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Geek Vibes Nation
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
So You Wanna Become A Movie And TV Critic? OK, Here's How You Do It
Was The Last Jedi a masterpiece or a dumpster fire? The one with the insight to have a informed, knowledgeable opinion is a movie critic. Same for TV. Becoming a critic isn't just about watching TV and movies and tossing out hot takes. It's about sharpening your mind, finding your voice, and convincing people you've got something worth hearing. Let's break down how to make it happen, with a dash of humor and some real-world wisdom. First off, you've got to watch everything. I'm not just talking about binging the latest Netflix series or catching every Marvel flick in theaters. To be a legitimate critic, you need to dive deep into the cinematic ocean — classics, indies, blockbusters, foreign films, even those weird experimental shorts that make you question reality. Think of it like training for a marathon: you don't just run one mile and call it a day. You've got to build up your stamina. Take someone like Pauline Kael, the legendary New Yorker critic. She didn't just watch Citizen Kane and call it quits. She devoured films from every era and genre, from silent movies to gritty '70s dramas, and it gave her reviews a depth that made people sit up and listen. Start building your mental library now. Watch Parasite one night, then pivot to The Godfather, and maybe throw in a random episode of The Great British Bake Off for balance. But watching isn't enough. You need to understand what you're seeing. This means learning the nuts and bolts of filmmaking. You don't have to go to film school (though it doesn't hurt), but you should know the difference between a jump cut and a dissolve, or why lighting can make or break a scene. Did you ever notice how Roger Ebert could pinpoint exactly why a movie worked or didn't? He'd talk about pacing, cinematography, or how the sound design made your heart race. That wasn't just him showing off; it was him proving he knew his stuff. You can pick this up through books like Film Art by David Bordwell or even free YouTube channels like Every Frame a Painting. The goal is to see past the surface and figure out why a story hits or misses. Now, let's talk about finding your voice, because nobody cares about a critic who sounds like a robot spitting out Wikipedia summaries. Your voice is your secret sauce. It's what makes people read your review instead of scrolling past it. Are you snarky like David Edelstein, who could skewer a bad rom-com with a single sentence? Or maybe more like A.O. Scott, blending wit with big-brain cultural analysis? Experiment with your writing. Start a blog, post on X, or even just scribble in a notebook. Write about why Barbie made you cry-laugh or how The Bachelor is secretly a masterclass in editing. The key is to sound like you, not a generic movie review generator. Find your angle and lean into it. Speaking of writing, you've got to do it. A lot. Being a critic is like being a chef: you don't get good without chopping a few onions. Start small. Review movies for a local paper, pitch to online outlets like Paste or Vulture, or even self-publish on Medium. The more you write, the sharper your insights get. And don't be afraid to take risks. I read that someone pitched a piece comparing Mad Max: Fury Road to a Beethoven symphony. The editor thought he was nuts, but it landed him a gig because it stood out. Rejection is part of the game, so keep pitching even when it feels like you're shouting into the void. Networking is another big piece of the puzzle. The film and TV world thrives on connections. Attend film festivals, even virtual ones, and chat up directors, writers, or fellow critics. Follow industry folks on X and engage with their posts, without being a creep, of course. Relationships open doors. Plus, being part of the conversation keeps you in the loop on trends, like why everyone's suddenly obsessed with A24 horror films. You'll also need a thick skin. Critics get flak. Sometimes it's from fans, sometimes from filmmakers who think you've missed the point. When The Last of Us series dropped, critics who didn't love it got roasted online. Stay confident in your perspective, but be open to debate. A good critic doesn't just dunk on things; they spark discussion. If you're getting hate, it means people are reading you. That's a win. Finally, stay curious and keep learning. The best critics, like the late Roger Ebert or contemporary voices like Angelica Jade Bastién, never stop exploring. Read about culture, history, even politics, because films and TV don't exist in a vacuum. A show like Succession isn't just about rich people yelling; it's a mirror to our world. The more you know, the richer your reviews. So, there you go. Becoming a film and TV critic is about watching widely, thinking deeply, writing boldly, and staying connected. It's not an overnight thing, it's a craft. But if you love stories and have something to say, there's nothing more thrilling than helping people see their favorite shows and movies in a new light. Now grab some popcorn and start critiquing. The world's waiting for your take. If, down the road a piece, you decide to become a filmmaker, look into the screenplay writing services offered by Ghostwriters Central, Inc. You provide the idea, they do the writing, and you save tons of time. And with any luck, once it hits the theaters or TV, the critics will be kind to you.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
So THAT's Why Standing Ovations At Cannes Are So Damn Long
According to The Guardian, the applause following Pillion's screening at this year's Cannes Film Festival 'lasted several minutes, with the inevitable awkwardness of seeming dutiful'. The Alexander Skarsgård film is the norm, not the exception. In 2024, Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis reportedly got seven callous-inducing minutes of standing ovation. Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth managed to elicit a record-breaking 22 mins in 2006. And Joachim Trier's 2025 follow-up to The Worst Person In The World rivalled that, with the ovation for his latest film clocking in at almost 20 minutes. GQ has said in the past that, when it comes to applause at Cannes, 'anything five minutes or less is a tepid – or worse – appraisal'. But how did this palm prison get built, and what is its purpose? According to The Atlantic (who, like The Guardian, call the custom 'awkward'), clapping at Cannes is part of the spectacle. At the French festival in particular, the length and enthusiasm of the clapping is seen as a sign of who thinks which film will be the next 'hit'. But the 'pageantry' of standing ovations is fallible at best and unfairly, performatively biased at worst – for what it's worth, Megalopolis was both critically panned and a box office flop. Speaking to The Atlantic, professor Scott Page, who's studied clapping as a form of social behaviour, said: 'There is a real asymmetry to who has influence'. You might be more inclined to partake in a quarter-hour of palm-smashing if someone you really respect and admire is doing so beside you, he suggested. He added that 'if you're not sure' about a film, and 'you think the other people [around you] are smarter than you, then you are going to stand… I imagine Cannes to be a place [where if I ask myself,] 'How confident am I, sitting near movie stars and directors?'' The answer, he says, is likely to be 'not very'. Also, I can't imagine the panic of being the first person to stop applauding, say, a Del Toro film in front of the man himself – peer pressure and etiquette pile up. Speaking to Screen Daily, Barry Hertz, film editor and critic for Canadian national newspaper The Globe and Mail, says that the length of applause a film got at Cannes can sometimes be seen as an interim star rating system until its release. 'Instead of a film getting four stars, it got a '10-minute standing ovation,'' he says. But though an anonymous film PR told the publication that 'nobody is taking it seriously,' Kent Sanderson, president of indie film distributor Bleecker Street, doesn't think Cannes' applause sessions are going anywhere fast. 'It's a self-perpetuating machine between the festival, the trades and the audiences,' they commented. The more the Cannes audience claps, the more it's noted that they clap, the more expected long clapping sessions become; so, it becomes both a sign of disdain and proof of not being 'in on' the festival's culture not to do so. I'd call it a vicious cycle, but it's literally already a shoulder-aching, barbed, endless round... Harry Potter Star Harry Melling And Alexander Skarsgård's 'Kinky' Biker Romance Causes A Huge Stir In Cannes Halle Berry Forced To Change Her Outfit Because Of This Last-Minute Change To Cannes Dress Code Robert De Niro Kicks Off Cannes Film Festival With Blistering Speech About 'Philistine' Trump
Bloomberg
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
The 15 Best Films From Cannes 2025
Hello! I'm Esther Zuckerman, a film critic for Pursuits, and I've just spent about two weeks at the Cannes Film Festival, which ends tonight. So what does that mean? Well, I saw more than 30 films in the lineup (including some pre-screenings back at home in New York), I drank a lot of rosé, I went to a bunch of beach parties, and I have a lot of opinions. Cannes is a festival known for its impossible glamour. After all, the premieres are black-tie affairs with strict dress codes. (This year nudity and volume were banned.) Meanwhile, anywhere you look on the Croisette you might see a celebrity. I never caught sight of Charli XCX, but she was bouncing around and chronicling her opinions on Letterboxd. I did spot Jason Momoa walking down the street, and he was massive. But for all the silliness outside the venues, inside the movies are typically extreme and intense.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
43 Truly Awful Movie Lines That Almost Made The Rest Of The Movie Unwatchable
Recently, Reddit user StillStanding_96 asked r/Movies about lines that completely pulled you out of the movie. Y'know the feeling — you're totally immersed, and then one dumb, illogical, or just plain unrealistic line pulls you back into your brain, where you go 'huh, that was dumb.' Here are 43 infuriating movie moments that did just that. shoehorning of the title in Star Trek: First Contact: the same from A Minecraft Movie: "First, we mine. Then we craft!' Not that there was much disbelief to be suspended in that movie." —u/StillStanding_96 this forced exchange from X-Men: First Class: "This exchange between Xavier and Moira McTaggart at the end of X-Men: First Class: 'We're still on the government's side, Moira. We're still G-men. Just without the G.' 'No. You're your own team now...' (Me, in my head: No. Don't say it.) 'You're something different. Something better...' (Don't you dare.) 'You're...X-MEN.' (Son of a bitch.)" —u/halloweenjon another "he said the thing!" example in Suicide Squad: Suggested by u/BoringUsername6969 from Suicide Squad, when Diablo said this about people he just met: "Much worse was 'I lost one family, I won't lose another one!' about the people he met yesterday." —u/Archius9 dialogue from King Kong that reminded you it's all CGI: "The one that I always think of is from Peter Jackson's King Kong. After landing on the island and discovering the dinosaurs, the film crew starts shooting. The cameraman tells the actor to get into shot with the dinosaurs because otherwise the audience will think they're fake, to which the actor breathlessly replies, 'nobody's going to think these are fake.' Well, I didn't until you said that! Now I'm intensely aware that they're fake, and that this is a movie, and whatever deaths or danger I see from now on are all just pretend. It would be like Aragorn asking one of the hobbits, 'Are you really shorter than I am or are you just far away?'" —u/StillStanding_96 ridiculously dumb comment from Pearl Harbor: Suggested by u/Ok-Juggernaut-1842 nonsensical declaration from Snow White and the Huntsman: "I don't know how tf this line made it through several drafts of a script, and then passed through enough hands to actually make it into a film." —u/Help_An_Irishman famously terrible explanation from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Suggested by u/BoringUsername6969 this almost equally terrible moment from The Force Awakens: Suggested by u/BoringUsername6969 "This man was literally a stormtrooper and didn't know they had flying units?" —u/ConstableGrey cliche line from The Dark Knight: "One of the cops in The Dark Knight says, 'Have a nice trip, see you next fall,' and it makes me die inside every time I watch it." —u/Escapegoat07 with this one from Batman Begins: "Gordon saying 'I gotta get me one of those' in Batman Begins feels so corny and out of place." —u/Escapegoat07 ridiculous quote from Twilight: Suggested by u/Baardseth815 with this one: Suggested by u/Aggravating-Corner-2 "Heroin, famously only enjoyable if you get it made special just for you. Store-brand junk? Never touch the stuff! It's bespoke heroin or nothing!" —u/maskaddict this infamous moment from New Moon: Suggested by u/HeyheythereMidge "It's the way he delivers that line and the awkward camera angle of him running that gets me every time, lmao." —u/Seihai-kun of response from Tenet that asked the obvious: "In Tenet, when they say everyone is going to die and the woman asks, 'including my son?' I think the line was just dumb in general, but even the message of the line didn't hit like they wanted it to, because I genuinely don't believe she is a great person or mother if she only cares about her son during an apocalypse. Like, if her son were safe, she would have let everyone else die." —u/Draw-Two-Cards this line, which was clearly written by someone who knew nothing about X-Men: "The guy literally lost the use of his legs fighting for mutant rights." —u/RoyaleWhiskey sad attempt at Feminism™ from X-Men: Dark Phoenix: "Only two possibilities exist: Jennifer Lawrence fought hard for that line to be included, or the writer was on a lot of cocaine." —u/RoyaleWhiskey similarly forced and corny "feminist" moment from Avengers: Endgame: "Peter: 'I don't know how you're gonna get through all that!' Okoye: 'Don't worry.' Wanda: 'She's got help.' Peter really said that to a woman who had just headbutted a spaceship the size of the moon to pieces because maybe 30 drone army creatures were snarling at them." —u/BadMan3186 sexual promise from Kingsman: The Secret Service: "I mean, it's low hanging fruit, but the moment in the first Kingsman movie where the princess, out of nowhere, having just met Eggsy, says '...we can do it in the butt?'' So goofy. Just weird." —u/bjanas "It kinda fucks up a really fun movie. It was just so unnecessary." —u/BeDeRex this sexual line from Vanilla Sky: "Cameron Diaz shouting 'I swallowed your cum' at Tom Cruise made it difficult for 17-year-old me to focus on the rest of Vanilla Sky." —u/HitmanClark "'I swallowed your cum, David! I swallowed your cum FOUR times! It MEANS something!' Goddamn i love that beautiful movie with my entire heart and soul, but that moment is so fucking hilarious, especially as it enrages cruise's character so thoroughly that he screams, 'I want you to STOP the car!'" —u/marcomc2 attempt at modern slang from Jurassic World: Dominion: In Jurassic World Dominion, Ellie Satler says that Dr. Ian Malcolm 'slid into her DMs'...I haven't cringed at a line harder than that one. It mostly took me out because of how out of place it felt. —u/Sergi121212 "That sliding into the DMs line sounds just as cringey when said in real life." —u/BeApesNotCrabs with this one from Prince of Thieves: "A modern-looking guy with a modern accent says a modern phrase. It's funny but definitely stands out." —u/zahnsaw this one from Napoleon, which felt like a stone's throw from "I'm built different": Suggested by u/fearthejew this use of the word "stuff" in Amadeus: "In Amadeus, when Mozart finds out he must submit samples of his work to be considered for the position of teaching the Emperor's niece, the chamberlain says: 'If you want this position, you must submit your stuff, along with all your colleagues.' The 'stuff' threw me out of the late 1700s/early 1800s vibe." —u/Sorry_Engineer_6136 quote from Interstellar that was a little too on the nose: "I enjoy Interstellar, and maybe I'm missing something, but the line 'Love is the one thing that we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space' is just too on the nose. A different take might have been better, but the line is just too clunky and feels shoehorned in to make sure we, the audience, understand the premise of the movie." —u/iwantedthatwaffle "Anne Hathaway's love speech from Interstellar. A highly trained astronaut talking in platitudes about love being more than just an emotion, that it transcends time and space like a physical phenomenon, like a 14-year-old girl having her first crush. It was embarrassing." —u/SamuraiGoblin reference that was clearly put in for the parents in Moana: "Moana was good, but there was some random line where Maui says, 'when you use a bird to write, it's called tweeting." —u/Hypnotic99 "I get that it's a kids movie, and not to be taken too seriously, but this line is so stupid. It makes absolutely no sense in the context of the movie." —u/SamwellBarley baffling yet iconic line from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Suggested by u/crashedastronaut this line from Gimli from the extended cut of the same film, which raised questions about scientific knowledge in the LOTR universe: "Gimli's line about his axe being buried in an orc's central nervous system kicked me right out. They do Orc Anatomy in Middle Earth?" —u/langly3 comedic moment from Avengers: Endgame, which could've been a lot more heartfelt: "That heart-wrenching moment when Thor sees his mom again after she was slain, and he absolutely butchers the moment with the line, 'I'm totally from the future.' In that one moment, I really wanted Thor to open up and be vulnerable. They just play the comedy card again and again." —u/g_r_e_y line from Mindhunters that came off a little more comedic than intended: "A movie called Mindhunters is about FBI profilers in training on an island with a serial killer that is picking them off one by one. The killer is also a profiler who sets traps to kill the other characters based on their 'weaknesses.' It's a pretty shitty movie that is over acted and relies on shock kills too much, but then at the end (spoilers for a hilarious B-movie) LL Cool J shoots the serial killer and says the amazing line, 'I guess we know his It's so ridiculous and hilarious that it took me out of this subpar movie and made it a repeat watch for me." —u/sellyourselfshort this one from X-Men: "It was meant to be a throwaway/flippant line, but Halle Berry delivered it so seriously, it was just funny in a bad way." —u/notsomadboy silly line from Avengers: Age of Ultron: "In Avengers: Age of Ultron (not that it was a good movie to begin with), there was a line when Hawkeye was talking to his wife, and she says, 'You know I've always supported your avenging.' The movie never recovered for me." —u/Call_Me_Squishmale question from Arrival, which added comedy to a moment where it was not appropriate: "Soooo unnecessary in an otherwise really good film. Man, it's bugged me for so long, and no one seems to mention it ever." —u/No_Cartographer4326 "This is the EXACT line I came in here to write. So glad I'm not the only one. It really took me out of what was a great movie in an otherwise very emotional part." —u/Tradnor terribly delivered line from Four Weddings and a Funeral: "Crappy line, gawdawful delivery. Every time I hear it, I yell at Hugh Grant to go back and marry Henrietta." —u/Lybychick exclamation from The Divergent Series: Allegiant: "In the second Divergent movie, a character shouted out 'Gadzooks!' I turned it off after that." —u/petitemelbourne reading of the Bhagavad Gita during a sex scene in Oppenheimer: "The Bhagavad Gita verse reading in Oppenheimer, more so because of its placement during a sex scene." —u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 "I could not believe that Nolan actually put that in the movie. Wasn't it that he (she?) just opened the book to a random page, and he translated it? I was in the theater, just shaking my head at this bit. Ridiculous." —u/Help_An_Irishman declaration from Bones And All: "Timothée Chalomet's character is talking about how he consumed his father's corpse: 'I ate him right the fuck up.'" —u/ttran62 exchange between Padme and Anakin from Revenge of the Sith: "Pick one out of fifty from Anakin 'charming' Padme. I was stifling laughter in the cinema." —u/RossTheNinja 'You're so beautiful because I'm so in love with you.' 'So love has blinded you.' Fucking kill me." —u/GrapefruitAlways26 reference to a past film from Alien: Romulus: "It was a truly awful callback line to Aliens. It was a total cringe. I know there were a few bad callback lines but the 'bitch' line was the worst by far for me." —u/dvb70 "Alien: Romulus was a callow collection of member berries and thrice-reheated nostalgia. The practical effects were good overall, but they couldn't distract or disguise the lack of originality." —u/MolaMolaMania Warner Bros. reference in The Matrix Resurrections: Suggested by u/Blockness11 "Christ, it fully broke my immersion. I got it back shortly after, and then the film lost me again when they woke Neo up, and nothing interesting happened." —u/bob1689321 ridiculous response from Volcano: "I literally yelled 'FUCK YOU' at the screen." —u/Whitealroker1 just frankly untrue line from Wicked: "'Let me tell you the whole story.' – Wicked: Part 1." —PayaV87 What movie or TV line memorably pulled you out of what you were watching? Let us know in the comments below — or via this anonymous form!
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
See 'Fight or Flight' in theaters, rent 'Bob Trevino Likes It,' stream 'Heart Eyes' on Netflix, plus more movies to watch this weekend
We independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals. Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers! My name is Brett Arnold, and I'm a longtime writer and editor at Yahoo who side hustles as a film critic. I'm here to recommend what you should watch, whether you want to go to the movie theater, rent something from the comfort of your couch or even queue up a flick that's new to a streaming service you already subscribe to. Why should you trust me? Well, just this week I watched nine new movies, and I refuse to let all those hours of media consumption go to waste. So behold: a guide on what to watch. There's lots of noteworthy movies this week, but my top seven picks are Fight or Flight, Henry Johnson, Nonnas, The Ugly Stepsister, Bob Trevino Likes It, Warfare and Heart Eyes. Keep reading for reviews of each and a curated list of other top watches. What to watch in theaters New movies debuting on streaming Movies newly available to rent or buy Movies newly available on streaming services you may already have My recommendation: Why you should watch it:When Die Hard came out in 1988, it set the template for the next decade of action movies; for a while, every flick in that genre could easily be described as 'Die Hard on a...' Let me prove it: Speed is Die Hard on a bus; Under Siege is Die Hard on a boat; Passenger 57 is Die Hard on a plane; Sudden Death is Die Hard in a packed sports stadium. I could go on and on! John Wick is the modern Die Hard in that sense, and damn near every action flick since has the 'John Wick on a...' or 'John Wick but...' feel, and Fight or Flight is no exception. Delightfully, though, it is 'John Wick, but specifically that one part where every hitman is out to get him, on a plane,' which rocks. Josh Hartnett continues his recent resurgence (call it the Hartnett-aissance if you must), and he appears to be doing his own stunts here, which adds a lot to the very well-choreographed close-quarters combat. It's a silly movie that knows it, and it has a lot of fun getting as bloody as possible. It's also nice to see Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica fame again. What critics are saying: Critics largely agree with me. It sports an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Daily Beast's Nick Schager praising its 'infectious gonzo energy.' But if you wanted an alternate opinion, Chloe Walker at the A.V. Club absolutely loathed it, calling it 'dreadful.' But even that D-grade review can't help but mention the movie has 'one thing working in its favor: Josh Hartnett.' How to watch: Fight or Flight is now in theaters nationwide. Get tickets Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: David Mamet's first theatrical film since 2008 is absolutely captivating and darkly hilarious. It's simply four scenes, all dialogue exchanges between the titular Henry Johnson and some other characters. The opening sequence is among the most exhilarating I've seen this year, and it's just two men talking. It's an examination of power and masculinity and coercion and explores just why it is some people are so damned gullible. Giving away any specifics would be a crime. What critics are saying: The reaction is decidedly mixed — Owen Gleiberman of Variety praises Shia LaBeouf's performance but says 'the film deflates in front of your eyes,' and IndieWire's Christian Zilko says the movie is 'too theatrical for its own good.' How to watch: Henry Johnson is now playing in a limited number of theaters. It will soon be available to rent or buy at home. Get tickets If those aren't for you... A horror-comedy, based on a book, that has trouble balancing its goofy tone with gruesome murders and its attempts at emotional connection to its characters. It's doing too much! A low-budget, high-stakes thriller starring scream queen Isabelle Fuhrman of Orphan and veteran actor Don Johnson. It has at least one twist I didn't see coming. A twisted drama or super-dark comedy, depending on your sicko level, starring Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders, about a family that moves into their dream home only to discover their property is on a dangerous stretch of road where people constantly crash their cars and die. The father's obsession with the crashes spirals out of control. It's good! My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Nonnas really took me by surprise. It's such an earnest endeavor, with characters that all just want the best for one another (bickering comic relief aside), that its positive energy feels positively radical in a movie landscape so full of anger, irony and violence. It's a heartfelt film based on a touching true story: After losing his beloved mother, a man (played by Vince Vaughn, as delightful and charming as he's ever been) risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas, or grandmothers, as the chefs. The cast is terrific; aside from Vaughn it also stars Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, Linda Cardellini, Drea de Matteo and Joe Manganiello. Simply put, it's just so sweet and cute and breezy that it's hard to resist, and the fact that it's based on a true story only makes it all the more affecting. It turns out platitudes like 'It's never too late to start over in life' can still sing if handled with care and charm. Your mom's gonna love it! What critics are saying: Critics seem to agree that it's a sweet, schmaltzy good time;Lindsey Bahr at the Associated Press really nailed it, saying that Nonnas, 'like comfort food, may be a little obvious, a little safe, but that's the point.' Though Tim Robey at the Telegraph was not amused, calling it 'innocuous to a fault' and saying it 'doesn't come within hawk-and-spit distance of authentic charm.' How to watch: Nonnas is now streaming on Netflix. Stream on Netflix Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: If you ever wondered, 'What would Cinderella be like if it were absolutely disgusting in every conceivable way,' boy, do I have the movie for you. The film takes place in a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, telling the twisted story of Elvira, who competes against her beautiful stepsister in a bloody battle to catch the prince's eye. The social commentary mirrors that of The Substance but with a period setting, and it's complete with all the trappings that come along with that, including horrifying antiquated plastic surgery techniques. The camera doesn't flinch from showing you every squirm-inducing second, but it's beautifully shot, and if you can handle how perverse this gets, you're in for a treat. What critics are saying: Critics are crazy about The Ugly Stepsister, with a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian calls it an 'elegant debut' and dubs the revisionist body-horror film 'ingenious.' The Daily Beast's Nick Schager offers a dissenting opinion, saying it's 'uninterested in confronting all its source material's gender and beauty-related assumptions and conclusions' and that it's content to 'stay on the surface.' How to watch: The Ugly Stepsister is now streaming on Shudder. Stream on Shudder Also debuting on streaming A raunchy teen sex comedy featuring SNL's Chloe Fineman and breakout newcomer Sam Morelos, Summer of 69 is now streaming on Hulu. I thought it was cute and had plenty of genuine laughs, though it's a bit messy in how it tries to cram so many ideas into the story. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Bob Trevino Likes It is such an endearing crowd-pleaser. It's the all-too-rare blanket recommendation that is sure to work for just about anyone! Like Nonnas, this is an emotionally affecting true story about a young woman (Barbie Ferreira) with a father who neglects her. She connects with a stranger on Facebook who just so happens to have the same name, first and last, as her father. Her dad is played by French Stewart, in an atypical role for him, and the father-figure stranger that enters her life is John Leguizamo. The dynamic between Leguizamo and Ferreira is so sweet it's impossible not to root for them. There's plenty of sadness here, but it's in more of a tearjerker, inspiring and nice way than a tragic one, and there's a reveal in the credits likely to make your eyes water up all over again. What critics are saying:Critics love it to the tune of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Angie Han of the Hollywood Reporter says the leads are 'perfectly cast' and that the movie 'succeeds beautifully on its own terms.' I couldn't find negative reviews, and that makes me happy. How to watch:Bob Trevino Likes It is now available to purchase. Buy on Amazon Bonus recommendation: Why you should watch it: I can't think of another war movie that puts you in the soldier's shoes as well as Warfare does; it's really that intense and authentic. The movie, which takes place in real time, is based entirely on the memories of the soldiers involved in a surveillance mission gone wrong in insurgent territory. It's extremely loud, intense and harrowing stuff, focusing on the disorientation of having to continue doing the job as people are dying and things are exploding around them. The immediacy here — and all that tense waiting — really make it stand out, as does the limited perspective and lack of other establishing details. It stars a cast of fresh-faced young heartthrobs, which really helps sell the idea that these men are really just boys. What critics are saying: Warfare is yet another critical darling this week — 92% on Rotten Tomatoes — and Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek wrote that 'if a movie can be elegant and brutal at once, this one is.' Though Monica Castillo over at Mashable believes that while the film accurately portrays the 'demands on young soldiers, and the merciless reality of combat, I was unsure how to feel about it.' How to watch: Warfare is now available to rent or purchase. Rent or buy on Amazon Also available to rent or buy A dramatization of the real-life 1984 Press Your Luck game show scandal, in which a man went on a hot streak on the show but may not have been playing fairly. The movie is at its best before it reveals how he did it, frankly, and it runs out of steam from there. Paul Walter Hauser is great in the lead. Rent or buy. The latest documentary about the Beatles is a terrific time capsule, taking the viewer back to the 18 months that one of music's most famous couples — John Lennon and Yoko Ono — spent living in New York City's Greenwich Village in the early 1970s. The specificity here is what makes it sing, as do the primary resources like voicemails from the couple. Rent or buy. This is a sweet and nice movie about a man living alone on a remote island who dreams of getting his favorite musicians back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation. Carey Mulligan is in it! Rent or buy. My recommendation: Why you should watch it: Heart Eyes answers the question I know you're always wondering: What if you took self-aware horror tropes and merged them with earnest rom-com pastiche? It would be cute and pretty fun and it'd feature star-making turns from Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt. The premise is a blast: The fun twist on the genre here is that the serial killer only kills couples, and the movie gets a lot of mileage out of the 'we're not even dating!' element. Horror comedies are very hit-or-miss, but this one's inoffensive and puts forth a decent effort in both the horror arena and the romantic-comedy one. It very truly is both! What critics are saying: Heart Eyes did very well with critics, at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes; IndieWire's Alison Foreman dubs it 'brilliant' and praises its likable characters. Though Benjamin Lee, writing for the Guardian, says the movie 'isn't smart or witty enough to do much more than just recycle cliches and point at them.' How to watch: Heart Eyes is now streaming on Netflix. Stream on Netflix Also newly available on streaming services you may already have This horror movie has a really creepy atmosphere and is now streaming on Hulu. Another recent John Wick-inspired flick, this one starring Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, is now on Peacock. The story is very silly and dumb, but the action choreography and fights are exciting enough to recommend for fans of the genre. Phew! That's all. We'll see you next week at the movies!
