As the espionage action begins to overpower the comedy, the film’s violence turns shockingly brutal at times, leading some of those laughs to catch in the throat. The film can be uneven in laughs and thrills, but when Kate McKinnon’s on screen that’s almost good enough.
Adam Lubitow
Film critic for CITY Newspaper, writer, iced coffee addict, and dinosaur enthusiast.
Posted inMovies
Film preview: ‘Eighth Grade’
The directorial debut of 27-year-old musician and comedian Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade” understands that middle school is a nightmare for most everyone, though we all miraculously fumbled through it.
Posted inMovies
Film review: ‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot’
Gus Van Sant’s new film successfully side-steps cliché in its details, but feels like yet another story about the healing power of art and the necessity of humor in the face of suffering.
Posted inMovies
Review: ‘Mama Mia! Here We Go Again’
Sweet, sunny, and very silly, it’s a movie that unquestionably has no real reason to exist. But since it does, this is just about the best possible version we could have hoped for.
Posted inMovies
Film review: ‘Sorry to Bother You’
“Sorry to Bother You” is an outrageous, wholly original, and dementedly weird feature directorial debut from hip-hop artist and activist Boots Riley. With a swaggering, anti-establishment, punk rock attitude, and fueled by a righteous anger, Riley’s film is an excoriation of late-stage capitalism and greed that plays like a fever dream.
Posted inMovies
Film review: ‘Leave No Trace’
The film tells the story of a father and daughter happily living off the grid, squatting on public park land in Portland, Oregon. When a jogger spots the daughter and alerts the authorities, the pair are turned over to social services, who begin efforts to reintegrate them into society.
Posted inMovies
Film review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’
Left free to veer from the straight man role he played in the first film, Paul Rudd gets to unleash his comedic prowess and gift for physical comedy, and remains an affable hero. The film comes loaded with clever gags and inventive size-shifting action.
Posted inMovies
Interview: filmmaker Amy Adrion
In “Half the Picture,” women directors discuss their experiences navigating and finding success in a frequently hostile industry. Director Amy Adrion will be in town for a post-screening discussion on Tuesday, July 10.
Posted inMovies
Film preview: 2018 Rochester Jewish Film Festival
The 18th annual Rochester Jewish Film Festival shines a spotlight on Jewish culture and heritage with film screenings, live performances, visiting directors, and post-film discussions.
Posted inMovies
Interview: Beal Institute Director Mark Watters
Watters will conduct the 25-piece Eastman All Stars Big Band through selections from classic and contemporary jazz film scores by artists from ranging from Lalo Schifrin and Duke Ellington to Leonard Bernstein and Randy Newman.
Posted inSpecial Sections
Summer Guide 2018: Sunny days
All right, we’re nearing the end of June now, so I think we can safely call it: winter is officially over. (But be quiet about it; we don’t want to jinx anything.) We’ve entered that glorious time when Rochesterians get to shake off our winter blues and dive headlong into the great outdoors. And you […]
