RIP to Gene Hackman, the Everyman Actor
Legendary actor Gene Hackman, who was found dead this week at 95, brought a tough, working-class attitude to his mesmerizing performances.
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In Praise of French Poetic Realism
In the 1930s, the French realist filmmakers found a way to speak to and fight against the rising authoritarianism in their country and the world.
I’m Still Here Is Worthy of Oscar Hype
Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here is the true story of a left-wing political family in Brazil caught up in the dark days of the military dictatorship. It’s a riveting story with incredible character and period detail that deserves an Oscar this Sunday.
The Fantastic Failure of The Lone Ranger
At least Verbinski tries to bring intelligent, politically-savvy revisionist westerns back into style.
Don’t Blame Rachel Zegler for Snow White
The press is blaming the young and very online actor Rachel Zegler for Snow White’s dismal box office showing. But Zegler’s performance as the original Disney princess is the only bright spot in an otherwise cynical cash grab.
Regrounding Hollywood
Gravity points us back to the sensation cinema practices of the silent era, and it’s dimly possible that the American film industry might save itself by learning, or re-learning, from them.
The Monkey as Sleeper Horror Hit
It’s been a rough year for movies so far — which makes the new horror hit The Monkey an enjoyable surprise.
George Bailey’s Shrinkage
It’s a Wonderful Life of lowered expectations.
A Minecraft Movie Is as Bad as It Is Popular
Based on the best-selling video game of all time, A Minecraft Movie is officially a megahit. If this is Hollywood’s savior, we’re all doomed.
Warfare Is Hell at the Movies
Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is another combat movie that promises to make war look like hell but instead makes it look like a thrilling trial by fire for young men to prove themselves.
Sinners Is the Non-IP Hit Hollywood Needed
Ryan Coogler’s vampires ’n’ blues thriller Sinners is everything Hollywood tells us the masses don’t want: Set a hundred years in the past, it’s not a sequel, reboot, or adaptation of anything. And yet it’s a smash hit with moviegoers.
The Grim Timeliness of “Noir and the Blacklist”
A new Criterion series of McCarthy-era noir films is a timely collection for an era of rising government repression — though you wouldn’t know it from Criterion’s oddly subdued promotion.
The Legend of Ochi Is a Handcrafted Kids’ Manifesto
The Legend of Ochi, a new A24 family film, combines live action, CGI, and old-fashioned puppetry to charming effect.
Florence Pugh’s Thunderbolts* Shocks Marvel Back to Life
Thunderbolts* is Marvel’s first piece of lively entertainment in years. Maybe there’s another decade of life left in the Marvel Cinematic Universe beast after all.
The IP Machine Laughs at Itself
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg mock Hollywood’s creative collapse in The Studio — while continuing to churn out sequels, reboots, and branded spin-offs.
Will the Mission: Impossible Franchise Ever Die?
In the eighth but likely not final entry in the Mission: Impossible series, The Final Reckoning finds Tom Cruise squaring off against an AI “Entity.” As always, the stunts are impressive. But no force on Earth can make Ethan Hunt a compelling character.
Defending Academic Freedom in The Male Animal
At a time when academic and political repression is sweeping the United States, the 1942 screwball comedy The Male Animal offers a reminder of what courage in the face of crackdowns on a college campus can look like.
Friendship Is a Cringe Comedy About Ghastly Human Need
The excruciatingly funny Friendship finds comedian Tim Robinson pursuing a creepy bromance with Paul Rudd. It’s surprisingly well-done, using cringe humor to explore the growing phenomenon of male loneliness.
Ana de Armas Is a Battle-Weary Ballerina
Ballerina is the female John Wick spin-off you didn’t know you needed. Ignore the critics — it’s fantastic.
The New Spider-Man Is Pure Fun
The record-breaking Spider-Man: Brand New Day is gleeful, undemanding fun that doesn’t pretend to be anything more. In a superhero monoculture that keeps draining Hollywood of money, talent, and ambition, that’s about the best you can hope for.