The Beta Test (2021) Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe Screenwriters: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe Starring: Jim Cummings, Virginia Newcombe, PJ McCabe Jim Cummings returns as a force in independent film with The Beta Test, a sharp, often darkly comic thriller that skewers modern Hollywood and the predatory systems that thrive within it. Following his breakout … Read more

Censor (2021) Director: Prano Bailey-Bond Screenwriter: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher Starring: Niamh Algar, Sophia La Porta, Michael Smiley The moral panic surrounding the so-called “video nasties” of the 1980s remains a rich and troubling chapter in British film history. Censor (2021) approaches that era not as a simple period piece or a nostalgic pastiche, but … Read more

Barton Fink (1991) Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Screenwriters: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Starring: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, Steve Buscemi, Richard Portnow, Christopher Murney Barton Fink, the Coen brothers’ fourth feature, is an unsettling and richly layered film that both rewards and resists close analysis. … Read more

Free Guy (2021) Director: Shawn Levy Screenwriters: Matt Lieberman, Zak Penn Main cast: Ryan Reynolds, Joe Keery, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi Ryan Reynolds stars in the video game–inspired comedy Free Guy as Guy, an NPC (non-player character) living in the open-world game Free City. After repeating the same day over and over, he begins to … Read more

The Kissing Booth 3 (2021) Director: Vince Marcello Screenwriters: Vince Marcello, Jay S. Arnold Starring: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Stephen Jennings, Molly Ringwald Vince Marcello’s final installment in The Kissing Booth trilogy has arrived on Netflix, closing out a franchise that began as a teenage Wattpad sensation and grew into a global streaming … Read more

This article was originally published on SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Hell or High Water (2016) Director: David Mackenzie Screenwriter: Taylor Sheridan Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey, Margaret Bowman In 2016, Scottish director David Mackenzie (known for Young Adam and Starred Up) teamed with … Read more

Jungle Cruise (2021) Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Screenwriters: Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Starring: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti Disney’s recent slate of theme-park–inspired films has produced a varied catalogue, and Jungle Cruise (2021) joins that roster as a big-budget family adventure built around one of … Read more

Stillwater (2021) Director: Tom McCarthy Screenwriter: Tom McCarthy, Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain Starring: Matt Damon, Camille Cottin, Lilou Siauvaud, Abigail Breslin Stillwater (2021), released by Focus Features, follows a grieving American father determined to clear his daughter’s name after she is convicted of a murder while studying in Marseille, France. Directed and co-written by Tom … Read more

The Suicide Squad (2021) Director: James Gunn Screenwriter: James Gunn Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi The Suicide Squad (2021) represents a clear tonal relaunch for DC’s cinematic output under the direction of James Gunn. Where the 2016 film struggled with inconsistent edits and … Read more

Starsky & Hutch (2004)Director: Todd PhillipsScreenwriters: John O’Brien, Stevie Long, Todd Phillips, Scot ArmstrongStarring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Fred Williamson, Juliette Lewis Twenty-first century American cinema often leans on nostalgia, mining familiar properties for safe box-office returns. Reboots and revivals of past hits—whether controversial or beloved—have become a dominant … Read more