A.A. Dowd
Writer
A.A. Dowd, or Alex to his friends, is a writer and editor based in Chicago. He has held staff positions at The A.V. Club and Time Out Chicago, and is a member of the National Society of Film Critics.
Smile 2 and Trap are horror movies for a pop-obsessed world
Brat summer is over, but it looms large over Smile 2 and Trap, two thrillers set against the backdrop of toxic pop fandom.
Saturday Night review: A Saturday Night Live origin story that plays it too safe
Jason Reitman assembles a giant, game ensemble for Saturday Night, a SNL origin story that's a little too reverent and tidy.
At 50, this classic horror movie is still cinema’s ultimate nightmare
Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has lost none of its nightmarish power over 50 years. Here's why it's still so unsettling.
Joker: Folie à Deux review: an oddly timid musical sequel
In Joker: Folie à Deux, Joaquin Phoenix reprises the role of a misfit wallflower killer in a genre-bending sequel too cautious to really go for it.
At 10, this modern classic remains a brilliant prank of a thriller
David Fincher's adaptation of the bestselling thriller Gone Girl, which turns 10 today, might be his most Hitchcockian achievement.
Megalopolis review: Francis Ford Coppola’s flawed, insane sci-fi opus
From the director of The Godfather comes Megalopolis, a sci-fi epic 40 years in the making that trips on its own ambitions.
30 years ago, Tim Burton offered his most adult, bittersweet fairy tale
With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice now in theaters, let's revisit one of director Tim Burton's best movies, which turns 30 this week.
Why wasn’t this Brad Pitt space odyssey a bigger hit 5 years ago?
Brad Pitt's attempt to reap Gravity's fortunes stalled at the box office. Five years later, it still stands as one of the best modern sci-fi movies.
The Substance review: the grossest movie of 2024 is also one of its best
Demi Moore plays an aging actress who falls into a mutating nightmare in the superbly disgusting satire The Substance.
10 years ago, this action thriller unleashed an evil Captain America on an unsuspecting audience
10 years ago, this clever action thriller showcased the dark side of American heroism and solidified the star qualities of its two lead actors.
This 2024 movie is a lo-fi Jason Bourne paranoid thriller you need to watch (if you can)
The director of Hell or High Water returns to Toronto with a throwback paranoid thriller that loses its edge as it goes.
This movie might just be 2024’s most unnerving action thriller
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the Japanese director of Pulse and Cure, gets his visual mojo back with this strange action thriller about internet greed and wrath.
At 30, TV’s greatest teen drama remains as wonderful as you remember
Tragically canceled after just one season, My So-Called Life nonetheless became a hallmark of TV drama that launched the careers of Claire Danes and Jared Leto.
10 years ago, a famous TV marathon event made us all Simpsons fans again
For 12 days, FXX's Every.Simpsons.Ever. marathon kept us glued to our TVs — and reignited a love affair with The Simpsons.
Is Alien the ultimate directors’ franchise?
From Ridley Scott to James Cameron to David Fincher, the Alien series has long functioned as a revolving door of great directors.
Alien: Romulus review: a down-and-dirty creature feature that plays it too safe
Though slickly directed by Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus is little more than a remix of the beloved sci-fi franchise's most iconic moments.
With Deadpool & Wolverine and Robert Downey Jr.’s return as Doctor Doom, Marvel is getting desperate
Robert Downey Jr.'s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, combined with the Deadpool & Wolverine's cheap fan service, only illustrates the mess Marvel is in now.
20 years ago, one of the most unsettling movies ever made divided audiences
Upon its divisive release 20 years ago, this low-budget movie impressed critics, but enraged audiences. All these years later, is it still worth watching?
Forget Deadpool & Wolverine — this is the best X-Men adaptation of them all
With apologies to Deadpool & Wolverine, it's not the best X-related adaptation. Find out which X-Men movie, or show, remains the greatest X-Men tale ever.
Trap review: M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller is deeply stupid
Josh Harnett is creepily entertaining in Trap, a new M. Night Shyamalan movie that buckles under the weight of too many contrivances.
20 years later, this widely hated blockbuster is still one of Hollywood’s most underrated thrillers
This summer hit movie, which just turned 20, is better than its bad reputation will lead you to believe.
Deadpool & Wolverine review: Marvel’s inside joke grows old
In Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team up for a relentlessly meta superhero sequel that overdoes on fan service.
Twisters? Longlegs? Deadpool? The ’90s are back, baby!
From the blockbuster sequel Twisters to the return of Deadpool and the X-Men, 2024 is already looking a lot like the 1990s.
30 years ago, this action movie changed Hollywood forever. But was it for better or worse?
In 1994, a popular action movie starring one of the biggest stars changed Hollywood forever. 30 years later, Digital Trends asks if it was for better or worse.
Longlegs review: A spooky slideshow in search of a movie
The new horror movie Longlegs, starring Nicolas Cage as a serial killer, is arrestingly stylish, but lacks the deeper terror of its influences.
This unforgettable film might just be the best sci-fi movie ever made. Here’s why
This great remake of a sci-fi classic has lost none of its nightmarish, paranoid power. Find out what it is and why it's more timely than ever.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 review: Costner’s Western is an epic bore
The first installment of Kevin Costner's multipart Western epic Horizon: An American Saga plays like the tedious pilot of a miniseries you wouldn't finish.
This 1994 film is one of the best action movies ever made. Here’s why it still holds up
This 1994 action movie hasn't aged a bit, and is more exciting than the latest John Wick or Bad Boys sequel. Find out what it is and why you should watch it.
Post-Avengers: Endgame, the MCU’s biggest stars have gone gloriously bad
With Furiosa, Chris Hemsworth joins a growing list of MCU stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo who have been rejuvenated by standout villainous roles.
Hit Man review: At last, the star vehicle Glen Powell deserves
Anyone but You and Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell reunites with Richard Linklater for Hit Man, an eccentric comedy on Netflix that proves he's a star.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review: a thrilling new trip down Fury Road
George Miller takes Mad Max out of Mad Max, but there are thrills aplenty in his astonishing spinoff prequel Furiosa.
Are the new Planet of the Apes movies going anywhere?
The new Planet of the Apes franchise has craft and soul to spare, but it lacks direction — the sense that it's building to anything.
2024’s weirdest movie is a haunted flashback for the Nickelodeon generation
Jane Schoenbrun's spooky A24 indie I Saw the TV Glow captures a precise moment in American culture — the last gasp of analog fandom before the internet age.