The Holdovers (2023)
[9] One of the surest ways a film can win my heart is by letting me into the lives of characters aching for healing who achieve genuine, emotional human connection. It's why I love films like Pump Up the Volume,…
Oppenheimer (2023)
[6] Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) stars as the physicist credited with inventing the atomic bomb in this sprawling, rapid-paced, three-hour Best Picture Academy Award winner from director Christopher Nolan (Interstellar, Inception). The first hour of Oppenheimer focuses on the…
Murina (2021)
[5] In Croatia, a teenage girl (Gracija Filipovic) suffers her rigid, controlling father (Leon Lucev) until one of his old friends (Once Were Warriors' Cliff Curtis) visits and inspires her to seek a better life. At first, she tries to…
All of Us Strangers (2023)
[10] Most films are designed with universal appeal to attract the widest possible audience. But some of the most powerful films you'll ever see are the ones -- the very rare few -- written and directed with such specificity and…
65 (2023)
[6] Adam Driver stars as an astronaut from another world who crash-lands on Earth 65 million years ago. Along with a young girl (Ariana Greenblatt) who speaks another language, he must pass through a prehistoric valley full of dangers big…
Funny Pages (2022)
[5] A teenaged underground cartoonist (Daniel Zolghadri) seeks the company of bizarre, questionable characters in the hopes it might inspire his work. He shuns his parents and moves in with a couple of middle-aged men who watch old cartoons in…
EO (2022)
[3] This review contains spoilers. The only thing worse than disliking a movie from the start is loving a movie, and then having the movie betray you in the end. Such a film is EO, a Polish film from veteran…
The Menu (2022)
[7] Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) stars in this posh, claustrophobic horror flick that pits bourgeoise guests at an elite dining establishment against the head chef (Ralph Fiennes), whose multi-course menu is designed for a sinister purpose. The plates begin somewhat…
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
[9] I never knew a Godzilla movie could be this good. Writer/Director/VFX Supervisor Takashi Yamazaki reinvigorates the venerable franchise with a combination of terrific visual effects, exciting action sequences, and a surprisingly emotional storyline. The film is anchored by its…
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
[4] M. Night Shyamalan, the once celebrated big-budget thriller maker of films like The Sixth Sense and Signs, has been relegated to low-budget horror movies for several years. I keep hoping that his budgetary confines will result in a burst…