Alci Rengifo
Apple TV’s ‘Dear Edward’ Adaptation Is a Downer Drama Elevated by a Strong Ensemble
Apple TV Plus • Published on February 2023
Alci Rengifo Apple TV+ is becoming streaming’s leader in tear-jerkers and melancholia. Here we have another series about loss and sorrow, with characters diving into full despair. “Dear Edward” is an adaptation…
M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Rings in the Apocalypse With a Notable Dave Bautista
Dave Bautista • Published on February 2023
For most of its running time, M. Night Shyamalan’s “Knock at the Cabin” sustains an impressive amount of tension centered on a fear of the apocalypse. Like any aware artist, Shyamalan…
In ‘Pamela, a Love Story,’ Pamela Anderson Reflects on Her Journey With Endearing Sincerity
Features • Published on January 2023
Beauty can be a curse. The cliché holds true when it comes to a particular kind of fame. Pamela Anderson has been locked in as a sex symbol to the point where…
‘Shrinking’ Confronts Loss and Despair by Prescribing Breezy Laughs
Apple TV Plus • Published on January 2023
Melancholy dominates much TV these days. Great actors keep being tasked with capturing the loneliness of the times through stories of sheer depression, anxiety and that feeling that we haven’t figured things out…
Natasha Lyonne Puts on Her ‘Poker Face’ in Rian Johnson’s Deliriously Fun Series
Adrien Brody • Published on January 2023
When a director finds a storytelling form that feels like a natural vocation, they can begin to truly soar. For Rian Johnson, the murder mystery genre seems to define that special calling.
In ‘Alice, Darling,’ Anna Kendrick Captures a Shattering Portrait of Domestic Abuse
Alice Darling • Published on January 2023
Films can be a curious thing where strong performances and a sense of purpose overcome a sparse screenplay. Take “Alice, Darling” for example. It’s a movie where any sense of a “plot”…
‘The Last of Us’ Adapts Acclaimed Video Game Into a Poignant Apocalyptic Thriller
Features • Published on January 2023
A specific cultural moment in popular entertainment can open doors that have been stubbornly difficult to figure out. One of those doors has been the adaptation of video games into convincing dramatic material.
‘The Pale Blue Eye’: Edgar Allan Poe Is on the Case in Melancholic Thriller
Christian Bale • Published on January 2023
If only a film like “The Pale Blue Eye” could survive on atmosphere alone. Here is another rich evocation of the 19th century from director Scott Cooper, who has a gifted…
‘M3gan’: Killer Robot Just Wants to Play in Bloody Satire About Our Tech-Obsessed Times
Blumhouse • Published on January 2023
It’s almost a tradition now for the New Year to kick off with a horror offering. A good killer robot movie is a nice way to ease into a fresh calendar, especially when…
‘Copenhagen Cowboy’ Is More of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Neon Self-Indulgence
Copenhagen Cowboy • Published on January 2023
The “auteur theory” has recently been transformed by the arthouse crowd into cult adoration of directors known more for their visual polish than stories. Danish enfant terrible Nicolas Winding Refn has developed…
‘A Man Called Otto’ Turns Tom Hanks Into a Lovable Curmudgeon
A Man Called Otto • Published on December 2022
A film like “A Man Called Otto” presents a premise where the lead performance matters much more than the somewhat familiar story. Some viewers will already know the narrative since this is…
‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ Merely Dramatizes a Showreel of the Singer’s Highlights
Ashton Sanders • Published on December 2022
The story of Whitney Houston has all the makings of stirring drama. She was a natural talent with a soaring voice who achieved massive fame and fortune before marrying the wrong man, and…
Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’ Throws a Debauched Party but the Story Is a Hangover
Babylon • Published on December 2022
Some major directors can reach a certain point where their work begins to fully embody delusions of grandeur. That’s where Damien Chazelle seems to have arrived with “Babylon,” a loud, feverish,…
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Astounds With Its Bonding of Spectacle and Emotion
Avatar • Published on December 2022
The blockbuster has become such an impersonal affair where franchises matter more than the filmmaker. Yet here comes James Cameron with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a sequel that is much…
‘Kindred’ Blunts the Edge of Octavia E. Butler’s Riveting Novel About Time Travel and Slavery
Features • Published on December 2022
Great novels are always natural candidates for good films and TV. Producers or showrunners assume if the book is acclaimed, then half the work of crafting an enticing story has already been done.
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ Finds New Magic and Dark Riches in a Classic Story
Ewan McGregor • Published on December 2022
The best children’s fables have a hint of the macabre to them. A sense of adventure combines with lightly unnerving lessons about the real world, some of which we only realize when revisiting…
In ‘The Whale,’ Brendan Fraser Astounds With a Performance of Gargantuan Emotion
Brendan Fraser • Published on December 2022
Once in a while there are performances so special that our knowledge of the actor completely disappears. Forget everything you’ve ever seen Brendan Fraser in before walking into “The Whale,” in…
‘George & Tammy’: Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon Croon a Tragic Ballad of Love and Fame
Features • Published on December 2022
There is a difference between a bad relationship and a bad relationship featuring two major talents. It is the kind of chemistry that can instantly become volatile. Showtime’s “George & Tammy” is…
In ‘Emancipation,’ Will Smith Brings Intensity to the Perilous Journey of an Escaped Slave
Antoine Fuqua • Published on December 2022
The true story that inspired “Emancipation” is surely worth telling. Gordon was an escaped slave who became famously known as “Whipped Peter,” after a photo was taken in 1863 of his scarred…
‘Violent Night’ Rings in the Christmas Season With Blood-Soaked Cheer
David Harbour • Published on December 2022
‘Tis the season to bust heads and break necks in “Violent Night,” which delivers on the fantasy of Santa Clause taking names in an action movie. No, this is not one of…