David Sims
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Universal Halloween Is a Devoted Homage to the Unbeatable Original
The new follow-up to John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher classic is a curious project, but it’s anchored by fantastic work from Jamie Lee Curtis.
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ABC The Conners Frees Itself of Roseanne Barr
The retooled sitcom debuted with an episode that wrestled with the death of its fictional matriarch.
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A24 Jonah Hill Strives for Authenticity With Mid90s
The actor’s directorial debut is a coming-of-age tale about a young teen seeking refuge in skateboarding.
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Warner Bros. Thank the ’90s for Practical Magic
Griffin Dunne’s ostensible comedy—starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman—mixed horror, empowerment, and romance in ways extremely unusual for the era.
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NBC Seth Meyers Revives Saturday Night Live (For a Week)
The show’s former head writer returned for an episode with some excellent sketches—but also a dire parody of Kanye West’s meeting with Donald Trump.
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Danny Moloshok / Reuters Why This Year Could Change the Oscars
After a series of niche Best Picture winners, the awards show is struggling to stay relevant. 2018 could change that.
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Amazon Beautiful Boy Tries to Find a Punishing New Angle on Addiction
The film, which stars Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet, adapts the memoirs of a father and son dealing with the ravages of crystal-meth abuse.
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20th Century Fox Bad Times at the El Royale Is an Inventive and Indulgent Thriller
The new film from the director of The Cabin in the Woods boasts an impressive ensemble and is fascinating to watch, despite its many excesses.
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Universal First Man Is a Dazzling Portrait of Obsession
Damien Chazelle’s new film stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong, and dramatizes the Apollo missions up to the historic moon landings.
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Sony / Columbia Venom Is the Strangest Romantic Comedy of the Year
The ostensible superhero film thrives when it focuses on Tom Hardy’s relationship with a ball of alien goo.
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Netflix Netflix’s Private Life Is Brutal, Honest, and Brilliant
Tamara Jenkins’s new film stars Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti as a 40-something New York couple trying to conceive.
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Carlo Allegri / Reuters Live TV Is All But Dead
Scripted television “really has moved into the consumer actually controlling their experience,” says Hulu CEO Randy Freer.
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Warner Bros. A Star Is Born Is a Magnificent New Take on a Hollywood Myth
Bradley Cooper directs, writes, and performs alongside Lady Gaga as a rock musician who discovers, and falls in love with, a talented ingenue.
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NBC Saturday Night Live Mocks Brett Kavanaugh the Frat Bro
In its first cold open of the season, the show cast Matt Damon to play the Supreme Court nominee as a raging and whining teenager. But the sketch rang hollow in some ways.
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Netflix Hold the Dark Is a Revenge Epic That’s Not Quite What It Seems
Jeffrey Wright stars in Jeremy Saulnier’s new film, a baffling, Alaska-set thriller debuting on Netflix.
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National Geographic Free Solo Is a Staggering Documentary About Extreme Climbing
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s film follows Alex Honnold as he attempts to summit El Capitan without ropes or safety harnesses.
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Fox Searchlight The Old Man & the Gun Is a Charming Swan Song for Robert Redford
David Lowery’s new film features the legendary star as an over-the-hill bank robber.
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Al Powers / Invision / AP How Hollywood Redeemed Mel Gibson
The director and actor has been hired for a major new studio project—remaking The Wild Bunch—despite the many scandals in his past.
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NBC Saturday Night Live Needs to Break Its Stagnant Streak
Alec Baldwin is returning to play President Trump for the show’s 44th season, with only one new cast member coming aboard the stalling sketch revue.
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Annapurna The Sisters Brothers Is a Brutal, Funny, and Surprisingly Graceful Western
Jacques Audiard’s adaptation of Patrick deWitt’s novel stars Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly as a pair of hired guns growing sick of their work.
