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Our film critics on blockbusters, independents and everything in between., latest articles, results sorted by select sort order newest oldest.

• Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
• Directed by McG

Joey King plays a teenager in a dystopian world where cosmetic surgery seems to be the cure for inequality.

By Amy Nicholson

The Killer's Game

• Action, Comedy, Thriller
• Directed by J.J. Perry

An assassin (Dave Bautista) meets his match (Sofia Boutella), but a diagnosis sets off an absurd chain of events in this rom-com action movie.

By Glenn Kenny

• Biography, Comedy
• Directed by Susanna Fogel

This dramedy starring Emilia Jones depicts the life and times of Reality Winner, a former National Security Agency contractor and whistle-blower.

By Beatrice Loayza

Girls Will Be Girls

• Drama, Romance
• Directed by Shuchi Talati

The filmmaker Shuchi Talati’s debut feature follows a model student and her stifled mother, who are both vying for the attention of a new crush.

By Natalia Winkelman

Matt and Mara

• Directed by Kazik Radwanski

Two former college friends reconnect for a possible romance in this irritatingly vague and vapid drama.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

• Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
• Directed by Anand Tucker

Ian McKellen stars as a drama critic in 1930s London who has much higher standards for the theater than for his own professional ethics.

By Ben Kenigsberg

The 4:30 Movie

• Directed by Kevin Smith

The writer-director Kevin Smith looks back fondly on his New Jersey childhood in this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy.

By Calum Marsh

Speak No Evil

• Drama, Horror, Thriller
• Directed by James Watkins

In this horror remake, James McAvoy plays an aggressively friendly British stranger who extends a dubious invitation to an American couple. Suckers!

By Manohla Dargis

• NYT Critic’s Pick
• Directed by Megan Park

A buoyant comedy with a big heart follows a teen girl who meets her older self the summer before college.

By Alissa Wilkinson

Holding Back the Tide

• Documentary
• Directed by Emily Packer

“Holding Back the Tide” weaves facts and dreamy moments into an unconventional take on the nature documentary that very much affects humans.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

• Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
• Directed by Tim Burton

Tim Burton has brought the band back together — Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, even Bob the shrunken head guy — for a fun but less edgy sequel.

Rebel Ridge

• Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
• Directed by Jeremy Saulnier

This crime drama from Jeremy Saulnier stars Aaron Pierre as a man whose run-in with small-town police officers uncovers uncomfortable secrets.

• Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
• Directed by Pascal Plante

A mysterious young woman becomes deeply invested in the trial of an accused serial killer in this courtroom thriller.

Look Into My Eyes

• Directed by Lana Wilson

This fascinating documentary that profiles seven New York City psychics is both profoundly sad and surprisingly hopeful.

Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln

• Directed by Shaun Peterson

Subtitled “The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln,” the film gathers an array of historians to argue that Lincoln had romantic relationships with men.

By Nicolas Rapold

• Directed by Luna Carmoon

A spiraling teenager and a tenderhearted garbage collector bond over debris in this stunningly unconventional drama.

I'll Be Right There

• Directed by Brendan Walsh

Edie Falco plays a matriarch bending over backward for her grown children in this uneven character study.

The Goldman Case

• Crime, Drama, History
• Directed by Cédric Kahn

An electrifying courtroom drama based on a real 1976 case calls the very nature of equality and justice into question.

The Front Room

• Horror, Thriller
• Directed by Max Eggers, Sam Eggers

Kathryn Hunter is enjoyably creepy in this new horror film starring Brandy Norwood. Too bad the rest of the freakouts are predictable.

My First Film

• Directed by Zia Anger

Zia Anger’s movie about her first movie is full of nested layers, but mostly it’s a meditation on how, and why, we create.

• Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
• Directed by Chris Weitz

A family surrenders control of its life to artificial intelligence with predictably dire results — for this movie’s viewers.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli

Merchant Ivory

• Directed by Stephen Soucy

In this conventional documentary, the filmmaking pair get their due as forward-thinkers within lush, period settings.

• Sci-Fi, Thriller
• Directed by Mikael Håfström

The paranoia sets in all too quickly in this spare psychological thriller, starring Laurence Fishburne and Casey Affleck.

By Brandon Yu

• Directed by Guillem Morales

This twisty psycho-thriller, about two childhood friends reunited under eerily ambiguous circumstances, is above all a dramatic showcase for its stars, Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer.

The Deliverance

• Directed by Lee Daniels

Lee Daniels directs Andra Day and Glenn Close in an exorcism tale that includes melodrama along with the scares.

Seeking Mavis Beacon

• Directed by Jazmin Jones

Two digital sleuths set out to find the woman who lent her image to computer software in this scattered documentary.

• Biography, Drama, History
• Directed by Sean McNamara

In this unabashed love letter to former president Ronald Reagan, Dennis Quaid fights the Cold War with conviction.

• Action, Drama, Thriller
• Directed by Ariel Vromen

The uproar that followed the verdict handed down in the police beating of Rodney King serves as a mere backdrop for fathers and sons to work out their issues in a heist thriller.

The Falling Star

• Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
• Directed by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon

A series of mishaps befall an activist-turned-bartender in a visually rich but shallow Belgian film.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The best of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” reminded me why I used to love comic books, especially the ones about a boy named Peter Parker. There was a playful unpredictability to them that has often been missing from modern superhero movies, which feel so precisely calculated. Yes, of course, “No Way Home” is incredibly calculated, a way to make more headlines after killing off so many of its event characters in Phase 3, but it’s also a film that’s often bursting with creative joy.

Director Jon Watts and his team have delivered a true event movie, a double-sized crossover issue of a comic book that the young me would have waited in line to read first, excitedly turning every page with breathless anticipation of the next twist and turn. And yet they generally avoid getting weighed down by the expectations fans have for this film, somehow sidestepping the cluttered traps of other crowded part threes. “No Way Home” is crowded, but it’s also surprisingly spry, inventive, and just purely entertaining, leading to a final act that not only earns its emotions but pays off some of the ones you may have about this character that you forgot.

Note: I will very carefully avoid spoilers but stay offline until you see it because there are going to be landmines on social media.

“No Way Home” picks up immediately after the end of “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” with the sound of that film’s closing scene playing over the Marvel logo. Mysterio has revealed the identity of the man in the red tights, which means nothing will ever be the same for Peter Parker ( Tom Holland ). With an almost slapstick energy, “No Way Home” opens with a series of scenes about the pitfalls of super-fame, particularly how it impacts Peter’s girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya) and best bud Ned ( Jacob Batalon ). It reaches a peak when M.I.T. denies all three of them admission, citing the controversy about Peter’s identity and the roles his buddies played in his super-adventures.

Peter has a plan. The “wizard” he met when he saved half the population with The Avengers can cast a spell and make it all go away. So he asks Dr. Strange ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) to make the world forget that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, which, of course, immediately backfires. He doesn’t want M.J. or Ned or Aunt May ( Marisa Tomei ) to forget everything they’ve been through together, and so the spell gets derailed in the middle of it. Strange barely gets it under control. And then Doc Ock ( Alfred Molina ) and the Green Goblin ( Willem Dafoe ) show up.

As the previews have revealed, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” weaves characters and mythology from the other cinematic iterations of this character into the universe of the current one, but I’m happy to report that it’s more than a casting gimmick. My concern going in was that this would merely be a case of “ Batman Forever ” or even “ Spider-Man 3 ,” where more was often the enemy of good. It’s not. The villains that return from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb films don’t overcrowd the narrative as much as they speak to a theme that emerges in the film that ties this entire series back to the other ones. For a generation, the line about Spidey was “With great power comes great responsibility.” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is about the modern Peter Parker learning what that means. (It also helps a great deal to have actors like Molina and Dafoe in villain roles again given how the lack of memorable villains has been a problem in the MCU.)

So many modern superhero movies have confronted what it means to be a superhero, but this is the first time it’s really been foregrounded in the current run of Peter Parker, which turns “No Way Home” into something of a graduation story. It’s the one in which Parker has to grow up and deal with not just the fame that comes with Spider-Man but how his decisions will have more impact than most kids planning to go to college. It asks some interesting questions about empathy as Peter is put in a position to basically try to save the men who tried to kill other multiverse iterations of him. And it playfully becomes a commentary on correcting mistakes of the past not just in the life of Holland’s Parker but those of characters (and even filmmakers) made long before he stepped into the role. “No way Home” is about the weight of heroic decisions. Even the right ones mean you may not be able to go home again.

Watts hasn’t gotten enough credit in his other two Spider-Man movies for his action and “No Way Home” should correct that. There are two major sequences—a stunner in a mirror dimension in which Spidey fights Strange, and the climactic one—but it’s also filled with expertly rendered minor action beats throughout. There’s a fluidity to the action here that’s underrated as Mauro Fiore ’s camera swoops and dives with Spider-Man. And the big final showdown doesn’t succumb to the common over-done hollowness of MCU climaxes because it has undeniable emotional weight. I also want to note that Michael Giacchino ’s score here is one of the best in the MCU, by far. It’s one of the few themes in the entire cinematic universe that feels heroic.

With so much to love about “No Way Home,” the only shame is that it’s not a bit more tightly presented. There’s no reason for this movie to be 148 minutes, especially given how much the first half has a habit of repeating its themes and plot points. Watts (and the MCU in general) has a habit of over-explaining things and there’s a sharper version of “No Way Home” that trusts its audience a bit more, allowing them to unpack the themes that these characters have a habit of explicitly stating. And, no offense to Batalon, turning Ned into a major character baffles me a bit. He always feels like a distraction from what really works here. On the other hand, this is the first of these three films that has allowed Zendaya and Holland’s chemistry to shine. In particular, she nails the emotional final beats of her character in a way that adds weight to a film that can feel a bit airy in terms of performance.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” could have just been a greatest hits, a way to pull different projects into the same IP just because the producers can. Some will see it that way just on premise alone, but there’s more going on here than the previews would have you believe. It’s about what historic heroes and villains mean to us in the first place—why we care so much and what we consider a victory over evil. More than any movie in the MCU that I can remember, it made me want to dig out my old box of Spider-Man comic books. That’s a heroic accomplishment.

In theaters on December 17 th .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
• Zendaya as Michelle 'MJ' Jones
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange
• Jon Favreau as Harold 'Happy' Hogan
• Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
• Marisa Tomei as May Parker
• Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus
• Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon / Electro
• Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin
• Tony Revolori as Eugene 'Flash' Thompson
• Angourie Rice as Betty Brant
• Martin Starr as Mr. Harrington
• Hannibal Buress as Coach Wilson
• J.B. Smoove as Mr. Dell
• J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
• Benedict Wong as Wong
• Chris McKenna
• Erik Sommers

Cinematographer

• Mauro Fiore
• Michael Giacchino

Writer (based on the Marvel comic book by)

• Steve Ditko

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‘the fire inside’ review: ryan destiny and brian tyree henry give knockout performances in barry jenkins-penned boxing drama.

Cinematographer Rachel Morrison makes her directorial debut with this chronicle of the career of two-time Olympic gold medal-winner Claressa Shields.

By Michael Rechtshaffen

Michael Rechtshaffen

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Adding several fresh pages to the inspirational sports film playbook, The Fire Inside is an immersive, pull-no-punches dramatic account of the ascendancy of Claressa Shields, the Flint, Michigan, Black teen who would become the only American boxer, male or female, in the history of the sport to win back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Games.

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In more pedestrian hands, her story might easily have emerged as standard triumph-over-adversity fare, but in this case, the assembled talent brings their A-game, yielding results that transcend convention at every turn.

It begins with a nuanced, laser-focused script by filmmaker Barry Jenkins ( Moonlight , If Beale Street Could Talk ), who, rather than feeling the need to reinvent the wheel, gives it some unexpected directions to travel. And Rachel Morrison , in her directorial debut, captures characters in the same, unapologetically intimate light as did her cinematography on such films as Mudbound and Black Panther .

Obviously most crucial is the casting of the two central characters, and while the always effective Brian Tyree Henry inhabits the role of Crutchfield with a soulful passion, it is young TV actress Ryan Destiny who burns brightest, delivering a deeply felt, fiercely spirited performance as Shields.

Following a Toronto International Film Festival world premiere, their collective contributions have the potential to reap awards accolades ahead of the picture’s release under the Amazon MGM Studios banner, opening wide on Christmas Day.

Propelled by a ferocious determination, Ressa makes it to the U.S. Olympic trials in Shanghai, where she qualifies for the 2012 London Olympics and, at the tender age of 17, goes on to take home the gold medal.

Now, usually with these underdog movies, this would be where they cue the triumphant fanfare and run photographs of the real-life counterparts over the closing credits. But Jenkins’ script isn’t done yet, opting to take a more sobering detour. After the glow of London begins wearing off, and Ressa soon realizes that those Nike and Wheaties endorsements won’t be materializing (as Crutchfield is informed by an agent, America wants to see its female athletes playing beach volleyball, not beating on somebody’s potential sister or daughter), she finds herself back in Flint facing some cold, hard realities regarding the American dream.

“Does what I did even count?” she wonders, in the face of dashed expectations from her family and her hometown.

She’ll eventually arrive at the sort of ending to which audiences are more accustomed, but not before the film makes some pointed socioeconomic observations regarding life in places like Flint and the promise they usually hold for people like Claressa.

As its restless protagonist navigates the road to ultimate personal victory, director Morrison is right there with her, maintaining a propulsive momentum accentuated by editor Harry Yoon’s rhythmic cuts and composer Tamar-kali’s elegant, percolating score.

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Movie review: In 'Substance,' Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley seduce, horrify

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Fountain of Youth stories often are cautionary tales about being careful what you wish for. The Substance , in theaters Sept. 20, takes that morality tale to provocative and horrifying extremes.

Elisabeth Sparkles (Demi Moore) is a fitness show host who's been famous long enough that her Hollywood Walk of Fame star has faded and cracked. On her 50th birthday, network executive Harvey (Dennis Quaid) informs her it's time for a new, younger host. Advertisement

So Elisabeth turns to The Substance, a mysterious youth formula that literally creates a younger copy of her and who names herself Sue (Margaret Qualley). Sue auditions for the show and becomes her own replacement.

Writer-director Coralie Fargeat doles out rules for how The Substance works and keeps it mysterious and compelling. Elisabeth is called The Matrix and Sue is her Other Self. Advertisement

Sue and Elizabeth alternate every seven days. While Sue is active, Elisabeth is unconscious, but needs to be hooked up to a feeding tube, and Sue must equalize the two women with daily injections of bodily fluids from one to the other.

Even obtaining The Substance tests how far Elisabeth is willing to go. The door to the facility only opens up to Elisabeth's knees, essentially asking: How curious are you? Will you duck under this opening to obtain your substance? (She does.)

The company behind The Substance insisted "You are one," but this is not entirely accurate. Sue and Elisabeth have different memories and experiences, and their needs and wants come into conflict.

When Sue cuts it close at the end of her week, or blatantly tries to extend her time by draining more from Elisabeth, it causes permanent damage to Elisabeth. Because they alternate, they can never have a face-to-face talk about the arrangement either.

Beyond the beauty parable, The Substance speaks to the macro issue that people should never expect any procedure to go 100% according to plan. The rules for maintaining the Matrix and Other Self are so rigorous, and yet nobody follows rules and procedures to a T. Advertisement

So, like any precarious endeavor in society, The Substance is compromised by every user. There are also hints of people beyond Elisabeth and Sue having negative experiences. Elisabeth meets them during her active weeks.

The initial process of creating Sue is already horrifying, showing Elisabeth's body splitting apart and birthing a new body. The consequences become as horrifying as their relationship becomes adversarial, but the close-ups of needles may be more than many viewers can bear.

Fargeat's story follows the premise to the logical conclusion of this Faustian arrangement. She also renders some of society's misogynistic demands of women, like smiling more or even more inappropriate comments.

Fargeat also presents the events in a heightened, surreal aesthetic. It's not dreamlike, but long, colored hallways and vast tiled rooms create stark backgrounds to explore the film's themes, and bringing characters uncomfortably close to or above the camera achieves disorientation.

Of course, we would all be lucky to look like Moore tomorrow, let alone at 50, but Hollywood and audiences are mean, so she deserves credit. And being respectful of Qualley too, she's not just putting herself on display as the new and improved Moore.

Sue uses her new looks strategically, seducing a complaining neighbor into cooperation. Beyond her own career advancement, she relishes the power a certain body type and face holds over heterosexual men in society.

Fargeat contrasts how Elisabeth looks at her body with shame and Sue looks at her body with pride by putting them in the same matching shot.

Quaid also goes all in on portraying the extreme misogyny of Harvey. It's not as vulnerable as the women in the film, as men are usually not as vulnerable in life, either, but he commits everything he can to the supporting role.

The Substance is provocative, but it only works because it is so entertaining. This is an All About Eve story, except Eve is the same person as her mentor.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment. Advertisement

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‘Kaalapatthar’ movie review: Vikky Varun’s film is an intriguing take on the politics of statues

In ‘kaalapatthar’, director vikky varun, who also plays the lead in the film, takes a realistic and grounded approach to a heavy subject of building statues and the intentions behind it.

Updated - September 13, 2024 06:03 pm IST

Vikky Varun in ‘Kaalapatthar’. | Photo Credit: A2 Films/YouTube

In a touching scene in Kaalapatthar, an old lady complains about the lack of water in her place. She gives a reality check to the village chief, who is decked up for the Independence Day celebration, ignorant of the issues faced by the people of Moodalapalya. Shankar (Vikky Varun), a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, watches the scene with a guilty face. He knows that the root cause of all the problems faced by his folks is his statue, which has become the talking point of the village. 

Political leaders get slammed for building statues and distracting people’s attention from important matters. Leaders get questioned if they wish to keep a particular group of people happy by spending lakhs on statues, even as they ignore the plight of underprevileged people.

Kaalapatthar (Kannada movie)

Varun, who also has directed the film and co-written the screenplay with D Satya Prakash and Raghu Nandan, takes up this heavy subject and makes it palatable for viewers by setting the story against a rural backdrop and portraying the realities of such a milieu. Naturalistic performances and earthy dialogues enhances the film’s flavour.

In Kaalapatthar, the village chief, pressurised by the media, announces a statue of Shankara. At the same time, the MLA (Rajesh Nataranga) proudly says in a speech that he would have built a taller statue if people had discussed the plan with him. When desperate people turn to the statue seeking hope, even God turns envious as the temple priest recommends an alteration to the statue. Amid people in power plotting personal gains, the locals get denied basic facilities such as water, bus service, and proper roads.

A still from ‘Kaalapatthar’. | Photo Credit: A2 Films/YouTube

So why did the statue get erected in the first place? Shankara, who is assigned the duty of a cook at the BSF, cuts vegetables instead of firing bullets in a war. Back in his hometown, people presume him to be toiling hard on the battlefield, but Shankara gets confined to the kitchen. Everything changes when he showcases his brave side by singlehandedly fighting men from the enemy camp. Shankara becomes a nationwide sensation, so much so that his statue gets built.

Trouble begins when Shankara starts to experience the things that happen to the statue. For instance, when the statue gets soaked in rain, Shankara gets drenched as his roof leaks. When this freakish pattern repeats too often, he wonders if it is a mere coincidence, his illusion, or if there is something really fishy about it. 

The film takes a delightful turn when the protagonist turns grey. A selfish Shankara does everything to protect the statue because he believes his life depends on it. A soldier, perceived as fearless, is reduced to a tepid man by a lifeless statue built with black stones ( Kaalapatthar in Hindi and hence the title ) .

ALSO READ: ‘Laughing Buddha’ movie review: A humorous, non-judgemental look at the everyday lives of police officers

The film jumps from one conflict to another without a break, and you get the feeling that it ends without a bang. The transitions in the screenplay seem too quick, giving us less time to process the twists in the movie. Yet, the film’s story, as a whole, is rock solid. And the director in Varun is in control of executing the important scenes. Anoop Seelin deserves special credit as his stylish score with unique beats beautifully reflects the everydayness of a village.

We live in a time when powerful people build their own statues when they are alive. Kaalapatthar tries to say that even as they enjoy the attention and accolades, they must not forget their duties. Statues must be an expression of respect and not an excuse to exploit the innocent, says the film.

Kaalapatthar is currently running in theatres

Published - September 13, 2024 05:33 pm IST

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Kannada cinema / Indian cinema

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30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

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