Instead of picking the "best" films of the year, I prefer to list my favorites. There is, of course, overlap in those two lists, but I like to acknowledge the imperfect films that brought me the most joy. Some of the "best" movies I see each year are ones I don't really want [...]
There's a common misconception that Edgar Wright's "The Running Man" is a remake of the 1987 Schwarzenegger action flick of the same name. While it's true that they are both inspired by the same Stephen King novel, the '87 version had surprisingly little to do with the book. In contrast, this latest interpretation follows the [...]
Dan Trachtenberg has released three feature-length Predator films in only three years, each with bold choices. 2022's "Prey" was a return to form of sorts, but instead of an Arnold-like character, the Alien battled against a young Comanche woman. Earlier this year, his animated anthology "Killer of Killers" was released on streaming. In addition to [...]
Yorgos Lanthimos has directed three feature films in the last three years. First was 2023's "Poor Things," followed by "Kinds of Kindness" and now "Bugonia." All three star Emma Stone, with Jesse Plemons co-starring in the last two. Based on this cast and how delightfully unique each of his films is, I was extremely optimistic [...]
2021's "The Black Phone" was based on a short story by Joe Hill, the son of Stephen King. Director Scott Derrickson did a great job of expanding this story to fill a feature-length film. However, given the limited source material and the climactic ending, it seemed unlikely that a sequel would be forthcoming. It turns out that [...]
Bill Condon's 2025 "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is the third adaptation of Manuel Puig's 1976 book of the same name. The first was the 1985 movie directed by Hector Babenco, which scored William Hurt a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Luis Molina. Eight years later, it was adapted into a Tony Award-winning [...]
Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" is a probably his most mainstream film, and also one of his best. The film opens with a prolog that introduces us to a group of freedom fighters named the French 75. Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) has recently joined the group and is helping them liberate the immigrants at [...]
The marketing for this film is hoping people will mistakenly think Jordan Peele directed "HIM" and there is a reason for that. The relatively unknown director, Justin Tipping, clearly has a vision for this movie, but falls short in the narrative department. Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) has been groomed since childhood to be the next [...]
The third of four Stephen King movie adaptations this year is out now, and it is one of the best. "The Long Walk" is based on the first novel Stephen King wrote, back in 1967 while a college freshman. While the screenplay deviates from the source material in a few ways, it says a lot [...]
"Caught Stealing" is Darren Aronofsky's first feature film since 2022's Oscar-winning "The Whale." The trailer makes it seem like "Caught Stealing" is a quirky, dark, comedy, but it has more in common with his previous film than one might expect. "The Whale" explored addiction to food as a way of dealing with past trauma that [...]
