Exploring female sexuality and faith, Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta turns what could have been a stuffy dirge of dogma into one of the best films of the year. Benedetta stands on the performances of its leads. Virginie Efira as Benedetta exudes…
‘Station Eleven’s reference to an old ‘Star Trek’ episode, explained
Though HBO Max’s Station Eleven is about a deadly pandemic, it’s also a heartwarming exploration of humanity’s strength. We see these themes played out in the episodes set 20 years in the future after the cataclysmic event, in which we…
‘A Journal for Jordan’ review: As director, Denzel Washington fails to bring these sentimental pages to life
There’s no denying that Denzel Washington is a great actor. The GOAT, even. Throughout the decades, the masterful, well-distinguished, and heavily-influential performer has demonstrated his high-caliber bravado in several premier projects, with accolades to spare for his thunderous talents. He’s…
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ finally reclaims Trinity, the franchise’s most essential character
Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections. Everyone has heard of her or knows who she is. She’s the world’s best hacker; she robbed the Internal Revenue Service’s database. She’s also in love with the One, the “savior,”…
The 12 Best Video Games of 2021
Wait, already? Really? Yes, we played video games this year! Indeed we did, and a lot of them were very good. It was surprising how good a year it was for video games across the board. Not only did smaller…
‘The Hand of God’ review: A beautiful, thematically excellent love letter to Naples.
About a week ago, I was listening to an interview with Chuck Palahniuk, the author of Fight Club, in which he was discussing his process as a writer. He attributes one aspect of his writing as a major reason his…
‘The Lost Daughter’ review: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut is a gripping drama about parental strife
There’s always a moment when we stop seeing our parents as superheroes and learn they’re human beings just as fragile as us. The ones who taught us right from wrong and can heal any hurt with a hug are also…