Dave Franco shows promise in his feature directorial debut. The Rental is a lean, Hitchcockian thriller that devolves into a standard slasher film. The first two acts are quite gripping. A seemingly innocent weekend vacation exposes deep rifts between the characters. The tension becomes more pronounced after a well-timed reveal. But instead of capitalizing, the

The Painted Bird is a bleak odyssey of humanity’s darkest instincts. A Jewish boy suffers horrific abuse while traversing an unnamed Slavic country during World War II. Shot in stark black and white, The Painted Bird has graphic depictions of murder, rape, pedophilia, and bestiality. The boy is a witness, and victim, of warzone atrocities.

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

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,

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

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+

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

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

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

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