‘The Boys’ Season 4 Is a Bloody Descent into Hell
Erik Kripke’s gory superhero satire The Boys takes a visceral plunge into political and personal tragedy, showing there’s more to fear than just corrupt superheroes.
comedy
‘Bad Shabbos’ Revels in Its Black Comedic Soul
A dead body adds to the lively mix of family dysfunction and the pressure of making a good impression in Dan Robbins’ affable black comedy, Bad Shabbos.
Chicago Critics Film Festival 2024: The Good, the Unremarkable, and the Dead on Arrival
Axe murder, motor scooter theft, projectile breast milk and more from a week at the Music Box Theatre for the Chicago Critics Film Festival 2024.
Philosophies and Ironies in Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’
In Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’, everything exists on an elevated Expressionist plane; every detail dovetails into its hermetic philosophies and ironies.
Is the ‘Barbie’ Movie Performative Subversion or Meaningful Rebellion?
Is the Barbie movie, like the Barbie dolls, a superficial attempt to co-opt feminist discourse? Or does it offer something substantial?
Detective Fantasy ‘You Never Can Tell’ Spoofs Film Noir
Fantasy, comedy, romance, reincarnation, animals and murder are ingredients for You Never Can Tell, a whimsical story with spoofs of film noir.
‘The Sympathizer’ Fractures Identity into a Knockout Kaleidoscopic Tale
The mini-series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s kaleidoscopic tale The Sympathizer is a knockout account of colonialism, war, and (the loss of) identity.
‘Sometimes I Think About Dying’ Keeps the Popcorn in the Bucket
Rachel Lambert’s sensitive and observant comedy drama Sometimes I Think About Dying isn’t a film that will turn popcorn into projectiles.
Silent Film Jewels About Mothers, Horses and Gorillas
A female Tarzan and her gorilla, a horse that revenges his murdered master, mothers, and comical aviators make the scene in these silent film jewels.
’10 Things I Hate About You’ Is a Revolutionary Riot-Grrl Inspired Teen Comedy
Gil Junger’s alteration of The Taming of the Shrew, 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, is a revolutionary Riot Grrl-inspired teen comedy for today’s girls.
‘This Is Spinal Tap’ Turns the Volume All the Way Up to 40
The 1984 rockumentary, or mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap is a prophetic parody where one can laugh about, laugh at, and be laughed at all at the same time.
‘Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World’ Is a Stinging Comedy of Banal Chaos
Radu Jude’s gonzo satire of post-Soviet Romania, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, hits a sweet spot between Luis Buñuel and Béla Tarr.