The Firestarter Remake Fails to Ignite
Stephen King’s original Firestarter novel was a product of post-Watergate rage toward the CIA. But horror production company Blumhouse’s second adaptation can’t keep the flame alive.
153 Articles by: Eileen Jones
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Eileen Jones is a film critic at Jacobin and author of Filmsuck, USA. She also hosts a podcast called Filmsuck.
The Staircase Is the Natural Next Step in Our True-Crime Watching Spree
True crime has come a long way from the cheap, lurid days of America’s Most Wanted. The new HBO Max series The Staircase, starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette, has the posh cast and opulent production values that showcase the genre’s evolution.
The Northman Is an Honorable Failure
I wanted to love Robert Eggers’s follow-up to The Witch and The Lighthouse, but maybe a big-budget Viking saga just isn’t the right fit for a wonderful weirdo like him?
You Won’t Be Alone Is Inspired and Mesmerizing Folk Horror
The debut folk horror film You Won’t Be Alone, set in 19th-century Macedonia, is an amazingly mature piece of work that weighs the overwhelming, bloody brutality of the world against its strange enchantments.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Is Lovingly Made for Sloppy-Sweet Fans Only
The real-life Nicolas Cage has long since embraced the loony, overacting, movie star persona fostered by young, social media–savvy fans who’ve generated a million memes in his honor — and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a gift to them.
Everything Everywhere All at Once Is a Rare Triumph
It might seem like the most compelling aspect of Everything Everywhere All at Once is its fast-paced, cleverly controlled chaos. But when the wacky fun fades, a portrayal of extraordinary emotional complexity is revealed.
Apollo 10 ½ Reeks of Nostalgia for an Overly Familiar Time
Richard Linklater’s latest autobiographical film, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood, is a doting tribute to middle-class family life in the suburbs of Houston. Good luck making it through the whole unbearably sentimental movie in one sitting.
Chaos and Breakdown Are at the Heart of Kanye West’s Wild Ride
The new documentary series Jeen-yuhs keeps Kanye’s recent tabloid absurdities out of the picture. But such turbulent antics and generalized disorder are an essential piece of the remarkable — and remarkably chaotic — career he has built.
Judd Apatow’s The Bubble Is Pointless and Tone-Deaf
Judd Apatow’s latest film, The Bubble, is a toothless satire of Hollywood insanity and the experience of living and working in a “bubble” mandated by COVID lockdown. It’s a pointless, dated movie that no one needs in 2022.
The Outfit Is a Throwback to Old-Time Film Viewing
The Outfit is a modest crime drama about the danger of underestimating strangers. It’s the kind of movie that would have been a pleasure to stumble upon in a theater in the old days of leisure time when people had a few hours to kill.
After Yang Is Another Boring Example of “Contemplative” Sci-Fi
The people in the somber new sci-fi film After Yang are god-awful. If this movie represents our near future, that Earth-destroying asteroid can’t obliterate us fast enough.
Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi Is a Slick, Unmemorable Thriller
Kimi, the new thriller from director Steven Soderbergh, is an ordinary genre piece — so ordinary that not even its insistent topicality can make it seem more compelling.
The Batman Is Both Too Dark and Not Noir Enough
Men will literally become Batman instead of going to therapy.
Severance Is the Perfect Thriller for the Great Resignation of Our Era
Ben Stiller’s excellent new limited series, Severance, turns the corporate workplace into the setting for a new and timely subgenre: “job horror.”
Pam & Tommy Is the Kind of Sharp, Funny, Class-Conscious Satire We Need
In Pam & Tommy, the story of the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape becomes an epic tale of thwarted American dreams.
The Coen Brothers and Their Big Socialist Losers
Spinning comedy out of misery, Joel and Ethan Coen have spent decades telling the story of American failure. No wonder they’re so drawn to American socialists.
The Afterparty Is a Comedy Murder Mystery for Millennials
The Afterparty is just one of several new comedies about stressed-out millennials finding themselves trapped in a murder mystery. So what is it about this generation that makes them all want to star in an Agatha Christie story?
A Hero Puts the Struggles of the Working Class Back on the Silver Screen
Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s brilliant drama A Hero is about a young man trying to buy his freedom from debtors’ prison — the kind of depiction of working-class struggle that’s at the heart of some of the greatest cinema.
The Gilded Age Somehow Makes Class War a Bore
HBO hired Julian Fellowes to make a Downton Abbey out of 1880s NYC. But all the fussy costumes and jewelry in the world can’t bring The Gilded Age’s story of old vs. new money to life.
The Tragedy of Macbeth Is a Cinematic Feast for Starving Film Lovers
The Tragedy of Macbeth is Joel Coen’s first film without his brother Ethan. And the movie isn’t just a triumph — it’s a reminder that, even with the dismal state of cinema today, movies can still surprise us.