Reviews (Page 64) | The Spool

Reviews (Page 64)

“Sweet Girl” is decidedly sour where it counts

Jason Momoa tries to fight Big Pharma in Netflix's latest limp action thriller.

The Protege is the kind of solid meat-and-potatoes thriller we don’t get anymore

By: Andrea Thompson

Maggie Q gets a down and dirty action vehicle that doesn't reinvent the lady-assassin wheel but has plenty of fun along the way.

Ted Lasso “Rainbow” Recap: Nate wants a table, Ted wants a new coach

Ted brings Roy back into the fold, and Nate overcomes his shyness, in a thin but still enjoyable episode.

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.

Demonic accomplishes the impossible: it makes the Devil look boring

Neill Blomkamp suggests that District 9 may have been a lucky fluke in this dull supernatural techno-horror.

Nine Perfect Strangers coasts past a weak script with a stellar cast

By: Michael Frank

Nicole Kidman leads a capable, all-star ensemble through David E. Kelley’s take on wellness culture, even as it struggles to keep your attention. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch Big Little Lies and The Undoing creator David E. Kelley returns to the small screen for another collaboration with Nicole Kidman with Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, an ... Nine Perfect Strangers coasts past a weak script with a stellar cast

“It’s Just You And Me Now, Sport”: Manhunter at 35

We look back at Michael Mann's moody, underappreciated take on the Hannibal Lector (sorry Lecktor) mythos, thirty-five years later.

Rebecca Hall (and sound design) casts a spell in The Night House

By: Tim Stevens

The haunted house thriller goes deeper and lingers longer than you might expect.

Fantasia 2021 Dispatch: What Josiah Saw, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, The Righteous

By: Clint Worthington

Two chilling morality plays centered around faith, and an inventive Japanese time-travel comedy, center our latest Fantasia coverage.

P.S.H. I Love You: repairing the world in Magnolia

One of Philip Seymour Hoffman's finest moments has him playing a beacon of comfort and compassion.

The romantic tragedy of David Cronenberg’s The Fly

On its 35th anniversary, a look back at both the gold standard in body horror, & an affecting love story.

Ted Lasso “Carol of The Bells” Recap: (Sexy) Christmas in August

The snow's coming down, but no one can seem to get their Christmas plans right.

Fantasia 2021 Dispatch: Brain Freeze, Tin Can, Tokyo Revengers

By: Clint Worthington

Green zombies, isolated scientists, and time-traveling middle schoolars populate our first dispatch from this year's Fantasia.

What If…? explores the roads not taken for better and worse

By: Tim Stevens

Marvel Studios rolls out its most insular effort to date on Disney+ with plenty to please the fans.

Val is a sweet look at the life & career of Val Kilmer

By: Gena Radcliffe

The once-difficult actor reflects on 40 years of show business with insight & tenderness.

Ted Lasso “Do The Right-est Thing” Recap: Sam steps up

Sam takes the spotlight as he struggles with a moral dilemma and letting down his dad NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch Lace up your boots, it’s time for the Ashley Nicole Black-penned and Ezra Edelman-directed episode, “Do The Right-est Thing.” This is both Black and Edelman’s first Ted Lasso foray, though Black has been a ... Ted Lasso “Do The Right-est Thing” Recap: Sam steps up

Annette is a bold, beautiful corpse of a musical

By: Matt Cipolla

Leos Carax's latest is a stripped-down rock opera that oscillates between parody and satire to fittingly uneven effect.

Vivo is a decent tune when it’s not riffing on smarter animated musicals

By: Jon Negroni

Lin-Manuel Miranda fronts a fun but occasionally frenetic and overly busy cartoon musical.

Stillwater is an empty shell disguised as insightful commentary

By: Jonah Koslofsky

Tom McCarthy directs a stoic Matt Damon in a film about America's role on the world stage, which ultimately says very little.

Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time is an astonishing conclusion to one of science fiction’s greatest works

By: Justin Harrison

Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, the finale of Hideaki Anno's sci-fi psychodrama, wraps up with an epic and intimate coming-to-terms.

Enemies of the State trudges through murky territory to a half-conclusion

By: Michael Frank

The seeds of an interesting story are planted in Sonia Kennebeck's documentary about the paranoia and espionage surrounding a child pornography trial.

Sabaya documents the women hiding in the shadows of ISIS

Hogir Hirori directs a gripping look at an organization fighting to save kidnapped women from a life of sexual slavery.

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