Reviews (Page 19) | The Spool

Reviews (Page 19)

The Blackening can’t survive expansion

By: Peter Sobczynski

The feature-length adaptation of the satirical horror short falls short on scares and laughs.

In its season premiere, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds affirms that Spock is no ordinary Vulcan

By: Andrew Bloom

Season 2’s debut sidelines the senior officers for a Spock-centered adventure that pays tribute to his Vulcan bearing but also his undeniable humanity.

Past Lives is a tender, subtle romance about what it means to be meant to be

By: Gena Radcliffe

Celine Song makes an unforgettable feature debut with a bittersweet drama in which a reunion between old friends brings unexpected emotions.

Unraveling pop-culture one thread at a time

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.

Cruel Summer Season 2 sees the series take things a little slower this year

By: Tim Stevens

Perhaps the heat is getting to the Freeform series as its second outing remains silly overblown fun, but at a lesser pace.

The Crowded Room echoes with unfulfilled promise

By: Tim Stevens

Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried do the work but are hamstrung by cliché and overvaluing surprise over character development.

Based on a True Story is darkly funny look at true crime obsession

By: Megan Sunday

Peacock presents a bloody, clever satire about America's favorite documentary genre.

None of us get a perfect end, not even Ted Lasso

The series closes on a heartfelt episode that nonetheless reveals flaws and disappointments.

In Asteroid City, Wes Anderson reflects on his own actors and style

By: Scout Tafoya

Anderson's latest is maybe his most reflective and curious film yet, a reflection of the ways he keeps old Hollywood forms of storytelling and acting alive.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has little bite

Though it's a slight improvement on its predecessors, the fightin' robot franchise still feels stale & tired.

Chile ’76 deftly mixes domestic drama and political thriller

By: Matt Cipolla

Manuela Martelli explores the ripple effects of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in her first film, a sly, evasive genre mashup.

Reality traps itself

By: Soham Gadre

The film's reliance on accuracy leaves little room for artistry.

Flamin’ Hot never catches fire

By: Peter Sobczynski

Eva Longoria's directorial debut is solidly made but glosses over the interesting and thorny parts of its story in favor of a glossy ad for Cheetos.

Tribeca 2023: Our 15 most anticipated films

From music docs to actors directing to the first time, Tribeca 2023 has plenty of exciting new films to offer. Here are some of our faves.

Shin Kamen Rider skillfully splices love, thrills, and wisdom into a tremendous whole

By: Justin Harrison

The fourth installment of Hideaki Anno's "Shin" project is brainy, moving, and marvelously idiosyncratic. It's my favorite film of 2023 so far.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse spins a stunning web

By: Justin Harrison

Miles Morales' second venture into the multiverse is thrilling, thematically dense, and above all else, a GORGEOUS work of animation.

Come to the Moulin Rouge! where artifice reveals authenticity

By: Tim Stevens

Baz Luhrmann’s mashup musical piles on the spectacle on its way to embracing true love.

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson makes us stay a little longer with sketch comedy gold

Season 3 may not be as consistent, but it still brings plenty of hilariously weird and uncomfortable situations.

A decade on, The Purge series is more frightening than ever

The dystopian portrait of the United States now feels ironically naïve, a reality that makes it more deeply unnerving than when it first hit theatres.

Succession ends as it should, with no one happy

One of the best series of the 20s closes on a realistically somber note, where even winning feels like losing.

Kandahar takes a shot it doesn’t quite land

By: Michael Snydel

Gerard Butler’s CIA-agent-on-the-run thriller aims to be more than a power fantasy, but for all its virtues, it doesn’t stick that landing. There’s an expected cognitive dissonance that comes with watching a man-on-a-mission genre piece set in the Middle East. Whether it’s a glorified shooting gallery or a power fantasy where the hero stops just ... Kandahar takes a shot it doesn’t quite land

Filmmaker of the Month

Traversing Baz Lurhmann’s sonic landscapes

Even when he's not making musical movies, the Aussie auteur's movies are always musical.

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