Chuck Koplinski

Old an unexpectedly moving look at hope and regret Promoted as a “coming-of-age” story, Megan Park’s My Old Ass is far more than a ribald teen comedy.  Rather, it’s a film for those who’ve lived with regret, those who wish they could turn back the clock to, what have become in retrospect, key moments in […]

A bracing reminder of the power she brings to the screen, Angelina Jolie delivers a deeply moving performance in Pablo Larrain’s Maria, the director’s third biopic focused on a significant female figure of the 20th century. Much like Jackie and Spencer, this feature examines the withering effects of being consistently in the spotlight. Constant petty […]

There’s little in the way of substance to Jon Watts’ Wolfs, and that’s just fine. An exercise in post-modernism, the film is a running commentary on movie stardom and its trappings, featuring, arguably, the most popular actors of their generation, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Though they play “fixers,” in reality they’re just being their […]

Substance’s pointed message trumps flawed ending With The Substance, director Coralie Fargeat manages to do something genre classicists John Carpenter and David Cronenberg would never allow – letting the special effects she uses overwhelm the story and lessen its impact. Which is a shame, as The Substance has a great deal to say about sexism […]

Speak effectively pushes viewers’ buttons While I’m often weary of American remakes of foreign films, on rare occasion this approach produces a worthy feature that can stand on its own.  Such is the case with James Watkins’ Speak No Evil, a redux that borrows its premise from Christian and Mads Tafdrup’s 2022 Dutch horror feature. American […]

Stumbling out of the gate, Tim Burton’s long-awaited Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice eventually rights itself and delivers the unique brand of horrific dark humor fans of the previous film embrace. However, it’s a bit of a clumsy, overly long haul before we get to the inspired hijinks that carry the third act. Cluttered with extraneous characters and […]

Slingshot’s journey an unexpected trip inwards The seed is planted early in Mikael Hafstrom’s Slingshot that something is amiss. We’re made to know that the side effects from the drugs used on the astronauts in question can be severe, hallucinations being at the top of the list. R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker’s script exploits […]

Strange Darling a nonlinear thriller When Stephen King refers to a film as “a clever masterpiece,” I can’t help but be a bit curious if he’s on to something or if this is just hyperbole, wisely placed on the respective promotional materials.  Such is the case with J.T. Mollner’s Strange Darling, an independent thriller that […]

Alien: Romulus an effective return to form Obviously a student of the Alien franchise, writer/director Fede Alvarez has managed to do something that I thought was impossible – he’s delivered a worthy addition to the series, a feat that’s proved elusive for many filmmakers and one that proves to be an effective callback to the […]

Cast propels breezy Instigators There’s nothing particularly memorable, or for that matter, unique about Doug Liman’s The Instigators. Be that as it may, the film is not without its charm, provided primarily by the tremendously overqualified cast, all veterans who bring a sense of enthusiasm to this project that it doesn’t deserve. The result is […]

Music is the message in rollicking Kneecap While Curtis Hansons’ 8 Mile and Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting are obvious influences on Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap, there’s something far more important at play in this pseudo-biopic of the Irish rap group. The history of oppression at the hands of the English and the heritage of the country becomes central […]

Deadpool & Wolverine: More and more and more of the same thing There’s certainly no way to quantify this, but I’d be willing to bet there hasn’t been a more meta movie made than Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine. However, I’m quite sure there’s never been a film made distinctly in the name of fan […]