Joaquin Phoenix stars in director Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here — Joaquin Phoenix stars in director Lynne Ramsay's *You Were Never Really Here*

You Were Never Really Here (2018) by Lynne Ramsay

April 18, 2018

Review by Nadine Smith

Ramsay’s film could maybe work under another title: How To Disappear Completely, after the song from the band that made composer Jonny Greenwood famous. For that seems to be what Joe wishes to achieve: not death, but total disappearance. He craves nonexistence; he wants to be written out of history like George Bailey, but never put back in. Instead, what we receive is the total disappearance of what made Ramsay so distinctive and so evocative as a director, with only traces of brilliance in its wake. For most of its runtime, I found myself wishing You Were Never Really Here would disappear too.

Emily Blunt stars in director John Krasinski's A Quiet Place — Emily Blunt stars in director John Krasinski's *A Quiet Place*

A Quiet Place (2018) by John Krasinski

April 16, 2018

Review by Andrew Swafford

I’m fascinated by the fact that A Quiet Place is maybe the first ever mainstream horror film created by someone whose appreciation for the genre is informed almost exclusively by horror from the last few years--the new wave of “elevated horror,” to use Krasinski’s unfortunate phrasing. With these specific movies in mind, how does their influence play out in the film?

Ike Barinholtz, Leslie Mann, and John Cena star in director Kay Cannon's Blockers — Ike Barinholtz, Leslie Mann, and John Cena star in director Kay Cannon's *Blockers*

Blockers (2018) by Kay Cannon

April 12, 2018

Review by Malcolm Baum

The goal is simple: it’s to give teenage girls a light-hearted and raunchy sex comedy that’s usually focused towards a male demographic.

Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy in Thoroughbreds — Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy in *Thoroughbreds*

Thoroughbreds (2018) by Cory Finley

April 11, 2018

Review by Jessica Carr

On the surface, it seems like the ideal place to live life to the fullest without a care in the world. But Thoroughbreds is much more interested in cracking the surface and revealing the rotten core underneath.

Michael Palin, Steve Buscemi, and Jeffrey Tambor star in director Amando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin — Michael Palin, Steve Buscemi, and Jeffrey Tambor star in director Amando Iannucci's *The Death of Stalin*

The Death of Stalin (2018) by Armando Iannucci

April 9, 2018

Review by Lydia Creech

Really nasty black comedies are hard to pull off. The satirical intent has to be focused and clear, the shocks have to serve a purpose (comedic or thematic), and, of course, it has to actually be, you know, funny. Thankfully, Armando Iannucci more than rises to the challenge.

Tye Sheridan in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One — Tye Sheridan in Steven Spielberg's *Ready Player One*

Ready Player One (2018) by Steven Spielberg

April 2, 2018

Review by Zach Dennis

Maybe Ready Player One’s nostalgia isn’t for the actual culture of the 1980s but the culture of the 1980s — one that lacks the demand for tangible good from our industry leaders.

Claire Foy in Unsane — Claire Foy in *Unsane*

Unsane (2018) by Steven Soderbergh

March 29, 2018

Review by Zach Dennis

Unsane isn’t perfect and it doesn’t necessarily engage with the ideals of capitalism, health care and mental health that it wants to as well as it should. But there is something terrifying about its approach to a digital consciousness that feels too close to home.

John Boyega stars in director Steven S. DeKnight's Pacific Rim: Uprising — John Boyega stars in director Steven S. DeKnight's *Pacific Rim: Uprising*

Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) by Steven S. DeKnight

March 26, 2018

Review by Jordan Collier

Underneath all the one-liners, explosions, and giant robo-punches there was something special about the original Pacific Rim: it had a ton of heart. It was almost like del Toro’s inner 9-year-old excitedly rushed up and showed you his collection of robot and monster action figures and explained why each of them were so cool as he pretended to make them fight. Now imagine zooming out from this scene to find out it’s taking place in a room behind a one-way mirror in near-perfect laboratory conditions as a group of investors and producers silently tick box after box of what they think made the first one great.

Reese Witherspoon and Storm Reid in A Wrinkle in Time — Reese Witherspoon and Storm Reid in *A Wrinkle in Time*

ALTERNATE TAKE: A Wrinkle in Time (2018) by Ava DuVernay

March 21, 2018

Review by Courtney Anderson

Wrinkle is a personal film. It’s a DuVernay project through and through: it’s all about love and light and hope with a little Black girl at the center. And I, for one, am very grateful for it.

Alicia Vikander stars as Laura Croft in director Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider — Alicia Vikander stars as Laura Croft in director Roar Uthaug's *Tomb Raider*

Tomb Raider (2018) by Roar Uthaug

March 19, 2018

Review by Lydia Creech

Tomb Raider is about watching Laura become the competent archaeologist adventurer people claim she is, with struggles and trauma, rather than a vessel springing fully formed yet empty enough to project desire onto.

Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, and Reese Witherspoon star in director Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time — Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, and Reese Witherspoon star in director Ava DuVernay's *A Wrinkle in Time*

A Wrinkle in Time (2018) by Ava DuVernay

March 12, 2018

Review by Lydia Creech

Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 novel Wrinkle in Time is cosmic in scope and theme, and just… leave it to Disney to reduce it to the personal. Badly.

Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh star in director Alex Garland’s Annihilation — *Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh star in director Alex Garland’s* Annihilation

Annihilation (2018) by Alex Garland

March 5, 2018

Review by Jordan Collier

Garland’s characters suffer due to Annihilation's grand scope. Thankfully, the themes and imagery are strong enough to stay with you well after you leave the theater.

Jacob Batalon and Angourie Rice in Michael Sucsy’s Every Day — Jacob Batalon and Angourie Rice in Michael Sucsy’s *Every Day*

Every Day (2018) by Michael Sucsy

February 28, 2018

Review by Paige Taylor

We are given someone who understands humanity in the most empathetic way possible and who could potentially surpass any psychologist in history with all their rare, impossible insight, and yet what we’re given is just another YA person meets YA girl story.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in Game Night — Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in *Game Night*

Game Night (2018) by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

February 26, 2018

Review by Reid Ramsey

To enlist John Francis Daley (Freaks and Geeks) and Jonathan Goldstein (Vacation) alongside the greats of Iranian cinema would be a mistake, but with Game Night (2018), their endeavor into high-concept thriller comedy, they make a case for themselves as serious directors.

Lupita Nyong'o, Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright in Black Panther — Lupita Nyong'o, Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright in *Black Panther*

Black Panther (2018) by Ryan Coogler

February 21, 2018

Review by Courtney Anderson

Black Panther is sprawling movie that satisfies in a way a lot of superhero movies don’t.

Dakota Johnson and Jaime Dornan star in the final installment of the Fifty Shades franchise — Dakota Johnson and Jaime Dornan star in the final installment of the *Fifty Shades* franchise

Fifty Shades Freed (2018) by James Foley

February 19, 2018

Review by Andrew Swafford

I like the Fifty Shades films. They aren’t perfectly constructed movies by any means, but seeing the evolution of the series’ central relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey has been often delightful and always fascinating, even in its shortcomings. I want to attempt, in good faith, to present an exhaustive case for why the Fifty Shades series does not deserve its current status as a cultural punching bag.

Rebecca Spence and Jessie Pinnick in Princess Cyd — Rebecca Spence and Jessie Pinnick in *Princess Cyd*

Princess Cyd (2017) by Stephen Cone

February 7, 2018

Review by Paige Taylor

Princess Cyd isn’t told in the story structure we’re comfortable with. It has loose ends and unanswered questions and feels more like a chapter than an entire story. But like happiness, and like fulfillment, cinema doesn’t have to stick to one recipe.

Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan star in director Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer — Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan star in director Yorgos Lanthimos’s *The Killing of a Sacred Deer*

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) by Yorgos Lanthimos

December 4, 2017

Review by Andrew Swafford

The idea that a challenging film is an interesting film seems, to me, to be a common assumption among movie fans. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a joyless and abrasive film, with a sense of nihilistic sadism. That statement of truth, I imagine, will be enough to convince many to watch it.