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 The Mind-Boggling Grandeur of White Noise
The film is sharply funny, eerily timely, and loaded with movie stars. So why is this blockbuster-size event falling flat?
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The Atlantic; Erik Carter / The New York … Rian Johnson’s Primal Scream
The Glass Onion director on why his sequel to Knives Out is louder and angrier
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Scott Garfield / Paramount The Dizzying Debauchery of Babylon
Damien Chazelle’s new film is an extravaganza of caustic misery and overflowing movie magic.
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A24; The Atlantic ‘No One Wants to Talk About Mortality’
The British director Joanna Hogg on death, mothers, and the allure of memoir movies
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Ryan Pfluger / NYT / Redux Steven Spielberg’s Movie Magic Has a Dark Side
And no one knows it better than he does.
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20th Century Studios Avatar: The Way of Water Puts Most Modern Blockbusters to Shame
James Cameron’s sequel to his 2009 epic is proof that cinematic wonder still exists.
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A24 You Can’t Really Make a Feel-Good Body-Horror Movie
The Whale aims for noble sentimentality, but Darren Aronofsky can’t stop turning pain into spectacle.
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Julia Schimautz The 10 Best Films of 2022
An unforgettable year of cinema by newcomers and old masters alike
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Yannis Drakoulidis / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Unfortunately, the Sexy Teen-Cannibal Romance Is a Letdown
In Bones and All, the gore is paired with a love story that’s surprisingly tame.
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Qilai Shen / Panos Pictures / Redux The Streaming Death Spiral Must End
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is back at a time when the company desperately needs a new direction.
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Photo by Eric Zachanowich. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. The Menu Skewers Class Politics
The pitch-black comedy examines the ethics of “eating the rich”—and the hypocrisy of “ethical consumption.”
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Will Heath / NBC Does Dave Chappelle Find Anything Funnier Than Being Canceled?
During his appearance on Saturday Night Live, the comedian opened by addressing Ye’s and Kyrie Irving’s anti-Semitic statements.
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Merie Weismiller Wallace / Universal Pictures The Fabelmans Is Steven Spielberg’s Most Honest Movie Yet
The director tackles his most challenging material: his own childhood.
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Marvel Studios Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Does the Near Impossible
It’s a thrilling blockbuster that still makes time for grief.
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20th Century Studios The Indie Horror Film That Everyone Is Suddenly Talking About
Barbarian capitalizes on the thing viewers love and hate most: the unknown.
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Mark Sommerfeld / NYT / Redux James Gray’s Vision of American Dysfunction
In Armageddon Time, the filmmaker’s New York childhood is a warning bell for our polarized present.
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Ollie Upton / HBO House of the Dragon Actually Pulled It Off
The Game of Thrones spinoff crammed a 19-year family saga into 10 episodes of television—and somehow, it worked brilliantly.
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Antonio Olmos / Eyevine / Redux ‘I’m Trying to Get All the Coolness Out of My Movies’
Martin McDonagh, the man behind In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, thinks he might be mellowing out.
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Warner Bros. Pictures Black Adam Is the Nadir of Superhero Movies—And of Dwayne Johnson
Dwyane Johnson delivers a charmless performance in his latest movie.
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Casey Curry / Invision / AP Angela Lansbury Could Make the Silliest Movie a Work of Art
To understand her greatness, look no further than one of the silliest films she ever appeared in: 1971’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
