The week in film: Going big for Godzilla, and a wild ride for Furiosa

Every Godzilla film, ranked from worst to best

Across four eras—Showa, Heisei, Millenium, and Reiwa—Godzilla has helped chart the course of both a country and a culture, speaking to the fears, hopes, and most fantastical dreams of the Japanese people. Toho’s Godzilla films have captivated the world for nearly 70 years, leading to a proliferation of giant monster (kaiju) films, inspiring a number of American blockbusters, while Hollywood has also successfully managed to develop its own take on the character (after an initial misfire). Read More

11 movies to check out on Netflix in December

Just in time for the holidays, Netflix is stuffing stockings with high-profile originals and blockbuster favorites. The new arrivals include Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire is an epic space opera directed by Zack Snyder. Then there’s Maestro the biographical drama Bradley Cooper cowrote and directed, in which he plays composer Leonard Bernstein. In addition, Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke play a married couple whose Long Island vacation takes a wrong turn in Leave The World Behind. Other films coming to Netflix’s streaming library include The Batman, May December, Lucy, Man Of Steel, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget, and more. Read More

Godzilla Minus One review: The monster roars louder than ever

Nearly 70 years and more than 35 films into the series, it’s a testament to the enduring appeal of a skyscraper-sized lizard that Godzilla movies can still surprise you. He may not be the most flexible nuclear-powered dinosaur, but the concept is undeniably malleable. In this century alone, we’ve seen Big G square up against an alien race of Xilians in Godzilla: Final Wars and inspire the Kafaka-esque satire of Shin Godzilla. Whatever genre perches itself on Godzilla’s spiky spine will be well cared for, which helps explain the veritable Godzilla renaissance we find ourselves in. Read More

Natalie Portman’s 20 best performances, ranked

From indie comedies to sci-fi box office juggernauts and seemingly every genre in between, Natalie Portman’s career is staggeringly expansive. With more than 30-plus years in the industry (and one Oscar and three Academy Award nominations under her belt), few actresses her age boast a resume anywhere near as decorated. Whether she’s playing historical heads of state, alien royalty, or a dystopian freedom fighter, Portman can be relied upon to deliver maximum emotional impact even in the smallest of roles, including resonant work when her career began at the tender age of 13. Portman’s latest film, May December, features one of her strongest performances yet—but where does it slot in alongside the rest of her impressive filmography? Read More

Why Godzilla plays so differently in America and Japan

Some of the best moments of the new Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters happen when Godzilla shows up, even when it’s just a reminder that he exists somewhere in that world, the same one depicted in the MonsterVerse movies produced by Legendary. It’s similar to the thrill when one of the Avengers stops by for a cameo on a Marvel show, making the whole thing seem bigger and more exciting thanks to its association with a character from the movies. In the case of Monarch, though, that character just happens to be Godzilla, rather than James Rhodes or whoever. Read More

Eileen review: Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie in a stylish thriller

From the very first few minutes of Eileen, the audience is clued that this won’t be your conventional mid-20th century set drama. The eponymous character masturbates twice, has a wild sex fantasy about a co-worker, and threatens to murder her father. All within the first quarter hour of the film. Directed by William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth) and adapted by Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel from Moshfegh’s acclaimed novel, Eileen is a stylish wild ride that never lets up from its first frame to its shocking finale. Read More

Witness the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga trailer ride eternal, shiny and chrome

Eight years. It’s been eight awful years since George Miller last took us to the wasteland to ride the Fury Road. In that time, the world has collapsed in ways that bring us closer to the apocalyptic future depicted in the director’s masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road. That film has only grown in esteem since its release, winning six Oscars and giving action movies a new baseline of quality. Why this very website calls it “the movie of the 2010s.” Finally, now that Miller’s finished his 3,000 Years Of Longing, it’s time to fill the War Rig with guzzolene because the trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is here. Read More

December’s most anticipated films: Ferrari, The Color Purple, Wonka, and more

December has always been one of the most important moviegoing months of the year; you’ve got all the prestige pics competing for Oscar nominations, plus plenty of family-friendly crowd-pleasers for the holiday season. This year, Ferrari and The Color Purple are the big awards-season blockbusters to watch out for, while Wonka and The Boy And The Heron tick the family box. And beyond the major studio movies there are plenty of interesting indies: Poor Things is the latest film from Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos, The Iron Claw depicts a wrestling dynasty’s downfall, and All Of Us Strangers is set to be the season’s requisite tearjerker. Plus, the inspirational sports story The Boys In The Boat is rowing into theaters this Christmas. Check out the rest of our December film picks below. Read More

11 movies to check out on Prime Video in December

Prime Video—perhaps more than any other streaming provider—is really leaning into Christmas-themed movies this December. Eddie Murphy plays a family man desperate to win his neighborhood’s Christmas-decorating contest in Candy Cane Lane, while Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk star in the British rom-com Your Christmas Or Mine 2. In addition, Michael Keaton, who played Batman in the Christmas-set Batman Returns, reprises his role in The Flash. Other new arrivals in the Prime Video film library this December include Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, Stardust, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Turkey Bowl, Asteroid City, Sound Of Freedom, and many more. Read More

The 11 best movies to check out on Hulu this December

For the holiday season, Hulu is adding some genre favorites and promising new movies to its library. The streaming platform in December welcomes all four The Matrix movies arrive for binge-watching, including 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections. Hulu also adds Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s alternate history about the fate of Sharon Tate, and we notice something new each time we watch. Genre fans will appreciate the addition of District 9, House Of Flying Daggers, and Zombieland: Double Tap. There are also recent releases such as Blue Jean, It Lives Inside, Mob Land, Maggie Moore(s), and more. Read More