It begs the question of what it would actually take to win the attention and approval of the device-centered youths of today. Would it be what’s in the film, as in a set of parents instituting a cold turkey removal of wi-fi, a migration to analog country isolation, and the nudging increase of go-out-and-get-dirty experiences? Sure, that stuff tends to work in fictional movies, but what about stepping out of the movie itself to the theatrical and streaming marketplaces.
Read MoreThis kind of movie, like the characters in peril, live and die by the balance—or imbalance—of poor choices versus good decisions made by the central on-screen characters. Veer too much in the poor direction, and you throw your hands up at the screen too often in fun-dampening frustration. Pile too high in the good direction and everyone is a Mary Sue, and the sense of survival suspense evaporates. The End of Oak Street finds admirable footing in this area amid its surreal premise.
Read MoreA master of all things moody and mysterious, Dafoe is the chief reason to approach this narrative based on Panos Karnezis’s 2007 novel. The enigmatic star, singing and dancing at a few points, is granted all latitude to explore the framed space, and the camera is entranced to follow him. However, back to its ugly soap opera traits, outside of actively worshipping Dafoe completists, absorbing the undesirable heights of Jiménez’s bleak film is hard to recommend.
Read MoreIn Tony, directed by incisive rising filmmaker Matt Johnson of Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie and BlackBerry, we’re not watching the complicated rise of the next J. D. Salinger. We’re witnessing the prickly makings of, quite simply, an asshole. With each new early scene, Tony stacks lies that inflate his resume, ego, and foothold on any actual success, with no signs of slowing down in a parade of one bad choice after another.
Read MoreWhen a creative person gets the fullest chance to tell a piece of their autobiographic story through their chosen medium, that’s a special result worth celebrating. Lauren Caster is wonderfully granted that very freedom as she writes, directs, and stars in the gracious independent film Rhythm Is a Dancer.
Read MoreOn one end, many want the moments to be right, but sometimes sex can be a disposable activity to fulfill mutual carnal needs. With that kind of range, there are ways to explore such expanse with potent concepts. And yet, there are still ways to clumsily overthink it. Will Gluck’s heady new romantic comedy One Night Only finds a daring, silly premise and runs with it to find hilarity and heart within the hedonistic whims.
Read MoreNo son or daughter wants the “Alvin!” treatment from any incarnation of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Olmo isn’t just the title of the new film from Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke that played at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and as a Panorama selection at the 75th Berlinale. It’s the word you hear hollered most often, much to the dismay of the character who bears the name, played by Night Swim newcomer Aivan Uttapa.
Read MoreIn many ways, there is no amount of “What the fuck is wrong with you?” questions, bellowed from both sides of this dichotomy, that will ever get to the bottom of the dirty depth being scooped in I Want Your Sex, and that’s a complete plus to the film’s appeal. Splicing comedy to sexual awakening in this day and age is a tall task, and scrambling brains with the jeopardy of fantasy fulfillment is even bolder.
Read MoreThanks to their committed and brave performances of showing life’s difficulties parallel to the carefree and united fun, the question isn’t “will-they” or “won’t-they” like other rom-coms. It’s should they because of the prudence being paced so smoothly and realistically next to the pleasures. Built that way, any fulfillment found in it all becomes much more rewarding.
Read MoreSpider-Man needed this break, and we did too. For better and truer people, that anticipation time is filled with reflection and appreciation, fitting this lesson’s adage of devotion. Arriving with the passage of time firmly welded to its ripened core, Spider-Man: Brand New Day rewards those hearts who arrive eager and encouraged.
Read MoreThough packaged with plenty of crassness and off-color humor, we’re here for the sideline sweetness and the infectious nature of the approachable sport. If pickleball seems preposterous for those unsure or unaware, like it’s nothing more than ping pong with feet, imagine it packaged as a formulaic sports movie. Like the sport itself, The Dink is a light bounce and an easy good time without anyone over-exerting themselves.
Read MoreWhether it is the unending expanse of sky, the unseen abyss of the ocean churning below it, or the bottomless moral pits of its key characters, there are layers upon layers of depth farther than any sight or measurement in Christopher Nolan’s grand and grievous take on The Odyssey. Leave it to one of this generation’s best filmmakers to accept the challenge with spectacular precision and the fearless temerity to make it his own.
Read More
