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9/10
|
May December
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“May December” is one of the saddest and most provocative films of the year.
Posted Dec 01, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Silent Night
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Silent Night” is a solid little actioner punched up by the dialogue-free twist.
Posted Nov 30, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Maestro
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Cooper’s production is grand, bravura filmmaking.
Posted Nov 22, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Saltburn
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
As a theatrical provocation, “Saltburn” is just what the doctor ordered.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Napoleon
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Napoleon” is highlighted by grandly staged and shot battle sequences and a gonzo performance by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix.
Posted Nov 20, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Rustin
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
With “Rustin,” Wolfe opens up his camera in a conventional manner that works but not nearly as well as his previous effort.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
|
|
9/10
|
The Holdovers
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
In the dramatic comedy “The Holdovers,” the director lets in the sweetness just a little bit. And that’s splendid.
Posted Nov 10, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Showdown at the Grand
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Writer/director Orson Oblowitz relies on Dolph Lundgren’s B-movie prowess combined with a devoted Terrence Howard performance to deliver a genuinely entertaining and stylish actioner.
Posted Nov 09, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
The Killer
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
This outing bears his indelible mark of quality, even if, in the director’s prodigious filmography, “The Killer” amounts to minor Fincher.
Posted Nov 09, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
The Marvels
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Director DaCosta builds an effective, diverse team-up that might help to steady the franchise ship if only fans will embrace its silly, off-kilter take on the superhero universe.
Posted Nov 08, 2023
|
|
9/10
|
The Persian Version
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
One of the year’s most surprisingly potent small discoveries.
Posted Nov 03, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
Priscilla
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Priscilla” is a sad, often grappling, and even lifeless movie that drives home Priscilla’s isolation at the expense of profound revelations and raw entertainment value.
Posted Nov 03, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Nyad
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Nyad” is a different sort of sports film. Like the title subject, which helped to create the sport, this unique film builds something thought to be boring (hours of continuous swimming) into a thrilling viewing experience.
Posted Nov 02, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
When Evil Lurks
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
This Argentinean exorcism film from writer/director Demián Rugna manages to one-up "The Exorcist: Believer" in every conceivable way.
Posted Oct 27, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Cognetti’s low-end approach helps to hide the production’s limitations. However, the uneven performances and awkwardly staged occurrences don’t help to sell the film’s authentic intentions.
Posted Oct 27, 2023
|
|
9/10
|
Anatomy of a Fall
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Where ambiguity can frustrate and spoil less artful movies that rely on uncertainty as a kind of gimmick, “Anatomy of a Fall” uses it masterfully, weaving a mystery that will provocatively endure.
Posted Oct 27, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Silver Dollar Road
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
The sacrifice of Melvin and Licurtis, combined with the coverage and now the film about their incarceration, should help to bring attention to this largely ignored property law issue.
Posted Oct 20, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s bestseller is focused epic storytelling. And his narrowed approach to the material is almost his film’s undoing.
Posted Oct 19, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
The Burial
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
While it plays fast and loose with the law and even the actual story’s key players, the charming performances and inspirational underpinnings make the movie a crowd-pleaser.
Posted Oct 13, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
She Came to Me
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“She Came to Me” is a rewarding comedy-drama that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.
Posted Oct 06, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Totally Killer
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
… a wacky good time.
Posted Oct 06, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Mercy Road
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Mercy Road” is an entertaining real-time thriller with horror touches that might leave some viewers perplexed.
Posted Oct 06, 2023
|
|
3/10
|
The Exorcist: Believer
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“The Exorcist: Believer” is a wasted opportunity for director Green, who was brave enough to take on a classic but offers nothing new to keep us up at night.
Posted Oct 05, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
Fair Play
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
By teasing weighty gender power questions and resolving them so unpleasantly, writer/director Chloe Domont’s film will either be widely embraced or harshly reviled. I’m somewhere in between.
Posted Sep 29, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Flora and Son
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
While not as tragically romantic and grounded as his breakthrough feature “Once,” nor as whimsically inclined as the nostalgic “Sing Street,” “Flora and Son” is another winner in Carney’s musical canon.
Posted Sep 29, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
The Creator
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“The Creator” feels less like the work of a directing auteur and more like something produced for mainstream audiences. It’s a film that cannot crack the AI cinematic code and leaves the challenging material on the cutting room floor.
Posted Sep 28, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Creation of the Gods I” qualifies as a fantasy epic, but its significant reach and massive cast of characters might overwhelm viewers unfamiliar with the source material.
Posted Sep 22, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Cassandro
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Cassandro” is a rousing take on an unusual true story about a sport many Americans know little about.
Posted Sep 21, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Outlaw Johnny Black
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Outlaw Johnny Black” is a thoughtful and fun film that will hopefully lead White to bigger and better things.
Posted Sep 15, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
A Haunting in Venice
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
With the tightly wound and classically crafted “A Haunting in Venice,” Director and star Kenneth Branagh breathes new life into his attempt to franchise Agatha Christie for a new generation.
Posted Sep 15, 2023
|
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6/10
|
The Nun II
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“The Nun II” is a serviceable “Conjuring” entry that expands the mythology while continuing to build the power of its charismatic hero, Sister Irene.
Posted Sep 08, 2023
|
|
6/10
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The Good Mother
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
... a direct and uncomplicated narrative that telegraphs its plot twist. The unsettling conclusion may frustrate some viewers, but I found it consistent with Swank’s gritty approach to her character.
Posted Sep 01, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Bad Things
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Bad Things” is an example of the growing body of Generation Z horror, where a chainsaw competes with the destructive power of emotional trauma.
Posted Sep 01, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Golda
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
The film also helps rebuild Meir’s legacy in a richly rewarding and educational way.
Posted Aug 25, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
The Hill
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
... the movie’s antiquated structure and insistence on relying on clumsy exposition when it should show us how Hill overcame the odds prove to be its undoing.
Posted Aug 25, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Since “Gran Turismo” is a hybrid of video game adaptation and biopic, Blomkamp gives us one of the best video game-inspired pictures in recent vintage.
Posted Aug 23, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Strays
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
... a profane, sporadically funny perversion of homespun family adventures like Disney’s 1963 film “The Incredible Journey.”
Posted Aug 18, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Blue Beetle
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Blue Beetle” works not because of its youthful, reluctant hero but despite his all-too-familiar presence. The film's real hero is the unstoppable power of family and the love that unites them.
Posted Aug 18, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Heart of Stone
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Director Tom Harper (see 2019’s “The Aeronauts”) does a good job staging loads of gunplay, car chases, a James Bond-like parachuting sequence, and all manner of hand-to-hand combat.
Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Jules
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
"Jules" works so well because of the production's homespun nature. It's a derivative science fiction flick, but the low-key adventure focuses smartly on the characters and their very human problems.
Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
… the key players in “Demeter” have very little agency. They cower and hide and die. It’s dismal instead of thrilling and annoying instead of scary.
Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Meg 2: The Trench
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
... a garden-variety action film with self-aware shark elements.
Posted Aug 04, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
The YouTube Effect
(2022)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
... an interesting time capsule that will be studied for years to come.
Posted Aug 04, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Haunted Mansion
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
2023’s “Haunted Mansion” is a flat and inoffensive continuation of the intellectual property but not a unique addition to the adaptation effort.
Posted Aug 04, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Talk to Me
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
The content creators behind the hugely popular RackaRacka YouTube channel deliver one of the most frightening horror films of the year.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
|
|
10/10
|
Oppenheimer
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
“Oppenheimer” is an unabashed masterpiece befitting the outstanding atomic achievement and securing the physicist’s legacy in a way that is sad, inspiring, and without pretense.
Posted Jul 21, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
The Miracle Club
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
There is sincerity to everything and a convincing commitment by the cast that helps to keep the film interesting over its relatively short running time.
Posted Jul 14, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Final Cut
(2022)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
Hazanavicius smartly uses the first film within his adaptation to expand on the underlying story elements.
Posted Jul 13, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One
(2023)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
… a stroppy, oddly vacant, disjointed plotline patched together with noticeable manipulation around actor availability and crew safety.
Posted Jul 11, 2023
|
|
9/10
|
Biosphere
(2022)
|
Jonathan W. Hickman
|
... a remarkably impactful and provocative tale of brotherly love.
Posted Jul 07, 2023
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