Black Mass movie review: men behaving badly… again
A solid execution of a familiar tale, crammed with a likable, watchable cast. But it doesn’t have anything new to say about why men do despicable things.
FBI
Sicario movie review: lies, injustice, and the American way
The “War on Drugs” has never felt more like an actual war in this brutal, scathing condemnation of the lawlessness of the battle… on the “good guys” side.
Hannibal: the thrill is the terror, and the terror is the thrill
Perverse. Completely perverse. And completely seductive. Do I love it, or is it evil? Is it a wrong thing if it’s both?
Blackhat movie review: broken code
This mysteriously misbegotten flick should be a gritty 10-hour miniseries so it would have time to explore its ideas and potentially fascinating characters.
The State Within TV review: unknown knowns
A riveting BBC political thriller offering one of the most trenchant explorations yet of the sick symbiosis between big government and big business.
Veronica Mars review: fan service included
I’ve never seen the show that spawned it, but it was still exactly what I was expecting. I am neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed by it. I am whelmed.
American Hustle review: the humor, it burns
Bursting with insanely engaging characters who are impossibly real and impossibly ridiculous whose stories you don’t ever want to end.
Parkland review (London Film Festival)
This poignant and painful ensemble drama about the lesser-known figures caught up in the JFK assassination reminds us that history happens to regular people, too.
your awards-season cheat sheet… or how to sound like an insider (even if you’re not)
Shhh! don’t tell anywhere where you heard all this…
The Frozen Ground review
In a rote cat-and-mouse cop-and-serial-killer story, Vanessa Hudgens’ “victim” is far more compelling than either cop Nicolas Cage or killer John Cusack.
