Philadelphia Film Festival Review: Xiaopeng Tian’s ‘Deep Sea’
“Xiaopeng Tian’s ‘Deep Sea’ features the most mesmerizing animation since ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.'”
Kevin Fox, Jr.
Philadelphia Film Festival Review: Takeshi Kitano’s ‘Kubi’
“A total riot, ‘Kubi’ is a consummate epic that pokes fun at components of the subject matter while communicating the cold tragedy.”
Review: Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’
“‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is the best franchise film since the fourth installment and possibly the best yet…”
Review: Adele Lim’s ‘Joy Ride’
“A rollicking good time that pulls disparate pieces together for a sex-positive exploration of family, friendship and identity.”
Review: Nicole Holofcener’s ‘You Hurt My Feelings’
“Nicole Holofcener’s 2023 film is witty, grounded and surprisingly uplifting.”
Review: James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
“‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ makes use of what comes before without being totally bogged down. It’s a working film product, if not a superlatively meaningful work of art.”
Review: Ari Aster’s ‘Beau Is Afraid’
“If ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and ‘The Fabelmans’ were one film, complete with the excesses of both yet without the charm, that movie would be ‘Beau Is Afraid.'”
Review: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’
“In a film world full of geek culture adaptations, Daley and Goldstein’s 2023 adaptation is the functional and rewarding film that ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ fans have long awaited.”
Review: Chad Stahelski’s ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’
“An exhilarating action film that takes itself and its bizarre world seriously.”
Review: Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’
“‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is a superhero movie with a lot to say and do, paced well for a film over 160 minutes long, but it still dumbs itself down at times because either the director or studio simply doesn’t trust the audience.”
Femme Fatales in ‘Batman Returns’ and ‘Batman & Robin’
“With ‘Batman Returns’ and ‘Batman & Robin,’ Burton and Schumacher apply their collaborative and authorial sensibilities to iconic female villains.”