In a crowded field of sci-fi adaptations, the buzzy TV treatments of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven stand out. In…
It’s 2016 and Dana (Mallori Johnson), a 26-year-old woman who suddenly transplants from New York to Los Angeles with no job, no friends, and minimal…
2022’s Hellraiser is the most faithful and respectful franchise entry since its glory days, but it’s far too safe and straightforward to reclaim the original…
Prey doesn’t always hit high action points, but remains rousing late-summer entertainment largely on the strength of its intelligent and formally impressive setting switch-up. Almost exactly…
With Not Okay, Shephard succeeds at crafting an unlikable female protagonist that feels true to our world and a film unafraid to reflect that world…
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is the kind of frictionless non-starter destined to be watched at half-attention. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, or so…
A sharp, intelligent, and character-driven LGBTQ riff on Austen, Fire Island is one of the best things to happen to the rom-com genre in a…
Look at Me is an entertaining Rorschach test, a declaration and a plea to study the evidence of a spectacular, troubled life. It begins with a…
Deep Water is an erotic thriller that’s neither particularly erotic nor thrilling. Those hoping for a horny throwback to the now-considered-classic erotic thrillers of the…
Fresh isn’t actually all that fresh. From a narrative perspective, Fresh is a nearly impossible film to write about without beelining straight to spoilers. There’s…
The tame, backwards Sex Appeal has very little appeal indeed. New Hulu original Sex Appeal is tailor-made to be watched at sleepovers by undiscerning pretween girls looking…
Mother/Android isn’t anything more than another generic sci-fi copycat built from the spare parts of better flicks. Even 40-odd years on, Ridley Scott’s dual sci-fi touchstones…
Vacation Friends feels like the umpteenth trip to the same tired destination. A film whose spec script has been kicking around Hollywood for so long that…
Questlove’s debut film as a director is a success, defined as much by its outrage as its joy. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, drummer of the legendary…
False Positive plays like a modern riff on Rosemary’s Baby, but executes its updated vision perfunctorily and mostly dully. Even though it’s sort of unfair to stack…
Plan B has its heart and messaging in the right place, but frequently undercuts its intent with one-step-forward-two-steps-back developments. At first glance, director Natalie Morales’s Plan…
WeWork is somewhat limited in focus and doesn’t always plumb deeply, but remains an intermittently fascinating portrait of a conman and his grift. When applying…
Boss Level is dumb and familiar and, well, bad, but it also manages to inject enough consistent fun to keep it just barely afloat. Like an…
The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a tonal misfire that fails to ever find the fascinating, complex story at its core. Lee Daniels has…
Dear Comrades! is a nuanced reckoning with Stalinist legacy and the lingering brutality left in his wake. Offering a solemn look at Soviet society in the…
In and Of Itself isn’t without its small hypocrisies, but ultimately surprises by delivering spectacle through its big heart and humanism. From 2016 to 2018, the…