‘Elvis’ review: The king of messy biopics

Baz Luhrmann couldn’t help but make his take on the king of rock and roll, simply titled Elvis, as outlandish, style-obsessed, and paranoia-stricken as possible, perhaps to outrun the easy comparisons to Walk Hard through sheer speed of gyration. That’s…

‘Jerry and Marge Go Large’ review: Mediocre in the middle

How times can change. Only a decade or so ago, a mid-budget character drama like Jerry and Marge Go Large, which recently premiered on Paramount+, would’ve gotten a modest, but wide release in a theater near you. Much like the…

‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ review: Little shell, big emotion

Prepare to have your heart grow bigger and louder in just one day. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On started out as a series of deliriously sweet, viral short films in 2010, uploaded to YouTube by Dean Fleischer-Camp. Fleisher-Camp returns…

‘The Black Phone’ review: Ethan Hawke grabs the screen in this killer, throwback thriller

Ethan Hawke is no stranger to horror, specifically when directed by Scott Derrickson and written by C. Robert Cargill, as seen in 2012’s Sinister. But it’s safe to say Hawke has outdone himself with The Black Phone, extending his villain…

‘Spiderhead’ review: This Netflix sci-fi thriller could use a stronger dose

After directing what is easily the blockbuster of the summer so far (Top Gun: Maverick, in case you missed the box office headlines), Joseph Kosinski’s newest film, Spiderhead, moves away from 80s nostalgia and action-packed flights and moves to a…

‘Lightyear’ has three end-credits scenes, because it’s not like you have anything better to do

Pixar’s latest brazen attempt to end the Toy Story franchise on a low note has culminated with Lightyear, their first outing in theaters since March 2020. In their defense, they probably expect you to linger in the theater for an…

‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ review: The latest from Cooper Raiff is refreshingly in step with its weird masculinity

Cooper Raiff’s sophomore feature film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, is more or less an extended epilogue of his wonderfully, comfortably contained debut, ‌S#!%house. If that coming-of-age film was about the awkward, sensitive kid in all of us trying to adjust…