In 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 MoreThe sleepaway setting has long been a comedy and horror staple, from Meatballs, Friday the 13th, and The Parent Trap to Heavyweights and full-on satires like Wet Hot American Summer, and the delightful and crass new comedy The Floaters follows that in the same vein. It doesn’t matter the specialty or type of camp, assembling a hodgepodge group of characters is a foolproof and fast way of multiplying the classic coming-of-age arc we know and love.
Read MoreMost scientists in the SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) or METI (messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence) fields bank on theories that any real evidence we, as a planet, will get will come from signals more than flying saucers and little green men arriving on Earth. Similar to Contact, Clara, and Ad Astra that came before it, The Outer Threat follows that more plausible and intelligent path and still develops solid suspense.
Read MoreCompare your kinks and compare your calamity to theirs as the cross-examinations skirt the existential as well as the suggestive. This all feels like a brisk game and a bold test, and there is unmistakable brilliance to take away from such an experience, and witnessing the savvy theatrical chops, led by Olivia Wilde, it took to pull this kind of vampy subterfuge.
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