10 Oct 2022

Nether Worlds / Netherlands: “Amsterdam” and “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”

By Mike Schulz

It isn't a great film; during its protracted midsection, it's closer to a lousy one. Yet there's more going on in Amsterdam than there has been in about 95 percent of the year's other releases, and the contributions of its impressively overstuffed cast make David O. Russell's latest worth a look. Maybe more than one if you take a nap in the middle.

03 Oct 2022

You've Got Male: “Bros,” “Smile,” and “Jeepers Creepers: Reborn”

By Mike Schulz

Nicholas Stoller's and Billy Eichner's achievement gave me everything I want and so rarely get from Hollywood rom-coms: interest, involvement, investment, sexual heat, huge laughs, legitimately threatening obstacles.

25 Sep 2022

Don't Bother, Darlings: “Don't Worry Darling,” “Moonage Daydream,” and “Luck”

By Mike Schulz

Some movies are love-them-or-hate-them. The polished, mediocre Don't Worry Darling doesn't do much to inspire either reaction.

19 Sep 2022

Quintet-à-tête: “The Woman King,” “God's Country,” “See How They Run,” “Pearl,” and “Confess, Fletch”

By Mike Schulz

Before proceeding, allow me to share my amazement in a weekend happenstance I hadn't previously experienced over nearly three decades of reviewing: I saw five new movies and enjoyed them all – a lot. Even the horror prequel whose predecessor debuted fewer than six months ago. Even the reboot of a planned Chevy Chase franchise that died in 1989.

12 Sep 2022

Scarebnb: “Barbarian” and “Medieval”

By Mike Schulz

A couple weeks ago, in my review of The Invitation, I opened by saying that the fright flick felt like a bunch of different fright flicks – none of them good – rolled into one. Writer/director Zach Cregger's Barbarian feels a bit like that, too, except in this instance, the quality is significantly higher, and not all of the complimentary/competing movies are horror movies.

05 Sep 2022

For the Love of Flock: “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.” and “Gigi & Nate”

By Mike Schulz

As hilarious as Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, and their Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. co-stars frequently are, you're left as likely to well up from pity as from laughter. This is a truly rare bird: a mockumentary drama. With loads of cringey giggles.

29 Aug 2022

She Dreams of Genie: “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” “Breaking,” and “The Invitation”

By Mike Schulz

No one wants to get mugged, but I was delighted to have Three Thousand Years of Longing sneak up on me and knock me out.

22 Aug 2022

From Russia with Loathe: “Orphan: First Kill,” “Beast,” and “Thirteen Lives”

By Mike Schulz

A prequel to the 2009 horror yarn whose moderate success didn't suggest the likelihood of follow-ups, Orphan: First Kill is an extremely unlikely movie in more ways than one: It's unrepentant, obscene, even laughable trash, and about as much fun as I've had at the cineplex all month.

15 Aug 2022

Influencers: “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “Fall,” and “Mack & Rita”

By Mike Schulz

Interestingly, in a weekend that saw the arrival of precisely zero new major-studio movies, the three local releases we did get all featured significant characters who earned a living through their podcasts, YouTube channels, and/or Instagram accounts. Once upon a time, on-screen professionals focused on careers in advertising and architecture. Now they're only focused on themselves. Eh, it's 2022. Guess that makes sense.

08 Aug 2022

Speed Demons: “Bullet Train” and “Easter Sunday”

By Mike Schulz

As a movie lover/reviewer who's been at this a lo-o-ong time, it should go without saying that I almost never see a film anymore that I'd consider calling my new all-time favorite. But every now and then, I do see films that I'm pretty certain will be somebody's new all-time favorite, and director David Leitch's comedy thriller Bullet Train absolutely feels like one of those titles.

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