Alci Rengifo
‘My Old Ass’: Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella Mirror Each Other in Poignant Coming-of-Age Fable
Aubrey Plaza • Published on September 2024
Reaching 40 seems so distant when you’re merely 18. Then you arrive at certain milestones where the cliché “time flies” becomes cruelly true and obvious. Millennial filmmakers have been particularly obsessed with these…
‘Speak No Evil’: Blumhouse Turns a Danish Thriller Into an Unhinged Ride Featuring a Diabolical James McAvoy
Blumhouse • Published on September 2024
In the United States we don’t really like our horror films to get too complicated. Fun is the name of the game and anything beyond that is too unnerving, with a few exceptions.
‘His Three Daughters’ Confronts the Emotional Perils of Saying Goodbye With Wrenching Honesty
Azazel Jacobs • Published on September 2024
A painful moment of transition or crisis can have quite the revelatory impact on a family. “His Three Daughters” is a simple, immersive drama about a group of sisters dealing with their…
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Lets Tim Burton Run Wild With Ghoulish Glee
Beetlejuice • Published on September 2024
Like few directors, Tim Burton has established a style readily identified as his own. He operates like German expressionism, classic horror, goth drab and Halloween goofiness all rolled into one. Because he is…
‘The Perfect Couple’ Circles Around Familiar Tropes About the Elite With a Killer Ensemble Led by Nicole Kidman
Dakota Fanning • Published on September 2024
Watch enough of these shows about murderous rich families that studios have been producing and you will never want to be invited to dinner with someone who owns a private jet. Netflix’s “…
‘Slow Horses’ Season 4: Gary Oldman and His Band of Outlier Spies Keep the Intrigue Fresh With Darker Suspense
Apple TV • Published on September 2024
Grit and expert plotting come together in season four of Apple TV’s “Slow Horses,” a show that always stands out as a welcome antidote to the usual, absurdly overdone action spies we…
‘English Teacher’: FX’s Winning Sitcom Brings Rambunctious Energy to Our Culture Wars
Brian Jordan Alvarez • Published on September 2024
In the future, depending on where society goes, viewers who discover FX’s “English Teacher” might be baffled at how any of it could have been inspired by actual headlines. It is a…
‘Reagan’ Turns the Story of the 40th President Into a Conservative Cult of Personality
Dennis Quaid • Published on August 2024
Here, in the land of the free and home of the homeless brave, we like to scoff at enemy or totalitarian states for the way they promote their strongmen. Vladimir Putin’s public stunts…
‘AfrAId’: Blumhouse Goes Bland With Bloodless AI-Themed Thriller That Fails To Scare
AfrAId • Published on August 2024
Everyone is supposed to be afraid of the machines. We just sense that AI is threatening to take over jobs and our very perception of reality. It is a no brainer that new…
‘Kaos’ Hilariously Reimagines Greek Gods as Modern Day Tragedies of Vanity and Vice
Features • Published on August 2024
What if the gods of ancient Greek myth were not only real but capable of undergoing midlife crises in our world? That is the premise of Netflix’s “Kaos,” an edgy and hilariously…
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Is a More Confident Epic That Keeps the Scale Magnificent
Amazon • Published on August 2024
Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” returns for a second season that looks too big for any small screen. This show should be watched on the largest HDTV…
Our Favorite Gang of Sleuths Face Their Most Personal Case Yet in Season 4 of ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Eugene Levy • Published on August 2024
Season four of “Only Murders in the Building” has reunited us with the crime-solving podcasters of Hulu’s whodunnit comedy series. You know the drill involving fresh, murderous intrigue that always crops…
‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Richly Expands Its Story of a Korean Family Across Generations
Apple TV Plus • Published on August 2024
The second season of Apple TV’s “Pachinko” is welcome proof that a good series adapted from IP can continue without losing its essence. Creator Soo Hugh’s adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s acclaimed…
‘The Crow’: Featherless Remake of Cult Classic Suffers From Tone Deaf Approach
Alex Proyas • Published on August 2024
The theme of resurrection is apt for a season where nearly every major release has marked the return of a franchise. “The Crow” is all about coming back from the dead, with…
‘Blink Twice’: Zoë Kravitz’s Merciless Getaway Thriller Eats Superrich Tech Bros With Sinister Style
Blink Twice • Published on August 2024
Do not trust the superrich when they invite you on a private getaway. This is now a common narrative used by several filmmakers to forewarn all the plebs that elites do as they…
‘The Union’: Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg Unite Against Cardboard Villains in a Cardboard Action Movie
Features • Published on August 2024
Netflix is quickly becoming the place where once mighty stars go to lead in movies that belong in a recycle bin. “The Union” wants to grab attention by starring Halle Berry and…
Pulse-Pounding ‘Alien: Romulus’ Drips Terror While Homaging an Entire Franchise
Alien • Published on August 2024
This summer of nostalgia continues with “Alien: Romulus,” another sort of sequel that simultaneously functions as a reboot and tribute to a classic franchise. That franchise is, of course, the one begun…
‘Close to You’: Elliot Page Carries the Emotional Weight of Sparse Drama About Identity
Close to You • Published on August 2024
A film like “Close to You” almost needs to be approached as a personal statement. It is directed by Dominic Savage but every frame and moment is defined by the journey of…
‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4 Serves More of the Same Soapy Drama and Stereotypes
Ashley Park • Published on August 2024
Another summer winds down with the return of “Emily in Paris.” Fans of this soapy Netflix series have missed following its brightly-styled Emily as she navigates her daily dramas and Parisian dream…
‘Bad Monkey’: Vince Vaughn Is a Perfect Neo-Noir Sleuth in Quirky Crime Comedy
Apple TV Plus • Published on August 2024
Vince Vaughn reveals he was a noir archetype all along in Apple TV’s “Bad Monkey.” He brings a droll demeanor to the mystery that keeps it energetic. Stories like this are about…