Justice League (2017): When Warner Bros. Gave Up
A pile of discarded Halloween costumes dolled up by millions but still boring to watch.
Inglorious Basterds: Killer Cover-Up
Tarantino uses a short film-style to forgive history. He reinvents the best in both (and some of the worst).
Popeye: Robert Altman—De-Animator
Chaotic elements curdle in Altman’s serious silly world. There are worse films but few larger failures.
The Social Network: Misanthropy Memoir
The figure is troubled; the movie is precise. It’s a tribute to patter more than to a man.
Interstellar: Feeling Machine
No shortage of mechanical beauty and a heart full of intent. This doesn’t stop it from being loud.
Avengers: Endgame: Fan Reservice
The 22-film climax delivers on fireworks but passes up its themes. Here’s my full analysis.
Midsommar Director’s Cut: Relationship Horror
A queazy exploration of love that doubles as genre comfort. Don’t expect more.
Gretel & Hansel: Flop Fable
A new direction doesn’t kill the magic. The complete lack of creative energy does.
The 100 Best Movies of the 2010s
This decade saw new studios created and old ones bought. Here’s my pick for the 100 Best Movies of the 2010s.
1917: Tech Epic
A gorgeous technological obsession matched to a sparse story. Exactly what meets the eye.
Only God Forgives: Violent Delusion
Refn is suffering from a sex and violence delusion. After this, you might be too.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Abrams returns to Star Wars to make the most pandering, convoluted, and purposeless entry in the entire saga.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Price of Ambition
With The Rise of Skywalker coming out, I wrote my final evaluation, for good and bad, of one of the most debated movies ever.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer Reaction: Nostalgia Manipulation
I’m not buying what this trailer is selling. Here’s why.
Ad Astra: Space Melodrama
A family drama and a space movie, with little enough ambition to fail them both.
The Tree of Life: Memory Epic
An epic of intimate proportions. The most personal film of its decade.
The Revenant: Locating Realism
As much a study in the intensity of its filmmaker as a story. This movie bares all.
Bronson
A director matched to a star matched to a subject. None of them want you to accept them, and that’s why you can’t help it.
The Matrix: Re-Examining a Milestone
The sequels changed this movie. Its ego now shows through its history, though its action still satisfies.
Between the Darkness
A concerted first indie horror effort whose spirit falls short of its intentions. The look outshines the script.
Vertigo: Decoding Desire in Hitchcock
Hitchcock unravels his idea of women. Perhaps the most important romance ever made.
Toy Story 4: Retconning Childhood
Revisiting childhood after it’s over can make it more complicated than it should be. Pixar fumbled another one.
Dark Phoenix: Ending on a Whimper
A series sendoff turns into an anthem to whining. This was not the way it should have ended.