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8.7/10
|
Anselm
(2023)
|
Kathy Michelle Chacón
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Anselm combines the filmmaker’s technical mastery with a deep curiosity for his subject to create an experience that is as thought-provoking as it is immersive.
Posted Dec 07, 2023
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7.1/10
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The Archies
(2023)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
I’d happily spend another two and a half hours with The Archies, so long as it kept the music going.
Posted Dec 07, 2023
|
|
6.5/10
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The Sacrifice Game
(2023)
|
Brianna Zigler
|
The Sacrifice Game works as well as it does because of the fairly restrained ambitions of its plot, and how cleanly it executes them.
Posted Dec 06, 2023
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4.9/10
|
Wonka
(2023)
|
Jacob Oller
|
Wonka is a disheartening and manic buffet of corporatized whimsy that shovels its gustatory dissonance down your throat.
Posted Dec 04, 2023
|
|
6.1/10
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Candy Cane Lane
(2023)
|
Matthew Jackson
|
If you pay a little too much attention to Candy Cane Lane, it crumbles in your hands like a dried-out Christmas cookie that was, maybe, once warm and delicious.
Posted Dec 01, 2023
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|
7.0/10
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Wish
(2023)
|
Ursula Muñoz S.
|
Harboring inventive visuals and a heartrending message, Wish has enough heart going for it. What a shame, then, that it wasn’t confident enough in itself to try for success without these clichés.
Posted Nov 30, 2023
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6.8/10
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American Symphony
(2023)
|
Jacob Oller
|
American Symphony is at its most mundane when focused on the professional life of the rousing, youthful musical multihyphenate.
Posted Nov 29, 2023
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|
8.5/10
|
Godzilla Minus One
(2023)
|
Elijah Gonzalez
|
Godzilla Minus One cements itself among the best entries in the series by successfully operating as both an evocative disaster flick and a more human-oriented drama, using each half to bolster the other.
Posted Nov 29, 2023
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|
2.5/10
|
Good Burger 2
(2023)
|
Jacob Oller
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It is a petrified Happy Meal buried in the back of your childhood closet, reheated in the microwave. Good Burger 2 will give the most nostalgic customer food poisoning.
Posted Nov 25, 2023
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|
7.6/10
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Deep Sea
(2023)
|
Elijah Gonzalez
|
Deep Sea‘s lavish visuals bring to life its fantastical aquatic daydream.
Posted Nov 24, 2023
|
|
5.6/10
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Next Goal Wins
(2023)
|
Ursula Muñoz S.
|
Next Goal Wins is generic and impersonal compared to the likes of Waititi’s Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016).
Posted Nov 22, 2023
|
|
7.7/10
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The Disappearance of Shere Hite
(2023)
|
Andy Crump
|
Maybe we know Hite only slightly better when The Disappearance of Shere Hite ends than when it starts, but because of Newnham’s rigor, we certainly understand her better.
Posted Nov 22, 2023
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|
7.4/10
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Monster
(2023)
|
Jacob Oller
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The surprising Monster isn’t always delicate enough, but Kore-eda’s tenderness makes you realize that those who hide under the bed were driven there
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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|
7.5/10
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Leave the World Behind
(2023)
|
Brianna Zigler
|
Esmail’s sophomore feature is akin to sci-fi blockbusters of yesteryear with a light, practically Spielbergian touch and sense of adventure.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
|
|
8.6/10
|
Leo
(2023)
|
Aparita Bhandari
|
A perfect, lighthearted watch.
Posted Nov 20, 2023
|
|
7.5/10
|
Stamped From the Beginning
(2023)
|
B.L. Panther
|
Stamped from the Beginning is a bold attempt to animate the racist images that plague the American imagination.
Posted Nov 20, 2023
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|
6.9/10
|
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain
(2023)
|
Clare Martin
|
While there are plenty of laughs along the trio’s journey, PDD reminds us why it’s been over a decade since the last SNL feature-length project.
Posted Nov 18, 2023
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|
7.5/10
|
Thanksgiving
(2023)
|
Brianna Zigler
|
Roth and Rendell find the perfect balance of humor and horror, understanding the absurdity of their premise while still making their characters buy into the world.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
|
|
7.0/10
|
Napoleon
(2023)
|
Brianna Zigler
|
There are ample pleasures to be found in Napoleon, but admittedly, I’m more eager to see if the director’s cut fills in the noticeable blanks.
Posted Nov 16, 2023
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|
6.0/10
|
Trolls Band Together
(2023)
|
Amy Amatangelo
|
Sure the entire plot of Trolls Band Together and the movie’s best jokes are revealed in the trailer. But the movie’s target audience is the same audience that can watch Frozen 20 times.
Posted Nov 16, 2023
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|
7.0/10
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Fallen Leaves
(2023)
|
Jacob Oller
|
Bone-dry yet filled with yearning, Aki Kaurismäki’s Finnish rom-com is a charming tale of persistence amid chaos.
Posted Nov 15, 2023
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|
7.2/10
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Subject
(2022)
|
Jacob Oller
|
But when its pet topics enter into conversation with one another, revealing a throughline underscoring the basic rights of everyone working on a film project, Subject cruises along.
Posted Nov 13, 2023
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|
8.5/10
|
The Marvels
(2023)
|
Abby Olcese
|
It’s a story that focuses on well-developed relationships, entertaining locations that don’t overstay their welcome, and a reasonable plot that clocks in at a reasonable running time.
Posted Nov 10, 2023
|
|
3.4/10
|
It's a Wonderful Knife
(2023)
|
Ursula Muñoz S.
|
It’s a Wonderful Knife arrives as an early lump of coal in your Christmas stocking, lacking both style and substance.
Posted Nov 10, 2023
|
|
8.0/10
|
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023)
|
Tara Bennett
|
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an effective return to the cautionary tale that is Panem.
Posted Nov 09, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Nyad
(2023)
|
Abby Olcese
|
This isn’t a montage-crammed epic portrait, but a detailed picture that’s genuinely curious about the person at its center, and the good and bad traits that make up their mindset.
Posted Nov 07, 2023
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|
5.4/10
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Rustin
(2023)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
Exploring the mechanics of this epochal event is a great idea, led by a memorable performance from Domingo, that somehow still manages to render the protest march as flat and lifeless as any obligatory TV-movie checklist.
Posted Nov 06, 2023
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6.9/10
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The Marsh King's Daughter
(2023)
|
Tara Bennett
|
While the first third establishes the premise with a lot of promise and a compelling backstory, the rest of the film can’t rise above perfunctory cat-and-mouse dynamics that lack urgency and emotional stakes.
Posted Nov 03, 2023
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|
7.1/10
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Sly
(2023)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
Sly, flaws and all, fits perfectly into his filmography of underdog inspiration and big-guy hubris.
Posted Nov 03, 2023
|
|
8.1/10
|
What Happens Later
(2023)
|
Tara Bennett
|
Ryan and Duchovny both have the charm, mileage in life, and acting chops to adeptly shift from comedy to drama on a dime, which makes What Happens Later work very well.
Posted Nov 02, 2023
|
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7.0/10
|
Quiz Lady
(2023)
|
Trace Sauveur
|
Quiz Lady distinguishes itself enough from other films of its ilk by leaning into its familiar structure and tropes, ending up pretty funny and surprisingly sincere.
Posted Nov 02, 2023
|
|
5.8/10
|
Fingernails
(2023)
|
Brianna Zigler
|
There’s nothing particularly astonishing, interesting or new about Fingernails, or the way that it approaches the topic of love.
Posted Nov 01, 2023
|
|
6.5/10
|
Totally Killer
(2023)
|
Ursula Muñoz S.
|
Totally Killer isn’t as great as the sum of its parts, but its playful sincerity and creative chase sequences make it an easy, enjoyable Halloween watch.
Posted Nov 01, 2023
|
|
2.5/5
|
Pain Hustlers
(2023)
|
Abby Olcese
|
Shorter and sweeter explainers of pharmaceutical sales and marketing to doctors exist in droves. It may well be that Yates and his filmmaking team knew all this going in, and decided to sleepwalk their way through the process. It certainly feels that way.
Posted Oct 31, 2023
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7.0/10
|
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
(2023)
|
Trace Sauveur
|
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor smartly centralizes its scares on the main source of fear from the first film: Creepy clowns.
Posted Oct 30, 2023
|
|
7.1/10
|
Five Nights at Freddy's
(2023)
|
Tara Bennett
|
An entry-level tween/teen horror film meant to woo that age demographic into the world of scares with some edge and blood
Posted Oct 26, 2023
|
|
7.9/10
|
The Killer
(2023)
|
Jacob Oller
|
By applying our technocapitalist present to the kind of person that this reality inevitably creates, Fincher’s created a thoroughly entertaining look at a pathetic crook—all while delivering a self-deprecating blow to clockwork living.
Posted Oct 26, 2023
|
|
8.1/10
|
Occupied City
(2023)
|
Anna McKibbin
|
Occupied City is a demanding watch, but this cinematic gamble is singular and rewarding in its emotional intelligence.
Posted Oct 25, 2023
|
|
6.5/10
|
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
(2008)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
High School Musical wouldn’t have ever been what it was without Efron’s wholly committed performance selling every high and low with aplomb—the kind of screen presence that comes around once in a blue moon.
Posted Oct 24, 2023
|
|
3.8/10
|
The Bikeriders
(2023)
|
Anna McKibbin
|
The Bikeriders is a shallow parade of cool images.
Posted Oct 23, 2023
|
|
8.2/10
|
Silver Dollar Road
(2023)
|
Andy Crump
|
Silver Dollar Road complements Presser’s work with Peck’s erudition and humane touch.
Posted Oct 20, 2023
|
|
8.0/10
|
Anatomy of a Fall
(2023)
|
Katarina Docalovich
|
Anatomy of a Fall may not reinvent the wheel, but it’s still one of the most sharply made courtroom dramas in recent memory.
Posted Oct 20, 2023
|
|
10/10
|
The Boy and the Heron
(2023)
|
Autumn Wright
|
Through decades of refining his craft and iterating on this familiar story, Miyazaki has honed The Boy and the Heron into a platonic form...The Boy and the Heron a masterwork
Posted Oct 19, 2023
|
|
7.1/10
|
In Our Day
(2023)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
Throughout all the chatter, some naturalistically repetitive and some more philosophical, is a sense of characters searching, whether that’s communicated through acting advice, relationships to vices or musings on the shortness of life.
Posted Oct 19, 2023
|
|
7.1/10
|
In Water
(2023)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
In Water has more of a sad-sack quality than...In Our Day, yet its images of young people wandering around in search of inspiration, artistic or otherwise, also have a shivery, ghostly edge that makes the melancholy feel earned.
Posted Oct 19, 2023
|
|
7.1/10
|
Waiting for the Light to Change
(2022)
|
Kathy Michelle Chacón
|
Its success lies in its use of tone and setting to create a mood piece that bottles feelings of angst and uncertainty. To capture the spirit of a generation in existential peril in your feature debut is a victory in itself.
Posted Oct 18, 2023
|
|
7.2/10
|
Perfect Days
(2023)
|
Brianna Zigler
|
Wenders has an extensive rapport with Japan’s capital, and his camera lovingly paints the city as a place defined by its coexistence between urbanism and nature.
Posted Oct 18, 2023
|
|
5.0/10
|
The End We Start From
(2023)
|
Trace Sauveur
|
This bittersweet elegy for our society—and its optimistic notion that we still have time to rebuild—is adrift in a narrative that finds itself sunk beneath its cataclysmic peers in the genre.
Posted Oct 18, 2023
|
|
8.9/10
|
The Pigeon Tunnel
(2023)
|
Aparita Bhandari
|
A fascinating conversation that keeps its hold on the viewer for its duration.
Posted Oct 17, 2023
|
|
5.0/10
|
The Dead Don't Hurt
(2023)
|
Katarina Docalovich
|
The Dead Don’t Hurt is stuffed to the gills with western tropes, with not a whole lot to add to the genre, especially in terms of furthering feminism onscreen.
Posted Oct 17, 2023
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