Recent Reviews
These are our latest reviews of movies at theaters, at the art house, or at festivals.
Dream Scenario
**1/22023, Kristoffer Borgli
Paul Matthews does nothing to save Dream Scenario – the movie – from itself.
Like a dream disrupted before its resolution, Dream Scenario trips on its journey to cinematic greatness.
The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
***1/22023, Francis Lawrence
Think about how music can be a flashpoint for expressing or defining a moment in time.
Rachel Zegler is the new soul of The Hunger Games.
Saltburn
***1/22023, Emerald Fennell
Shocking images are greeted with the gasps and groans of a classic audience participation experience
It sounds wrong to call something wonderfully wicked, but that fits Saltburn to a T.
Next Goal Wins
***1/22023, Taika Waititi
This is the kind of movie and storytelling style and humor at which Waititi excels.
Writer-director Taika Waititi scores his best movie with Next Goal Wins.
The Marvels doesn’t serve as Marvel’s Barbie moment.
The performances drive a compelling look at the bright power of music and the dark power of influence in Priscilla.
Somewhere inside Killers of the Flower Moon is a great movie desperate to get out.
The Exorcist: Believer
***2023, David Gordon Green
Those looking for a two-hour fright fest will be sorely disappointed.
The Exorcist: Believer doesn’t resurrect the original scares, but it does release some spirited ideas.
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The Creator’s substantial thematic ambitions aren’t fully realized, but it still rises above its derivative elements to provide a good standalone sci-fi experience.
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Stop Making Sense (40th Anniversary)
****2023, Jonathan Demme
Watching Stop Making Sense restored in 4K and presented in IMAX is pure joy.
Widely regarded as the greatest concert movie of all time, Stop Making Sense gets an impressive IMAX restoration and a limited theatrical release to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
A Haunting in Venice
***1/22023, Kenneth Branagh
There’s quite a bit of delight to be had in the pairing of Kenneth Branagh and Tina Fey.
Hercule Poirot is on the case once again in an entertaining blend of murder mystery and ghost story.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
*1/22023, Nia Vardalos
Novel ideas run throughout MBFGW3. Novel ideas, but poor execution.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 will very likely land this year’s not-so-coveted Dubious Achievement Award for the Most Jokes Landing with a Thud in a Comedy.
Landscape with Invisible Hand
**1/22023, Cory Finley
M.T. Anderson’s source novel is marketed as a book for young adults in the 14-17 age range.
Landscape with Invisible Hand could’ve been a surrealist satire, but what starts out as a pointilist pastiche bleeds into a rather muted watercolor wallflower.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
**1/22023, Jeff Rowe, and Kyler Spears
The movie belongs to Ice Cube as Superfly.
The turtles are back again and, while the pizza and looks are fresh, the story’s gone a little stale.
Shortcomings
**2023, Randall Park
Ben’s a piece of work and makes for a challenging centerpiece in a movie.
Shortcomings is aptly titled; this movie has plenty of them.