David Sims
He is also a co-host of the Blank Check podcast. Before joining The Atlantic in 2014, David worked at The A.V. Club as a critic and was a staff reporter on education and local politics at the New York City newspaper The Chief-Leader. At The Atlantic, he primarily covers film, as well as comedy, television, video games, and other pop culture.
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Netflix Netflix’s The Sandman Is a Fan’s Dream. Is That Good Enough?
The TV adaptation is extremely loyal to Neil Gaiman’s original comic books—and that’s as enticing as it is frustrating.
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Wattie Cheung / Camera Press / Redux Whither Batgirl?
HBO Max’s drastic decision to not release a completed movie is a reminder of the murky—and merciless—economics of streaming.
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Kino Lorber; IFC The 10 Must-Watch Indie Films of the Summer
Small-budget, art-house, and international movies that are worthy of as much fanfare as the season’s blockbusters
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Paul Abell / Netflix The Gray Man Takes the Stoic-Spy Cliché Way Too Far
Much like Brad Pitt before him, Ryan Gosling keeps falling into Hollywood's “cool guy” trap.
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Universal Pictures Jordan Peele’s Nope Is Spectacular, Indulgent, and Brutal
You won’t be able to look away.
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Nick Wall / Netflix Netflix’s Persuasion Tries to Have It All
The Jane Austen adaptation aims to be subversive when it could have just been sincere.
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The Atlantic ‘Netflix Thinks Exactly Like an Old Movie Studio’
In a year of falling subscriber numbers and shaky stock prices, the streaming service is doubling down on expensive, risky blockbusters.
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Marvel Studios / Courtesy Everett Collection Maybe Ridding the World of Superheroes Isn’t Such a Bad Idea
Though Thor’s muscles are resplendent in Marvel’s latest film, his heart isn’t in it.
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Warner Bros. Elvis Is Utterly Disorienting. That’s the Point.
Baz Luhrmann’s chaotic, maximalist approach works for one reason: The story of Elvis Presley should be a mess.
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Netflix Chris Hemsworth Finds His Villainous Niche
Spiderhead comes so close to making a classic “good vs. evil” story line feel new again.
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Disney / Pixar It’s Time for Pixar to Move on From Toy Story
Lightyear is the origin story that no one needed.
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Paramount / CBS / Getty Minority Report Tried to Warn Us About Technology
Steven Spielberg’s film predicted how having more convenience would mean sacrificing personal freedom.
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Amblin Entertainment / Universal I Just Wanted to Watch People Get Eaten By Dinosaurs
The cynical logic of Jurassic World: Dominion doesn’t leave much room for what made the original a classic: a sheer sense of wonder.
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Raftar Creations / Everett The Indian Action Blockbuster That Should Make Hollywood Jealous
RRR is the heroic epic we’ve been waiting for—one that’s not afraid of its own extravagance.
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Nikos Nikolopoulos / NEON A Sci-fi Film With a Lighthearted, Apocalyptic Vision
David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future could double as an elegy to the entertainment industry itself.
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Paramount The Ludicrous Beauty of Top Gun: Maverick
It’s just what every cineplex in the country needs.
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Paramount / Sunset Boulevard / Corbis / Getty; … The Review: Top Gun
How does the classic work of propaganda hold up? And can its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, deliver decades later?
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Kevin Baker / A24 Men Is a Brutal Film With Pathetic Villains
What on earth is going on in those final scenes?
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Disney Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers Is a Reboot That Requires Zero Nostalgia
The Disney+ film is like an updated Who Framed Roger Rabbit—a fantastically funny cartoon satire.
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Molly Bandelli / Neon Pleasure Is a Deeply Unerotic Portrait of the Porn Industry
The film offers the same clinical gaze to both the mundane and graphic sides of the adult-entertainment business.
