statements on government corruption, greed, class discrimination, and healthcare scandals among other things. It has a little bit of something for everyone. |
| | | Knox Goes Away (2023) | “Knox Goes Away” works thanks to the savvy Michael Keaton who shines in what is an absorbing character study masquerading as a hitman movie. |
| | | One Life (2023) | Winton’s story is inherently moving and the movie sticks close to it, touching us with his compassion, inspiring us by his diligence and courage, and shattering us with a cathartic release that feels honest and earned. |
| | | The Animal Kingdom (2023) | Cailley’s movie ... is filled with big ideas and even better intentions. But as it progresses those ideas grow more and more familiar. And those good intentions alone have a difficult time holding our interest. |
| | | Damsel (2024) | The results are a little underwhelming but entertaining, in large part thanks to the energy and charisma of the film’s star, Millie Bobby Brown. |
| | | American Dreamer (2022) | While the script is a big reason the movie and most of its characters work, it’s also a key reason why the movie stumbles in a few fairly noticeable places. |
| | | Cabrini (2024) | “Cabrini” powerfully portrays a slice of this remarkable life through Monteverde’s impressive direction, an array of technical savvy, and a stirring lead performance from Cristiana Dell’Anna. |
| | | Upgraded (2024) | You can actually see the blueprint for a good art-world comedy and the movie certainly has the cast for it. But the wedged-in romance drags the movie down mainly because there’s nothing remotely fresh or original about it. |
| | | Self Reliance (2023) | Johnson has a great feel for comic timing and delivery, working in the same aura as Jay and Mark Duplass. Yet he has a distinct oddball flavor all his own, melding deadpan with the absurd, resulting in some genuinely laugh-out-loud funny scenes. |
| | | Dune: Part Two (2024) | The sheer craft on display along with the extraordinary storytelling results in an awe-inspiring and mature science-fiction blockbuster that immediately left me hoping for a Part Three. |
| | | Madame Web (2024) | A flailing mess of a movie - one that seems perfectly content with riding Spider-Man’s coattails rather than trying for something smart, original, and coherent. |
| | | Spaceman (2024) | A psychoanalytical character study set as much in the depths of one man’s soul as it is the vastness of space...What can I say, I was captivated. |
| | | Face/Off (1997) | In a time when the action genre seems to struggle to find its identity, it says something that the 27-year-old “Face/Off” still holds up against much of what passes for action cinema today. |
