We need to regulate who is allowed to be labeled “a twisted mind” because a half-dozen films into his career I can promise you, Matthew Vaughn is not one of those people. “Argylle” follows a spy novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is suddenly thrust into a real-life game of cat-and-mouse when her books turn out… Continue reading ‘Argylle’ Review: An Occasionally Fun, Often Messy Spy Romp
A bad PG-13 horror film released in the first week of January? Things are finally getting back to normal at the theaters! “Night Swim” stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon as a married couple who move into a new home with their children, only to suspect their pool may play host to a supernatural evil.… Continue reading ‘Night Swim’ Review: Too Shallow (and Too PG-13) to Make a Splash
It’s taken a while, but I think after several years we have finally gotten the world of movies back (or close) to pre-COVID levels of quality and general feel. And 2023 had some great films, as well as noteworthy cinematic events and milestones. I saw nearly 140 new releases this year so to rank them… Continue reading Top 10 Best Films of 2023
Yes, big-budget adult cinema may be back in the form of “Oppenheimer,” “Napoleon,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but let us not discredit the return of the studio romantic comedy! “Anyone but You” stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as two people who hate each other but pretend to be a couple at a… Continue reading ‘Anyone but You’ Review: There Have Better (But Also Certainly Worse) Rom-Coms Out There
Jeffrey Wright really is one of our more consistent working actors, it’s high-time we get him the Oscar nomination he deserves. “American Fiction” is based on the 2001 novel “Erasure,” and tells the story of an academic (Jeffrey Wright) who, frustrated with what passes for successful topical literature, writes an ironic and stereotypical novel about… Continue reading ‘American Fiction’ Review: A Funny and Warm Satire
This film is exactly, to a tee, what you would expect a Napoleon Bonaparte biopic directed by Ridley Scott to be like. “Napoleon” tells the story of the famed French general (played by Joaquin Phoenix), his relationship with Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby), and his fall from power; Ridley Scott directs. As a director, I’m… Continue reading ‘Napoleon’ Review: Epic Battles and Detailed Production (almost) Enough to Carry This Biopic to Victory
The “Hunger Games” was one of the most “sure, that was solid I guess” franchises of the 2010s, so it makes sense that a prequel installment would follow suit. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is the fifth installment of the young adult franchise based on the books of the same name,… Continue reading ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ Review: A Sometimes Compelling, At Other Points Laborious Prequel
It’s crazy the dumb hot guy from “The Hangover” has become a nine (soon to be as much as 13)-time Oscar nominee. “Maestro” is the second directorial effort from Bradley Cooper, who also stars as the titular conductor Leonard Bernstein. Carey Mulligan plays his wife Felicia Montealegre and Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman… Continue reading ‘Maestro’ Review: A Well-Shot and Well-Acted (Though By-the-Numbers) Biopic
At this point you’re either off the Marvel train or have accepted you’re riding it until the end of the line. “The Marvels” is a sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel,” and features Brie Larson reprising her titular role, this time paired with Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani, who have recently gained superpowers of their own… Continue reading ‘The Marvels’ Review: Better Than Most Recent Marvel Joints
For the second time in as many weeks, we get a film with “Killer” in the title made by one of the best-working directors. “The Killer” is the latest film from David Fincher, and stars Michael Fassbender as a professional hitman, who after a botched job must go on the run; Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell,… Continue reading ‘The Killer’ Review: David Fincher Is Back and as Cold as Ever, Though He’s Been Better
The Reel Deal 