22 Oct 2023

Bubble Bubble Oil and Trouble: “Killers of the Flower Moon”

By Mike Schulz

It's routinely said that what matters isn't the actual length of a movie, but rather how long a movie feels. Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese's genre-blending tale of systemic murder set in early-20th-century Oklahoma, runs just slightly under three-and-a-half hours. Unlike Scorsese's 2019 The Irishman, however, which lasted about five minutes longer, his latest epic crime drama feels like three-and-a-half hours.

16 Oct 2023

The Ballad of Sugar and Poison: Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl Shorts, “Fair Play,” and “The Burial”

By Mike Schulz

I never imagined that the sensational Asteroid City would merely rank as Wes Anderson's fifth-finest achievement of 2023.

09 Oct 2023

Beelzedud: “The Exorcist: Believer,” “No One Will Save You,” “Flora & Son,” and “Stop Making Sense”

By Mike Schulz

I so should've known better, but I was really looking forward to The Exorcist: Believer, and for the simple reason that the trailer creeped me the eff out.

02 Oct 2023

Crossed Wires: “The Creator” and “Saw X”

By Mike Schulz

For a movie plastered wall-to-wall with visual effects, writer/director Gareth Edwards' The Creator pulls off a feat only a few futuristic science-fiction films have managed over the decades: It makes you completely forget about the visual effects.

25 Sep 2023

“4bles” Foibles: “Expend4bles,” “Dumb Money,” “Cassandro,” and “It Lives Inside”

By Mike Schulz

Because the competition is so fierce, it's hard to say which scene in director Scott Waugh's action sequel Expend4bles is the most repellent. And for the sake of time and our collective sanity, I'm going to ignore every multitudinous instance of brains being splattered via gunfire, the effects for which look like they were added post-production with a red magic marker.

18 Sep 2023

Dead and Gondola: “A Haunting in Venice,” “The Inventor,” and “El Conde”

By Mike Schulz

Is it possible that, regarding his previous Hercule Poirot mysteries, Kenneth Branagh not only read critiques of those films, but actively took their criticisms to heart?

09 Sep 2023

Second and Third Helpings: “The Nun II” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3”

By Mike Schulz

Honestly, it sometimes feels like the only thing getting me though the extended Conjuring Universe, which is now nine films old and counting, is Wikipedia.

04 Sep 2023

Godfather's Piazza: “The Equalizer 3,” “Bottoms,” and “Zombie Town”

By Mike Schulz

By this point in his career, it goes without saying that Denzel Washington has nothing left to prove as an actor – and wow but I've been enjoying his recent nothing-to-prove performances.

28 Aug 2023

Honey, He's Gonna Blow Up the Kids: “Retribution,” “Golda,” and “The Hill”

By Mike Schulz

In an early episode of The West Wing, White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg references a visiting Middle Eastern royal with 38 wives: “Imagine being the girl he dated that he didn't marry.” That quote came to me following my screening of Liam Neeson's new revenge thriller Retribution, because good Lord – if these are the projects the star keeps accepting, can you imagine how bad the ones he turns down must be?

21 Aug 2023

Racing One Formula: “Gran Turismo,” “Blue Beetle,” “Strays,” “Red, White, & Royal Blue,” “Of an Age,” and “Close”

By Mike Schulz

A biographical sports drama, triumph-of-the-underdog crowd-pleaser, and video-game “adaptation” all rolled into one, director Neill Blomkamp's Gran Turismo opens this upcoming Friday – though if you reside in the Quad Cities, it's understandable if you thought it actually opened several weeks prior.

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