Movie reviews of Alex Brannan

Brisk but not breezy. It is well-acted but its characters are not well-drawn. And, most importantly, It intends to indict without carrying out a sentence. Review

We watch Israel’s scheme go awry, and it is compelling irrespective of McCarthy’s wonderful performance. Review

It is a formulaic Civil Rights era period piece that wants to be charming as hell—it is, at times, but that mainly just makes it come across outdated and sanitized. Review

Brian Tyree Henry and Teyonah Parris fill the screen with nuance and personality. And Regina King maximizes each second of her screentime with a maternal portrayal that is, in the traditional sense of the word, awesome. Review

Sure, it is very artsy. The stillness of its protagonist. The occasionally obvious visual juxtapositions. The black-and-whiteness of it all. But Cleo’s story is heartbreaking, compassionate, intimate, and elegant. Review

It is such a black-and-white film about a man’s redemption by way of driving drugs across the country, so black-and-white that Eastwood’s rather charming performance almost isn’t enough to make it work. Review

Bleakly funny. It is somewhat tragic. It is endlessly dynamic. And, as with all Lanthimos films, it is not for everyone. Review

It is a modest budget money-maker made with a creativity-forward mindset. Review

For a lengthy film that is never bashful about taking its time, Burning is an intriguing puzzle throughout most of its runtime. Review

With immense nuance, The Tale explores the multi-faceted and intimately complicated nature of abuse. Review

Joaquin Pheonix and John C. Reilly portray assassins in a beautifully-captured American west. Review

Destroyer yields a similar slow-burn, but the implications of the tension do not amplify in the same manner as The Invitation. Review

Vox Lux has flourishes of cinematic loveliness in its on-stage lighting and camera angles, its choreography, and its costume design. The music, provided by Sia, is also quite great. But the film is burdened by a thematic weight that is hard to decipher. Review

Reitman may have the right idea in re-centering the conversation to an earlier date, but the weight of the actual story gets lost in the allegorical retelling of it. Review

Add on the weighted performances of its ensemble cast, particularly from Davis and Debicki, and you have a film that does a lot of things right (loose plot threads be damned). Review

While there is much lacking in the way of characterization and storytelling structure, the end of the film does make one feel invested in the implications for the next film. Review

Creed II is an honorable follow up to the first film, which was an honorable follow up to the Rocky legacy. Review

Screaming middling Coens. Of course, being in the middle of such a list is no punishment. Review

It is a breezy thriller whose hellish elements are best when embraced with the cheekiness by which they were made. Review

A spectacle piece that eschews depth of storytelling for visual depth. Pine and Pugh, although both performing at the top of their game, have little to work with within this structure. Review

The experiential nature of the flight sequences is raw and glorious, and the climax is worth the wait. Review

A great Halloween film. It feels like the heart of fall, when pumpkins glow and shadows make one take pause. At its best, the eerie mood pulls you in and makes you believe that it is October 31st... Review

Takes an ambitious concept and spreads it thin over a 140-minute runtime. Review

As much as this might clash with its ethereal beginnings, both provide intriguing filmmaking from an authentic creative voice. Review