Kinds of Kindness Is Teenage Nihilism for the Art House Crowd
Yorgos Lanthimos’s Kinds of Kindness is a nearly three-hour anthology film about the human capacity for cruelty. It’s exactly as fun as that sounds.
317 Articles by: Eileen Jones
Eileen Jones is a film critic at Jacobin, host of the Filmsuck podcast, and author of Filmsuck, USA.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon Is as Bad as You’ve Heard
Supposedly the first of four films, Kevin Costner’s dull and messy Western throwback, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, is almost certainly dead on arrival.
Elaine May Is the Greatest Director You’ve Never Heard Of
A new biography of writer-director-performer Elaine May makes a strong case for her canonization as one of our greatest comic talents. Unfortunately, Hollywood never knew what to do with her.
The Bikeriders Is Running on Fumes
Jeff Nichols’s The Bikeriders coasts on Austin Butler’s outlaw charm and an excellent performance from Tom Hardy. But neither can get this nostalgia piece into third gear.
RIP Donald Sutherland, a Hollywood Legend
Donald Sutherland (1935–2024) projected equal parts warmth, intelligence, and menace on the big screen. But he wasn’t just a brilliant actor — he was a man of the Left who never abandoned those values.
Inside Out 2 Just Saved the Summer Box Office
Inside Out 2 just saved Hollywood’s summer profit margins. Too bad it’s just another bland depiction of the Pixar Child’s inner life.
Hit Man Is a Glen Powell Rom-Com Turned Film Noir
Richard Linklater’s new film, Hit Man, works thanks to the star power and charm of Glen Powell. You won’t even mind the not-entirely-convincing film noir twist.
Furiosa Fails the Mad Max Series — and the Summer Box Office
Anya Taylor-Joy revs up her engines for Furiosa, but this Mad Max prequel is running on fumes.
John Krasinski Can Direct Whatever He Wants, I Guess
IF is John Krasinski doing Pixar. If those words make you excited, you’ll enjoy the film. If they don’t, you probably won’t.
The All-American Crack-Up in 1960s Hollywood Cinema
Starting in the 1960s, more and more Hollywood films depicted an increasingly violent and alienated American society quickly losing its mind. It’s hard not to see their relevance to our times.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Isn’t Good, but It’s Not Bad
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes never hits the highs of its half-century franchise. But the enduring power of the Apes’ postapocalyptic premise will keep us coming back for more.
The Fall Guy Is a Sloppy but Sweet Ode to Hollywood Stuntmen
Ryan Gosling is all charm in the new action-comedy The Fall Guy. It’s overstuffed and uneven, but it’s so upbeat that you won’t even mind.
If Only Challengers Were as Hot as It’s Trying to Be
Luca Guadagnino’s tennis pro drama Challengers is a test of Zendaya’s star power. She passes. But the promised hot-and-heavy love triangle doesn’t deliver.
Guy Ritchie’s Ungentlemanly Warfare Is a Disappointment
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is Guy Ritchie’s British twist on the old World War II “man on a mission” flicks. But despite being loosely based on a true story, it plays more like a cartoon.
It’s Impossible to Take Alex Garland’s Civil War Seriously
Civil War imagines a crumbling USA torn apart by militias, a crazed president, and murderous ideological rage. The problem is, director Alex Garland never tells us anything about those ideologies. Because then he might be seen as “taking a side.”
Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen
There are innumerable cinematic Jesuses, most of them bland, pious, and blue-eyed — until an Italian communist decided to preach the old gospel in a new way.
Ripley Is a Waste of the Talented Mr Andrew Scott
Netflix’s new series Ripley, the latest iteration of Patricia Highsmith’s murderous con man from The Talented Mr Ripley, is an arty, inert snooze. Its flat portrayal of the title character doesn’t come close to the novels or other fantastic adaptations.
Monkey Man Packs a Wild Punch
With a breakneck pace, Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, delivers on its bloody, brutal promise: a John Wick film in Mumbai that attempts to reclaim Hindu mythology for the underclasses of Indian society.
Everyone’s Hooked on Netflix’s 3 Body Problem
Based on Cixin Liu’s megapopular sci-fi novels, 3 Body Problem is an engrossing spectacle about alien invasion. It’s a welcome 21st-century twist on the old War of the Worlds premise.
Annette Bening’s Helicopter Mom Dominates Apples Never Fall
In the new mystery miniseries Apples Never Fall, Annette Bening’s fantastic performance can’t save an otherwise bland “whodunit” thriller.