Alci Rengifo
‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ Reunites Mockumentary Metalheads for Nostalgic Laughs
Christopher Guest • Published on September 2025
When Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap” premiered in 1984 it was a hilarious take on the music of its time. The cult classic helped establish the mockumentary genre while poking fun at…
‘The Long Walk’: Francis Lawrence Adapts an Early Stephen King Yarn With Wrenching Apocalyptic Emotion
Charlie Plummer • Published on September 2025
The human component of Stephen King’s best stories is the real secret behind their appeal. Monsters, ghouls, psychics and gruesome moments may get all the pop culture fame, but buried in the formulas…
‘Only Murders in the Building’: Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez Never Lose Their Great Chemistry in Crackling Fifth Season
Features • Published on September 2025
Going into its fifth season, Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” continues to have charm to spare. Fans have been lucky that circumstances have not conspired thus far to replace any of…
‘Task’: Mark Ruffalo Leads a Grim Crime Story Where Compelling Characters Overshadow Action
Brad Ingelsby • Published on September 2025
The best crime stories compel through their human element. Brad Ingelsby’s “Task” sets up a central plot that is really a starting point to explore the tragic, grounded dimensions of its characters.
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’: A Final Haunt With Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Familiar Jump Scares
Features • Published on September 2025
Even summoning the dark one can grow mundane after a few rounds. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” feels like an appropriate final chapter for one of the most popular horror franchises of the…
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…