Debunking the Strawman Campaign of Don’t Look Up
Don’t Look Up swaggers through tired political divisions for the sake of its out-there comedic premise. Its confidence is more impressive than its point.
2020s
The Mandalorian Season 3: Episodes 2-3 Review
Season 3 of The Mandalorian continues with high-concept stories stalled by low-effort screenplays.
The Unearned Absurdity of James Wan’s Malignant
Malignant suffers through genre tropes to get to its meaty creativity. The question isn’t whether it has any but whether it’s worth the wait.
The Mandalorian Season 3: Episode 1 Review
The Mandalorian slides into its third premiere without a strong suggestion that this will be more than a content extension for a profitable series.
Visions of a Vision in Knock at the Cabin
M. Night Shyamalan continues his winning streak with a well-acted high-concept thriller about the end-times. It’s more smoke than fire though.
Illusions of Relevance in The Invisible Man (2020)
Whannell drenches the action of his remake in expository relevance to cover for a lack of basic thriller rationale in the screenplay.
Wearily Wading Through Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is a monument to James Cameron’s business model but stutters on every other artistic or dramatic criterion imaginable.
Missing Morals in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio shimmers with excited physical energy but never coordinates its new story ideas with its old moral responsibilities.
Misadapting Terror in The Pale Blue Eye
The Pale Blue Eye has the cast of a masterpiece and the script of a write-off. It’s inoffensive afternoon viewing, but Poe would have his name removed from it.
The Pressure of Being Legendary in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis
Luhrmann’s obsession with the image of Elvis creates an issue of authenticity. He makes people love the icon without believing in the man.
The Crisis of Believability in A Quiet Place Part II
A Quiet Place Part II tries to squeeze more sequence out of a great concept. It succeeds despite straining for believability amid conflicting rules.
The Munsters is a Candy Corn Car Crash
Rob Zombie makes a twisted costume contest nightmare out of an idea of The Munsters that never overcomes its lack of inspiration or its cast’s shortcomings.
Why Halloween Ends is Exactly What the Series Needed
Halloween Ends has the power to finish its cluttered horror series meaningfully, even if this isn’t what some of the series’ fans were hoping for.
Werewolf by Night – The Middling Macabre
Werewolf by Night struggles for clarity within the constraints of an homage, sequel, origin story, and TV special in one. But it’s fun to watch it try.
Cyrano (2021) – Glossing Over a Classic
Peter Dinklage is a powerful force for good in an otherwise listless adaptation that misinterprets whatever it doesn’t omit entirely.
Samaritan – Bum Rap
Samaritan accepts on faith that the audience thinks Stallone is a superhero. His charm, and almost nothing else, makes it sporadically watchable.
Sin (Il Peccato) – Holy Unhappiness
Sin is a portrait of an artist in pain, with god-defying amounts of melancholy. Lovers of classic art cinema will enjoy this more than he enjoyed himself.
Lightyear – Origin Sin
Lightyear was so tangled in its struggle for effective marketing that every aspect of its filmmaking became a lower, or nonexistent, concern.
Prey: Consent to Kill
Prey expresses a strong period aesthetic powered by fresh performances but relies on a screenplay that misplaces its series’ core values.
The Tragedy of Macbeth: Saggy Soliloquy
This well-endowed Macbeth strives for greatness without the stomach for it. Stylized visuals can’t cover for all the meaning it misses.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Part VI Review: Final Fizzle
The final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi gets everything to where it was going. Not even its best part could be worth the wait.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Part V Review
Part V continues Obi-Wan Kenobi’s habit of steamrolling plausibility with reverse-engineered plot directions, with a small twist.
Everything Everywhere All at Once: Exposition Epic
Despite triumphant performances and high ambitions, Everything Everywhere All at Once hopes to be so well-understood that it overexplains its triumphs away.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part I-III Review
So far, Obi-Wan Kenobi seems to be relying more on Star Wars fans to be excited in the absence of creativity than on its own inspiration or technical ability.
Why Army of the Dead Should Not Be the Oscars Fan Favorite
Army of the Dead’s ruthless devotion to plagiarization is its most passionate aspect. Less effort was never spent on a film so casually praised.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022): Glossy Legacy
The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film is exactly what you would expect from rebooting this dirty series into the glossed-up legacy sequel model.
The Batman: V for Vengeance
Admirably grounded and well-cast, The Batman tries its best to add relevance to a cluttered canon amid broken thriller mechanics and aloof dialogue.
Jurassic World Dominion Trailer: How Jurassic Park Evolved Into This
Jurassic World Dominion is supposed to be the climax of decades of franchise build-up. Here are my thoughts on the trailer and how this series got here.
The Batman – Trailer Reaction
Another trailer for The Batman encouraged me to write down my thoughts, both my anticipation and misgivings, about Matt Reeves’ latest take on the Dark Knight.