#19. Of all the new phrases to emerge into the online vernacular, one of the most useful has to be “main character syndrome.” Describing the phenomenon of behaving as though one were not just the main character of their own life, but of everybody else’s too, the phrase…
#7. Perhaps one of the greatest movie miracles Steven Spielberg has ever pulled off is in overcoming the Ansel of it all in his remake of West Side Story. Anyone who has borne witness to the actor’s musical pursuits understands what a charisma black hole he is, and…
#8. Perhaps the most memed film of the year (give or take Annette), M. Night Shyamalan’s Old challenged and beguiled audiences in equal measure, becoming one of the first significant post-lockdown box office successes despite the social media scoffing. Of course, this isn’t anything new for Shyamalan, now…
#9. Cristi Puiu’s fifth fiction feature, Malmkrog, represents a further entrenchment in the oeuvre of perhaps the Romanian New Wave’s most dedicated portrayer of claustrophobic incidents and the web of personal interactions that can result in such confined spaces and at such long durations. Malmkrog represents something of…
A week awaited, but our writers’ Top 5 Albums of 2021 have arrived. Long-time readers may not be surprised with our pick for #1, but it’s simply unimpeachable. Indeed, our enthusiasm is so robust that we’ve included two pieces on the album (one a rave from earlier this…
One day more until our Top 5 Ablums of 2021 are revealed, but we’re stopping over at #6-10 in the meantime, which reflect perhaps the most eclectic quintet in our countown. Most albums, even if we previously covered them, have been revisited with new words and new writers,…
We’ve reached the halfway point of our Top Albums of 2021 countdown, delivering today thoughts on albums that ranked #11-15 in our writer’s poll. Most albums, even if we previously covered them, have been revisited with new words and new writers, and everything in our Top 10 has…
Day 2 of our Top Albums of 2021 countdown, meaning we have thoughts on favorites #16-20 today. Most albums, even if we previously covered them, have been revisited with new words and new writers, and everything in our Top 10 has been given this treatment. Check out our…
Our favorite film of 2021 looms near, but we’re not quite there yet. Today, we’re talking picks 6-10, which is probably the most Hollywood-heavy section in our Top 25 — Spielberg, Shyamalan, Cage! All films, even if we previously covered them, have been revisited with new words and…
InRO’s Best Films of 2021 train keeps chugging, today checking in with #16-20. All films, even if we previously covered them, have been revisited with new words and new writers. Check back tomorrow for #11-15, and keep up with our full Best Films coverage (including our Honorable Mentions) all…
Thus begins InRO’s Best Films of 2021 countdown proper. Below are films that ranked #21-25 in our year-end writer’s poll. All films, even if we previously covered them, have been revisited with new words and new writers. Check back tomorrow for #16-20, and keep up with our full…
It’s been a particularly horny year for films. Perhaps not unnaturally; having been cooped up indoors while the viral blizzard howls outside, stoked by political and moral sterility, people more than ever yearn for the communal experience of theater-going, visiting the contemporaries and revisiting the classics of cinema,…
ABBA’s return with Voyage proves the iconic pop quartet still has more to say. Since their split in 1982, it’s possible that not even the most optimistic of ABBA’s fans could think that one day they’d be able to see the Swedish superstar, pop-disco foursome — legendarily comprised of Anni-Frid…
Converge and Chelsea Wolfe Converge has always been an outfit that has prided itself on not having much of a gameplan, choosing to, instead, wing it at any given moment and proceed accordingly from there. Even now, a remarkable three decades since their formation, the hardcore punk act…
TWICE’s latest offers easy enough pop listening, but is unambitious on the whole and too littered with throwaway tracks to present a compelling whole. Nine-member girl group Twice is one of the most successful K-pop ensembles working today. Managed by JYP Entertainment, they hit it big with the…
Adele Adele exists in a peculiar space, an undeniably massive superstar with a global audience, and yet she appears isolated from the broader culture, her stylings and proclivities placing her outside what’s considered cool in contemporary music for well over a decade now. This was perhaps less true…
Cyrano is a mess, a shambles, a misfire, and also one of the most enjoyable films of the year. The glut of awards bait that gets released by studios as the end of each film year draws near can be a deadening experience for the average film critic,…
The Tender Bar is a bland, clueless film that finds Clooney the director at this most narcotized. While his career in front of the camera has shown an increased playfulness and willingness to poke fun at his movie star persona, George Clooney’s career as a director has been in…
The Hand of God is a softer but no more subdued effort from Sorrentino, still rife with flourish but with a more personal core than ever before. The figure of Diego Maradona looms larger than life in Paolo Sorrentino’s latest and arguably most personal film, signifying not just the…
Taylor Swift Red is the Taylor Swift album most precariously balanced between different identities. Caught in between country and pop, it’s a fan favorite project that has some of the best songs of her career but also a wildly inconsistent tracklist. The album tends to be remembered for…
Predictably, Red (Taylor’s Version) isn’t entirely convincing, but it’s another welcome assertion of autonomy from the ever-evolving artist. Red is the Taylor Swift album most precariously balanced between different identities. Caught in between country and pop, it’s a fan favorite project that has some of the best songs…