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Talk to Me
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A horror movie about the TidePod challenge but with spirits that effectively summons Don't Look Now and The Exorcist.
Posted Jul 28, 2023
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Oppenheimer
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Nolan's time-hopping structure works brilliantly in a film about men who compartmentalize their jobs as well as their being - separating ambition from morality - to propel science forward and set humanity back. Last act fumbles a jerry-rigged catharsis.
Posted Jul 21, 2023
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Barbie
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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You can feel the pressure to negotiate and justify Barbie's existence for today's audience getting in the way of a good time. If only Margot Robbie had the opportunity to let loose and have as much fun with it as Ryan Gosling and Kate McKinnon did.
Posted Jul 21, 2023
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Nimona
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Bites off more than it can chew and doesn’t really hold together, but it has a whole lot of fun as it makes a mess of things.
Posted Jun 30, 2023
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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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It's derivative of Turning Red but a lot more fun and witty than expected.
Posted Jun 30, 2023
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So Much Tenderness
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A small, lovely film about the at times unsettling nature of settling in a new home and the strength it takes to build human connections.
Posted Jun 30, 2023
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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James Mansgold makes an algorithmic derivative of the past that (like so many of his movies) looks like a lot of fun but isn't.
Posted Jun 30, 2023
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Elemental
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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I was taken by the imaginative ways the animation explores societal inequities.
Posted Jun 16, 2023
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The Blackening
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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The spawn of Scary Movie and Cabin in the Woods.
Posted Jun 16, 2023
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The Flash
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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It's IP-plugging for the easy to please fandom.
Posted Jun 16, 2023
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Past Lives
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A gentle and tender movie about the life we leave behind when we immigrate, and how we embalm those memories in rose-colored hues, told through a relationship filled with longing.
Posted Jun 10, 2023
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2/5
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The Little Mermaid
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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The beautiful animation that kicked off the Disney renaissance is recreated here with Windows 10 screensaver graphics.
Posted May 26, 2023
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2.5/4
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Flirts with being interesting but I checked out after the 90 minute mark with nearly an hour to go.
Posted May 05, 2023
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3.5/4
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Summer with Hope
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A small drama about societal pressures in modern Iran that makes every day feel loaded and every person extremely vulnerable.
Posted Apr 21, 2023
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2.5/4
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Chevalier
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Engaging when imagining how Bologne existed in 18th century France with the understanding we have now about microaggressions and invisible barriers.
Posted Apr 21, 2023
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Beau Is Afraid
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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As confounding as Charlie Kaufman’s movies (like I'm Thinking Of Ending Things) can be, I never walk out of them feeling so bored and hollowed out like I did with Beau Is Afraid.
Posted Apr 21, 2023
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2/5
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Renfield
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Cage sinks his teeth into the role. But this movie doesn’t really know what to do with that.
Posted Apr 14, 2023
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4/5
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Showing Up
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Soulful and moving.
Posted Apr 14, 2023
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3/5
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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It's a slick, entertaining thriller where the provocative political and social conversation feels hollow.
Posted Apr 14, 2023
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3/5
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Air
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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This is the most Ben Affleck movie: taking queasy material and making it earnest, sentimental, likeable and soft-around-the-edges.
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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3/5
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Rye Lane
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A cute and quirky British rom-com for those who love (500) Days Of Summer.
Posted Mar 31, 2023
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4/5
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A Thousand and One
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Overcomes those touches of first-time filmmaker gimmickry with incredibly moving performances and a focus on the love it takes to help people up from difficult circumstances.
Posted Mar 31, 2023
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4/5
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I Like Movies
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Imagine if Superbad were directed by a woman who didn’t allow the toxic masculinity and misogyny to go unchecked, while also l giving her genuinely funny and moving characters the room for growth and empathy. I Like Movies does that.
Posted Mar 04, 2023
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5/5
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Queens of the Qing Dynasty
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Imagine if Euphoria was serious, uplifting and hopeful rather than traumatic and sensational.
Posted Mar 04, 2023
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4/5
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Creed III
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Michael B. Jordan makes a confident and selfless debut as an actor-director, sharing space in his ring with a heavyweight like Majors.
Posted Mar 04, 2023
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3.5/4
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Of an Age
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Stolevski holds our attention with small moments he makes feel huge. This is just confirmation that the You Won't Be Alone filmmaker is a major talent to keep an eye on.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
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2.5/4
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Jonathan Majors is giving an emotionally acrobatic performance that this franchise does not deserve.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
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2/5
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You People
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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In a movie where Jonah Hill and Kenya Barris process white privilege and affection for Black culture, the Black characters are treated with less generosity.
Posted Jan 27, 2023
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3/5
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Skinamarink
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Taps into a primal fear of a child waking up in the night finding the things they take comfort (home, toys, cartoons) twisted into something nightmarish in the dark.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
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4/5
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Missing
(2023)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Missing recreates the "Vertigo shot" on a screen space filled with FaceTime and Google Tabs. It gets five stars just for that!
Posted Jan 20, 2023
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3/5
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Babylon
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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La La Land on coke.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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4/5
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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You feel Cameron's passion for this natural world - I say natural fully aware that this is an artificial creation that feels like it has more blood and metal than what we usually get from studio franchise fare.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
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5/5
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The Fabelmans
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Beautiful filmmaking that reminds you why you worship at the altar of Spielberg.
Posted Nov 25, 2022
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4/5
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Looser, flabbier but fun.
Posted Nov 25, 2022
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3/5
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Almost like being at a funeral while trying to shush the kids who are playing with their Iron Man toys. ... It's more fascinating than your average comic book movie, even though it doesn't work as a comic book movie.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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4/5
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The Wonder
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Finds a very human way into a conversation about how we measure and value truth.
Posted Nov 04, 2022
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5/5
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Decision to Leave
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Possibly the sexiest movie of the year and certainly one of the best.
Posted Nov 04, 2022
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2/5
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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Goofy. Silly. Redundant.
Posted Nov 04, 2022
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3/5
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Armageddon Time
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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The movie still uses its young Black character as a prop to process white guilt.
Posted Nov 04, 2022
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4/5
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Till
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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You have to witness Danielle Deadwyler's performance.
Posted Oct 21, 2022
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2/5
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Ticket to Paradise
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A rom-com that's short on comedy, long on sentiment.
Posted Oct 21, 2022
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3/5
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Tár
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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I’m stunned by the craft but suspicious of the movie’s perspective.
Posted Oct 14, 2022
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2/5
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Don't Worry Darling
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Don't Worry Darkling is too afraid to have the complicated conversation that its premise invokes.
Posted Sep 23, 2022
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1/5
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Blonde
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Blonde aestheticizes the dehumanization of Marilyn Monroe.
Posted Sep 23, 2022
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3/5
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Fresh
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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A lightweight fun dating satire for people who love the grisly stuff.
Posted Mar 06, 2022
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3/5
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The Batman
(2022)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Wants to be critical of Batman as a vigilante who uses excessive force and use the Riddler to comment on white male radicalization, which may actually feel newly relevant after the freedom convoy, but the points don't land as hard as Batman's fists.
Posted Mar 04, 2022
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5/5
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Little Women
(2019)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Gerwig takes big risks when she departs from Alcott's novel but stays true to its spirit. Her movie gave me all the feels.
Posted Dec 23, 2019
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2/5
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
(2019)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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The pettiness is strong with this one.
Posted Dec 21, 2019
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2/5
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Downton Abbey
(2019)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Serves a fond nostalgia for the British monarchy in the same way that Gone With the Wind served the Old South.
Posted Sep 21, 2019
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2.5/4
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Avengers: Endgame
(2019)
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Radheyan Simonpillai
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Endgame is the participation trophy you get after committing 11 years to these characters.
Posted Apr 24, 2019
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