Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Daddy issue.
Movies
In the Heights
The movie tells the story of an immigrant community coming together to forge its own future through commerce.
Candyman Is a Sharp Deconstruction of Political Horror Movies
Horror filmmaking has always been political, but the new Candyman takes it to a different level.
With Free Guy, Hollywood Gives Us a Video Game Movie About the Thrills of, Uh, Labor Disputes
Ryan Reynolds stars as a video game character who discovers his whole life is a lie.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad Is a Movie About Being Canceled (by a Giant Starfish Monster)
The most subversive thing about the movie is that the director was allowed to make it at all.
I Trapped the Devil Is as Unclever as Its Title
No, there isn’t really much more to this deservedly forgotten film.
Who in the World Wanted Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins?
A dumb movie with a dumb name based on a dumb idea.
Black Widow Is a Step Back for the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Is the biggest brand in movies better off on the small screen?
The Tomorrow War Is a Tortured Global Warming Metaphor Disguised as a Dull Action Movie
Another lifeless pseudo-blockbuster goes straight to streaming.
Somehow, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard Is About Professional Licensing Requirements and EU Sanctions
A terrible movie about a bodyguard trying to regain an occupational certification.
Rose Island
The new film never wavers in its appreciation for these seasteading heroes as they piss off all the right people in pursuit of their slice of utopia.
In the Heights Is a Charming Musical About Immigration and Entrepreneurship
Even a critic who doesn’t love singing or dancing succumbed to its charms.
Ideas Aren't Enough—Freedom Needs Good Stories
Good stories introduce people to liberty long before they think about policy.
In Army of the Dead, a Zombie Outbreak Becomes an Excuse for a Public Health Power Grab
In Zack Snyder's latest, zombies are a public health issue, much like COVID-19.
One Night in Miami
The movie depicts the fictionalized gathering of Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke, who spar over what each is doing to advance civil rights.
Review: Wrath of Man and The Columnist
Guy Ritchie returns (with Jason Statham, wisely) and a Dutch woman discovers the ultimate cure for online menacing.
A Keynesian Warmonger Gets What He Deserves in the Otherwise Awful Without Remorse
A terrible, Tom Clancy-inspired action movie that ends in a lame speech touting war as economic stimulus.
Did Politics Ruin the Oscars?
The Academy Awards are this weekend. Almost no one has even heard of the movies up for Best Picture.
G. Gordon Liddy: The Hollywood Years
Friday A/V Club: How a Watergate burglar spent the '80s
The Snyder Cut of Justice League Is an Internet Fan Theory Come to Life
It’s a victory for fans made possible by the evolution of streaming technology.
Review: Judas and the Black Messiah
Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield revisit the horror of a civil rights battlefield of the 1960s.
The Little Things Is a Twisty Thriller About the Inner Lives of Bad Cops
It’s a comfortable throwback to 1990s crime films. Too comfortable.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Is a Superb Film About Power, Art, Commerce, and Race
Chadwick Boseman shines in his final role.
Effigy's German Serial Killer Drama Weaves Intoxicating—and Toxic—Tale
Need an antidote to sickly sweet holiday stories?
Sound of Metal Creates an Entire World Out of Sound
For a small production, it's a remarkable technical achievement.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin takes on the famous trial of activists who organized an anti-war protest during the 1968 Democratic convention.
David Fincher's Mank Is a Scathing Portrait of a Smug, Out-of-Touch Hollywood
The Netflix release paints a picture of movie-industry arrogance, smugness, hypocrisy, and condescension—especially when it comes to politics.
Netflix's Hillbilly Elegy Is a Movie Afraid of the Book It's Based on
J.D. Vance's memoir was an inherently political story. The film tries to ignore its context.
