Knock at the Cabin
Knock at the Cabin will creep you out, and it’s a real good time. But it’s also a fascinating dissection of how we develop faith and how we decide where to place it.
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Kinda Feel Left Out (Sundance Edition!)
It isn’t prestige cinema, but like a good-natured game show host, it asks important questions of its characters while making sure the audience has a blast. It’s charming. It’s genuine. It’s a great ride.
After Yang
After Yang will reward those who take the time to ponder its small, powerful moments.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The added wrinkle of potential death fills Puss in Boots: The Last Wish with, believe it or not, poignancy. But don’t worry. It still contains a plethora of fairy tale puns and juvenile hijinks that allows us to pull out as much poignancy as we wish - tons, some, or none - and still have a great time.
Avatar: The Way of Water
It’s certainly a “you gotta see this” type of film. It’s groundbreaking. It’s an amazing spectacle, especially in 3D. I just wish Cameron would have delivered a story whose emotional power comes close to matching the incredible world it takes place in.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
I never thought I’d be talking about how a Pinocchio movie provides a blueprint for ideal societal change but … here I am. GdT’s Pinocchio provides a clear model for how we should behave in society.
The Swimmers
That burden sometimes causes us to view the world in grayscale, covering uncomfortable details in a faded blur so we can get through the day. But there’s a danger in doing that. We lose sight not just of other people’s humanity, but our own.
The Fabelmans
There is a magic in fiction that transcends facts’ ability to provide meaning. It’s his ability to fill movies with that magic that makes Spielberg a genius. He just doesn’t use it here.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson has solved the most difficult mystery of all - how to make a better film than Knives Out.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
No longer a secret to the world, Wakanda must forge a new path forward without its protector, the Black Panther.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
It’s the spiritual companion to UHF I never knew I needed, and it’s the most fun I’ve had watching a movie in a long, long time.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Raise a pint. The Banshees of Inersherin is film-craft at its highest level.
Black Adam
It’s not as bad a movie as a lot of critics are saying. But it ultimately feels soulless because it’s trying so hard to be someone else instead of exploring its own exciting possibilities.