Joker reimagines the iconic Batman villain as a mentally ill, impoverished standup comedian. One-sentence review: Joker is well-made and full of interesting choices that all feel hollow when you consider what the movie is trying to say — the answer: not much. Details: ? Todd Phillips // ?? U.S. // ⏳ 122 minutesThe cast: Joaquin…
In Pain and Glory, a filmmaker reckons with his past when a screening of one of his films requires him to contact an actor he feuded with. One-sentence review: Pain and Glory is a colorful, funny and profound film where Pedro Almodóvar reckons with his past and career — featuring a career-best performance by Antonio…
Based on a true story, a hitman for the mob looks back at his life and the events that shaped him in The Irishman. One-sentence review: The Irishman combines the meditative pace of Silence, the sharp humor and style of The Wolf of Wall Street, and the narrative of Martin Scorsese's greatest gangster movies to…
Ad Astra follows an astronaut as he goes on an interstellar mission to undo the effects of his father's failed mission 30 years earlier. Quick cut review: Ad Astra isn't the thrilling space adventure it's being marketed as — for good reason — and is instead a deepl moving meditation on emotional repression and the…
Atlantics follows a group of workers in Dakar as they leave the country by boat looking for a better life. One-sentence review: Atlantics has an intriguing enough story and Mati Diop manages some fascinating scenes of tension and emotion, but it lacks the narrative momentum for it to really take off. Details: ? Mati Diop…
Set in a Brazillian village in the near future, Bacurau follows the inhabitants as they become the victims to a sinister set of events. One-sentence review: Bacurau is a wonderfully weird western that is as funny as it is hard hitting and thrilling. Details: ? Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles // ?? Brazil //…
Brittany Runs a Marathon follows an overweight and lonely New Yorker as she sets out to turn her life around by training for a marathon. One-sentence review: Brittany Runs a Marathon has enough charm, laughs, and wonderfully eclectic characters — especially Jillian Bell's eponymous Brittany — to get it past its weaker moments. Details: ?…
Hustlers follows a group of strippers as they hatch a plan to swindle money from their wealthy clientele. 30-second review: Hustlers is an incredibly complex movie. Not only is it hilarious and charming, it delivers commentary on complicated themes of female relationships, the power dynamic between men and women, and the struggle of the working…
In Haunt, a group of college students makes their way to a haunted house in the middle of nowhere seeking thrills — they get more than they bargained for. 90-second review: I came into Haunt with a great deal of anticipation considering directors Scott Beck and Brian Woods just came off writing—and nearly getting nominated for an Oscar—for A Quiet Place. Not to…
It Chapter Two finds the members of the "Loser Club" returning to their hometown to face Pennywise one last time 30-second review: Rather than adding onto and complementing the first movie, It Chapter Two feels bogged down by it. Director Andy Muschietti and screenwriter Gary Dauberman try to make the movie funnier, scarier, more intense,…
