Movie Reviews
Movie Reviews

Jenny Slate Charms in Superficial Arthouse Romance

The Sunlit Night is an arthouse romance oversaturated with eccentricity. Jenny Slate stars as a struggling Brooklyn art student who takes an apprenticeship in remote Norway. The quirky characters, settings, and stylized asides look fanciful but don’t amount to much. A paper-thin attempt at depth detracts from the fleeting humor. The Sunlit Night is a

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Movie Reviews

A Beautifully Grotesque Slow-burn Body Horror Chiller

Something’s in the water in Jeffrey A. Brown’s directorial debut The Beach House, a beautifully grotesque slow-burn body horror chiller that feels as sleek and contemporary as it does like a slight ode to 50s monster movies and the works of atmospheric horror greats. Unique and individually surreal as this low-budget Shudder feature may be,

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Movie Reviews

Charlize Theron Delivers an Immortal Beatdown

Charlize Theron continues her streak as a bad-ass action star. She wracks up an impressive body count as an immortal warrior in The Old Guard; a film adaptation of the comic series by Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernández. It’s also the action debut of Love & Basketball director Gina Prince-Bythewood. She’s proof that a

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Movie Reviews

Tom Hanks Overcomes Lackluster CGI in WWII Thriller

Tom Hanks takes command in Greyhound, an action-packed World War II naval thriller set during the Battle of the Atlantic. The film is adapted from C. S. Forester’s classic fifties novel, “The Good Shepherd.” Originally slated for a June 12th theatrical release, the estimated $50 million flick was sold by Sony Pictures to Apple TV+

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Movie Reviews

The Blockbuster Musical Lands Triumphantly on Disney+

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster Broadway musical debuts on Disney Plus a year early. Hamilton tells the story of America’s founding fathers through rap dialogue, traditional singing, and exquisitely choreographed dance sequences. The majority of the cast are black and brown actors who portray historical white figures, many of them slave owners. It is an eclectic, astonishingly

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Movie Reviews

A Gut-Wrenching Account of the Afghanistan War

The War in Afghanistan has raged for nineteen brutal years. America’s longest running conflict is again front page news. Explosive revelations that the Taliban were paid bounties by the Russians to target American troops have rocked the political establishment. The Outpost, a gut-wrenching film about the war’s bloodiest battle, couldn’t have a more fitting release

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Movie Reviews

Shudder’s Latest Original Is Deliciously Gross

Blood’s splattering and penises are ablaze in director Lars Damoiseaux’s feature debut Yummy, a gore-filled zombie comedy that’s as confused as it is deliciously gross. An over-the-top violent tale of plastic surgery gone disgustingly array, Yummy exudes intentional camp and shows glimpses of old Italian flare – an ambitious combination that just almost works. Pair

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Movie Reviews

A Disastrous Hurricane Heist Flick

Mel Gibson washes out in his latest turn as a hard-nosed cop. Force of Nature is an absurdly plotted heist thriller that takes place during a hurricane. All of the action is set in a nearly abandoned apartment building. Cardboard characters run up and down stairwells in a deluge of rain and bullets. Their hits

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Movie Reviews

Steve Carell Can’t Save Sledgehammer Satire

Irresistible is Jon Stewart’s second feature as writer and director. A sledgehammer satire with little nuance, the film falls prey to the standard red state versus blue state characterizations. Irresistible feels like a stale retread of well-known talking points. The lines that divide us are obvious. Stewart brought incisive political discourse to late night television

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Movie Reviews

Few Scares in This Haunted House

You Should Have Left is the film adaptation of German author Daniel Kehlmann’s hit novella. The horror aspects were apparently lost in translation. You Should Have Left offers a few initial frights before devolving to standard haunted house drudgery. A strong lead performance from Kevin Bacon elevates the lackluster script; but not enough to compensate

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