Category: ★★½

thelma-movie

Thelma ★★½

The mental landscape of Joachim Trier’s characters is frightful. Often they’re circumstances lead them into a depression. Medication, whether self-inflicted or otherwise, is a resort many of his characters take to. In Thelma, a young girl playedRead Full Review

wonderstruck-movie

Wonderstruck ★★½

To make a film as atypical as Wonderstruck just two years after making a film as masterful as Carol is, for director Todd Haynes, quite the cinematic stunt that isn’t getting that much attention. Haynes is aRead Full Review

lucky-movie

Lucky ★★½

John Carroll Lynch’s Lucky feels at times like a short film that’s running a bit too long. There isn’t much to the story. It stars Harry Dean Stanton as the titular Lucky, a 90-year-old atheist andRead Full Review

mother-movie

Mother! ★★½

Movie stars like Jennifer Lawrence don’t usually make films like Mother! and by that fact alone, this film is unique and interesting in a way. The movie came out on September 15th and in less thanRead Full Review

atomic-blonde-movie

Atomic Blonde ★★½

The audaciousness of Atomic Blonde – in its performances, its action set pieces, its hopelessly convoluted screenplay – is certainly endearing at moments. Cherlize Theron’s performance as an MI6 agent named Lorraine Broughton is thoroughly investedRead Full Review

a-ghost-story

A Ghost Story ★★½

A Ghost Story imagines paranormal activity in a way that is simultaneously childish and garishly adroit. The ghosts in this story appear as superficial, bed sheet-covered figures with comical eye holes that peek into nothing butRead Full Review

beguiled-movie

The Beguiled ★★½

There’s a certain swampiness to Sofia Coppola’s latest film, a deliberate humidity that the movie enforces upon the audience. Not since Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy have I felt so clammy. Both films take place in theRead Full Review

kong-skull-island-movie

Kong: Skull Island ★★½

The cinematic success of this seemingly endless diet of Hollywood recycling really depends on the degree to which these projects choose to have fun. There are moments when Kong: Skull Island realizes that, and when itRead Full Review

lego-batman-movie

The LEGO Batman Movie ★★½

Christopher Nolan’s Batman films aged incredibly fast. The shine had hardly faded from The Dark Knight‘s Oscar win before many were lining up to knock that film’s follow-up, The Dark Knight Rises, with claims of pompous pretension,Read Full Review

paterson-movie

Paterson ★★½

Paterson, New Jersey has a rich history with poetry, including being home to Allen Ginsburg and William Carlos Williams. Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson is an ode to the poetry of life, told through the life of aRead Full Review

fences-movie

Fences ★★½

There are few actors more fun than Denzel Washington when actively engaged. He’s one of our greatest movie stars, a true legend, an actor who’s skill and authority is rarely rivaled. It’s hard for WashingtonRead Full Review

elle-movie

Elle ★★½

I’ve never quite grasped the films of Paul Verhorven. The sheer magnitude of his capacity for provocation has always seemed somewhat beyond me. I can’t manage to see much beyond the extreme images he’s puttingRead Full Review

morris-from-america

Morris From America ★★½

It never really seems like Morris From America has enough story to fill out its 91 minutes. It’s a unique take on the coming-of-age tale, but it never really puts itself into any unique territory. NewcomerRead Full Review

jason-bourne

Jason Bourne ★★½

The Bourne franchise isn’t nearly as intelligent as it thinks it is. It’s suggestion of commentary on our political climate is shallow at best, but that’s okay. The original Bourne trilogy was the perfect action seriesRead Full Review

a-bigger-splash

A Bigger Splash ★★½

Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino doesn’t mind embracing stereotypes of Italian sensuality, embracing themes of sex and passion with a no-holds-barred approach, and casting actors who are sure to be up to the task of stripping downRead Full Review

knight-of-cups

Knight of Cups ★★½

There’s so much to like in Knight of Cups. It’s got a great assortment of beautiful actors, caught up in another swirling cinematic ballet from Terrence Malick. Since his fifth film, The Tree of Life (aRead Full Review

American Gangster ★★½

In American Gangster we see the story of Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. Frank Lucas is the most powerful man in Harlem, with the most powerful heroin empire of it’s time. Richie Roberts is the good-natured copRead Full Review