https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/movies.shtml Reviews of independent and wide-release films written by lead critic Joe Lozito and his merry band of crackerjack movie reviewers. Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:36:52 PST en-us https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Resident-Evil.shtml Reviews Zach Cregger's new film is a lean piece of genre filmmaking that doesn't feel beholden to the video game franchise. ]]> Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Resident-Evil.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Uprising.shtml Reviews Paul Greengrass brings urgency and a formidable ensemble to this dramatic retelling of the 1381 Peasant's Revolt whose class-conscious anger still carries a modern sting, but its reluctant hero never convincingly grows into a leader and the film’s restless camera and patchy digital spectacle leave its most ambitious moments feeling smaller and less affecting than intended. ]]> Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:15:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Uprising.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Practical-Magic-2.shtml Reviews This follow up to 1998’s durable cable-era comfort movie brings back Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witchy sisters seeking a balance between their magical powers and family dramas, but with repeated emotional beats, ill-timed exposition, and a storyline that feels diluted, what should play like a flickering spell yields little more than smoke. ]]> Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Practical-Magic-2.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Buddy.shtml Reviews This Barney-esque character is one you don't want your children around. ]]> Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:45:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Buddy.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/It-Ends.shtml Reviews This debut feature from writer-director Alex Ullom is an exercise in atmosphere and style that upends the notion of a horror movie as four friends on a joyride wind up on a road to nowhere. ]]> Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:30:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/It-Ends.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Mutiny.shtml Reviews Director Jean-François Richet and star Jason Statham deliver the brutal, efficient action fans expect once “Mutiny” gets aboard its cargo-freighter setting, even if its faceless villains and sluggish Bangkok bookends keep it from rising above the genre's well-worn formula. It's a reliable entry in the "Statham movie" subgenre — not reinventing anything but competently cashing the check its star has built a career on. ]]> Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:30:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Mutiny.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Tony.shtml Reviews Before Anthony Bourdain became the writer, chef, and provocateur the world would come to know he was an overconfident, often unlikable 19-year-old chasing a girl into a Provincetown kitchen, and writer/director Matt Johnson wisely keeps the focus there for this enjoyable, sharply-observed biopic. ]]> Mon, 17 Aug 2026 18:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Tony.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-End-of-Oak-Street.shtml Reviews This quick, dumb, fun action picture that doesn’t overexplain its “dinosaurs invade the suburbs” premise is a welcome respite from the typical mid-August movie dregs. ]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-End-of-Oak-Street.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Coyote-vs-Acme.shtml Reviews It's been a controversial road to the big screen for the new Looney Tunes film, but the movie survives the pressure and makes good by being entertaining. ]]> Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:05:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Coyote-vs-Acme.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/One-Night-Only.shtml Reviews A dystopian sex-ban premise is an excuse for breezy farce rather than pointed social commentary in this bright, exaggerated comedy that's propelled by the easy chemistry of Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, resulting in a good-natured summer rom-com that mostly delivers on its own terms. ]]> Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/One-Night-Only.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Ice-Cream-Man.shtml Reviews Gore maestro Eli Roth returns with an empty and repetitive splatter fest. ]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Ice-Cream-Man.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Spider-Man-Brand-New-Day.shtml Reviews The fourth "Spider-Man" in the Tom Holland series is the weakest of the films, but Holland's committed performance continues to carry them through. ]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:30:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Spider-Man-Brand-New-Day.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/I-Want-Your-Sex.shtml Reviews Indie filmmaker Gregg Araki is back with another bold, in-your-face film about sexuality and power dynamics. ]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:30:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/I-Want-Your-Sex.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Odyssey.shtml Reviews Christopher Nolan's latest cinematic undertaking reinterprets the classic Greek epic as a deeply personal exploration of wartime trauma and lingering psychological wounds, trading standard digital excess for practical craftsmanship and claustrophobic tension in a production that grounds its legendary monsters in a gritty, physical reality resulting in a brilliant melding of monumental scale and intimate human drama. ]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:15:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Odyssey.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Invite.shtml Reviews The latest offering from actor/director Olivia Wilde turns an agonizingly awkward dinner party into a fiercely funny, deeply resonant pressure cooker; anchored by four knockout performances and razor-sharp direction, it’s a sophisticated comedy of manners that cuts right to the heart of modern marriage. ]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/The-Invite.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Supergirl.shtml Reviews Milly Alcock delivers a fierce, emotionally grounding performance that provides the center of gravity to this latest DC superhero outing, but her standout work is eclipsed by a shaky screenplay, jarring tonal whiplash, and a deeply underwhelming, one-dimensional villain, leading to a film that lacks the dramatic discipline to fully take flight. ]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:30:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Supergirl.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Jackass-Best-and-Last.shtml Reviews This surprisingly poignant epilogue to the MTV-born reality franchise proves it was always built on fellowship, not just juvenile stunts, as it blends shocking new footage with classic clips to act as an elegiac memorial to the crew's quarter-century run. ]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Jackass-Best-and-Last.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Toy-Story-5.shtml Reviews The fifth installment of Pixar’s signature franchise shows an ever-changing world while also getting back to the heart of the long-running series ]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Toy-Story-5.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Tribeca-Film-Festival-2026-Act-One.shtml Reviews This unsettling new coming of age drama is a daring, uneven mix of “Black Swan” and “Whiplash” that doesn’t quite manage to stick the landing. ]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:30:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Tribeca-Film-Festival-2026-Act-One.shtml https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Disclosure-Day.shtml Reviews Steven Spielberg's latest is a strong, confident return to familiar territory that employs emotional wonder and propulsive urgency to tell a story that feels both classic and current. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the director's greatest work, it's still a smart, heartfelt studio movie with real craft and personality. ]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:00:00 PST https://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Disclosure-Day.shtml