28 Oct 2024

Mass Appeal: “Conclave,” “Your Monster,” and “Venom: The Last Dance”

By Mike Schulz

In director Edward Berger's Conclave, both the narrative and the principal characters are hiding secrets that shouldn't be spoiled to those who haven't seen the movie and didn't read novelist Robert Harris' 2016 source material. But one secret about the film absolutely can, and should, be revealed in advance: This thing is an almost ridiculous amount of fun.

21 Oct 2024

Grin and Buried: “Smile 2,” “We Live in Time,” “Woman of the Hour,” and “Rumours”

By Mike Schulz

First M. Night Shymalan makes his chanteuse daughter a significant part of his thriller Trap, then Todd Phillips floods his Joker followup with songs, and now this. Is no genre safe from the global Swift-ification?

14 Oct 2024

Geneses and Revelations: “Saturday Night,” “The Apprentice,” “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” “Piece by Piece,” and “Terrifier 3”

By Mike Schulz

In the spirit of the five-word pitches each of this quintet requires, here are similarly succinct (if 295-words-longer) takes on what resulted, discussed in order of attendance.

07 Oct 2024

Singin' in the Brain: “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “White Bird,” and “'Salem's Lot”

By Mike Schulz

If you thought the title and genre were initially baiting and galling to die-hard Joker acolytes, just wait'll you get a load of Folie à Deux itself, which is like a big, extended middle finger to everyone who adored the original movie – as well, perhaps, as a giant eff-you to Warner Bros. for making it, the motion-picture academy for awarding it, and the global marketplace for turning it into a billion-dollar smash.

30 Sep 2024

Flyin' Gosling: “The Wild Robot,” “Lee,” “Will & Harper,” “My Old Ass,” and “Megalopolis”

By Mike Schulz

Upon leaving our screening of The Wild Robot, I asked my favorite 10-year-old what she thought of the film, and she answered that it was one of the best movies she'd seen in her life. If I ever choose or am forced to retire from weekly reviewing, I hope this smart kid becomes my replacement, because as family-friendly adventures go, writer/director Chris Sanders' animated outing is one of the best I've seen in my life, too.

23 Sep 2024

Anything You Can Be I Can Be Better: “The Substance,” “Never Let Go,” “His Three Daughters,” and “Transformers One”

By Mike Schulz

No matter the season, we can always stand to have more movies like writer/director Coralie Fargeat's The Substance in area release.

16 Sep 2024

Weakened Weekend: “Speak No Evil” and “The Killer's Game”

By Mike Schulz

I didn't dislike James Watkins' fright flick because it wasn't frightening, though that certainly didn't help matters. I disliked it because, in a rarity for this genre, its (adult) heroes and villains truly seemed to deserve each other.

09 Sep 2024

Once, Twice, Three Times a Crazy: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “The Front Room”

By Mike Schulz

You won't get Catherine O'Hara, against her will, leading a supernaturally choreographed “Day-O.” But you will get O'Hara, and supernatural choreography, and “Day-O” – just not in ways you may have anticipated.

02 Sep 2024

Wan One for the Gipper: “Reagan” and “AfrAId”

By Mike Schulz

Anyone who stumbled upon the Reagan poster and felt immediately inclined, maybe even compelled, to see the picture likely got exactly the experience they wanted; that visual image is pure hero worship, and so is the movie

26 Aug 2024

The Playing's the Thing: “Sing Sing,” “Blink Twice,” and “Strange Darling”

By Mike Schulz

Director/co-writer Greg Kwedar's Sing Sing allows Colman Domingo's soul to spill for roughly 100 solid minutes. Thrillingly, however, his isn't the only soul on display. Not by a long shot.

Pages

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

    

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?) 

Subscribe!

* indicates required

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.

 
 

Movies Calendar

Submit your event listings to calendar@rcreader.com