With the long-running original Marvel movie saga culminating in Avengers: Endgame, now is an ideal moment to reassess and celebrate one of the franchise’s most memorable and influential antagonists: Loki. Portrayed by Tom Hiddleston since Thor (2011), Loki—Thor’s adopted brother—has been central to Thor’s movies and a recurring force throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He … Read more

Since 1994, Hollywood has attempted the Fantastic Four origin three times on the big screen—and none of those versions connected with critics or audiences the way Marvel likely hopes a future MCU entry will. With the rights returning to Marvel after Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019, a new Fantastic Four film looks inevitable. That … Read more

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominating pop culture conversation, Brie Larson—best known as Captain Marvel—has been at the center of attention since 2019. The actress behind Marvel Studios’ first female-led superhero film has earned both critical acclaim and commercial success: Captain Marvel joined the billion-dollar club at the worldwide box office and became a significant … Read more

Avengers: Endgame represents the culmination of a decade-long plan Marvel has been building toward since the early days of the MCU — back to Thor, when the Tesseract first appeared in a post-credits scene. Over the years Marvel reshaped how audiences think about film franchises by turning individual movies into an interconnected cinematic universe. While … Read more

Becket and A Man for All Seasons: Two Films, One Faith When I was first asked to compile a list of religious and spiritual films, I didn’t expect to still be working on it nearly two years later. My initial plan—to discuss ten films in a single list—quickly unraveled. Early attempts turned into long essays … Read more

Laika’s Films: How Stop-Motion Explores Death, Alienation and Belonging Missing Link, the fifth feature from stop-motion studio Laika, has just been released. Viewers familiar with Laika know what to expect: meticulous, expressive stop-motion animation populated by oddly charming, visually unconventional characters, bright color palettes, and energetic storytelling. Beneath that craftsmanship, however, the studio consistently weaves … Read more

A Clockwork Orange — A Film Review Four droogs load up on Moloko Plus, primed for a bout of ultraviolence. A Clockwork Orange opens on Alex DeLarge’s insolent smirk, a challenge aimed squarely at the viewer. Stanley Kubrick’s signature visual precision is everywhere: arresting symmetry, meticulous camera moves and a protagonist who dares us to … Read more

Us (2019) Director: Jordan Peele Screenwriter: Jordan Peele Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elizabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) is a bold, unsettling entry in contemporary horror that builds on the director’s flair for blending scares with social commentary. While it inevitably invites comparison to Peele’s earlier film … Read more

Wild Rose (2019) Director: Tom Harper Screenwriter: Nicole Taylor Starring: Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo, Jamie Sives, Craig Parkinson, James Harkness Wild Rose is a lively, emotionally grounded British take on the rags-to-riches music drama. Anchored by a breakout performance from Jessie Buckley and a steady counterpoint from Julie Walters, the film follows Rose-Lynn … Read more

Captive State (2019) Director: Rupert Wyatt Screenwriters: Erica Beeney, Rupert Wyatt Starring: John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Jonathan Majors, Machine Gun Kelly This review examines Captive State, a 2019 science fiction drama directed by Rupert Wyatt that attempts to blend political allegory with a resistance thriller set against an alien occupation. The film’s premise—an extraterrestrial power … Read more