“Bargatze delivers a strong one-hour set in ‘The Greatest Average American,’ even if he seems more interested in referencing his family and friends than owning the stage with original bits.”
“‘The Serpent’ fashions itself as a serial killer epic, but feels more like an uninspired Jacques Audiard knockoff that shows little interest in deconstructing the psychology of its subject.”
“‘All these books, all this magic, yeah, they have potential. But what exactly is ‘DOTA: Dragon’s Blood’ trying to say?”
“Whereas many Netflix acts are so clearly designed to address cultural topics A, B, and C — whether it’s politics, social media, or celebrity culture — Regan riffs away with evergreen observational humor that gives ‘On the Rocks’ a timeless quality…”
“This adaptation of ‘Brave New World’ has little new to say, largely because its source material did the job so effectively years ago.”
“The most remarkable feature of ‘Tokyo Vampire Hotel’ is its timeliness. Though the series was released in 2017, it takes place in 2021, and something about it feels distinctly ‘2020s,’ distinctly of the cinema to come, if not distinctly of 2020 and the present moment.”
“HBO has come a long way in representing the intersectionality of race and gender.”
“‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045’ attempts to move the series into full octane action but pushes its philosophical roots to the side.”
“Identity, like meaning in ‘Dekalog,’ is delivered piecemeal. Do immediate deeds define a person, or are these characters more than what they do in any given episode?”