On Movies & Media

A collection of 2471 posts

Pierre Creton

7 Walks with Mark Brown: a brilliant way to start a new year of movies

[Streaming on Hoopla.] Today, I listened to a podcast in which Father James Martin talks about how to begin 2026 with a “spiritual reset.” Then, I went home and watched 7 Walks with Mark Brown. And I experienced a spiritual reset.

Ryan Coogler

First (and second) impressions of Sinners

Sinners is a film of two halves: daytime and nighttime. The first half is colorful, epic, and full of surprises; the second is shadowy, violent . . . and disappointing.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

First impressions of Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

In a year that hasn't been particularly exciting for animation, Little Amélie is a memorable standout.

Knives Out

Wake Up Dead Man — a review in progress

Rian Johnson's third film in the Knives Out series is not only my favorite of the series — it's one of the most provocative films about Christian faith I've seen in many years.

You Can Count On Me

You can still count on Lonergan

A few notes on revisiting You Can Count on Me as we approach its 25th anniversary.

Film Review

First impressions of If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Rose Byrne lives up to the demands of her most intense role in Mary Bronstein’s exasperating, exhausting anxiety attack of a movie.

Film Review

First impressions of Anemone

It is often the case in Anemone that we see in profile the head of our grizzled, tormented, mysterious subject, a recluse named Ray Stoker, and his remarkably large ear is at the center of the frame. This is a meaningful and, I suspect, deliberate choice on the part of

Film Review

First impressions of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

I approached the new Kogonada film with trepidation. I've learned to trust his artistry, but this trailer set off all kinds of alarms. Should you see it? Here's my recommendation.

Film Review

Why Flow is my favorite film of 2024

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

Is The People's Joker the best Joker movie yet? (I know how I'm voting.)

Vera Drew's fantastical truth-telling will discomfort those who are terrified of trans individuals. What's more — it will challenge Batman fans.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Film Review

Ghostlight celebrates the healing power of community theater

Kelly O'Sullivan's film about grief, reconciliation, and community theater deserves major acting awards.

Film Review

Inside Out 2 gives us all some strong anti-anxiety treatment

While it doesn't quite reach the heights of Pixar's golden-age masterpieces, we can be grateful for the wisdom and whimsy of this surprising sequel.

Film Review

Hit Man hits and hits... but misses when it matters most

Linklater's smart, good-humored comedy looks ready to launch a fantastic franchise starring Glen Powell... and then fumbles the ball and loses the game just when it seemed like a sure win.

Film Review

Civil War — It's not about picking a side

Some of my favorite critics have serious issues with Alex Garland's speculative fiction about a near-future collapse of democracy in the U.S. And I just don't get it.