All Reviews

• The State of Hollywood and Self-Conflict: A Review of “Birdman” (3/18/2015)
• “Ex Machina” Portrays a Unique Exploration of Feminine Independence (4/30/2015)
• Time Travelling Film Noir – A Review of “Predestination” (5/1/2015)
• Duck Soup Cinema and “The General” (5/8/2015)
• Enjoy “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, it May Be the Last of its Kind. (5/11/2015)
• Halo + “Groundhog’s Day” = “Edge of Tomorrow”: A Review (5/12/2015)
• “Mad Max: Fury Road”, an Action-Packed Masterpiece (5/20/2015)
• “Pitch Perfect 2”: a Suitable Encore (5/25/2015)
• “The Raid” is Martial Arts Action at its Very Finest (5/26/2015)
• McQueen Dissapears Fassbender in “Hunger” (5/27/2015)
• Tomorrowland’s Wonder and Spirit Marred by Preachy, Unsubtle Third Act (5/27/2015)
• The B-Movie “Zombeavers” is Funny, Weird, and Spooky Schlock. (5/28/2015)
• “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” Excels as Sparse, Tone-Forward Vampire Film (5/29/2015)
• “San Andreas” Something Earthquake Pun (6/3/2015)
• With “The Raid 2”, Gareth Evans Establishes the Action Franchise of the Decade (6/8/2015)
• The Fantastic Journey of Gaspar Noé’s “Enter the Void” (6/11/2015)
• Biopic “Love & Mercy” Applies Musical Genius of Brian Wilson to Cinematic Storytelling (6/12/2015)
• Jurassic World’s Over-the-Top Everything Leaves Little Room for Story (6/15/2015)
• “Blue Ruin” is a Brilliant, Grounded Deconstruction of the Standard Revenge Thriller (6/16/2015)
• Pixar’s “Inside Out” Beautifully Depicts the Emotion and Struggle of Growing Up (6/17/2015)
• “Burying the Ex” Dramatizes the Shambling Remains of an Undead Relationship (6/23/2015)
• “Terminator: Genisys” Obsesses Over Time Travel and Erases Past Glory (7/1/2015)
• Empathy is the Strength of Formula One Racing Documentary “Senna” (7/7/2015)
• “An Honest Liar” Focuses on Our Relationship with Deception (7/15/2015)
• “Ant-Man” Offers More Wit, Subtlety, and Heart than Standard Marvel Fares (7/24/2015)
• “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” Ascends to Brilliant Heights (8/3/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – Todd Field’s “In the Bedroom” (2001) (8/7/2015)
• Asif Kapadia’s “Amy” is a Haunting Critique of Celebrity Worship (8/10/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – “The Dark Crystal” (1982) (8/14/2015)
• Don’t Lose Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” in the Spy Thriller Shuffle (8/19/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” (2003) (8/21/2015)
• The Newest Comedy-Horror Masterpiece: “What We Do in the Shadows” (8/27/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – Miloš Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) (8/28/2015)
• “It Follows” and the Strength of Uncompromising Visual Style (9/2/2015)
• “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” Discovers the Joy of Living (9/10/2015)
• Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” Offers Smart, Thematic Terror (9/17/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – Scott Hicks’ “Shine” (1996) (9/18/2015)
• Classic Review Friday –George Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck.” (2005) (9/18/2015)
• The Intimidating, Slow Burn of “Black Mass” (9/23/2015)
• Denis Villeneuve Week – Day 1: “Maelstrom” (Canada, 2000) (9/28/2015)
• Denis Villeneuve Week – Day 2: “Polytechnique” (Canada, 2009) (9/29/2015)
• Denis Villeneuve Week – Day 3: “Incendies” (Canada, 2010) (10/1/2015)
• Denis Villeneuve Week – Day 4: “Enemy” (Canada / Spain, 2013) (10/2/2015)
• Denis Villeneuve Week – Day 5: “Prisoners” (USA, 2013) (10/3/2015)
• “The Martian” Champions the Mind and Compassion as Saviors of Humanity (10/7/2015)
• “Sicario” is a Tense and Grim Look at the Futility of the Drug War (10/13/2015)
• Back on the Big Screen: “Back to the Future Part II” (1989) and “The Iron Giant”(1999) (10/22/2015)
• Boyle’s “Steve Jobs” the Epitome of Style (11/6/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – Gary Ross’ “Pleasantville” (1998) (11/13/2015)
• Criterion Blogathon – Roman Polanski’s “Macbeth” (1971) (11/17/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire” (2004) (11/20/2015)
• The Derivative “Spectre” Wastes Performances and Spins Wheels (12/1/2015)
• “Creed” Drips with Directorial Style and Poignant Performance (12/2/2015)
• Though “Bridge of Spies” is Lesser Spielberg, Hanks, and Coen Bros – There’s Still Plenty To Enjoy (12/8/2015)
• Barry Crimmins’ Courageous Testimony: “Call Me Lucky” (12/14/2015)
• Classic Review Friday – John Dahl’s “Rounders” (1998) (12/18/2015)
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – Not Mad, Just Disappointed (12/20/2015)
• “Krampus” Revels in the Darker Side of the Holiday Season (12/29/2015)
• Saoirse Ronan Discovers Capacity for Joy in “Brooklyn” (1/5/2016)
• “Spotlight” Illuminates Cover-Up of Clerical Abuse in the Best Film of the Year (1/5/2016)
• “The Hateful Eight” Toys with Truth and Race, but Ends Up Less than the Sum of Its Parts (1/11/2016)
• With Tongue-In-Cheek Absurdity, “The Big Short” Scathes Those Responsible for the Financial Crisis (1/14/2016)
• “The Revenant” is both Style and Substance, and Don’t Let Anyone Tell You Otherwise (1/20/2016)
• “Anomalisa”: A Bittersweet Dramatization of Haunting Loneliness and Depression (2/9/2016)
• Classic Review Friday – John Hughes’ “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) (2/12/2016)
• “Deadpool” is a Self-Conscious Masterpiece of the Comic Book Genre (2/16/2016)
• “Hail, Caesar!”: The Zany Slices of an Incomplete Pie (2/18/2016)
• “Dope”: The High-Tech Screwball Noir (2/19/2016)
• “The VVitch” Capitalizes on the Style of a Period Piece to Spin a Horrifying Yarn of Yesteryear (2/20/2016)
• The Monstrous Savage of “Bone Tomahawk” Feels Icky, but is the Resulting Western/Horror/Comedy Worth It? (2/22/2016)
• “Eddie the Eagle” Succeeds in Theme, But Hits Too-Familiar Story Points (3/8/2016)
• “Room” – A Haunted Celebration of Risk-Taking and Flourishing (3/14/2016)
• As the Best Disney Film in Decades, “Zootopia” Celebrates Achievement and Rejects Atavistic Determinism (3/18/2016)
• Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Overwhelms With Wasted Opportunity (3/28/2016)
• “The End of the Tour” Gives Us a Great David Foster Wallace, and a Solid Conversation (4/8/2016)
• Mike Flanagan’s Disciplined Style Makes the Seemingly Simple “Hush” an Outstanding Slasher (4/14/2016)
• Taika Waititi’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”: A Farcical Coming-of-Age Film with Surprising Heart (4/26/2016)
• “Green Room” Pits an Unlucky Punk Band against Cold, Calculating Neo-Nazis in a Claustrophobic, Smart Slasher (5/3/2016)
• “Captain America: Civil War” Scuttles Its Thematic Weight in Favor of Spectacle (5/31/2016)
• “The Lobster”: A Sardonic Defense of Individual Choice in Romance (5/31/2016)
• Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book” Enhances the Animation, Plot, and Theme of the 1967 Original (6/1/2016)
• A Foundation of Duality: How “Warcraft” Establishes a Unique and Thematic Fantasy World (6/13/2016)
• Building a High-Horror Franchise through Characters: “The Conjuring 2” (6/13/2016)
• “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” Has a Long Title and is Also Terrible (6/14/2016)
• “X-Men: Apocalypse” Dooms Itself by Mismanaging Villain (6/15/2016)
• Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys” is Neo-Noir Black Comedy at its Finest (6/17/2016)
• Justin Kurzel Adapts “Macbeth” by Adding Grim Details to The Bard’s Classic Tragedy (6/22/2016)
• “Finding Dory” Advances the Original with a Harmony between Story and Structure (6/22/2016)
• “Independence Day: Resurgence” is a Mess of Callbacks, Confusion, and Ret-Cons (7/1/2016)
• “The Neon Demon” and the Violent Pursuit of Corporate Beauty (7/1/2016)
• “The Secret Life of Pets” and the “Trailer Problem” (7/28/2016)
• The Foreclosure-Focused “99 Homes” Succeeds by Leveraging Powerful Performances Both Large and Small (7/28/2016)
• “Trumbo” Showcases the Talents of Cranston and Fanning, but Feels Beyond Its Length (8/1/2016)
• “Jack Strong” – A Nearly Perfect Cold War Spy Film (8/1/2016)
• The Empty Store Problem: The Familiar Story of “Jason Bourne” (8/4/2016)
• “Suicide Squad” is Doomed from the Start by a Lack of Focus, Clarity (8/8/2016)
• The Hilarious and Heretical Debauchery of “Sausage Party” (8/12/2016)
• “Kubo and the Two Strings” Sports Gorgeous Animation and Weighty Themes, but is Marred by Sub-par Voice-Acting and Pacing (8/22/2016)
• “Don’t Think Twice”: Mike Birbiglia’s Masterful Exploration of Adult Relationships through Improv Comedy (8/23/2016)
• “Sing Street” Leverages its Exceptional Music to Craft a Superlative Coming-of-Age Story (8/24/2016)

• Luke Sabis Blunders through his Microbudget Thriller “Missing Child” (8/31/2016)
• Fede Alvarez’s “Don’t Breathe” is a Perfectly Plotted, Table-Turning Slasher (9/1/2016)
• “Weiner”, Or: How a Sexually Strange Man was Sacrificed to the Public Outrage Machine (9/7/2016)
• David Mackenzie Dazzles with “Hell or High Water”, a Deliberate and Astonishing Western Heist Film (9/9/2016)
• “De Palma” Overflows with Cool Stories but Lacks Cohesion (9/9/2016)
• Toronto International Film Festival Reviews (9/19/2016)
• “The Light Between Oceans” is a Juggernaut of Expert Lead Performances (9/23/2016)
• Classic Review – Antoine Fuqua’s “Training Day” (2001) (9/30/2016)
• “Spirited Away” – Miyazaki’s Masterpiece Coming-of-Age Fantasy (10/10/2016)
• Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” Seeks a Spiritual Deliverance from Racial Injustice (10/11/2016)
• “The Greasy Strangler” Descends into Depravity with the Ease of a Cult Classic (10/17/2016)
• “The Accountant” Merges Dry Comedy and Calculated Action to Solid Effect (10/18/2016)
• “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” to This Parched Well (10/26/2016)
• Oliver Stone’s Snowden Explores a Reticent Hero in an Age of Surveillance (11/8/2016)
• Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe” is a Vibrant and Inspirational Metaphor (11/8/2016)
• “American Honey” – A Strong and Sweet Hybrid Stuffed with Singular Style (11/8/2016)
• “Moonlight” – a Masterpiece of Romantic Cinema that Champions the Importance of Self-Discovery (11/9/2016)
• In “Arrival”, Denis Villeneuve Delivers a New Hard Science Fiction Touchstone (11/11/2016)
• Despite “Out There” Visuals, Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” Is as Safe as They Come (11/11/2016)
• “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” – a Chimera of Whimsy and Doldrums (11/29/2016)
• “Moana” is a Poignant Departure from Disney’s Princess Formula (12/5/2016)
• “Loving” is a Restrained and Triumphant Challenge of Institutional Racism (12/7/2016)
• Yet Another Film Damaged by a Tell-All Trailer: Robert Zemeckis’s Lukewarm “Allied” (12/9/2016)
• “Manchester by the Sea” Devastates through Inescapable Tragedy (12/12/2016)
• “Nocturnal Animals”: a Story-within-a-Story of Weakness and Betrayal (12/20/2016)
• “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is a Dour Mixture of Fan Service and Risk-Aversion (12/21/2016)
• The Edge of Seventeen – A Bittersweet and Sarcastic Exploration of Teenage Self-Discovery (12/31/2016)
• Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is a Romantic and Hyper-Stylized Ode to Artistry and Dream-Seeking (12/31/2016)
• Though Clearly a Product of the Stage, “Fences” Excels on the Strength of Davis and Washington (12/31/2016)
• “Split” Showcases Strong Acting Talent and Intriguing Camerawork in Shayamalan’s Best Film Since “Unbreakable” (1/21/2017)
• Fantastic Catharsis in J. A. Bayona’s Phenomenal “A Monster Calls” (1/21/2017)
• Interview: Michaël Dudok de Wit talks The Red Turtle (1/23/2017)
• “Hidden Figures” – Chipping Away at Bigotry with Intelligence (1/26/2017)
• “Silence” and the Personal Perdurability of Faith (1/30/2017)
• Classic Review – Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) (2/8/2017)
• “The Founder” Allows the Spectator To Interpret the Life and Success of Ray Kroc (2/14/2017)
• Verhoeven and Huppert Combine to Tell a Singular Story of Feminine Strength in “Elle” (2/15/2017)
• Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden” Expresses Powerful Sexuality with Startling Style (2/16/2017)
• Jordan Peele’s Horror Masterpiece “Get Out” Expertly Satirizes Suburban Racists (2/22/2017)
• “I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore” Announces Macon Blair as a Burgeoning Directorial Talent (3/7/2017)
• “Logan” Leverages its Hard-R Rating, Stellar Performances, and Engaging Action To Deliver an Outstanding Wolverine Send-Off (3/9/2017)
• “Kong: Skull Island” – a Silly, Silly Film That Can’t Decide on a Tone (3/11/2017)
• “Slow West” – A Sparse Shakespearean Western Film (3/14/2017)
• “John Wick: Chapter 2” Honors the Original and Extends Its Aesthetic to New Heights (3/17/2017)
• “Beauty and the Beast” Pays Fitting Homage to Predecessors, But Can’t Compete with Masterpieces (3/18/2017)
• Jinn, Wartime, and Metaphor in the Amazing “Under the Shadow” (3/21/2017)
• “Saban’s Power Rangers” Has No Idea What to Be (3/26/2017)
• In Daniel Espinosa’s “Life”, Characters Could Use Some (3/26/2017)
• “Train to Busan”: Effective Zombies with Ethical Subtext (4/3/2017)
• Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes” and the Torture of Dishonesty (4/4/2017)
• “The Discovery” Under Delivers on a Fascinating Concept (4/8/2017)
• “The Void”: a Loving Homage to Practical B-Movie Horror (4/8/2017)
• Fight for Your Dreams: “Your Name.” and the Winding Path to Now (4/14/2017)
• “Colossal”: Part Kaiju Flick, Part Exploration of Abuse and Recovery (4/22/2017)
• Pablo Larraín’s “Jackie” Hinges on Natalie Portman’s Stellar Performance (4/23/2017)
• “Paterson”: Jim Jarmusch’s Ode to Discovering Poetry in the Mundane (4/24/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017 Over on Cinema Axis (4/25/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: 69 Minutes of 86 Days (4/25/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: Still Tomorrow (4/26/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: Let There Be Light (4/26/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: 78/52 (4/28/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: Manic (5/2/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: Integral Man (5/2/2017)
• Hot Doc 2017: Birth of a Family (5/2/2017)
• Hot Docs 2017: Ramen Heads (5/4/2017)
• “Free Fire” Attempts Farce, Ends Up Boring and Haphazard (5/5/2017)
• “The Lost City of Z”: an Ode to Obsession (5/6/2017)
• Strong Talent Can’t Elevate the Shoddy “Miss Sloane” (5/7/2017)
• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” – Definitely a Chapter from the Same Book (5/8/2017)
• “Alien: Covenant” – a Muted Echo of a Once-Great Franchise (5/21/2017)
• Inside Out 2017: Handsome Devil (5/23/2017)
• Inside Out 2017: Mansfield 66/67 (5/24/2017)
• Inside Out 2017: A Date for Mad Mary (5/25/2017)
• “War Machine” is Imbalanced, Has Too Few Barbs (5/29/2017)
• The Hilarious “Mindhorn” Blends Crime with Irreverence and Dry British Wit (5/30/2017)
• ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail (6/1/2017)
• Interview: Director Steve James talks Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (6/2/2017)
• The Heroism of “Wonder Woman” Is Worth Celebrating (6/7/2017)
• CSFF 2017: Hillsborough (6/7/2017)
• “The Mummy” Something Something Stupid “Wrapped” Pun (6/10/2017)
• “My Cousin Rachel” – a Period Romantic Mystery with Gorgeous Visuals (6/11/2017)
• “It Comes at Night” Is an Expression of Pure Pessimistic Horror (6/13/2017)
• “Rough Night” Packs Comedy, Filth, and the Macabre into a Bachelorette (6/16/2017)
• “Pawn Sacrifice”: Bobby Fischer’s Pyrrhic World Chess Championship (6/20/2017)
• “Cars 3” a By-The-Numbers Lap around the Same Track (6/23/2017)
• “The Dark Horse” Addresses Mental Health, Expectation, and Community (6/26/2017)
• “Captain Underpants – The First Epic Movie” Embraces Anti-Authority Silliness (6/27/2017)
• Music Breathes Beautiful Chaos into “Baby Driver” (7/3/2017)
• “Spider-Man: Homecoming” Does Whatever a Spider Can to Be Unique and Fun (7/11/2017)
• Romantic Comedy “The Big Sick” Delights and Devastates (7/13/2017)
• State of the Blog – August 2017 (8/1/2017)
• Patreon Pick #1: Marin Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” (2016) (8/10/2017)
• TIFF 2017: Threads (9/6/2017)
• TIFF 2017: What Will People Say (9/13/2017)
• TIFF 2017: Tulipani: Love, Honour, and a Bicycle (9/13/2017)
• TIFF 2017: The Tesla World Light (9/13/2017)
• “It” is Potent Storytelling Spoiled by Commercialized Horror (9/14/2017)
• TIFF 2017: Creatura Dada (9/14/2017)
• TIFF 2017: The President’s Visit (9/14/2017)
• “War for the Planet of the Apes” Earns Another Victory for the Rebooted Franchise (9/21/2017)