ScreenRex

WONDER WOMAN 1984 proves that wishes have a cost

Hannah Lodge December 21, 2020 December 21, 2020 Film

The moment a youthful Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) appeared in promos for Wonder Woman 1984, a sequel to the World War I era Wonder Woman, it was clear there’d be some kind of gimmick involved. But really, who cares? The chemistry between the two was great in the first film, and superhero films are rarely planted in realism. It turns out that gimmick is wish fulfillment – and the unexpected price you pay for that wish coming true.

I couldn’t think of a more apt metaphor for both the highs and lows of Wonder Woman 1984.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is almost mesmerizing

Calvin Cleary December 19, 2020 December 19, 2020 Film

Chadwick Boseman’s final film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, has arrived. How does Netflix’s adaptation of the August Wilson classic play fare?

John Wick Hex: A Nintendo Switch Review

Calvin Cleary December 17, 2020 December 17, 2020 Video Games

John Wick Hex, a video game prequel to Keanu Reeves’ hit action franchise, finally came to the Nintendo Switch. How does it play?

MORBID: THE SEVEN ACOLYTES is intriguing if rough

Calvin Cleary December 15, 2020 December 17, 2020 Video Games

New on PC, PS4, XBox One, and Nintendo Switch, MORBID: THE SEVEN ACOLYTES is a strong indie action RPG. It’s flawed, but if you’re a fan of grotesque monsters and excellent action, it’s worth checking out.

THE INFORMANT! is the Perfect Movie for the End of the Trump Presidency

Calvin Cleary December 11, 2020 December 11, 2020 Film

There may be no better film to explain the current implosion of the Trump movement than Steven Soderbergh’s deeply strange 2009 masterpiece, THE INFORMANT!

HADES is the Best Video Game of 2020

Calvin Cleary December 9, 2020 March 23, 2021 Video Games

There were a lot of excellent big-budget, major studio video games in 2020. HADES is better than all of them.

SOUL achieves greatness by rejecting it

Hannah Lodge December 7, 2020 December 7, 2020 Film

Hobbies are funny things. As adults, we often come by them casually and with little sense of obligation. Maybe a friend convinces us to run a 5K with them and we find unexpected joy in running, or a quick search on Ancestry.com evolves into a years-long project to trace our …

NOMADLAND, the year’s first essential film

Kyle Pinion December 3, 2020 December 3, 2020 Film

The great recession of 2008 was a defining moment of my own generation, and particularly for those who found themselves stepping out of college into a workforce where there simply wasn’t enough gainful employment to be had. 12 years later, the long-term effects of this have really only begun to …

MANK, dispelling the myth of Welles

Kyle Pinion November 20, 2020 November 19, 2020 Film

David Fincher’s long-awaited new feature, MANK, stylishly centers on the largely untold story of the co-screenwriter of CITIZEN KANE

BLACK BEAR is transformative, in more ways than one

Calvin Cleary November 17, 2020 November 17, 2020 Film

Black Bear is a memorable tug-of-war that isn’t always pleasant, but thrives thanks to a trio of stellar performances led by a remarkable Aubrey Plaza.

THE CLIMB is a hill too far

Kyle Pinion November 13, 2020 November 16, 2020 Film

An admirable effort that attempts to skirt its narrative shortcomings through waning technical ambition

The Monarchy hits its limits in THE CROWN’s stellar fourth season

Hannah Lodge November 13, 2020 November 16, 2020 Television

Season 4 of The Crown is here. This is arguably the most anticipated season of the Netflix hit yet, by virtue of the ground it has to cover: anyone old enough to remember that fateful Paris car crash knows this season begins the public unraveling of one of the most private famous families in the world.