Here’s the unfortunate irony of monster movies: The better we get at realizing the most nightmarish creatures we can imagine, the less frightening they become. Visual effects are both boon …
My Life as a Teenaged Neomorph: Experiencing ‘Alien Covenant: In Utero’
Ahead of its wide release in the United States this weekend, Alien: Covenant is being hailed (by some critics) as a meticulously crafted and effortlessly thrilling reaffirmation of director Ridley Scott’s …
Marvel’s Movie Rulebook Drains Some of the Dopey Charm From ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’
Deep down, I think we all knew we’d only get one Guardians of the Galaxy. Sure, there’ll be sequels, tie-ins, crossovers, and probably spin-offs as long as they keep making …
Albert Serra Presents an Intimate Examination of Royal Decline in ‘The Death of Louis XIV’
No spoiler alerts needed. Over the course of two hours, you watch Louis XIV of France, the resplendent, long-reigning Sun King, slip from mild physical distress to the autopsy table. …
James Gray Revives the Old-Fashioned Adventure Epic With ‘The Lost City of Z’
Writer-director James Gray, the art-house favorite behind such films as We Own the Night and The Immigrant, seems an unlikely steward for the kind of old-fashioned adventure epic that’s been …