The opening scene of The King of Staten Island is not only the highlight of Judd Apatow’s latest act of indulgence, but also hints at something that the rest of the film never lives up to. It tracks P…
Beastie Boys Story Movie Review: Rap Legends Recap Legacy in Amusing Live Slideshow
One of the many charming qualities about the Beastie Boys is that they could be you. If three dorky-looking Jewish white boys could break into rap music, let alone break barriers within the genre, may…
The Way Back Movie Review: Ben Affleck bares his soul in basketball drama
For better or worse, Ben Affleck is a very famous movie star. He’s been a very famous movie star for over 20 years and has checked all the boxes a very famous movie star’s life includes: starred in bl…
The Call of the Wild Movie Review: Misses the point of Jack London’s Novel
There’s something deeply, fundamentally perverse about filming a Jack London story with CGI animals—it’s akin to shooting a film version of James Joyce’s Ulysses on location…in Belfast. Everything tha…
Herself Review: Clare Dunne unlocks the power of the human spirit in Phyllida Lloyd’s remarkable return to the big screen | Sundance 2020
Sometimes, you can just tell that the leading actor of a film was deeply involved in the creative process, and that is certainly the case for Clare Dunne, who co-wrote and stars in Herself, a new…
The Rhythm Section Movie Review: Blake Lively bores in Bourne knockoff
This one did itself in barely halfway through its runtime. Cantankerous hermit Jude Law dares a haggered Blake Lively to either keep running with him or go swimming to build up her endurance. When Liv…
Sylvie’s Love Review: Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha lay on the charm in this extraordinary classical romance | Sundance 2020
The most obvious takeaway from the first beat of Sylvie’s Love—a lavishly directed new period romance from Eugene Ashe, who also wrote the screenplay—is that for his second feature, Ashe clearly …