New Releases

Klosterman smartly, engagingly dissects ‘The Nineties’ 

In his new hardcover book “The Nineties,” Chuck Klosterman illustrates the nature of traditional network TV with a “Seinfeld” reference from 1992. Why would people

READ MORE

‘Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore’ imperfectly magical

Placed alongside commodified Marvel and bastardized “Star Wars,” the Wizarding World stands as the last great original blockbuster franchise. I think it will be appreciated

READ MORE

Ti West’s ‘X’ blends sex, violence in tasty package 

As wannabe porn star Maxine in the horror/dark comedy “X,” Mia Goth sets a record that will never be broken for most side-boob in a single

READ MORE

New ‘Firestarter’ digs compelling tale from ashes of ’84 dud 

“Firestarter” (1984) served as a cautionary tale for Blumhouse’s “Firestarter” (2022) by showing what not to do in every instance. Writer Scott Teems (“Halloween Kills”)

READ MORE

Brainy ‘Severance’ Season 1 comes together by the end 

Like a long-form “Twilight Zone,” “Severance” Season 1 (Apple TV Plus) mixes mind-bending “What ifs” about brain surgery, pitch-black humor about cubicle life, and characters who

READ MORE

Branagh delivers lavish adaptations of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017), ‘Death on the Nile’ 

Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot isn’t Agatha Christie’s Poirot nor David Suchet’s Poirot; indeed, he’s not a lot of fans’ Poirot. However, if you’re gonna yet

READ MORE

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ needed another editing pass 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” needn’t be as overwhelming as its title suggests. The writing/directing duo of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert invent a multiverse

READ MORE

Preston, Child dig up Roswell incident in ‘Diablo Mesa’  

Writing a book about the Roswell crash mystery is a tall order because it’s been done so many times before. On the other hand, it’s

READ MORE

Affleck, de Armas keep ‘Deep Water’ from sinking

The sex appeal of Ana de Armas and the brooding charisma of Ben Affleck take center stage in “Deep Water” (Hulu), an adaptation of Patricia

READ MORE

‘Scream 5’ smartly illustrates fan feedback loop 

“Scream 5” — technically titled “Scream,” but I insist on some sanity on my blog – ends with “For Wes.” To evoke the late great

READ MORE