11 Apr 2022

Parallel Mothers: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Ambulance,” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”

By Mike Schulz

I've loved a number of movies released over the past 10 months. But not since The Mitchells vs. the Machines have I been as over-the-moon in love with a movie the way I am with Everything Everywhere All at Once, which just might be the only sci-fi/martial-arts/time-travel comedy you'll ever see that also boasts an emotional power to make you cry – a lot.

04 Apr 2022

Leto Me In: "Morbius" and "The Contractor"

By Mike Schulz

There was literally nothing about the prospect of Morbius I was looking forward to, so I suppose it's almost a compliment to say that while I didn't enjoy director Daniel Espinosa's largely dull, grossly formulaic comic-book yarn, I didn't actively detest it, either.

26 Mar 2022

Romancing the Tome: “The Lost City” and “Infinite Storm”

By Mike Schulz

With all due respect to Robert Zemeckis' funny/exciting achievement, which I have adored ever since mid-puberty, Romancing the Stone didn't have Brad Pitt in it. The Lost City may be repackaged goods, but those goods, at least this time around, are still remarkably fresh.

21 Mar 2022

Thrillers, Chillers, and Time Killers: “The Outfit,” “X,” “Umma,” “Deep Water,” “Fresh,” and “Master”

By Mike Schulz

While there's considerable mystery in The Outfit's plotting, there's even more in its central character, and Mark Rylance's artistry makes Graham Moore's directorial debut the rare gangster saga that makes you grin wider and wider the scarier and nastier it gets.

07 Mar 2022

Down the Rabid Hole: “The Batman”

By Mike Schulz

If you're wondering whether the combination of long, dark, and aggressively serious applied to material we're all wa-a-ay too familiar with results in a boring movie, I'm happy to report that writer/director Matt Reeves' The Batman isn't boring. Quite the opposite: It's exhilarating – an unexpectedly scary and resonant work that doesn't invite comparisons to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy so much as David Fincher's Zodiac and Seven.

28 Feb 2022

Onward, Soldier Christian: “Cyrano” and “Studio 666”

By Mike Schulz

What Joe Wright's Cyrano lacks in excitement is largely made up for in consistency of tone, and that would be a backhanded compliment at best if the tone weren't so consistently sincere, playful, touching, and romantic.

21 Feb 2022

Raising Canine: “Dog,” “The Cursed,” and “Uncharted”

By Mike Schulz

Dog is a friendly, sentimental dramedy in which Channing Tatum takes a road trip with a canine. The movie really only falters when it tries to be anything else.

14 Feb 2022

Phoenix River: “Death on the Nile,” “Marry Me,” and “Blacklight”

By Mike Schulz

Even if you've read the author's 1937 novel more than once – or have instant recall of the peerlessly eccentric 1978 readings of Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, Bette Davis, and company – there's still an awful lot here to enjoy.

07 Feb 2022

Stunt-ed Adolescence: “Jackass Forever,” “The Wolf & the Lion,” and “Moonfall”

By Mike Schulz

Despite the rough language, physical peril, and copious nudity, this franchise extender is a family film. Its stunts are beyond crude, but its heart is unfailingly sweet.

31 Jan 2022

Continental Divides: “Flee” and “Parallel Mothers”

By Mike Schulz

This past weekend, I spent three-and-a-half hours watching movies in Iowa City. I also spent three-and-a-half hours reading movies in Iowa City.

Pages

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?) 

Subscribe!

* indicates required

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.

 
 

Movies Calendar

Submit your event listings to calendar@rcreader.com