Movie reviews of Hope Madden

There are laughs—some of them tossed with a surprisingly flippant sense of the morbid—and energy galore, but it’s all a kind of sugar rush. Review

So much of the film goes very, very right—thanks in large part to another award-worthy performance by Phoenix. Review

Several of the twists in the storyline are a bit stale. Rarely is a zombie film this introspective or a horror hero this thoughtful. Review

Your best bet is to abandon yourself to the sheer ridiculousness of it. There is literally no other way to enjoy it. Review

Bursting with thoughts, images and ideas, the film never feels like it wanders into tangents. Review

Constantly revealing a new piece of information, a new source and more complications, the investigation itself becomes as much a character in the film as the triplets. Review

Started out with promise, but like so many lapsed Catholics, it lost its way. Review

The film’s deceptively whimsical comedy offers a biting criticism of traditional, romantically-masculine storytelling. Review

DeMonaco pulls nightmares from reality and pastes them together in a world that’s almost more comforting in that it’s supposed to be fantasy. Review

It’s tough to make it through the film’s 94 minutes without tearing up... Review

Stefano Sollima serves up a fine, edgy piece of action for the summer. It’s just that I’d hoped for more. Review

Even the way Baker captures the water evokes the idea of imperfection and wonder, unlike those crystal blue, foaming tubes we’ve become used to. Review

Though he does not shy away from showing human carnage, there is not a fresh or compelling set piece in the film. Review

The problem with the film is the problem with the heist itself: it was fun while it lasted, but was there really a purpose? Review

It does have style, though, and something relevant to say. Review

Together, cast and director generate scares by relying less on imagination and more on your familiarity with the genre itself. Review

Pierce creates a moody tension inside the walls, exacerbated by the explosion of rage and violence outside. Review

A pretty film and a nice story, but never finds the depth to break your heart. Review

Fanning’s listless performance casts an awfully prim shadow. She’s surrounded by perfectly reasonable if somewhat anemic turns by her supporting cast. Review

The conflict, duality and self-discovery in Beast cannot help but draw you in, asking you about your own inner beast. Review

Whannell freshens up the technophobe dystopian narrative with a few fresh ideas, a silly streak and serious violence. Review

Binoche’s generous performance as the self-sabotaging Isabelle embraces the insecurities, optimism and neediness that color the character’s quest. Review

It pretends a lot of things, sometimes very colorfully and often entertainingly, but without a raucous atonal tune to push it forward... Review

Because of the way Zhao plays with light, uses music, and fills the screen with the desolate beauty of the American plains, the film qualifies as a sleepy epic. Review