Review: Lee Cronin’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’
“‘Evil Dead Rise’ quickly devolves into a mean-spirited slog of self-consciously gruesome attempts at shocking an audience that will only be fooled if they’ve never seen another horror movie before.”
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: Mickey Reece’s ‘Country Gold’
“‘Country Gold,’ with all its simplicity and overt homages, never feels boring. Reece seems invested in innovation. He’s an indie filmmaker who can take on any genre, one who probably won’t abandon his community for an MCU check.”
Review: Bastian Günther’s ‘One of These Days’
“Ok, Günther. You got me. Bold storytelling is better than milquetoast moviemaking.”
Review: Lauren Greenhall’s ‘Perfectly Good Moment’
“What is your cinematic identity, ‘Perfectly Good Moment’? It’s hard to tell. Still, there’s something to celebrate in the final act.”
Review: Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre’s ‘Zero Fucks Given’
“Exarchopoulos continues to be a daring and transcendent performer; she is expensive in the best way possible.”
Review: Kyra Elise Gardner’s ‘Living with Chucky’
“‘Living with Chucky’ isn’t exactly life-changing, but it’s enormously life-affirming, particularly for diehard horror fans.”
Show Me How to Live
“Both Guidry and Garay could easily headline a YA franchise some day. If viewers don’t remember ‘The Park,’ they should remember the lead actress’ names.”
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: Kevin Abrams’ ‘I Got a Monster’
“‘I Got a Monster’ is incredibly evocative, the dissonance between the harshness of Baltimore’s architecture and old school activities providing yet another layer to the devastating story.”
Review: Chad Stahelski’s ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’
“An exhilarating action film that takes itself and its bizarre world seriously.”
Review: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s ‘Scream VI’
“One of the leanest, meanest and most violent ‘Scream’ sequels yet.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Muta’Ali Muhammad’s ‘Cassius X: Becoming Ali’
“Thanks to some sharp, propulsive editing and a highly intriguing set of speakers, ‘Cassius X: Becoming Ali’ makes for an easily entertaining watch.”
‘Creed III’: Michael B. Jordan Comes Out Swinging in Directorial Debut
“Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut with a sturdy piece of franchise storytelling.”
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Ethan Eng’s ‘Therapy Dogs’
“‘Therapy Dogs’ skitters around far too freely to be restrained by any sort of conventional coming-of-age narrative.”
Review: Michelle Garza Cervera’s ‘Huesera: The Bone Woman’
“In a world where Roe v. Wade has been struck down, and the rights of both women and LGBTQ+ people are consistently under attack, Cervera’s story feels especially vital.”
Review: Devorah Baum and Josh Appignanesi’s ‘Husband’
“‘Husband’ is a gentle manipulation of reality, a declaration of the focal couple’s intent to produce familiar yet innovative work.”
Berlinale Review: Hong Sang-Soo’s ‘In Water’
“‘In Water’ is a slight and tiny whisp of a film in which very little happens and the most memorable facet is the out-of-focus anti-style. But in the context of a film festival, in the context of Hong’s career, the 2023 movie feels amusingly brilliant…”
Review: Elizabeth Banks’ ‘Cocaine Bear’
“Despite the variety of practical effects that routinely merit enthusiastic ‘Fangoria’ profiles, ‘Cocaine Bear’ lumbers along in lazy circles.”
Berlinale Review: Soda Jerk’s ‘Hello Dankness’
“Through sheer technical editing brilliance that sculpts a world that is both recognizable and strange, Soda Jerk created a truly weird and engaging reflection of the uncanny valley that was the Trump era.”