Alci Rengifo
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Recharges a Classic Saga With Roaring Imagination
Features • Published on May 2024
Just when franchise fatigue and cynicism has set in, a movie like “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” appears to reassure us that not everything has to remain a bleak factory…
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Meditates on Humans’ Intrusion on Nature
Evil Does Not Exist • Published on May 2024
A great filmmaker can find success and feel propelled to go further against the grain. Japan’s Ryûsuke Hamaguchi seems to be operating this way with his new film, “Evil Does Not Exist.” After…
‘The Fall Guy’: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt Give This Pyrotechnic Comedy Its Chemistry
David Leitch • Published on May 2024
There are many unsung talents behind the scenes of any film. With action movies, stunt doubles risk their bodies while the stars get all the attention. It makes total sense that director David…
‘Hacks’ Season 3 Gets Even Better With a Cocktail of Piercing Comedy
Features • Published on May 2024
Relationships with mentors can be complicated as the years go by. Even if it works out, there can still be a relationship mixing tension with endearment. Max’s “Hacks” stays fresh into its…
Elisabeth Moss Turns ‘The Veil’ Into a Sharp International Hunt
Elisabeth Moss • Published on April 2024
There are spy thrillers that depend entirely on the spy. Who plays the lead and with what attitude becomes crucial for the story’s real engagement. That’s the case with FX’s “The Veil,”…
‘Challengers’: It’s Game, Set, Zendaya in Luca Guadagnino’s Intoxicating Dive Into Obsession
Challengers • Published on April 2024
The aspirational character seeps into every aspect of a person’s life, from career choices to romance. Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” is a feverish love triangle that is also a portrait of aspirational tendencies…
Taylor Swift’s Cathartic ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Intimately Aims Daggers at Heartbreak
Aaron Dessner • Published on April 2024
The arrival of a new Taylor Swift album has become a massive event. The days leading up to the release of “The Tortured Poets Department” were marked by a campaign that…
Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Kills Nazis With Serviceable Joy
Features • Published on April 2024
There are some basic formulas for World War II movies from which we get a new crop of releases every year. Gritty battle epics remind us how terrible combat is. Glossy romances add…
Park Chan-wook’s ‘The Sympathizer’ Adapts Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Acclaimed Novel Into a Stirring Tale of War, Immigration and Espionage
Features • Published on April 2024
The Vietnam War has been a topic of American movies and TV since the days of the conflict itself. Rarely, in U.S. media at least, does the story get told from a purely…
‘Sasquatch Sunset’ Hilariously Follows a Bigfoot Family With Bestial Tenderness
David Zellner • Published on April 2024
Urban legends or folktales tend to originate from some kernel of truth. Part of the appeal of the whole Sasquatch a.k.a. Bigfoot legend is that on some level, it’s easy to believe its…
Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War’ Viscerally Imagines America Turned Into a Scorched Conflict Zone
Alex Garland • Published on April 2024
For Americans, war tends to be seen as something terribly unfortunate that happens abroad, as we watch from our privileged perch in the world order. Yes, we have political instability and plenty of…
‘Housekeeping for Beginners’: Goran Stolevski Captures the True Meaning of Family in Moving Drama About Queer Life in Macedonia
Features • Published on April 2024
Goran Stolevski is quickly becoming one of those rare filmmakers who tackle different stories but each one is brimming with something personal. “Housekeeping for Beginners” continues Stolevski’s exploration of sexuality, underdogs and…
Netflix’s ‘Ripley’ Reimagines Patricia Highsmith’s Classic Novel With Sinister Elegance
Andrew Scott • Published on April 2024
Tom Ripley is an eternally alluring character, because whatever tone he takes there is something instantly relatable about him. It would be easy to switch identities, take on the role of another person…
In His Directorial Debut ‘Monkey Man,’ Dev Patel Is an Indian Action Hero Ready To Set the World on Fire
Dev Patel • Published on April 2024
Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” has the feverish energy of a first-time director who wonders if he will get to make another movie. It is not flawless and some of its story could…
On ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Beyoncé Gallops Beyond Country Music for a Genre-Bending Exploration of Herself and America
Album Reviews • Published on March 2024
A lot is happening in the world but it all comes to a halt whenever Beyoncé unleashes something new. There has been a particular level of anticipation around the megastar’s latest LP,…
In ‘A Gentleman in Moscow,’ Ewan McGregor Gives a Refined Lesson in Resistance
A Gentleman in Moscow • Published on March 2024
Showtime’s “A Gentleman in Moscow” is a lavish showcase of dramatic restraint. Once again, here is a glossy production where the real heft is in the lead performance. Ewan McGregor gets to…
‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Pushes the Humans Aside for Ear-Splitting Mayhem
Features • Published on March 2024
There is absolutely no need for any humans in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” If they were taken out along with any spoken language, this movie would still work as a…
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Offers a Few Nostalgic Delights but Fumbles on the Rest
Bill Murray • Published on March 2024
When there’s something low in audience attendance, who you gonna call? Another legacy sequel. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is the latest, determined effort at proving that this franchise somehow has the chops to…
Jake Gyllenhaal Punches Through the Absurd Joys of ‘Road House’
Amazon Prime Video • Published on March 2024
There are those movies you’re tempted to forgive because they are consciously silly. Nobody in front of or behind the camera in “Road House” is convinced they’re making anything other than a…
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Flexes a Great Kristen Stewart and Ripped Katy O’Brian
Features • Published on March 2024
Anyone who has ever been in love or experienced heartbreak knows it is not always an easy road. It can actually be quite brutal. Ross Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding” seems bent on…