Tween gaff: Good Boys pairs middle school kids with grown up themes
The child performers in Good Boys are quite good, and the jokes can be very funny, but what do you do with a movie that forces you to compare it […]
Tarantino’s delight: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood defines an era through excellent performances
Delight is not a word you often associate with a Quentin Tarantino film, but damn if you don’t leave Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with a smile on your […]
Finishing touch: Avengers: Endgame opens up a future of possibilities
The release of Avengers:Infinity War last year felt like the grand payoff of our decade-long investment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Twenty years ago, most of the public hadn’t even […]
Amazing Aretha: Queen of Soul documentary elevates a historic evening
Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace, released in 1972, remains to this day the highest-selling live gospel album of all time, a stunning display of raw talent, passion, and emotion. Regardless of […]
Artistic endurance: Never Look Away weaves slightly off course
Many times, a film based on true events will inspire you to seek out the source material once it’s over. Not necessarily to test the movie for accuracy—facts are sometimes […]
Hard landing: Tim Burton’s handling of Dumbo doesn’t fly
The hollow shell where human joy ought to be is a fantastically creepy thing. It’s what Tim Burton spent his early years satirizing—the self-satisfied stability (read: stagnation) of suburbia through […]
Second that: Jordan Peele thrills again with Us
With Get Out, Jordan Peele electrified the world of modern horror filmmaking, reinvigorating the potential for strong socio-political messages in harrowing and entertaining packages. The message amplified the scares and […]
Port of entry: Oscar-nominated Swedish film Border reframes the fairy tale
As Disney finds the next title from its vault to adapt, Border explores what it means to truly update a fairy tale for modern audiences. What is a fairy tale, […]
Suitable effort: Captain Marvel strikes a balance among hero flicks
Films by or about women don’t need to be masterpieces in order to have the right to exist. It’s a point that should be obvious by now, but sadly needs […]
Crazy good: Isabelle Huppert steals the show in Greta
It’s a thin line between glorious camp and total trainwreck, and Neil Jordan’s Greta may be the new gold standard for the former. A storyline that wouldn’t be out of […]