Carson Lund First impressions of Eephus I'm back from a long, hard road to offer my overdue review of one of the year's funniest movies: an elegiac comedy about America’s declining traditions and communities.
Stephen King First Impressions of The Life of Chuck Despite its charming dance numbers, Mike Flanagan's feature film based on a Stephen King short story thinks it's so much more profound than it is.
Isaiah Saxon First impressions of The Legend of Ochi What mash-up of movies will you find in this odd, surprising fantasy? Is it Gremlins meets Into the West? E.T. meets The Neverending Story? Princess Mononoke meets The Secret of Roan Inish?
J.J. Abrams 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) From the archives at LookingCloser.org, here's my original 2016 review of a thriller that I saw on a memorably surprising night as I celebrated my completion of my MFA in creative writing.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl First impressions of On Becoming a Guinea Fowl The new film from Rungano Nyoni, director of "I Am Not a Witch," is an early but strong contender for my favorite film of 2025.
Michael Fassbender Don't miss a chance to open Soderbergh's Black Bag of tricks In his best work since the peak of the Oceans trilogy — maybe since 1998's Out of Sight — Steven Soderbergh surprises us with one of the year's best films.
Film Review You'll love what Elliott learns from her "Old Ass" Megan Park's comedy about a young woman corresponding with her future self is unexpectedly engaging—one of 2024's most delightful surprises.
Film Review No Other Land: these filmmakers are risking their lives so you will watch their movie This Oscar-winning documentary should be seen and discussed by every American, as we are supplying the resources for cruelty and erasing whole communities.
Documentaries No Other Land: these filmmakers are risking their lives so you will watch their movie This Oscar-winning documentary should be seen and discussed by every American, as we are supplying the resources for cruelty and erasing whole communities.
Film Review Live from New York, it's... a ticking-clock thriller and a tribute to improvisational creatvity! Jason Reitman's controlled-chaos fantasy about the launch of SNL offers a good time with rowdy comedians at a turning point in TV history.
The Brutalist First impressions of The Brutalist Brady Corbet's extravagant epic, which follows a Holocaust survivor who flees to the U.S only to find himself "tolerated" and exploited by a perversely abusive patron, is ambitious and frustrating.
Poetry By My Lights: a super-sized surprise package for the 2nd week of January Typos. Seitz on Anderson. World Party. Favorite writers share lists of favorites. Strong voices on Conclave, Homestead. Good poems. My latest moviegoing. A personal update. And freewriting.
Film Review Carol Kane and Jason Schwartzman bond Between the Temples Just as he did in Rushmore, Jason Schwartzman plays a young man with an irrational longing for one of his teachers, a woman much older than him. Great awkwardness ensues.
Film Review Nine reasons to see Didi Sean Wang's Sundance Award-winning coming-of-age film is a joy and one of the year's most promising directorial debuts. Here are some of the reasons I enjoyed it so much.
Film Review Lee Isaac Chung gets carried away with Twisters The personal touch of Minari director Lee Isaac Chung is evident in this surprising sequel to a 1996 summer blockbuster, which turns some blockbuster cliches sideways.
Jon Batiste By My Lights: a surprise package for the first week of 2025 A new year: new ambitions, new sights and sounds, new prayers... and new writing!
Film Review Kings of infinite space: Inmates of Sing Sing stage a prison break through art The latest entry in the "Art Can Change Your Life" genre has particular strengths—it's a true story, it avoids narrative contrivance, and, most of the time, it shows admirable restraint.
Film Review Wicked Little Letters serves up wisdom with a clustercuss of conflict Now streaming on Netflix, Wicked Little Letters should not be overlooked. It's much more than a swear-word showdown between Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
Film Review Dazzled and disappointed by Furiosa, "the darkest of angels" While it's a thrill to be back in George Miller's awe-inspiring cinematic universe, Furiosa's story feels too narrowly focused on revenge.
Film Review A Quiet Place: Day One is a decent exercise in an exhausting, exhausted genre Nyong’o shines in an otherwise unremarkable prequel about an alien invasion, a cat, and the search for transcendent pizza.
Film Review Hail any cab but Daddio's Why I probably won't revisit Daddio, a movie about a Manhattan cab driver and his fare.
Film Review Stranded on Janet Planet, a young girl struggles to survive Annie Baker's directorial debut is a discomforting, intimate portrait of a struggling mother and a wide-eyed, intuitive daughter who draw difficult neighbors into their orbit.
Animation First impressions of Flow Director Gints Zilbalodis and co-writer Matīss Kažathe invite us into an animated vision of a flooded world in which animals reflect the dangers of who we are and the glory of who we can be.
Film Review Not so fast, but oh so furious: Thelma is a blast. June Squibb is 2024's funniest and most endearing action hero in this delightful play on Mission: Impossible clichés.
