Film Reviews
Scream VI Is the Fun, Thrilling Slash in the Arm the Franchise Needed: Review
In this much-improved installment, the filmmakers have a lock on the amped-up Scooby-Doo mystery tone of Wes Craven's era. Scream VI Is the Fun, Thrilling Slash in the Arm the Franchise Needed: Review Clint Worthington
Creed III Review: Michael B. Jordan’s Directorial Debut Lands Some Solid Punches
The star and first-time director gets to put his own spin on the Rocky franchise, though Sylvester Stallone's absence is felt. Creed III Review: Michael B. Jordan’s Directorial Debut Lands Some Solid Punches Liz Shannon Miller
j-hope IN THE BOX Is an Intimate Look Behind the Creative Curtain: Review
The new doc features extensive footage leading up to the release of j-hope's first solo album and headlining set at Lollapalooza. j-hope IN THE BOX Is an Intimate Look Behind the Creative Curtain: Review Mary Siroky
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Is Goofy Delicious Fun: Review
In the latest MCU installment, delightful weirdness wins the day. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania Is Goofy Delicious Fun: Review Liz Shannon Miller
Sharper Review: Apple TV+ Scores with Twisty New York Neo-Noir
No one is who they seem in the appropriately sharp drama film coming to Apple TV+. Sharper Review: Apple TV+ Scores with Twisty New York Neo-Noir Mary Siroky
You People Review: Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill Star in a Funny and Refreshing Update of a Familiar Tale
The new Netflix film, featuring Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill, succeeds with its realistic portrayal of race issues — and killer jokes. You People Review: Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill Star in a Funny and Refreshing Update of a Familiar Tale Paolo Ragusa
Sundance Review: The Hilarious and Authentic Theater Camp Takes Center Stage
This review is part of our coverage of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The Pitch: “You need to know that only 3% of people make it. The rest end up in a mental facility — or a Go Go box in Hell’s Kitchen.” Welcome to AdirondACTS, a cozy, scrappy theater camp where such nuggets of wisdom are imparted upon young thespians. Over the course of the summer, we see the minutiae of theater camp play out in a mockumentary-style film, sharply directed by Nick Lieberman and Molly Gordon (both making their feature directorial debuts). First framed as a documentary following AdirondACTS founder Joan (Amy Sedaris), things begin to go awry when she falls into a coma — a result of “the first Bye Bye Birdie-related injury in the history of Passaic County” — leaving former campers, best friends, and devote...
Sundance Review: Jonathan Majors Is Here to Pump You Up and Bum You Out in Magazine Dreams
This review is part of our coverage of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The Pitch: Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) wants one thing, and one thing only: To be remembered. Following in the footsteps of his idols (including one he writes to regularly, played by four-time Mr. Universe Michael O’Hearn), he’s committed himself to bodybuilding, shoving down 6,000 calories of chicken breast and pumping iron morning, noon, and night. He practices his poses in front of cameras, molds his physique to near perfection, rips through steroids like they’re Diet Cokes. He chugs protein shakes while watching porn, but doesn’t masturbate — whether that’s due to steroid-induced impotence or some unstated facets of his sexuality, we don’t yet know. He competes in amateur bodybuilding competitions, but ju...
M3GAN Will Dance and Slash Her Way Into Your Horror-Loving Heart: Review
The Pitch: Gemma (Allison Williams) works as a roboticist at a toy company, Funki, that churns out monstrous-looking hybrid versions of every kid’s ultimate companion –– a Furby, Tamagotchi, and Neopet all rolled into one. But while Gemma’s job revolves around the needs of children, she’s unfortunately ill-equipped to take in her recently orphaned nine-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), whose parents died in a tragic car accident. Feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of having to care for a young, grieving child while feverishly trying to meet work deadlines for her demanding boss (Ronny Chieng), who expects a new toy prototype imminently, Gemma decides to kill two birds with one stone. What if she perfects her latest AI-powered invention, M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android)...
Whitney Houston Comes to Life (At Least On Stage) In I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Review
The Pitch: In 2012, America lost its Voice — Whitney Houston, the once-in-a-generation pop music icon, tragically died at the too-young age of 48. She was on the verge of a comeback after a stint in rehab, haunted by the twin specters of drugs and expectation; that we never got to see that beautiful second act makes her passing all the more tragic. In the meantime, we’ve got the songs and story Whitney left behind, and Kasi Lemmons’ I Wanna Dance with Somebody (or, as Sony’s SEO-focused title change goes, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) tries to stuff that into a two-and-a-half-hour speedrun of her life and career, featuring Naomi Ackie as the tragic figure. We see her early days as a gospel singer, groomed for greatness by her ambitious mother Cissy (a perfectly-balance...
If These Walls Could Sing: 5 Things We Learned From the Abbey Road Doc
There’s a certain reverence linked with Abbey Road Studios. It’s one of the most famous recording studios on the planet, and a household name, having welcomed such greats as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, John Williams, Oasis, and so many more. It’s also the namesake of The Beatles’ final — and arguably best — record. Its iconic album artwork, taken on the street opposite the studios, continues to inspire thousands of fans to make a pilgrimage to London themselves and recreate their own tribute. If These Walls Could Sing is the debut documentary feature by Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney, and it is her love letter to a recording space that her father still has such an intimate connection with, a place that she herself calls home. Featuring interviews with the musical greats who have c...
Damien Chazelle’s Babylon Proves He Loves and Hates the Art of Cinema: Review
The Pitch: It’s 1926, and the movie business is a-boomin’. If you’re on top, you ride along with big-time movie producers to glittery bacchanals out in the California desert, uninhibited orgies stuffed with ticker tape, booze, cocaine, and elephants trudging through the masses of people. If you’re not, well, you sneak in anyway and hope for your big shot. It’s at one of these parties that we meet six figures who represent the end of one era and the beginning of another: Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), a silent film star whose shine is wearing off after decades in the biz; Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), a hard-partying Jersey girl desperate to make it in the pictures; and Manny Torres (Diego Calva), a hustling assistant climbing the ladder one ludicrous favor at a time. There’s also Elinor St....
