Reviews

It might be odd for anyone who knew me growing up to hear that animation is one of the film genres I struggle with. Having spent most of my childhood drawing various Transformers and Star Wars characters before transitioning to recreations of Michael Jordan and more "grown up" subject matter in high school, I definitely have an appreciation for the

Ever since my weekly review count slowed down a few years back, November and December have become catch-up time as I look for potential selections for my annual UFCA ballot. (In my defense, many of the contenders aren't made available until the end of the year, anyway.) Among the various categories, non-English language films is a genre that requires extra

There is an argument to be made that the vast majority of documentaries contain some form of ethical issues, whether it be the filmmaker's bias, how the subjects are represented and compensated, or being accountable for how it impacts its subjects and viewers. This is what makes Predators one of the most interesting and layered pieces of journalistic filmmaking to

"Ella McCay" - 1 1/2 stars out of 4



Walking out of "Ella McCay," I knew I didn't like the movie, but it took a while to work out why.



Part of the problem is an awkward start that seemed to have the opposite of its desired effect: a quirky older woman (Julie Kavner) announces herself as the narrator, and proceeds to

"Hamnet" - 3 1/2 stars out of 4



When I type "Hamnet" into my computer, the little red line appears, because it thinks I should be writing "Hamlet" instead. But according to the title card of Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet," the names were considered interchangeable in Shakespeare's time.



Regardless of how you spell it, or whether the alternate spelling is being used as

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (3 stars out of 4)



Starting with 2019's "Knives Out," director Rian Johnson's series of murder mysteries have taken on a sequence of safe targets. The first movie pointed the finger at the wealthy entrenched aristocracy, where 2022's "Glass Onion" set its sights on the second jet-setting tech bros and online influencers. Now,

Rental Family (4 stars out of 4)



Hikari's "Rental Family" is the kind of movie that makes me grateful to be a movie critic.



"Rental Family" tells the story of a struggling American actor who is forced to reevaluate his life when an unconventional job challenges his moral compass.



Phillip Vandarpleog (Brendan Frasier) relocated to Japan several years earlier to pursue his acting

Edgar Wright returns to theaters this month with his new film “The Running Man,” starring Glen Powell. Wright has made some of the most prolific action-comedies of the century thus far. Wright is best known for his signature style of offbeat humor, quick editing, and fast camerawork. One of the most common tropes of the Wright catalogue is making passionate

The Running Man (2 1/2 stars out of 4)



Many if not most audiences will view Edgar Wright's "The Running Man" in comparison to the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, even though both films are separate adaptations of a novel by Stephen King. So without having read that novel, this review will approach the new film from the more general perspective,

"Nuremberg" (3 stars out of 4)



James Vanderbilt's "Nuremberg" is the story of a duel. Set during the months that followed the end of World War II, Vanderbilt's film tells the true story of a military psychiatrist who was tasked with treating the captured Nazi officials prior to their trial for war crimes.



At first, Dr. Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) is given