I wasn’t exactly proud of the fact that I’d never seen a single Transformers movie until Rolling Stone called The Last Knight 2017’s “most toxic movie.” By…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: 15 years ago, Michael Bay made the most overrated sci-fi movie of the century”

Thank goodness, giving the people what they want doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. Because let’s face it, Minions: The Rise of Gru may as…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Review: Minions: Rise of Gru – What You Expect – and That’s Great!”

Scott Derrickson is back, and he’s up to his old tricks (in the best way) in The Black Phone. And this time, there’s no true story to…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Review: Ethan Hawke Terrifies As Serial Killer in The Black Phone”

For “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande,” freedom isn’t just found in truth, but in pleasure. And the film is deeply knowledgeable about the fact that sex…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2022: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”

Writer-director Chloe Okuno maintains many a precarious balance for her feature directorial debut “Watcher.” It’s not just the suspense and horror that remain consistent, it’s the fact…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2022: The Watcher”

“Cha Cha Real Smooth” is a crowd-pleaser in the best way, blending humor, heartbreak, and above all else, sincerity. It takes a familiar scenario, that of a…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2022: Cha Cha Real Smooth”

When A24 goes kid-friendly, it does so in a fashion all its own. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser in shiny new packaging,…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2022: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On”

Whether you can enjoy “I Love My Dad” depends on how far your tolerance for the ol’ “boys will be boys” adage goes. And since the screening…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2022: I Love My Dad”

The documentary “Hold Your Fire” dives right into the complexities of another allegedly simple, forgotten event that unspools into a web of complexities. That it not only…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Chicago Critics Film Festival 2022: Hold Your Fire”

“The Northman” is a bit of a change of pace for Robert Eggers. His previous two features required a certain repression to not only get things going,…… Read more “New from A Reel of One’s Own by Andrea Thompson: Robert Eggers goes all out in ‘The Northman,’ a visceral yet empty Viking tale”