- feeds
- popular
- recent
- reader
- about
- story
- technologies
- what is rss
- connect
- dmca
- contact
- Feed Preview Movies - Hollywood in Toto
‘Heretic’ Turns Hugh Grant into a Charming Monster
Older stars lose their youthful veneer but often gain something special in the process. Examples? Kevin Costner, Jean Smart and Pierce Brosnan have only gotten better with age. Add Hugh Grant to ...
How David Lynch Buckled Our Knees with ‘The Straight Story’
David Lynch’s “The Straight Story” (1999) is his least expected work and one of his best. Atypically straightforward but rich with expected visual poetry, Lynch directed this from a screenp...
Discarded ‘Breakfast of Champions’ Gets a Second Chance
Alan Rudolph’s “Breakfast of Champions” (1999) is messy, dated and occasionally brilliant. Following a high-profile premiere and a negative reaction from the Berlin International Film Festi...
We Still Can’t Crack ‘Phantasm’ 45 Years Later
Don Coscarelli’s “Phantasm” (1979) begins with its title in red letters and nothing more. We’re off and running, which sums up what the film is like overall. Welcome to Wonderland, Alice,...
‘Halloween 5: Revenge of Michael Myers’ Shows Face of Franchise
Dominique Othenin-Girard’s “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” (1989) immediately grabs us with an opening title sequence riffing on the “pumpkin carving reveal” of prior instal...
‘Here’ Collapses Under Weight of Its Gimmick
Will CGI wonders never cease? Last year, Harrison Ford looked like his old self in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” The de-aging effects weren’t perfect, but it still felt like Doc ...
‘Line in the Sand’ Reveals Border Chaos on Steroids
The border wall Kamala Harris claims she’s itching to build gets a workout in “Line in the Sand.” Journalist-turned-filmmaker James O’Keefe shows parts of the finished wall getting cut in...
‘Coherence’ Offers Master Class in Cinematic Brain Teasers
James Ward Byrkit’s “Coherence” (2013) begins with Em (Emily Foxler) on her cell phone, which suddenly cracks for no apparent reason. Em arrives at a dinner party with an eclectic group of ...
‘The Black Hole’ – Disney Couldn’t Copy That ‘Star Wars’ Magic
Gary Nelson’s “The Black Hole” (1979) was a transitional film for the Walt Disney company. Here is the first PG-rated Disney film, a lavish sci-fi adventure intended to compete with “Star...
‘Outside’ Offers Dark Look at the Patriarchy
The Filipino import “Outside” respects George A. Romero’s golden zombie rule. Yes, the undead are flesh-famished monsters. Humans, alas, are the real villains. The zombie drama follows a fa...
One Huge Problem Sinks ‘My Name is Alfred Hitchcock’
Mark Cousins’ “My Name is Alfred Hitchcock” is a peculiar documentary/visual essay on films by The Master of Suspense. Coming from an authoritative film analyst as Cousins, it sounds like a...
‘The Legacy’ – Bonkers ’70s Shocker Led to Sweet Hollywood Story
Richard Marquand’s “The Legacy” (1979) opens sweetly, with a couple in love (future couple Sam Elliott and Katherine Ross) and a gentle ballad, masking how truly insane the movie gets. A gr...
‘House on Haunted Hill’ Delivers B-Movie Treats
William Malone’s “House on Haunted Hill” (1999) was the start of the Dark House Entertainment production company, in which Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver produced genre films to open aroun...
The One Movie That Out-Orwelled ‘1984’
Michael Radford’s “Nineteen-Eighty-Four” (1984) had the distinction of arriving on the year in which George Orwell’s 1949 novel was set. That’s far from the only remarkable thing about ...
‘Smile 2’ – Slick, Scary and Soulless
Horror movies follow a tried and true rule: less is almost always more. Give genre directors 90 minutes and they’ll get the job done. “Smile 2” shatters that rule into a million little piec...
‘Rippy’ Gives Killer Kangaroos a Bad Name
We’ve seen countless killer shark movies, from “Deep Blue Sea” to “Santa Jaws.” The sillier, the better. After all, what filmmaker can compete with 1975’s “Jaws,” the definitive s...
Two Documentaries: Two Searing Takes on Open Border USA
“Line in the Sand” and ‘Treason” examine stark moral questions in the handling of the U.S./Mexico border. The documentaries reveal the agents overseeing the border and the lives affected ...
How Horror-Comedy ‘Shocker’ Drained Our Batteries
Wes Craven’s “Shocker” (1989) opens with a strong case of déjà vu. We see the close-up of crud-smudged hands putting something together in a workshop, while a bloody knife sits unattended...
Curious Casting Couldn’t Topple ‘Interview with a Vampire’
Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire” (1994) begins with dreamy aerial shots of San Francisco, drawing us in with Elliot Goldenthal’s beautiful, melancholic score (similar to his mus...
‘Saturday Night’ – Counter-Culture Cut-Ups Crush Conformity
The “Not Ready for Prime-Time Players” earned their nickname. “Saturday Night,” a wild look back at “Saturday Night Live’s” 1975 debut, shows the cast careening around the studio wi...
‘January 6: The Most Deadliest Day’ Blisters the Left
Some of The Babylon Bee’s funniest work boils down to a perfect headline. Consider: FEMA Warns They Don’t Have The Resources To Block Humanitarian Aid For Next Hurricane The accompanying faux...
‘Caddo Lake’ Delivers a Cinematic Shrug
Sweet Baby Ray’s tag line says it all: “The Sauce Is the Boss.” Something similar holds for “Caddo Lake.” The Max thriller’s best asset is its title – the swampy landscape where the...
‘Terrifier 3’ – More Gore, Less Fun
The joke is on us with “Terrifier 3.” The twisted franchise gave us Art the Clown, the best serial killer since Freddy sharpened his nails. Its torture-porn aesthetic felt almost quaint given...
‘Apprentice’ Crushed by Trump Derangement Syndrome
There’s a fascinating story to be told about Donald Trump’s Big Apple ascendancy. “The Apprentice” sniffs around the edges but isn’t interested in that yarn. It’s about channeling nea...
How ‘Sixth Sense’ Turned Conventional Wisdom on Its Head
M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense” (1999) arrived with such a quiet, understated amount of hype at summer’s end that no one expected it to be the durable classic that it became. I hav...
Yes, ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ Trumps 2019 Blockbuster
Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie a Deux” (hereafter referred to as “Joker 2”) defies expectations and will put to the test all of the pre-packaged welcome and fanboy glee that greets it. Th...
Why ‘Wild Robot’ Earns Those ‘Iron Giant’ Comparisons
Chris Sanders’ “The Wild Robot” has emerged as a true sleeper in an age where animated movies are mostly sequels or spinoffs of toys or games. Based on Peter Brown’s 2016 book, Sanders’...
How ‘Black Christmas’ Changed the Face of Horror
Bob Clark’s “Black Christmas” (1974) is a petrifyingly scary film, easily one of the all-time most unsettling to take place during the yuletide holiday season. While not a hit upon release ...
How ‘Apartment 7A’ Betrays ‘Rosemary’s Baby’
Natalie Erika James’ “Apartment 7A” is a 1965-set prequel to “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968). It stars Julia Garner as Terry, a dancer whose foot injury has made her undesirable to casting d...
‘Salem’s Lot’ Delivered Timeless Nightmare Fuel
Tobe Hooper’s “Salem’s Lot” (1979) was the first televised miniseries based on the 1975 Stephen King novel and a successful, influential one at that. In fact, despite content restrictions...
‘Vindicating Trump’ Gives Chilling Election Preview
Dinesh D’Souza rides the zeitgeist like a California surfer. The pundit’s “2000 Mules” tackled election integrity worries tied to the 2020 election. Last year’s “Police State” descr...
‘Salem’s Lot’ Can’t Come Close to TV Miniseries
Director Tobe Hooper turned Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot” into one of the more frightening yarns to grace the small screen. That two-part miniseries delivered signature scares back in 1979...
Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ – Auteur’s Messy Prayer for Brighter Tomorrow
Francis Ford Coppola has spent decades thinking about a movie project now known as “Megalopolis.” And it shows. The sprawling drama packs so many consequential themes into its two-plus hours ...
Why ‘The Fall’ Stands Tall 16 Years Later
Tarsem’s “The Fall” (2008) was the last film I saw the year it came out, as I was rushing to finish watching every major release for my Best Of article to be published at year’s end. I wa...
Here’s One Way Howard’s Puckish ‘Paper’ Aged Badly
Ron Howard’s “The Paper” (1994) opens with the image of a giant clock, visually indicating how the characters we’re about to meet are caught in the unending tilt of the giant hands that k...
Walken’s ‘Communion’ Remains Riveting and Ridiculous
Phillippe Mora’s “Communion” (1989) is, alongside the notorious failure of “Wired,” the most peculiar film of its movie year. The former is the infamous John Belushi biopic, doomed for ...
‘Civil War’ Will Be Watched, and Studied for Years
So thanks to MAX I finally got to see Alex Garland’s “Civil War.” I had heard the reaction fell into two distinct camps: some loved it, others hated it but nobody talked about the film itse...
‘The Substance’ Turns Body Horror Into Sheer Revulsion
Socially conscious horror isn’t as easy as it looks. If the message is strong, the genre elements take a back seat to The Narrative. It’s better to soft pedal said Message and let audiences t...
‘Am I Racist?’ Matt Walsh’s Daring DEI Exposé
Matt Walsh returns with another provocative satire from the creators of “What Is a Woman?“ The 90-minute documentary “Am I Racist?” digs into the absurdities of the Diversity, Equity, and...
‘Last Straw’ Ladles on Woke Tropes, Original Twists
There’s a sinking feeling watching the opening scenes in “Last Straw.” The indie thriller features a corrosive Final Girl running through a maze of woke bromides. Have patience. The film is...
‘Ed Wood’ – Tim Burton’s Best Film?
Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” (1994) is one of those seemingly out-of-character masterpieces that sneak up on you when a filmmaker with a well-established body of work makes something completely d...
‘Out Come the Wolves’ Delivers Blood, Thrills and Question Marks
When is a taut thriller with brains to match its brawn a disappointment? When it’s from the director of “Backcountry,” one of the best outdoor thrillers in recent memory. Director Adam MacD...
‘Am I Racist?’ – 2024’s Funniest Comedy
Matt Walsh did it again. The Daily Wire podcaster dove head first into the most controversial topic in America, the trans debate, and let its proponents reveal themselves via 2022’s “What Is...
‘My Penguin Friend’ Is the Blockbuster Antidote We Need
David Schurmann’s “My Penguin Friend” is a refreshing alternative to the late summer movie lineup. The adorable one sheet provides a hilarious contrast to the “Alien: Romulus” poster ha...
‘The Dark and the Wicked’ Offers Sly, Slow-Burn Chills
Dark and foreboding. That sounds clichéd, but it perfectly describes “The Dark and the Wicked.” This horror gem by director Bryan Bertino (“The Strangers” and “The Strangers: Prey at N...
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Brings Franchise Back from the Dead
Michael Keaton can do almost anything on screen, even bringing parts of “The Flash” to life. Can he resurrect his oddest screen incarnation, a zombie-fied ghoul who made the afterlife hip in ...
‘Incoming’ Delivers R-Rated Laughs from the Past
It’s increasingly hard to bring R-rated sex comedies to the screen. We can stream almost any type of debauchery, but the cultural overlords wince at teens acting like … teens. Too much: White...
‘Reagan’ – A Cinematic Tribute Long Overdue
The Great Communicator cried out for a biopic all his own. Until recently, we’ve had a Showtime miniseries eager to deflate President Ronald Reagan and projects capturing glib takes on the 40th...
‘You Gotta Believe’ May Carpet Bomb Your Tear Ducts
Baseball is more than a game, and the best sports movies lean into that hard truth. “Eight Men Out.” “Bang the Drum Slowly.” “Field of Dreams.” They all had more to say than who struc...
Dalton, Davi Made ‘License to Kill’ a Brutal Bond Highlight
John Glen’s “License to Kill” (1989) is an easy candidate for the most underrated James Bond thriller. It’s also among the most unusual. The film’s brutal, risk-taking story made it the...