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John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Chapter 4 is not a narratively ambitious film. The overstuffed runtime is buoyed by exceptional fight sequences, as well the relief that the franchise seems to understand its own limitations.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(2023)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Fury of the Gods feels oddly empty for a film with far too many characters, coasting solely off any remaining goodwill earned by its predecessor. This narrative tries to pretend it has a heart to cover up the overabundant sense of nothing at its core.
Posted Mar 21, 2023
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Babylon
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Babylon is an easy film to hate. Chazelle’s work is sloppy, arrogant, and self-indulgent bordering on masturbatory, but also irritatingly beautiful and hard to get out of one’s head.
Posted Feb 27, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Quantumania represents an embarrassing low point for the MCU, a soulless cash-grab that debases the very idea of cinema itself. A just world would never allow the superhero genre to recover from such an artistically bankrupt abomination.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
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Tár
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Field’s pseudo-intellectual script betrays a spectacular exposition on power’s corrosive rot on the genius of the soul, though Blanchett remains perpetually able to pick up the pieces of his shoddy reactionary mess.
Posted Feb 13, 2023
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Titanic
(1997)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Cameron’s greatest strength is his unrelenting drive to amass a spectacle fitting of his source material. Titanic is a testament to a time when film tried to step outside the confines of the screen and change the very world around its walls.
Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Corsage
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Corsage wears some of its flaws on its sleeves. The desire for the film to be more than simply competent operates on the same wavelength as Elisabeth’s longing for a breath of life beyond the walls of her existence.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Cameron often seems conflicted with the idea that his fun on Pandora might need to function as something resembling a narrative you would find in a movie, a notion that might be a problem if not for the film’s breathtaking beauty.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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Happiness
(1965)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Varda takes great care with each frame of her lusciously shot film while presenting a nuanced perspective on polyamory that eschews the pearl-clutching ethics of non-monogamy that consumes far too many narratives on the subject.
Posted Dec 12, 2022
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Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is entertaining propaganda that should appeal to Disney superfans while only superficially engaging with the realities of Mickey’s status as the bastion of American capitalism.
Posted Nov 14, 2022
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Coogler puts all the pieces together in a way that makes Wakanda Forever feel like more of an epic than its predecessor, even if the special effects don’t necessarily support that thesis.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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Dracula A.D. 1972
(1972)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Lee and Cushing barely share the screen together, a shortcoming that sinks the entire experience far more than its forgivable campy aesthetics.
Posted Oct 27, 2022
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Black Adam
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Black Adam squanders the DCEU’s meatiest moral quandary with an atrocious script hellbent on saying absolutely nothing interesting about its narrative or stacked roster of characters. It’s quite astonishing how boring this movie really is.
Posted Oct 22, 2022
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The Man I Love
(1946)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Walsh’s feature is a train wreck of unnecessary subplots entirely redeemed by Lupino’s mesmerizing performance and the highly effective jazz score.
Posted Jul 28, 2022
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Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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There is no imperative driving Love and Thunder beyond its obligations to the gods of content, an empty shell of a film covered up with endless jokes and attractive people standing in front of exceedingly bland green screens.
Posted Jul 08, 2022
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Double Indemnity
(1944)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The murder isn’t the result of a battle between good and evil, but rather a natural response to a system that had no place for either Phyllis or Neff, both pawns in someone else’s game. Capitalism is the true villain of Double Indemnity.
Posted Jun 27, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Top Gun: Maverick is an expertly paced testament to the power of practical effects. Cruise’s tireless devotion to blockbuster filmmaking bleeds through the screen in every scene, a modern cinematic marvel.
Posted May 25, 2022
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Ricky Gervais: SuperNature
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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It's not particularly complicated to see why Gervais is so fascinated by trans people and social media criticism directed at anti-LGBTQ comedians. He doesn’t really have anything else to talk about, a pathetic display of artistic laziness.
Posted May 24, 2022
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Downton Abbey: A New Era
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The film’s pacing is perpetually rushed, scenes awkwardly written to accommodate characters with nothing else to do, the supporting bench overstuffed with far too many returnees.
Posted May 20, 2022
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Maurice
(1987)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Director James Ivory understands the political implications of his film better than anyone. Maurice rises above its predictable narrative through its resounding commitment to the idea that happiness will always triumph over a life in the closet.
Posted May 17, 2022
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Our Father
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The story is powerful enough to justify the experience, but Our Father hardly does right by the material with its overproduced delivery.
Posted May 09, 2022
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The Multiverse of Madness is a disgrace to the idea that the MCU actually cares about building characters, a slap in the face to anyone who dared invest themselves in the idea of Wanda as anything more than a disposable commodity for all these years.
Posted May 09, 2022
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Daisies
(1966)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Much of Daisies’ charm stems from Cerhová and Karbanová’s impeccable chemistry, often moving in complete synchronicity with one another while their characters remain fundamentally unaligned with each other.
Posted May 04, 2022
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The Northman
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Skarsgård never once puffs his chest to assert his place as the hero, in complete alignment with Amleths sense of prophecy bestowed upon him at an early age.
Posted Apr 29, 2022
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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Gormican pulls off the impressive feat of blending the various stages of Cages career together, albeit through remarkably tame execution thats beneath the absurdity of his star.
Posted Apr 26, 2022
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The film fares better at serving its dual audiences of children and adults than most of its contemporaries, but that reality doesnt change the fact that Sonic 2 is quite content with mediocrity for most of its bloated 122-minute runtime.
Posted Apr 13, 2022
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Uncharted
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The laughably atrocious screenplay is perpetually buoyed by the film's tight pacing and strong cast chemistry. Though it often seems to have happened completely by accident, Uncharted manages to be a pretty entertaining summer action flick.
Posted Mar 30, 2022
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The Job of Songs
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Schmitzs greatest skill as a director is the way she tackles heavy subjects without getting melancholic or giving into the trap of nostalgia.
Posted Mar 17, 2022
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Kuroneko
(1968)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Shindo delivers a triumph of the horror genre as he explores his painful themes.
Posted Mar 07, 2022
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Ultrasound
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Schroeder impresses with his sleek feature, but Ultrasound suffers from a wooden script and poorly developed characters. The actors, particularly Kartheiser and Wool, do their best to breathe life into one-dimensional people.
Posted Mar 07, 2022
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The Batman
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Reeves strikes closer to the core of Batmans ethos than any other live-action depiction, a noir mystery ripe for Gothams murky confines.
Posted Mar 04, 2022
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Jackass Forever
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Jackass Forever harnesses the spirit of the franchise with its eyes set squarely on the present. More than a few major franchises should take note of the way Tremaine and Knoxville navigate their own lore.
Posted Feb 23, 2022
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Blood
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Blood is singularly focused in its purpose. Gray's style is bound to rub people the wrong way, but there is plenty of beauty in his confident work.
Posted Jan 26, 2022
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Am I OK?
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Johnson ensures that whatever Am I OK? lacks in originality is made up for with the film's abundant heart.
Posted Jan 25, 2022
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Palm Trees and Power Lines
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Painfully effective in its messaging, Dack undercuts her feature with a bloated runtime that diminishes her leads' incredible performances.
Posted Jan 25, 2022
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Brian and Charles
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Brimming with heart, Brian and Charles is a perfect feel-good comedy for this modern landscape where so many are bound to identify with the titular characters.
Posted Jan 24, 2022
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Sharp Stick
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The script is a disaster, full of pseudo-intellectual nonsense interlaced with Dunham's penchant for shock value.
Posted Jan 24, 2022
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Call Jane
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Nagy has a keen awareness that's she not really directing a period drama in the truest sense of the word.
Posted Jan 23, 2022
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Dual
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Despite Gillan's best efforts, Dual perpetually feels like a half-baked production, a script that gives its cast little to chew on.
Posted Jan 23, 2022
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Fresh
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Stan is clearly having the time of his life with Cave's slick material, powering the narrative through its bloated runtime.
Posted Jan 22, 2022
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The Worst Person in the World
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Few films tackle the messy nature of growing up with such eloquence. Reinsve throws a lifeline to anyone in their thirties wondering what the hell is going on.
Posted Jan 22, 2022
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After Yang
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The combination of Farrell's conflicted grief and Kogonda's carefully crafted aesthetic powers After Yang through familiar genre tropes.
Posted Jan 22, 2022
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Emergency
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Williams is a fearless director able to craft humor amidst horrific circumstances, aided by Cyler and Watkin's delightful chemistry.
Posted Jan 21, 2022
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The Princess
(2022)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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The Princess is a gorgeous documentary, albeit one that relies a bit too heavily on its subject's innate appeal to make its mark in the crowded Diana landscape.
Posted Jan 21, 2022
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The Matrix Resurrections
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Wachowski's ability to poke fun at Hollywood's sequel industrial complex falls flat in the midst of a film that is itself not very entertaining.
Posted Jan 20, 2022
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Pale Flower
(1964)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Shinoda digs into the heart of a life in decay, years of unrewarded loyalty blunting the natural longing for a greater purpose.
Posted Jan 19, 2022
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Hive
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Rarely does a film win over its audience with such effortless execution.
Posted Dec 08, 2021
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Christmas at the Ranch
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Allen and Righetti are very sweet together, the kind of wholesome romance that many LGBTQ people dream of having for themselves.
Posted Dec 02, 2021
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
(1950)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Preminger's slick noir gem presents a damning indictment of the criminal justice system's perpetual rot and the kinds of cops who take the law into their own hands.
Posted Nov 30, 2021
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South Park: Post COVID
(2021)
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Ian Thomas Malone
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Though far from perfect, Post COVID is a decent start to the Paramount+ era and the strongest effort from the show in a few years.
Posted Nov 29, 2021
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