Reviews (Page 156)

Film Review: Oscar Isaac Hunts Nazis in Compelling, if Spotty, Operation Finale

Despite two incredible lead performances from Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley, this dramatization of the Mossad extradition of Adolf Eichmann feels a bit too safe. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood In 1960, a group of Mossad and Shin Bet agents, let by Peter Malkin, traveled to Argentina on an undercover mission to capture ... Film Review: Oscar Isaac Hunts Nazis in Compelling, if Spotty, Operation Finale

Features

35 Years Later, Cujo Remains a Scary, Shaky Stephen King Adaptation

Lewis Teague’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo turns thirty-five today, and is a perfect example of the thrills and pitfalls experienced by the average King film adaptation. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood August marks 35 years since the release of the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo. A modest hit at the box ... 35 Years Later, Cujo Remains a Scary, Shaky Stephen King Adaptation

Alpha Stands Out from the Pack with a Prehistoric Boy and His Dog Story

Despite some familiar story beats, Alpha puts a novel, prehistoric spin on the classic tale of canine friendship, along with some stunning visuals. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Alpha doesn’t seem like the typical Albert Hughes film -the idea that a man who’s made a name for himself by directing urban crime thrillers ... Alpha Stands Out from the Pack with a Prehistoric Boy and His Dog Story

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The Spool is an irreverent, informative source for film and television coverage, focused on diverse, thoughtful opinions that seek out a greater understanding of the media we love.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is Netflix’s Love Letter to Love Letters

Netflix’s latest dalliance in the teen rom-com genre is a real charmer, a sunny, bittersweet confection with plenty of welcome twists to high school romance. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood I still remember the first boy on whom I had a real, fill my diary crush. Mike O’Brien, seventh grade. Tall, lanky, with ... To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is Netflix’s Love Letter to Love Letters

News

The Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ Does the Danse Macabre: Watch

Gaspar Noe’s kaleidoscopic Cannes favorite gets a new trailer and poster promising all the Satanic dance mayhem the French provocateur can muster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Gaspar Noé is no stranger to deeply weird, bold, provocative films – Enter the Void and Irreversible are practically the poster children for confrontational, arguably sexist European New Vulgar cinema. His ... The Trailer for Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ Does the Danse Macabre: Watch

Skate Kitchen Is a Sun-Baked Celebration of Realistic Adolescence

Crystal Moselle’s narrative debut brings her documentary sensibilities to a fun, heartfelt story featuring the real members of Long Island’s most badass boarders. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Skate Kitchen offers something that’s been sorely missing from the world of coming-of-age films: a story that tells self-discovery not as a hero’s tale with ... Skate Kitchen Is a Sun-Baked Celebration of Realistic Adolescence

BlacKkKlansman is Spike Lee as His Most Confrontational, Outrageous, and Timely

Spike Lee’s latest is one of his best, a funny, soulful blaxploitation-infused take on the ways the racism of America’s past ripples through into its present and future. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Spike Lee is no stranger to didacticism. From Do the Right Thing to Chi-Raq to Malcolm X, his works are ... BlacKkKlansman is Spike Lee as His Most Confrontational, Outrageous, and Timely

The Meg is the Goofiest, Cheesiest, Most Sharktastic Fin-tertainment of the Summer

The shark schlock comes at you hard, fast, and fun, as Jason Statham battles giant sharks with an international cast in the Deep Blue Sea remake you never knew you needed. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Why release The Meg two entire weeks after Shark Week is over? It’s a perfect fit – ... The Meg is the Goofiest, Cheesiest, Most Sharktastic Fin-tertainment of the Summer

Awards

Oscars Changes Add a “Popular Film” Category, Cuts Down to Three Hours

The Academy’s board of governors approves new changes for next year’s Oscars, including a three-hour telecast and the addition of new categories. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Next year’s Oscars are going to go through a few shakeups. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have sent ... Oscars Changes Add a “Popular Film” Category, Cuts Down to Three Hours

Ponderous and Disconnected, Nico, 1988 Will Not Let You Be its Mirror

Susanna Nicchiarelli’s biopic of the German singer and artist is as impermeable as it is impermanent – those seeking a window into the artist’s life should look elsewhere. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Some may applaud Nico, 1988 for being a film with zero fucks to give. Much like its central subject, and ... Ponderous and Disconnected, Nico, 1988 Will Not Let You Be its Mirror

Ken Marino’s Canine Comedy Dog Days is Ruff Around the Edges

While trying to chase both sentimentality and laughs, Ken Marino’s ensemble canine comedy ends up barking up the wrong tree. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood If you knew Ken Marino from his roles in cult comedy TV shows and movies (The State, Wet Hot American Summer, Party Down), you might go into his ... Ken Marino’s Canine Comedy Dog Days is Ruff Around the Edges

En el Séptimo Día Is a Naturalistic, Humanistic View of the Immigrant Experience

Jim McKay’s tale of the plight of undocumented workers in America is soulful, sensitive, and a potent rebuke to modern rhetoric about the humanity of immigrants. This piece was originally published on Alcohollywood It’s easy to demonize an entire group of people when you know nothing about them. Murderers, rapists, thieves, and drug-dealing gangsters are ... En el Séptimo Día Is a Naturalistic, Humanistic View of the Immigrant Experience

The Bleeding Edge Is a Rage-Inducing Exposé on the Medical Device Industry

Kirby Dick’s documentary on the evils of the medical device industry is a shocking call to action, stressing the need for regulation in a field that endangers people’s lives. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood I finished watching Kirby Dick’s newest documentary The Bleeding Edge about nine hours ago. Following the film I was ... The Bleeding Edge Is a Rage-Inducing Exposé on the Medical Device Industry

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Hurt Is Blumhouse’s Latest, Spookiest, Most Uneven Scare-Fest

Blumhouse’s latest thriller is tense and deceptively clever, but undoes its thrills with no shortage of irritating fakeouts. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Trauma appears to be the monster in Sonny Mallhi’s Hurt, but things aren’t exactly as they seem. While the Blumhouse-produced thriller maintains an almost uncomfortable sense of tension, it suffers ... Fantasia 2018: Hurt Is Blumhouse’s Latest, Spookiest, Most Uneven Scare-Fest

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: The Witch in the Window Scares Without a Drop of Blood

Andy Milton’s atmospheric haunted house film is inscrutably scary and beautifully lit, balancing bone-chilling existential horror with compelling domestic drama. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Here it is, 2018’s version of The Witch and It Follows, a horror movie in which half its audience will appreciate its slow, moody burn, and the other ... Fantasia 2018: The Witch in the Window Scares Without a Drop of Blood

Fantasia 2018

Unfriended: Dark Web Elevates Its Premise to Scarier Screen-Based Dimensions

The web-footage sequel to the first Unfriended sees the series move in more believably conventional directions, eschewing supernatural scares for more haunting domestic terrors. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood We live in an age of overwhelming technology. Most of us spend most of day in the digital world, our computers becoming individual microcosms ... Unfriended: Dark Web Elevates Its Premise to Scarier Screen-Based Dimensions

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger is a Bleak & Eerie Story About Identity & Never Letting Go

Justin McConnell’s lean, fascinating horror-drama blends an intriguing structure with some novel investigation into the psychology of its shape-shifting horror monster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood There’s stalking, and then there’s what the narrator of Lifechanger does. Canadian horror-drama from writer-director Justin McConnell, it jumps right into the action right away, with Drew, ... Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger is a Bleak & Eerie Story About Identity & Never Letting Go

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger’s Justin McConnell on Shape-Shifting, Memory and Toxicity

The writer/director of Fantasia-debuting horror film Lifechanger talks about the origins of the project and getting into the mind of his film’s main monster. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Lifechanger is a sneakier, more fascinating thriller than it might seem at first glance – the tale of a man doomed to feed off and ... Fantasia 2018: Lifechanger’s Justin McConnell on Shape-Shifting, Memory and Toxicity

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Blue My Mind Is a Different Kind of Mermaid Story

Lisa Brühlmann’s Swiss coming-of-age mermaid tale is admirably shot and performed, but inadvertently hews too closely to similar teen-horror dramas of recent years. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood It’s almost a shame that Lisa Brühlmann’s Blue My Mind came out so close on the heels of Julia Ducournau’s Raw. One of the freshest, ... Fantasia 2018: Blue My Mind Is a Different Kind of Mermaid Story

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Satan’s Slave Review – Ghosts, Zombies and Sex Cults, OH MY!

A loose remake/prequel to the 1980 film of the same name, Satan’s Slave is a chilling story of how the sins of our parents haunt us in the present from director Joko Anwar. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood A grief-stricken family comes face-to-face with the aftermath of their recently deceased mother’s deal with ... Fantasia 2018: Satan’s Slave Review – Ghosts, Zombies and Sex Cults, OH MY!

Fantasia 2018

Fantasia 2018: Mikhail Red Explores Violence, Morality and Family in Neomanila

Superbly acted and beautifully shot, Neomanila is a morally ambiguous tale about what we do to survive and crimes we commit for the ones we love. This piece was originally posted at Alcohollywood Set against the backdrop of President Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines, Neomanila is a grim and gritty tale of family ... Fantasia 2018: Mikhail Red Explores Violence, Morality and Family in Neomanila

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