Movies
Here is our archive of movie coverage, which includes reviews, explainers, features, lists, and more from the latest films.
We also have a TV Shows Archive too.
Words on Bathroom Walls review — a young adult film that hits the right notes
Words on Bathroom Walls is a first in young-adult movies that treat a serious mental illness with a touching sensitivity that’s compulsively watchable. The film,...
Crazy Awesome Teachers review — a funny, fine flick about improbable educators
I must admit. I haven’t seen many Indonesian films. But I have seen dozens of films about teachers. The latest Netflix film, director Sammaria Simanjuntak’s...
The Pale Door review – combines Western tropes with horror, blood and tension
Horror overlaps with other genres all the time, but the horror Western is one genre mash-up we don’t see too often. A shame, really: I’m...
Spree review – a darkly funny distraction
Lockdown had probably seen quite an increase in the number of people on YouTube, and other services, watching vlogs… from people… doing stuff. The more...
Magic Camp review – a whimsical and very Disney teen film
Disney+ film Magic Camp was released on the platform on August 14, 2020. This review of the family contains no spoilers. I’ve finally lost my...
Fearless (2020) review – a fun, non-serious family film with a gaming storyline
Netflix film Fearless was released on the platform on August 14, 2020. This review of the family film contains no spoilers. I remember when I...
An Easy Girl (Une Fille Facile) review – laid back, sunny and shallow, like the Riviera life
A summer in Cannes. Most of us only know a town like that in the context of film festivals and similar events, while a few...
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl review – a feel-good story that misses the mark
Gunjan: Saxena: The Kargil Girl is an inspiring tale of Gunjan Saxena, who decides, as a young girl on a commercial flight, that she wants...
Made in Italy review – oh, the problems of the rich and white in the Tuscan countryside
Some plot points are so common they practically become their own genre, while some may fall from grace, especially in Hollywood. The Western film genre...
Summerland review – a small effort towards wartime diversity
Usually, English wartime films are as diverse as various colors of newly fallen snow. You have one white guy, with another older white guy, and...
The Silencing review – a thriller that looks great but doesn’t thrill
The Silencing opens with overhead views of beautiful mountain forests, with a river cutting through; and steadily the camera follows someone – presumably dead –...
The Dark End of the Street review – a contemplative urban drama
In a world getting steadily smaller, how well do you know the people in our own street? Now that you can see your friends and...
Fish Story review – a genre-defying modern cult classic
Fish Story is such a fantastic film that, to be honest, I’d rather be watching it again than writing about it. It’s about how our choices...
An American Pickle second opinion – an ultimately pleasing low-key production
An immigrant worker, played by Seth Rogan, ends up being pickled in a vat for 100 years , and wakens in modern day New York...
The Woman in Black review – a near-perfect old-fashioned ghost story
Some of us can look back on growing up in the United Kingdom and remember some high-quality ghost stories on terrestrial television. I have friends...
Waiting for the Barbarians review – a morbid and heavy-handed anti-imperialist allegory
Given everything that’s going on with Johnny Depp lately, seeing him play the sadistic functionary of a totalitarian empire with such relish is a bit...
Howard review – a surprisingly frank exploration of the life and career of a genius
Howard Ashman is the lyricist responsible for many of the best tunes in your favorite Disney movies, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast,...
Berlin, Berlin: Lolle on the Run review – a fun, nostalgic cinematic sequel
Netflix film Berlin, Berlin: Lolle on the Run was released on the platform on Aug 7. 2020. This review contains no spoilers. I was slightly...