DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995)
This week we're revisiting Carl Franklin's sorely under-appreciated neo-noir, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY GETS LOST DOWN A GIANT PLOT HOLE IN "A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE"
With its weakest hour yet, Lovecraft Country turns in a story that is at turns dull, derivative, and disturbing (but not in a good way).
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY HITS ITS STRIDE, AND JURNEE SMOLLETT SHINES, IN "HOLY GHOST"
Jurnee Smollett gives a stunning performance in the strongest, most emotionally compelling episode of Lovecraft Country so far.
SPIRITED AWAY (2001)
This week we're getting Ghibli with it, as we sit down for The Unenthusiastic Critic's first viewing of Hayao Miyazaki's weird and wonderful animated classic.
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS (2020) LANGUISHES AT THE PERILOUS BORDER BETWEEN FILMS AND NOVELS
Great films are rarely made from great books, and Ciro Guerra's film of J.M. Coetzee's novel underlines the perils—and even the pointlessness—of many literary adaptations.
OTHER RECENT POSTS
GAME OF THRONES
GAME OF THRONES 7×06: "BEYOND THE WALL"
"Beyond the Wall" might just be the dumbest episode of Game of Thrones ever, but there's good stuff here if we look beyond the contrivances.
August 23, 2017
GAME OF THRONES
GAME OF THRONES 7×05: "EASTWATCH"
"Eastwatch" is something of a table-setting episode, but it also looks at how fathers live in their children, for better or worse.
August 20, 2017
BLOG
THE MIRROR OF CHARLOTTESVILLE
Some thoughts—from a white liberal, for white liberals—on Charlottesville, privilege, and the need to shift our fundamental understanding of our country.
August 20, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
ANNABELLE: CREATION (2017)
Like the rest of its dishonorable and disposable ilk, Annabelle: Creation is just a fairly efficient machine for generating meaningless jump-scares.
August 13, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
KIDNAP (2017)
Luis Prieto's KIDNAP, starring Halle Berry, is a cheap and ugly grindhouse film for the soccer-mom set.
August 12, 2017
GAME OF THRONES
GAME OF THRONES 7×04: "THE SPOILS OF WAR"
The stunningly good "The Spoils of War" packs a lot of emotional subtext into a short and action-packed episode.
August 9, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
STEP (2017)
Amanda Lipitz's documentary is a rare and inspiring celebration of the love, beauty, and optimism of disadvantaged black communities.
August 7, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
THE DARK TOWER (2017)
Nikolaj Arcel's quick and pointless adaptation of Stephen King's sprawling epic is a tepid, paint-by-numbers picture.
August 6, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
DETROIT (2017)
Simplistic, reductive, and perversely exculpatory, Kathryn Bigelow's DETROIT is well-executed torture-porn that irresponsibly exploits the destruction of black bodies.
August 4, 2017
GAME OF THRONES
GAME OF THRONES 7×03: "THE QUEEN'S JUSTICE"
In "The Queen's Justice," ice and fire finally come together, and everyone needs to let go of the things they think they know.
August 4, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
STRANGE WEATHER (2016)
Holly Hunter is always good, but Katherine Dieckmann's road-trip movie drives her down some frustratingly contrived roads.
August 1, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
THE EMOJI MOVIE (2017)
I do not seem to have the appropriate catalog of symbols on my app to adequately express my feelings about The Emoji Movie.
July 30, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
ATOMIC BLONDE (2017)
Charlize Theron can do no wrong, but Atomic Blonde needed to either be a whole lot smarter, or a whole lot stupider, to be any fun at all.
July 29, 2017
MOVIE LISTS & ROUNDUPS
THE BAD BATCH, THE LITTLE HOURS, A GHOST STORY, LADY MACBETH
In my attempt to see and review every new movie this summer, I've fallen a little behind. Here are shamefully quick takes on films that didn't get full reviews, including The Bad Batch, The Little Hours, A Ghost Story, and Lady Macbeth.
July 29, 2017
GAME OF THRONES
GAME OF THRONES 7×02: "STORMBORN"
With new allegiances being forged, "Stormborn" tests the strengths—and limitations—of different kinds of loyalty.
July 26, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
GIRLS TRIP (2017)
Funny, fearless, and full of genuine feeling, Girls Trip is the best American comedy of the summer.
July 26, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (2017)
Simultaneously awful and glorious—but always beautiful—Luc Besson's buddy-cop space opera is a goofy, gonzo, candy-colored cornucopia of silliness.
July 23, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY (2016)
Elsa Dorfman is likable and interesting, but Errol Morris's documentary both overstays its welcome and under-explores its subject.
July 22, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
DUNKIRK (2017)
Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk masterfully captures a key moment of human triumph, but it is not a film that's remotely interested in human beings.
July 21, 2017
GAME OF THRONES
GAME OF THRONES 7×01: "DRAGONSTONE"
In "Dragonstone," the Season Seven premiere of Game of Thrones, survival may depend on reconciling the sins of the past with the needs of the future.
July 19, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
13 MINUTES (2015)
Oliver Hirschbiegel's latest film is an imperfect but intriguing exploration of a forgotten resistance hero.
July 16, 2017
FILM REVIEWS
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (2017)
The motion-capture in the latest Apes film is a stunning work of art. Now if only the screenplay could match it…
July 15, 2017