Review: “Watcher”

Julia (Maika Monroe) is outside her comfort zone. The American just moved to Bucharest with her part-Romanian husband Francis (Karl Glusman), who accepted a demanding new job there. With Francis away for much of the day, and not knowing the language or anyone around her, Julia’s isolation soon transforms into paranoia when a serial killer […]

Review: “18 1/2”

To this day, no one is certain what exactly was said during the 18 ½ minute gap in a tape of President Richard Nixon reportedly discussing the Watergate break-in with his then Chief of Staff, Bob Haldeman, or who erased it in the first place. Nixon’s secretary claimed to have pushed a wrong button and […]

Review: “Downton Abbey: A New Era”

I admittedly wavered about writing this review of “Downton Abbey: A New Era” at all. Why bother, when those who are fans of the show will watch it and more than likely enjoy it, and those who aren’t will avoid it altogether no matter what? But there’s something to be said for not just the […]

Review: “Men”

The Edenic imagery that propels writer and director Alex Garland’s latest feature film, “Men,” forward shows up early on. Having just arrived at the lavish country home she booked a stay at in order to rest and heal from the death of her husband, Harper (Jessie Buckley) strolls into the estate’s lush garden, plucks an […]

Review: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe might not exist at all if it wasn’t for Sam Raimi. That’s a lot of credit to give to one individual who up to now has never been explicitly involved in the MCU at all, but it’s Raimi’s “Spider-man” trilogy—which debuted in 2002 and spawned two sequels, the last of which […]

Review: “The Northman”

A sword fight within the depths of a fiery volcano. Ethan Hawke crawling around on all fours and barking like a dog. A screeching Valkyrie riding into heavens. A prisoner bound and gagged by the innards of another victim. Björk appearing in her first feature film in over 15 years as a Seeress, adorned in […]

Review: “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” opens with perhaps one of the silliest scenes from Nicolas Cage’s long and varied filmography: the ending of the 1997 action movie “Con Air,” in which Cage’s Army vet and ex-con who just saved the day reunites with his wife and the daughter he’s never met, Trisha Yearwood’s “How […]