Cherry (Maika Monroe) and Hero (Emma Corrin) indulge in chess and falconry in ‘100 Nights of Hero.’
Arabian Nights meets queer feminist fantasyin Julia Jackman’s magical romance 100 Nights of Hero, based on a graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg. The film is drenched in colorful costumes and whimsical folklore in order to engage audiences with a Middle Eastern-inspired medieval tale. The film’s stylings are unique and thorough, but the script leaves us yearning for deeper thematic resonance. Jackman’s confident direction, even as the film struggles to commit to a tone, preserves 100 Nights of Hero’s sincere portrayal of queer feminism and the precious art of storytelling.Continue reading “Film Review: “100 Nights of Hero””
Buckley is the engine powering this emotionally condensed drama
Agnes (Jessie Buckley) waits for Hamlet to start in ‘Hamnet.’
Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling book Hamnet was a literary sensation, and quickly sparked rumors of an inevitable movie adaptation. When Oscar winner Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) was announced as Hamnet’s director, followed by the casting of Oscar nominees Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun) in the starring roles, expectations shot through the roof. Now that Zhao’s Hamnet is finally arriving in theaters, does it live up to the hype? The answer is a soft ‘yes.’ Through a tremendously powerful performance from Buckley and a deeply emotional script, Hamnet reproduces the story’s inherent drama even as it strips away any narrative complexities.Continue reading “Film Review: “Hamnet””
Fur and scales face off in the world-expanding Zootopia sequel
Nick (Jason Bateman) and Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) paddle in pursuit in “Zootopia 2.”
Nine years ago we were introduced to the Oscar-winning world of Zootopia, where our own human society, including social stigmas, cultural taboos, and bureaucratic flaws were mirrored by anthropomorphized animalia. Zootopia was an excellent family film with plenty adult-oriented jokes, references, and themes. Zootopia 2 kicks off right where the first film left off, expanding its geographical scope while delivering an abundance of zany animal characters, clever banter, and endless sight gags. Even moments of apparent “sequelitis,” where an original work feels the pressure to replicate its initial success while making things bigger and better, don’t detract from the pleasure of discovering more of Zootopia’s inner workings. With the original film’s stellar voice cast returning, and adding a few notable new characters into the mix, Zootopia 2 is another pun-filled adventure with tremendous heart.Continue reading “Film Review: “Zootopia 2””
Cheap jump scares punctuate this grief-stricken slog
Dad (Benedict Cumberbatch) feeling very crow-y in “The Thing With Feathers.”
Sometimes you swing and miss, but at least you swung. The Thing With Feathers is a big swing and a miss. Aiming to entice horror fans with its phantasmagoric plot and cheap jump scares, The Thing With Feathers fails to offer anything more than a singular message about grief being tough to overcome. Despite Benedict Cumberbatch’s (The Roses) efforts to compensate for a shallow script and one-dimensional character, The Thing With Feathers remains a frustrating viewing experience.Continue reading “Film Review: “The Thing With Feathers””
Fraser delivers sensitive performance in affecting heartfelt drama
Phillip (Brendan Fraser) is hired to be a groom in a fake wedding.
Rental Family is the second new film in a week with an actor as its protagonist. But Phillip, a struggling, unknown American actor in Japan, couldn’t be more different than the uber-successful, movie star Jay of Jay Kelly. Despite the differences in their lead characters, however, both films deftly touch on universal themes of loneliness, connection, and empathy.
Father Jud (Josh O’Connor) and Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) inspect the mystery in ‘Wake Up Dead Man.’
They should release a new Knives Out movie every two years…in perpetuity. The casts, the characters, the Agatha Christie whodunnit plots, and Daniel Craig’s disarmingly charming and wise detective, Benoit Blanc, are all batting .1000 across three films and I just can’t get enough. Even Glass Onion, the second Knives Out film and widely considered the weaker of the first two films (now the weakest of the three), is still a hilarious and engaging mystery. The Knives Out film series is written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper; Star Wars: The Last Jedi), who has an incredible knack for creating an interacting web of distinct characters, twisted murders, and sharp dialogue. Wake Up Dead Man, the latest in the series, continues with all the beloved characteristics that made the original a hit, while adding previously unexplored depth. Featuring a standout performance by Josh O’Connor (Challengers), Wake Up Dead Man is the most dramatic Knives Out story yet and a thrillingly fun watch.Continue reading “Film Review: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery””
Clooney, Sandler explore the cost of fame in Baumbach’s newest
Actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) prepares to attend a tribute in his honor.
Jay Kelly isn’t a documentary, but you’d be forgiven if you mistake it for one. The picture, directed by Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) and co-written with the actress Emily Mortimer, is about an aging actor facing his mortality and reflecting on his personal and professional choices. That the titular fictional actor is played by George Clooney creates an odd melding of fact and fiction. As we watch Jay consider his past, present, and future, we can’t help but wonder how much of what we’re seeing on screen is really about Clooney himself. That dichotomy brings an added layer of curiosity to an already thoughtful and absorbing film.
Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is escorted to set in ‘The Running Man.’
The fifth and final Stephen King adaptation of 2025 is about to hit theaters. After The Monkey in April, The Life of Chuck in June, The Long Walk in September, and the HBO series IT: Welcome to Derry, the list comes to an explosive close with a new adaptation of King’s 1982 thriller The Running Man (originally published under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman). The 1987 version of The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger has become a cult classic, commended for its critical depiction of a dystopian American pop culture-obsessed society, as well as for its campy villains and one-liners. The new film is co-written and directed by Edgar Wright (Baby Driver; Hot Fuzz), and sticks much closer to King’s source material than the 1987 film. The new film has many parts that work, and many parts that don’t. The Running Man’s ultimate success lies in some slick action and standout performances, but an indecipherable tone and confounding editing keep the film from achieving blockbuster greatness.Continue reading “Film Review: “The Running Man””
Sweeney, Foster deliver knockout performances in affecting boxing biopic
Christy (Sydney Sweeney) contemplates her next move in the ring.
If you’re not a boxing fan, you may not have heard of Christy Martin, a super welterweight champion of women’s professional boxing. Netflix covered her personal and professional life story in its excellent sports documentary series Untold back in 2021’s “Deal with the Devil” episode, and Hollywood obviously found the material worthy of dramatic spin. Hence the release of Christy today, with actress Sydney Sweeney portraying the resilient boxing champ in an absorbing and well-acted biopic. Continue reading “Film Review: “Christy””
The Predator franchise hunts for a wild team-up adventure, and finds it
Thia (Elle Fanning) and Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) team up in ‘Predator: Badlands.’
Sometimes, the deeper a film franchise explores its lore, the more the lack of mystery renders new entries as overwritten, overexplained, and uninteresting (see Maleficent, Star Wars, Halloween, Alien, etc.). Every bit of old and new intellectual property is vulnerable to this type of universe-building, since there’s a lot of money to be made in juicing a franchise for all its worth. Not all of lore-exploring is bad, however. There are many exceptions, and after 2018’s disappointing Shane Black vehicle, The Predator, the Predator franchise has been successfully growing its cinematic universe since 2022 under the helm of writer/director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers). Predator: Badlands is the most adventurous and (intentionally) funny entry in the series, and it’s also the most distinct departure from the adult-oriented, extremely violent nature of its predecessors. Badlands stretches the tonal scope of what a Predator movie can include and feel like. With 2022’s Prey maintaining the franchise’s grittiness and simple setups (albeit taking place on the Great Plains in the early 1700s), and this year’s animated Predator: Killer of Killers expanding the Predator narrative pallet in inventive and ultra-gory ways, Badlands is an additional and promising franchise track: a character-oriented Star Wars-esque adventure.Continue reading “Film Review: “Predator: Badlands””
