When a pope dies, cardinals congregate in Vatican City to elect his successor: a God-fearing man capable of following in St. Peter’s footsteps and shepherding the Catholic Church, with its 1.39 billion members, for the rest of his mortal life. Though believers and skeptics...

Sean Baker wants his audience to be locked into the present. There’s no need for a backstory, no requirement for extensive exposition and a refusal to “tell” — it’s all show. And that’s the crux of his newest film, “Anora.” The eighth feature film from the...

Nearly 30 years after the release of the 1996 film “Twister,” the highly anticipated sequel “Twisters” stormed into theaters July 19 with a promise of heart-pounding action and a fresh take on a beloved classic. As excitement built for “Twisters,” one question was...

Over 400 years ago, Shakespeare wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”  Director, producer and screenwriter Greg Kwedar begs to differ. In his striking film “Sing Sing,” Kwedar asks, what about the head that wears a cowboy hat, or an ancient Egyptian headdress?  Creativity...

Sam knew she was going to die. It wasn’t a matter of how, but when.  After attending a puppet show, Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) begrudgingly moves her feet aboard a dingy bus back to the Brooklyn hospice center. Deflated and bitter, she was once again in a position of powerlessness,...

Nine years after “Inside Out” was released, its sequel has become another summer box office sensation. Nineteen days after its release, the film surpassed $1 billion at the box office, making it the first animated movie ever to reach the milestone so quickly. From the familiar...

What is “Babes”? Is it a raunchy comedy featuring more than a handful of jokes about various bodily fluids? Is it a heartwarming drama that encapsulates the power of female friendship? Is it an homage to New York and the charm, or lack thereof, of its inhabitants? It’s...

This article is part of the "Retro Review" series. Each month, four films — united by a singular theme — are assessed. The theme for October 2023 is "slasher." “My mom and dad are going to be so mad at me!” In the first of four classic slasher film reviews for the...

The plot of two unpopular high schoolers trying to get laid before graduation is not an unfamiliar one; it’s been done in “American Pie,” “Superbad,” “The To Do List” and dozens more. But with “Bottoms,” the method is somewhat unconventional — as the principal...

Moviegoers flocked to theaters dressed to the nines in pink July 21 to celebrate the release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” “Barbie” received widespread acclaim, receiving a score of 88% and "Certified Fresh” status on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, the film was an...

From a filmmaking standpoint, “Oppenheimer”  is one of the best films of the decade and a stunning return to form for Christopher Nolan after the baffling anticlimax of “Tenet” in 2020. Politically, however, it is by far his most controversial film, often trading historical...

When it comes to promoting a movie, most studios do not use eight girls dressed as the main character dancing at an NFL game. Unless it’s “M3GAN,” of course. Gerard Johnstone’s 2022 horror film “M3GAN” achieved surprising box office success following its Jan. 6...