Love for Lisa Frankenstein, but not Bob Marley, and more from the week in film

Spoiler Space: Let’s talk about that Argylle twist

Spoiler Space offers thoughts on, and a place to discuss, the plot points we can’t disclose in our official review. Fair warning: This piece discusses certain surprises that will spoil Argylle for those who haven’t seen it. Read More

Lisa Frankenstein review: Diablo Cody’s triumphant return to teen girl horror

Screenwriter Diablo Cody was done dirty upon the release of Jennifer’s Body, a horror film inappropriately marketed to teenage boys that only later found its proper cult following in the form of terror-loving girls and women. It’s heartening then that Cody was not put off from returning to teen girl horror with director Zelda Williams to present Lisa Frankenstein, a film more appropriately sold as a pastel gothic ode to the teen girl movies of the ’80s and, perhaps more obviously, to cinema’s most famous undead monster. Read More

Beyond YouTube: 12 other free movie sites you should know

Sure, there are plenty of great free movies on YouTube—but while YouTube is awesome, it’s not the only game in town. So we decided to put together a list of other sites that also offer free movies, break down the pros and cons of each one, briefly explore what they offer beyond movies, and then dive deep into the specific films that you can check out gratis (pretty much in all cases with ads). Here are 12 free streaming services where you can find some great films. Read More

Bob Marley: One Love review: Legendary artist’s life and legacy deserve better

Bob Marley: One Love traces two years in the Jamaican reggae singer’s life, from 1976 to 1978. It was a tumultuous time in his native Caribbean island nation and the most fruitful of his short but legendary career as he recorded his famous album, Exodus. History intertwined with the creative process should make for a riveting story. Unfortunately director Reinaldo Marcus Green, along with his co-screenwriters Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers and Zach Baylin, waste this opportunity and Marley’s legacy with a rather limp story full of cliches and perplexing choices. Read More

First A Quiet Place: Day One trailer is actually really, really loud

John Krasinski’s first A Quiet Place film drops viewers into an eerie, muted world, as the few remaining survivors of an alien attack find ways to adapt to their newly silent lives over a year after speech became a death sentence. A Quiet Place: Day One shows us why there were so few survivors in the first place. The world, it turns out, is really, really loud. Who knew! Read More

The indie film outlook for 2024

Another year of Sundance is now in the books, and while there may not have been any obvious breakout films along the lines of last year’s Past Lives, the range, diversity, and quality of the 2024 program is a sign that the specialty film market is thriving. Later this month, we’ll see more evidence when the Independent Spirit Awards announce its winners, with nominees including Past Lives as well as The Holdovers, American Fiction, May December, and All Of Us Strangers. And then March brings the film portion of South by Southwest, where 2023 Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All At Once made its debut. We’ll be keeping an eye out for next year’s awards winners there too. Read More

Love lies bleeding: 15 horror movies that are perfect for Valentine’s Day

Everyone celebrates Valentine’s Day in their own way, and sometimes that way can be hiding in their room and watching movies until all the roses and pink hearts pass. For horror fans, whether they’re coupled up or not, the holiday (like virtually every holiday) is an opportunity to delve into seasonally appropriate scary movies. Read More

Dune director and star approve of Dune’s amazing Lego set

Denis Villeneuve got deadly serious when io9 mentioned the Dune Lego set to him. “I’ll be honest with you,” the director of Dune: Part Two said. “Probably I’m making movies because first I was a hardcore Lego player. I’m from that first generation where it was just bricks, right? I went to a lot of places with those Lego spaceships, boats, or whatever. And when I learned that Lego was doing an Ornithopter, I was like, ‘Wow.’ That blew my mind.” Read More

Perfect Days review: Wim Wenders’ sweet and simple return to form

In Perfect Days, the camera follows a man as he goes about his morning. Getting up, brushing his teeth, shaving, watering his plants, dressing, going to work. The question on the audience’s mind is, of course, who is he? The man observed silently going about his daily routine is Hirayama (Koji Yakusho), a Tokyo toilet cleaner with a penchant for playing classic songs collected on cassette tapes, reading many books, and taking photos of city parks. As the onion is peeled further we discover that he is estranged from his family and past. Though Perfect Days never reveals the specific details of Hirayama beyond what happens in the few days we spend in his company, by the end of the film, a full portrait of a life is beautifully realized. Read More

I walked with a zombie: 16 monster love interests that set hearts aflutter

There’s something about monsters. Those drippy, growly, hairy freaks that challenge beauty standards and carry shrieking damsels to the depths. However, something strange happens in those depths where the creature’s captive inevitably learns that beauty is only skin deep. Monsters are weirdly and inherently sexy, at least in fairy tales, monster movies, and orc-based romance novels. Read More