Alci Rengifo
Darren Aronofsky’s Kinetic ‘Caught Stealing’ Lives off the Presence of Austin Butler
Austin Butler • Published on August 2025
Darren Aronofsky is a director who has gained his own brand of cult status from a catalog of enthralling films that are wildly diverse but united by grandiose ideas. He likes deep metaphors…
‘The Roses’ Traps Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in an Elegantly Savage Cycle of Love and Hate
Benedict Cumberbatch • Published on August 2025
Love can switch into hate in a flash. That is what made 1989’s “The War of the Roses” such a fun anti-romance. Adapted from a novel by Warren Adler and directed by Danny…
‘Relay’: Riz Ahmed Brings Quiet Intensity to David Mackenzie’s Twisty Corporate Thriller
David Mackenzie • Published on August 2025
Riz Ahmed is one of those actors with a truly unique presence. He rarely ever tries to overstate a performance and conveys tension through the use of silence. The wheels always seem to…
‘Splitsville’: All Is Fair in Love and Open Relationships in Sharp Screwball Comedy
Adria Arojna • Published on August 2025
Questions of commitment and sexual freedom have always dogged humanity, even if it feels like such a modern concern with labels like “polyamorous” dominating cultural lingo. “Splitsville” has great fun exploring these…
‘Americana’ Goes West With an Oddball Standoff Led by Sydney Sweeney and Halsey
Americana • Published on August 2025
No matter what era we are living through, the American West retains the allure of wide spaces where you can get lost, reinvent yourself, and possibly do both through crime. At least, that…
‘Nobody 2’: Bob Odenkirk Is an Assassin Just Trying to Go on Vacation in Crackling Sequel
Bob Odenkirk • Published on August 2025
Action movies are almost becoming the equivalent of fun getaways for middle-aged actors looking to escape the dreariness of serious drama. When “Nobody” was first released in 2021, it became a surprise hit…
‘Highest 2 Lowest’: Spike Lee Adapts an Akira Kurosawa Classic Into a New York Thriller With Riveting Human Stakes
Akira Kurosawa • Published on August 2025
Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” is a throwback to the kind of thriller where suspense builds out of genuine moral dilemmas. There is action, yet what grips are those classic questions revolving…
‘Alien: Earth’: Noah Hawley Expands a Sci-Fi Classic Into an Evocative Nightmare
Alien • Published on August 2025
In 1979 Ridley Scott released “Alien,” which endures as one of the great sci-fi thrillers because of how it channels some very primal fears. The plot’s idea of something gross and otherworldly taking…
‘Weapons’: Julia Garner and Josh Brolin Bring Raw Tension to Zach Cregger’s Eerie Horror Mystery
Features • Published on August 2025
More than ever, horror films feel like the image comes before the story in a genre famous for making viewers cover their eyes. Writer-director Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” is instantly effective through its…
‘Platonic’ Season 2: Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne Return for More Cringe and Hilarious Mayhem
Apple TV Plus • Published on August 2025
The joy of watching Apple TV+’s “Platonic” is how it sticks its title. It really is about a platonic friendship with all of the tenderness and cringe that comes with it. Seth…
‘Wednesday’: A Delightfully Cold Jenna Ortega Delivers More Ghoulish Fun in Second Season
Catherine Zeta-Jones • Published on August 2025
The second season of Netflix’s “Wednesday” leaves little doubt that its success is owed to the presence of Jenna Ortega and style of Tim Burton, who again directs several episodes this season.
‘Chief of War’: Jason Momoa Leads a Stunning Hawaiian Epic Full of History, Fire and Blood
Apple TV Plus • Published on August 2025
As many films seem to feel smaller in a world of shifting media, streaming is becoming the new home of genuine epics. Look no further than Apple TV+’s “Chief of War,” a…
‘She Rides Shotgun’: Taron Egerton Gives Outlaw Tale a Fierce Dose of Fatherly Tenderness
Ana Sophia Heger • Published on July 2025
Stories on the edge can say more about the real meaning of family ties than your typical suburban drama. Nick Rowland’s “She Rides Shotgun” is a familiar outlaw tale of characters on…
‘The Bad Guys 2’: Another Satisfying Family-Friendly Heist With Lovable Antiheroes
Anthony Ramos • Published on July 2025
Some of the better animated family films offer plenty for their young audiences and just enough for the adults. “The Bad Guys 2” continues a lively big screen adaptation of Aaron Blabey’s…
‘The Naked Gun’: Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson Fire on All Cylinders in Year’s Funniest Comedy
Features • Published on July 2025
“The Naked Gun” is the real deal when it bills itself as a comedy. This movie’s sole aim is to make you laugh all the way until the end and that’s a…
‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Tees up a Serving of Slapstick Nostalgia for Adam Sandler Fans
Adam Sandler • Published on July 2025
“Happy Gilmore 2” is made for a corner of Netflix reserved for members of a particular kind of cult following. With the freedom afforded by streaming, it feels designed solely for diehard…
Pete Davidson Gets Deadly Serious in James DeMonaco’s ‘The Home,’ Where Aging Is the Ultimate Terror
Features • Published on July 2025
In another era the films of James DeMonaco would play at B-movie theaters or be on drive-in double bills. They have a grindhouse energy rooted in the simple pleasures of scares and hidden…
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Reinvigorates Marvel as a Cosmic Adventure With Heartfelt Delight
Ebon Moss-Bachrach • Published on July 2025
Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” feels like a real comic book movie in the best sense. It is vintage pop art and heartfelt popcorn entertainment. For the studio that has been…
‘Washington Black’: History and Fantasy Make for Exciting Adventure in Rich Adaptation of Acclaimed Novel
Ernest Kingsley Jr. • Published on July 2025
History may be a bleak affair, yet there is always room for breezy adventure and humor. “Washington Black” covers some pretty heavy subject matter, including slavery, the colonial roots of America, along…
‘Smurfs’ Sings and Dances a Mundane Recycling of Family Friendly Fodder
Features • Published on July 2025
Talk about a long running franchise. The Smurfs have been around for almost 70 years, having first been created in 1958 by Belgian comic artist Peyo. By now they have been featured in…