Skip to content
The Spool

The Spool

Unraveling Pop Culture One Thread at a Time
Main navigation
  • Podcasts
    • More of a Comment Really
    • Hall of Faces
  • Movies
  • TV
  • Patreon
  • News
    • Awards
  • About
  • Contact

Category Archive: Movies

Coverage of everything hitting the big screen, from big-budget blockbusters to independent arthouse fare.

“Vanity Fair” puts a modern flair on a dusty classic

Vanity Fair
T T Read More

Mira Nair turns a dreary novel into something bright and beautiful, and changed how we looked at it.

B.L. Panther Posted on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021

“Psycho Goreman” swings for the fences but misses

Psycho Goreman
T T Read More

The latest Shudder original is a clever homage to movies of the past, but quickly loses its focus.

Sean Price Posted on January 21, 2021January 19, 2021

PSH is marvelous in “The Big Lebowski”

The Big Lebowski
T T Read More

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the ultimate lackey in The Coen Brothers’ gleefully silly stoner comedy.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021

“The Empty Man” is, in fact, hollow

The Empty Man
T T Read More

David Prior’s overlong occult horror is stylish but suffers from sluggish pacing and a lackluster hero.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on January 17, 2021January 17, 2021

Assembling the Black music soundscapes of Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe”

Small Axe Music (Ed Bailie)
T T Read More

Small Axe music supervisor Ed Bailie talks to us about filling Steve McQueen’s five-part anthology with the grooviest, most authentic tunes.

Clint Worthington Posted on January 16, 2021January 16, 2021

“The Ultimate Playlist of Noise” is treacly YA that can’t find its voice

Ultimate Playlist of Noise (Hulu)
T T Read More

Bennett Lasseter’s teen romance plays like Sound of Metal for the YA set, but sags under a heaping helping of misconceptions about deafness.

Charlotte Little Posted on January 15, 2021January 15, 2021

“He Was the Best—Undisciplined, But The Best.” A look at “Our Man Flint.”

our man flint
T T Read More

Perhaps the best of the Bond rip-offs, this 60s classic offers style, self-aware humor, and an iconic performance by James Coburn.

Peter Sobczynski Posted on January 14, 2021January 12, 2021

“Locked Down” is surprisingly better than you’d think

lockeddown
T T Read More

Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor have chemistry to spare in Doug Liman’s unexpectedly charming quarantine-themed romance.

Ashley Lara Posted on January 14, 2021January 13, 2021

“Outside the Wire” is a droning, ideologically confused sci-fi thriller

Outside the Wire
T T Read More

The Netflix Action Movie Industrial Complex continues abated with a deeply mediocre military thriller that can’t get a handle on its lukewarm critique of drones.

Clint Worthington Posted on January 13, 2021January 12, 2021

“Climate of the Hunter” embraces schlock, but comes out shaggy

T T Read More

Mickey Reece’s out-there vampire B film plays in a lot of genres, but doesn’t quite hit the Anna Biller vibe it’s going for.

Sarah Gorr Posted on January 12, 2021January 12, 2021

Revisiting Mira Nair’s vibrant, character-driven “Salaam Bombay!”

Salaam Bombay!
T T Read More

Mira Nair’s 1988 breakout remains a scintillating tale of poverty in India’s slums, even as it toes the line of exploitation.

Manish Mathur Posted on January 12, 2021January 12, 2021

“Hunted” speaks out of both sides of its mouth

hunted
T T Read More

Vincent Paronnaud’s over the top slasher film wants to say something about misogyny while treating its female lead as an object to be abused.

Michael Snydel Posted on January 11, 2021January 11, 2021

“Herself” finds gentle grace in a simple story about trauma

Herself (Amazon Studios)
T T Read More

Phyllida Lloyd and writer-star Clare Dunne delicately handle tough subject matter in a responsible, deft character drama.

Sarah Gorr Posted on January 8, 2021January 7, 2021

“The Reason I Jump” is a huge leap forward for autism representation

The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber)
T T Read More

Empathetic, well-crafted filmmaking makes this profile on the specificities of autistic life both heartwarming and essential in its outreach.

Douglas Laman Posted on January 8, 2021January 7, 2021

“The Dissident” is a gripping look at Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

The Dissident (Briarcliff Entertainment)
T T Read More

Bryan Fogel follows up Icarus with a harrowing, if occasionally glitchy, profile of Saudi Arabia’s snuffing of dissent, whether through social media or just plain murder.

Sean Price Posted on January 7, 2021January 7, 2021

In “Elizabeth Is Missing”, memory is mystery

Elizabeth is Missing (BBC/PBS)
T T Read More

Glenda Jackson is mesmerizing as a woman struggling with dementia — and a missing persons case — in this BBC import.

Megan Sunday Posted on January 3, 2021January 3, 2021

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a curious thing indeed

Curious Case of Benjamin Button
T T Read More

David Fincher’s syrupy historical fantasy is as sumptuously filmed as it is shallowly written.

Tim Stevens Posted on December 31, 2020December 31, 2020

In “To the Ends of the Earth”, a young girl observes, and is observed

To the Ends of the Earth
T T Read More

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s state-sanctioned drama elevates itself beyond its cultural mandate to explore more universal notes to the human condition.

Soham Gadre Posted on December 28, 2020December 28, 2020

Posts navigation

Previous1 2 3 … 65 Next
© 2021 The Spool. Podcast logo by Josh Hollis. Made with love by Pixelgrade
Footer navigation
  • About
  • Contact
Secondary navigation
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Mail
  • Feed
  • Patreon
  • Search

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.