The Starling is merely the latest by-the-numbers “issues” flick in Theodore Melfi’s bland filmography. It seems that director Theodore Melfi has never met a subject where he felt he couldn’t sand off its rough edges and inherent coarseness and turn it into utter pablum, whether…
Kate isn’t doing anything new from an action-narrative perspective, but slick choreography and gleeful violence helps this girlboss brutality go down smoothly. Kate, a female assassin (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) discovers she’s been poisoned and has less than 24 hours to prowl the neon-lit streets…
The Old Ways is a mid-budget genre gem with a few tricks up its sleeve to keep these fresh. Possessions and exorcisms have been a staple of the horror genre for decades now, thanks in no small part to the enduring reputation of William…
He’s All That is a lazy, purely nostalgia-driven dud that rehashes without imagination or innovation. The very real nostalgia that exists for 1999’s She’s All That is confounding but also entirely understandable. Arriving at the height of the ‘90s teen film resurgence that saw…
Beckett rides the talents of its stacked crew to the most generic possible destination. On paper, Beckett would seem to hold plenty of promise. Directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino and produced by his ex, Luca Guadagnino, the film also boasts the involvement of cinematographer Sayombhu…
Vivo starts strong under Lin-Manuel’s distinctive brand, but veers into the realm of recycle in its disappointing back half. Few performers are more divisive in our present pop culture landscape than Lin-Manuel Miranda. This likely has to do with the line he toes between clever…
The Last Mercenary isn’t much as a JCVD actioner, but it’s modestly held together by the aging star’s pronounced comedic chops. Legendary action figure Jean-Claude Van Damme has done quite a relentless rehab on his screen persona over the last decade, moving from the on-set…
The Last Letter from Your Lover is an utter misfire, devoid of the chemistry and coherent performances necessary to sell its ostensible romance. Like so many films before it, the romantic drama The Last Letter from Your Lover is based on a best-selling novel. The…
The final Fear Street entry is something of a mixed bag, thriving in its eponymous past setting but floundering a bit as the series comes to a conclusion. Throughout the first two installments of Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, the people of Shadyside have…
Gunpowder Milkshake is a dog of a film, utterly derivative and lacking in any recommendable action spectacle. Take the weird mythology of the Johns Wick, the dipshit adolescent “feminism” of Sucker Punch, and the candy-coated pop of Birds of Prey, and you’d be close to…
