Reviews (Page 9) | The Spool

Reviews (Page 9)

Doctor Who reverses the show’s downward polarity with The Star Beast

By: Clint Worthington

Russell T. Davies, David Tennant, and Catherine Tate do a hard reset on the beloved sci-fi show, taking it back to basics and resolving the show's own metacrisis.

Before Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, there was Blood Rage

By: Gena Radcliffe

Serve up this bizarre, oddly funny 80s slasher as part of your holiday entertainment feast this year.

Fargo Season 5’s a return to form, dontcha know

By: Tim Stevens

The crime drama returns to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and rediscovers its best storytelling self.

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.

The Holdovers is a welcome return to form

By: Scout Tafoya

After stumbling with Downsizing, Alexander Payne bounces back with a gentle & witty comedy-drama.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes proves itself in the arena

By: Shannon Campe

Despite a challenging premise and an overlong runtime, the Hunger Games prequel makes the most of the hand it’s been dealt.

8.1

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off what’s come before in favor of dawning something new and wonderful

By: Justin Harrison

The ScienceSaru-produced animated series rebuilds rather than retells Bryan Lee O'Malley's beloved comic.

Trolls Band Together is another off-key entry in the franchise

The Trolls movies continue to indulge in their best and worst impulses in a third installment.

Nebraska at 10: Alexander Payne’s love letter to the Midwest

Long overshadowed by Sideways, we’re giving this understated dramedy its due for depicting Midwest with the specificity Hollywood rarely gives it.

A Murder at the End of the World plays And Then There Were None in the snow

By: Tim Stevens

Hulu’s crime thriller/environmentalist warning is less than the sum of its references, but star Emma Corrin earns viewers’ attention.

The Killer is dead by design, and largely for the better

By: Matt Cipolla

David Fincher’s tale of a globetrotting assassin combines slick setpieces with economic construction.

Loki holds the center

Our God of Mischief finally realizes his "Glorious Purpose."

For All Mankind Season 4 brings the class struggle to outer space

By: Tim Stevens

AppleTV+’s alternate history sci-fi drama doesn’t reach for the stars as much in its fourth season, but remains compelling.

The Marvels is a confounding crossover

By: Shannon Campe

The MCU’s latest entry throws the unfamiliar into a murderer’s row of crossovers and Easter eggs, with only a charming Iman Vellani coming out on top. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch Most films don’t come with homework. The same cannot be said of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new movie, The Marvels. Unless you’re a devoted ... The Marvels is a confounding crossover

You Were My First Boyfriend is a unique, bittersweet documentary about the hell of adolescence

By: Gena Radcliffe

Filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo poignantly recreates her teenage years as a form of immersive therapy.

Loki slips again

Our God of Mischief tries to rebuild the TVA as the catastrophe expands.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves tackles the thin line between Black and blue in the Old West

By: Scout Tafoya

David Oyelowo paints a compelling picture of the first Black lawman in the latest leg of Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding Western TV empire. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch Screenwriter Josh Olsen (A History of Violence) used to tell anyone who would listen that his passion project was an account of the life of Bass Reeves, a ... Lawmen: Bass Reeves tackles the thin line between Black and blue in the Old West

Star Trek Lower Decks’ season 4 finale proves who Mariner is and who she isn’t

By bringing in a rival with surface similarities, “Old Friends, New Planets” articulates the Ensign's true self and how much she's grown.

Shawn Levy’s All the Light We Cannot See fumbles in darkness

By: Shannon Campe

Netflix's attempt to adapt the well-received novel will make viewers wonder why they bothered.

Priscilla is one of Sofia Coppola’s most patient and accessible offerings yet

By: Matt Cipolla

The writer/director’s take on Priscilla Presley’s relationship with Elvis is a wise and unsensational tale of growth despite its larger-than-life origins.

Austin Film Festival 2023

Horses, Leftism & Cannibals: Dispatches from the Austin Film Festival

An overview of the diverse features selected to screen at this year's Austin Film Festival.

Scattered charm can’t make Inspector Sun shine

By: Justin Harrison

A kid-friendly detective movie in the spirit of the classics would be great. Inspector Sun tries but sadly never manages to spin the right web. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch I love detective stories. Tales of how, as Sara Gran would say, “truth lives in the ether.” Explorations of people and places and how they ... Scattered charm can’t make Inspector Sun shine

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