Movie reviews of Alex Brannan

It’s all been done before. But it is executed cleanly and convinces you to invest in the characters just as Sugarman invests in Cruz. Review

But Maverick cannot carry the film that shares his name on his own. The plot really needs other characters to step into the forefront, and the script calls on two or three to do just that. And it really doesn’t work for me. Review

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a light bit of entertainment with enough clever moments to keep it afloat through a manageable runtime. In other words, it’s harmless fun. Review

For all my gripes with Garland’s script, his filmmaking is as effective as ever. The imagery is evocative. The direction within individual scenes makes for thrilling set pieces. The sound design is largely chilling, as well. But I struggle to find substance in this stylish piece of artsy horror. Review

So while there may not be three and a half hours of revelatory material in American Dream, there are moments of insight in the doc to justify it to the comedy fan or Carlin enthusiast. Review

The narrative is also slightly over-burdened by the weight of its protagonist’s bleak situation, even as it excels with its austere composition and beautiful framing. But Vartolomei gives this material body and life, filling the edges of the frame with pathos. Hers is a transfixing, understated performance which ultimately carries the film. Review

This toothless action is to be expected, though. As is the laborious plotting and the uninspired character development. It is to be expected, because anything “new” brought to a Marvel movie must be mitigated by the sameness that populates the rest of the film. Review

Heightened, theatrical dialogue pairs with intense sequences of hyper-violence, and that is what you get. If that pairing doesn’t sound like a Pinot with a fine Gruyere, then this movie might not be your bag. Review

X is, visually and performatively, engaging and fun. As a genre exercise, I don’t find it particularly compelling. The film has ideas but doesn’t fully know what to do with them, despite all of the pieces put in place for it all to work. Review

Deep Water is more dour than it is sexy, more somber than it is thrilling. Its most dangerous and titillating moments are shot rather staid. Review

All of this is to say that Kimi works fine as a lean techno-thriller with a great central performance in Kravitz. Review

Even if you could say it is good for some gory fun, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a dismal experience. Review

Death on the Nile does everything it can to remove the stuffiness from the classical murder mystery format. It isn’t as dynamic or windy as the recent Knives Out... Review

It takes the tried-and-true sci-fi question of what would happen if programming approached sentience and clothes it in humanism. The result is extraordinary. Review

Bahrani does his best to spin this tangled mess of a tale into something bigger than itself, and the result is fairly muddled. Review

Andrew Semans has provided a chilling, tense psychological thriller. But his script leaves me overly cold. Review

Watcher struggles to do two things at once. It wants to succeed as both a slow-burn thriller meditating on the plurality of the cinematic gaze and a tense mystery which keeps you guessing as to what is true. The two cannot find a happy medium. Review

Emergency is a confident and lively film that aims to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Not every element within entirely coheres, but if one accepts the tonal turbulence, there is a lot of humor and heart (and tension) in this film. Review

Scream is witty and exciting. Like any good slasher, it keeps you guessing and makes you wonder just where the killer will pop out next. Review

Here’s the bottom line: No Way Home is fun. You can see every string if you squint even a little. You can point out every inconsistency, the logic behind every emotional moment. These seams did bother me while I was watching, making it difficult for me to fully buy in and enjoy the experience. Review

Eternals, by comparison, feels like a film throwing a bunch of things at the wall to see what sticks. Most of it doesn’t work, but the fact that it is trying for something different within this formula is mildly exciting. Review

From a filmmaking perspective, it was hard for me not to think that this was just doing a serviceable job of what many wuxia films have done better. Review

Viewing the film without the larger continuity in mind, though, there are some competently-directed sequences. Review

The set pieces are fun, but their superfluousness to the larger mythology renders them largely unimportant. Review