United States
Kidman and Kusama work impeccably together in Destroyer to create an anti-heroine who can shoulder the weight of a familiar genre while rarely giving in to easy tropes.
In this beginner’s guide we look back at the career of director Joe Dante, focusing mostly on his iconic 1980s hits.
Pick of the Litter is a sweet and simple film about animals that doesn’t place any of them in peril – so it’s pretty much a winner.
Home Alone 2 does offer holiday charm, cheekiness, and sass that makes you love your family even when you wish you never belonged with them on Christmas Eve.
Aquaman is not really a bad movie by DC’s standards, but it is the weirdest thing they’ve made in recent years by a country mile – and not always in a good way.
The charisma of Macaulay Culkin matched with the intelligent script by John Hughes makes Home Alone the definitive holiday story that it is, appealing to all ages.
A well-acted, mostly captivating, and wholly unpredictable noir, Back Roads is an impressive directorial debut for Pettyfer, who pulls double-duty in his strongest screen performance yet.
Anna and the Apocalypse is a roller-coaster of inspired madness, great music, and surprising emotional weight.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation isn’t the finest Xmas movie you’ll ever see, but it’s disarmingly heartfelt at times.
Swiped is a satire that misses the mark, and comes across as a rather dated look at relationships and the differences between men and women.
If Beale Street Could Talk is an ode to young love, a tragedy about injustice, a poetic depiction of the loss of innocence, and so much more.
Adam McKay’s Vice is at its best when it mixes information with entertainment and leaves out all of the preaching.
Paris, Texas readily evokes a bit of the ruggedness of the Old West, reflecting the degradation of this vast country as much as the austere beauty.
Even the creative use of an iconic object of terror doesn’t help to elevate Scarecrows above any other generic slasher.
With Criterion’s Blu-ray, True Stories will satisfy old fans and find new ones, just as every generation eventually discovers the Talking Heads.