|
B
|
A Haunting in Venice
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
A heck of a lot of fun, from its eerie Venetian mask costumes to the intriguing ways in which its central mysteries unfold.
Posted Sep 10, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Lone Star
(1996)
|
Ken Tucker
|
Sayles has surrounded his hero with other, more interesting characters and has warmed Lone Star with the glow of a humanist optimism rare in contemporary movies.
Posted Sep 06, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Finally Dawn
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Finally Dawn is a surreal vision of coming-in-age via cinema, and [Lily] James fully sells the movie star mayhem at its center. But it can't overcome its meandering script and hollow depiction of the era.
Posted Sep 06, 2023
|
|
A-
|
The Holdovers
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
The Holdovers is a warm hug of a movie and the closest thing we've had to a new holiday classic in quite some time.
Posted Sep 05, 2023
|
|
A
|
Saltburn
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Its endless visual and literary layers will bring its ardent admirers back to it again and again, because it is a triumph of the cinema of excess, in all its orgiastic, unapologetic glory.
Posted Sep 05, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Wildcat
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Despite its shortcomings, Wildcat possesses a palpable love for the subject matter. But passion alone does not a good film make, and everything that rises to the forefront of this film does not, at all, converge.
Posted Sep 05, 2023
|
|
B
|
Rustin
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
The film makes an admirable effort to examine the gap between Rustin's own self-acceptance and the conflict of his determination to not allow that fact to derail the movement to which he has dedicated his life.
Posted Sep 05, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Fingernails
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Its interest in horrifying its audience (or at least making them deeply uneasy) emphasizes the film's ultimately shallow approach to its subject matter.
Posted Sep 03, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Poor Things
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Bella is a cinematic heroine for the ages and Poor Things is a unique piece of artistry. With Yorgos Lanthimos behind the camera, it's not hard to find it fascinating to be alive.
Posted Sep 03, 2023
|
|
A-
|
All of Us Strangers
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
All of Us Strangers will break your heart — but it just might mend it too.
Posted Sep 03, 2023
|
|
A-
|
The Zone of Interest
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
It's a stark reminder of our complicity and the capacity for great evil in the most mundane of circumstances. I'll never forget the experience of watching it, even if I can't ever bring myself to endure it again.
Posted Sep 03, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Nyad
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
It is quite the tale of heroism and courage in the face of adversity, as well as the importance of teamwork and never giving up. But that is all diluted with so many things at play.
Posted Sep 02, 2023
|
|
B
|
The Bikeriders
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Nichols has merely replaced outlaws with bikers, but they're still ultimately guys clutching desperately at identity and a version of masculinity that is quickly slipping through their fingers.
Posted Sep 01, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Blue Beetle
(2023)
|
Yolanda Machado
|
Blue Beetle never loses sight of the community it seeks to honor, not once pandering nor offering surface-level representation of what it means to be Latino.
Posted Aug 16, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Haunted Mansion
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Haunted Mansion is an enjoyable, if somewhat sedate experience that is more spooky diversion than thrill ride.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
|
|
B
|
La Haine
(1995)
|
Lisa Schwarzbaum
|
The result is a jittery, propulsive, slangy study of jeunes hommes in the hood, complete with a soundtrack of reggae and rap.
Posted Jul 20, 2023
|
|
A
|
Oppenheimer
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
Though they may seem disparate, the many elements of Oppenheimer refract and reflect each other, like a bunch of atoms creating a chain reaction or a group of scientists building off each other's ideas to forge something new.
Posted Jul 19, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Barbie
(2023)
|
Devan Coggan
|
It's Gerwig's care and attention to detail that gives Barbie an actual point of view, elevating it beyond every other cynical, IP-driven cash grab.
Posted Jul 18, 2023
|
|
B
|
Joy Ride
(2023)
|
Devan Coggan
|
It's a raunchy (and occasionally familiar) ride, but it's well worth the trip.
Posted Jul 07, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
While the title might feel unwieldy, the film itself is anything but, its nearly three-hour running time passing as quickly as it takes a message to self-destruct.
Posted Jul 05, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Nimona
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
It's awesome.
Posted Jul 03, 2023
|
|
B
|
No Hard Feelings
(2023)
|
Devan Coggan
|
No Hard Feelings is a welcome addition to a dwindling genre — and a reminder that Lawrence is one of Hollywood's best (and funniest) leads.
Posted Jun 27, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Dial makes one thing clear: whatever happens next, this franchise still has fresh skullduggery left to explore.
Posted Jun 20, 2023
|
|
B
|
Asteroid City
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Asteroid City both meets and exceeds the sumptuous artistry and fastidious invention of his [Anderson] previous work.
Posted Jun 14, 2023
|
|
C+
|
The Flash
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
It's well-trod territory at this point, even for a speedster.
Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse totally exceeds expectations when it comes to visual aesthetic and character development.
Posted Jun 01, 2023
|
|
A-
|
The Little Mermaid
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
With Halle Bailey, life under the sea is better than anything Disney live-action has done in nearly a decade.
Posted May 22, 2023
|
|
C
|
Fast X
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
No question this franchise is silly...but having one character constantly ridiculing the others and making mockery of everything feels maybe a little too on-the-nose.
Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
It's always nice when superhero movies remember that they're supposed to be about saving lives rather than taking them, and GotG 3 often plays like a celebration of life — even for animals that can't talk or fly spaceships.
Posted May 04, 2023
|
|
D
|
Ghosted
(2023)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
Despite a lot of great ingredients in the cocktail shaker, there's no amount of booze that can save Ghosted.
Posted Apr 24, 2023
|
|
B
|
Somewhere in Queens
(2022)
|
Maureen Lee Lenker
|
It's quiet and charming and has some beautiful, if also familiar things to say about fathers and sons, and the question of legacy.
Posted Apr 21, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
(2023)
|
Devan Coggan
|
The film version is an utter delight, a loving adaptation that's both true to the book and endearingly fresh.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
|
|
B-
|
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
It's all quite fun, with a good sense of humor and a consistent computer-animated aesthetic -- plus, at 90 minutes including credits, it's short, sweet, and over before anything can get annoying.
Posted Apr 04, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023)
|
Christian Holub
|
The fantasy elements are played straight, and the central story is a relatable romp about how people who fail as individuals can still succeed together.
Posted Mar 30, 2023
|
|
B+
|
John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
How does nearly three hours of wham-bam noise and nonsense, unmitigated by any meaningful plot, work as well as it does?
Posted Mar 14, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Scream VI
(2023)
|
Joshua Rothkopf
|
Scream VI ultimately squanders the goodwill of last year's occasionally satisfying reboot, slackening into a dutiful merry-go-round of returning characters.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
Things and people explode without consequence. And Statham, squinting manfully into the void, walks away unscathed, keen to throat-punch another day.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
|
|
B+
|
The Quiet Girl
(2022)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
The kind of quiet film that could easily get lost in a noisy season; lean in anyway, and listen.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Cocaine Bear
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
In every dumb and delightful way, it's just about a bear, standing in front of the world, asking for more cocaine till she explodes.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
B
|
Creed III
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
Creed III suffers from a certain lack of heft and specificity in its storytelling structure, a sense that the original bare-knuckle magic is not all there. But it's also often better than the blunt-force melodrama of the last film.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Return to Seoul
(2022)
|
Joshua Rothkopf
|
A quest movie, but not the one you're expecting — it's the opposite of sentimental or overly therapized.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Emily
(2022)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
Without plunging into full anachronism, the film happily plays both fast and loose with history, its tone frequently wobbling between melodrama, magic realism, and the more traditional structures of classic period drama.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
|
|
B
|
Somebody I Used To Know
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
There's a low-key charm to the movie's knowing spin on familiar beats.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Sharper
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
A silly and unabashedly camp thriller that is, frankly, exactly the kind of sleek, shenanigan-y frolic that bleak midwinter calls for.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
C-
|
Your Place or Mine
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
Everyone here — the actors, the audience, the genre — deserves better.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
This Ant-Man is clever enough to be fun, and wise enough not overstay its welcome. Who better understands the benefits, after all, of keeping it small?
Posted Feb 14, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Magic Mike's Last Dance
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
Last Dance is missing a lot, but it has the moves you mostly came for — and in its final strobe-lit moments, the full release of a Hollywood ending.
Posted Feb 07, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Wild Things
(1998)
|
Troy Patterson
|
Smooth, cheap exploitation flicks slake our thirst for smut as fully as great films sate our taste for the sublime. The new master of the craft may be John McNaughton.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Sometimes I Think About Dying
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
[Rachel] Lambert makes lovely low-key use of her coastal-Oregon setting and the unhurried rhythms of life there, finding the divine in the details.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
B
|
The Pod Generation
(2023)
|
Leah Greenblatt
|
A warm-bath optimism that swerves into silliness in the final act.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
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