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The Last of Us
Main Category

The Last of Us heals and breaks hearts in a low-key and wrenching episode

A fan-favorite game character makes a surprising appearance as Joel and Ellie make their way to a possible safe haven. Nick Offerman shines in a guest role.

You People
Main Category

You People can’t keep it real

A stacked cast can’t save Kenya Barris’ stale & sluggish race relations comedy.

Accused (FOX)
Main Category

Accused proves a good break from the true crime churn

FOX’s new drama offers a more thoughtful take on the crime and punishment procedural.

Kim's Video Featured (Sundance Institute)
Main Category

Sundance: Kim’s Video

The documentary stumbles when it stops relying on the facts in favor of flights of fancy.

Shotgun Wedding
Main Category

Jennifer Lopez proves there’s nothing she can’t do in Shotgun Wedding

J.Lo & Josh Duhamel star in an enjoyably silly action-comedy about a wedding that goes off the rails.

Heroic (Sundance Institute)
Main Category

Sundance 2023: Heroic

The military drama overcomes cliché to capture structural horror.

MOVIES

You PeopleY
Main Category
Michael Snydel

You People can’t keep it real

A stacked cast can't save Kenya Barris' stale & sluggish race relations comedy.
Kim's Video Featured (Sundance Institute)S
Main Category
Peter Sobczynski

Sundance: Kim’s Video

The documentary stumbles when it stops relying on the facts in favor of flights of fancy.
Shotgun WeddingJ
Main Category
Leo Brady

Jennifer Lopez proves there’s nothing she can’t do in Shotgun Wedding

J.Lo & Josh Duhamel star in an enjoyably silly action-comedy about a wedding that goes off the rails.
Heroic (Sundance Institute)S
Main Category
Soham Gadre

Sundance 2023: Heroic

The military drama overcomes cliché to capture structural horror.
Jung_EJ
Main Category
Justin Harrison

JUNG_E sends its late star off in melancholy science fiction style

Train to Busan's Yeon Sang-ho crafts a moving nearish-future dystopian actioner anchored by an excellent final performance from late actor Kang Soo-yeon.
The Longest Goodbye (Sundance Institute)S
Main Category
Clint Worthington

Sundance 2023: The Longest Goodbye, Sometimes I Think About Dying, Pod Generation, Run Rabbit Run

The first films we saw in this year's festival deal with the anxieties of parenthood and personhood.

FILMMAKER OF THE MONTH

ArmageddonA
Main Category

Armageddon sees Michael Bay at his most Michael Bay, just before big changes

Bay's style reaches an apex in his humanity v. asteroid flick, which changed his reception forever.
The RockT
Main Category

The Rock remains a quality cornerstone of Michael Bay’s career

For one film, Michael Bay managed to wrangle all his fixations into popcorn nirvana. 
Top of the LakeT
Main Category

Top of the Lake sees Campion go deep but narrow

Jane Campion's first television work in decades boasts masterful character work and a frustratingly blinkered perspective.

RIGHT ON CUE

Chanda Dancy, Devotion, I Wanna Dance With SomebodyC
Main Category
January 21, 2023

Chanda Dancy builds twin scoring showcases with Devotion and I Wanna Dance with Somebody

The Oscar-shortlisted composer on blending men with their machines and highlighting Whitney Houston's life, music, and struggles.
LISTEN
Filmmaker of the Month: Michael Bay

FEATURES

Sundance 20231
January 14, 2023
Clint Worthington

10 films we can’t wait to see at Sundance 2023

From anticipated followups by acclaimed filmmakers to exciting debuts by new voices, here's a shortlist of what to catch at this year's fest.
PossessionS
January 7, 2023
Gena Radcliffe

So you’re thinking about watching Possession

A quick guide to determine if you’re ready for Andrzej Zulawski’s legendary psychological horror.
Rugrats ChanukahA
December 27, 2022
Andrew Bloom

A Rugrats Chanukah was a light in the darkness for young Jewish children

The rare Jewish holiday special was a bastion of representation that still resonates today.
Best TV of 2022T
December 21, 2022
The Spool Staff

The 25 Best TV Shows of 2022

The ongoing refrain of every TV critic, especially come end-of-year time: There’s too much TV. This year is no exception, with networks and streaming services..
T
December 19, 2022
The Spool Staff

The 25 Best Films of 2022

From After Yang to Top Gun, we break down our favorite movies of the year.

TV

The Last of UsT
Main Category
Megan Sunday

The Last of Us heals and breaks hearts in a low-key and wrenching episode

A fan-favorite game character makes a surprising appearance as Joel and Ellie make their way to a possible safe haven. Nick Offerman shines in a guest role.
Accused (FOX)A
Main Category
Shannon Campe

Accused proves a good break from the true crime churn

FOX's new drama offers a more thoughtful take on the crime and punishment procedural.
Dear Edward (AppleTV+)D
Main Category
Tim Stevens

Dear Edward, by the time you read this letter, you’ll be weeping

AppleTV+’s new plane crash drama goes big and it pays off.
Shrinking (AppleTV+)S
Main Category
Tim Stevens

Shrinking is a good reason to get on the couch

Bill Lawrence’s new AppleTV+ show isn’t perfect, but none of us are.
The Last of UsT
Main Category
Megan Sunday

The Last of Us takes Ellie and the audience outside the walls for the first time 

Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin introduce their players and their viewers to the post-ruin world and some of its terrifying monsters.
That '90s Show (Netflix)T
Main Category
Ashley Lara

That ‘90s Show is a pure hit of nostalgia comedy

Netflix’s sequel series to That 70s Show provides a welcome dose of multi-cam sitcom laughs.
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FILMMAKER OF THE MONTH

In the CutI
April 1, 2022
Douglas Laman

In the Cut sees Jane Campion turn her eye to the 21st century

The great director delves into New York's anxious days post-9/11 via a thriller about a woman usure who she can trust.
Bright StarB
March 27, 2022
Eric Langberg

Bright Star: The immaturity and immensity of looking 

Jane Campion's chronicle of Fannie Brawne and Romantic poet John Keats' courtship is a masterful study of longing and star power.
Holy SmokeH
March 26, 2022
B.L. Panther

Holy Smoke! burns poisoned masculinity but chokes on Orientalist smog

Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel deliver powerhouse performances in Jane Campion's cult-deprogramming dramedy, but the script fails in its thoughtless colonialism.
The Portrait of a LadyT
March 21, 2022
Beau North

The Portrait of a Lady sees Jane Campion paint agency, control, and desire

Campion followed The Piano with a Henry James adaptation dedicated to the magnificently fraught question of desire or duty.
The PianoI
March 21, 2022
Jon Paul Roberts

In The Piano, Jane Campion and Holly Hunter navigate silence

Campion's multi-Oscar winner studies the thorns of speaking, silence, and desire through impeccable performances.
SweetieW
March 10, 2022
Doug Wykstra

With Sweetie, Jane Campion explores the rot inside a family tree

Master filmmaker Jane Campion's first theatrical picture ably demonstrates both her formal mastery and her precise character work.