Tony Sokol
‘Everything’s Going to Be Great’: Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney Chase Theater Dreams To Realistic Closure
Allison Janney • Published on June 2025
Young theater people are among the most enthusiastic artists, especially as they get older. Director Jon S. Baird gracefully curbs this optimism in “Everything’s Going to Be Great,” by imposing reality on seemingly impossible dreams.
‘The Waterfront’ Could Be a Gripping Crime Story If It Dumped the Soapy Family Drama
Features • Published on June 2025
There is something fishy going on in Havenport, NC. Sheriff Clyde Porter (Michael Gaston) isn’t paying much attention, and an abandoned beached vessel is not declared by the owner of the largest family-owned…
‘Dangerous Animals’: Sean Byrne’s Horror Mashup Is a Big Fish Tale With Loads of Chum
Dangerous Animals • Published on June 2025
Australian director Sean Byrne’s “Dangerous Animals” is a mixed-genre survival thriller which weaponizes sharks in a newly exploitive twist: unknowingly playing second mate to a seafaring serial killer. Think “Saw” on the…
‘One to One: John & Yoko’ Promotes Immediacy Over Nostalgia for an Intimate Portrait of Artists in Flux
Features • Published on April 2025
Kevin Macdonald’s “One to One: John & Yoko” is an emotionally rich recounting of what led to the two concerts John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed with the Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory…
‘The Friend’: Naomi Watts and Bill Murray Postpone Grief Through a Sensitive Great Dane
Bill Murray • Published on March 2025
Midway through “The Friend,” writer Iris (Naomi Watts) says children are taught to worry animals will come to bad ends because of fairy tales, and sad fictions like “Old Yeller,” “The Red…
Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ Is a Brilliantly Brutal Examination of Extremist Incel Culture and Misogynistic Violence
Adolescence • Published on March 2025
Netflix’s “Adolescence” is a major step forward for crime dramas, both in streaming and theatrical releases. The most basic premise, a teenager accused of killing a classmate, is familiar territory for the…
‘The Order’: Jude Law Hunts Neo-Nazis in Justin Kurzel’s Cautionary True-Crime Thriller
Features • Published on December 2024
Australian director Justin Kurzel’s “The Order” is a throwback to unsung classic federal police procedurals of the 1980s, including underlying social messaging, and emotionally fractured law enforcement personnel. Jude Law plays Terry…
‘Black Doves’: Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw Mix Espionage and Murder in Darkly Festive Thriller
Ben Whishaw • Published on December 2024
Double lives, political intrigue, targeted murders, and Parliamentary cocktail receptions are just another Wednesday in Netflix’s suspenseful and convoluted new series “Black Doves.” The rest of the week tends to escalate for…
‘The Piano Lesson’ Adapts August Wilson’s Rhythms To Cinematic Beats for a Classic Ensemble Performance
August Wilson • Published on November 2024
Prolific playwright August Wilson was one of the most ingenious storytellers. The cinematic adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Piano Lesson,” the fifth play in Wilson’s cycle surrounding Pittsburgh, uses horror as…
‘Landman’: Billy Bob Thornton Dominates Taylor Sheridan’s Gritty Melodrama as a Complex West Texas Oil Man
Ali Larter • Published on November 2024
Taylor Sheridan’s latest series, “Landman,” weaves a complex, soapy story built around the West Texas oil industry. Its central character, Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), is a complicated character, and only likable…
‘Bogart: Life Comes In Flashes’ Frames Its Telling of a Hollywood Legend Through the Women He Loved
Bogart Life Comes In Flashes • Published on November 2024
One of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age was its least likely, and most critical, known for bashing the phoniness of celebrity and the film industry’s most egregious creative offenses. The best…
‘Hold Your Breath’: An Unhinged Sarah Paulson Redefines Scream Queen in Erratic Dust Bowl Horror
Ebon Moss-Bachrach • Published on October 2024
Actor Sarah Paulson is a true scream queen in “Hold Your Breath.” A horrified, throat-rattling wail concludes every revelatory vision in directing duo Karrie Crouse and Will Joines’ parched supernatural thriller. Set…
‘Slingshot’: Confounding Psychological Thriller Floats Slowly Past the Point of No Return
Casey Affleck • Published on August 2024
In space, no one can hear you talk to yourself, except the commanding officer. In space-travel films, these level-headed ship captains are the most trustworthy. Director Mikael Håfström’s “Slingshot” breaks the chain…
‘Touch’: Baltasar Kormákur’s Quiet Love Story Is an Empathetic and Viscerally Moving Journey
Baltasar Kormákur • Published on July 2024
Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur delivers a flawless tale of romance derailed in his emotionally riveting drama, “Touch.” Spanning five decades, this film is beautifully subversive, not only in contrast to Kormákur’s action…
Richard Linklater’s ‘Hit Man’ Is a Wickedly Fun Throwback to Classic Cinema’s Comedic Romance With Murder
Adria Arjona • Published on June 2024
Director Richard Linklater knows how to make enjoyable, relatable, and extremely fun films. His latest feature, “Hit Man,” is engaging and entertaining from its first moments, and never loses its momentum or…
‘Outer Range’: Season 2 of Josh Brolin’s Time-Traveling Western Keeps Its Most Pressing Mystery in a Hole
Cecilia Abbott • Published on May 2024
The science fiction of “Outer Range” was set on almost mute when the series debuted in 2022, but it leaked like uranium under the soil. Season two continues this quiet Western. The…
AMC’s ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Continues To Turn Blood Lust Into High Drama in Season 2
AMC • Published on May 2024
Adapting novels to moving image teleplays historically distorts the literary works through condensation, contemporary moral climate, and the availability of talent. Fans’ celebrations of their favorite books’ recognition are always tempered by the…
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley Profusely Swear to Keep Britain Tidy in Thea Sharrock’s ‘Wicked Little Letters’
Features • Published on March 2024
The poison pen letter was a very popular tool for old school trolls. Predating snark, it was the literate version of the anonymous venom of modern internet attacks. Most of these naughty correspondences…
‘Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World’: Radu Jude’s Scathing Slice of Satire Saves the Apocalypse for a Rainy Day
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World • Published on March 2024
Writer-director Radu Jude’s “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World” is a brilliantly caustic, subversive critique on the society that labor has made of Romania’s citizenry. This is…
‘Late Night With the Devil’ Is a Funny and Frightening Found Footage Horror That Flips the Dial
Cameron Cairnes • Published on March 2024
Don’t touch that dial. “Late Night With the Devil,” from sibling writing and directing team Cameron and Colin Cairnes, is a must watch for horror fans, and a true innovation for found…