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Latest by A.A. Dowd

A woman holds a drink in The Substance.

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.
Look, it's Brad Pitt's handsome face behind a space helmet in a still from the movie Ad Astra.

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.
A man leans against a mantle in The Guest.

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.
Riz Ahmed looks over his shoulder in a still from the movie Relay.

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.
Masaki Suda aims his gun at the camera in a still from the movie Cloud.

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.
A teenage girl walks a hallway in high school in My So-Called Life.

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.
The cast of The Simpsons watches a TV.

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.
The Xenomorph slobbers before its next victim in a still from the movie "Alien: Romulus."

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.
Cailee Spaeny aims a gun as David Jonsson stands behind her in a still from the movie Alien: Romulus.

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.
A female astronaut looking to her right with a scared expression in the game Alien: Isolation.

The scariest Alien sequel came out 10 years ago — and it isn’t a movie at all

Alien: Isolation still captures the pulse-pounding spirit of Alien better than any of the franchise's big-screen sequels.
Robert Downey Jr. stands in front of his Iron Man suit in a still from the movie Iron Man 3.

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.
Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis huddle close in their wetsuits in a still from the movie Open Water.

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?
Two men stand close to each other in Deadpool & Wolverine.

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.
Josh Harnett surveys a concert hall in a still from the movie Trap.

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.
A group of people eat at a dinner table in The Village.

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.
A masked Ryan Reynolds covers his mouth as Hugh Jackman glowers in a still from the movie "Deadpool & Wolverine."

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.
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Glen Powell look out an open doorway in fear in Twisters.

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.
Maika Monroe stares in fright in front of a bloody wall in a still from the movie "Longlegs."

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.
A man points a gun in True Lies.

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.
Two men look fearful in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

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.
Kevin Costner stares with cowboy flintiness in a still from Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1

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.
Two men talk on a bus in Speed.

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.
A bearded man looks ahead in Furiosa.

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.
A man and a woman stand in a gun range in Hit Man.

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 aims her rifle in "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."

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.
An orangutan, a chimp, and a human brace for battle in a still from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."

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.
Ian Foreman watches TV in a still in I Saw the TV Glow.

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.
A man walks into a simulation in The Thirteenth Floor.

25 years ago, The Matrix led a mini movement of sci-fi simulation thrillers

From The Matrix to eXistenZ to The Thirteenth Floor, 1999 was an unusually robust year for sci-fi movies that put the world inside a computer.
An alien egg cracks open with the tagline "In space no one can hear you scream" underneath in the Alien movie poster.

Does the sci-fi classic Alien have the best movie marketing campaign ever?

With Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi masterpiece Alien back in theaters, let's revisit its iconic tagline, poster, and trailer.
Mel Gibson looks casually menacing behind a desk

The Continental review: John Wick is less fun without John Wick

Keanu Reeves is sorely missed in Peacock's unsatisfactory TV prequel to John Wick, The Continental.
A man looks away from 2 cops in Ripley.

Ripley review: Netflix’s terrifically tense thriller

Originally developed for Showtime, Ripley, Netflix's beautifully shot adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley, features a brilliant performance by Andrew Scott.
Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson strike a hero pose in a still from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The best Marvel movie just turned 10 this year. Here’s why it’s still a blast to watch

There are funnier and more inventive entries in the MCU, but Captain America: The Winter Soldier is still the platonic ideal of a Marvel movie.
A woman is probed by a machine in The Beast.

The Beast review: a gonzo sci-fi movie with a touch of David Lynch

David Lynch meets Cloud Atlas meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the ambitious sci-fi whatsit The Beast, starring Dune 2 actress Léa Seydoux.
Franck Gastambide aims a gun out a truck window in a still from The Wages of Fear

Netflix just remade one of the best thrillers of all time. Is it worth watching?

Netflix just quietly premiered a remake of one of the best thrillers ever made. But is this latest version worth watching or just another disappointing retread?