Author: Jesse Baalman

  • Film Review: Androids Learn to Live in ‘Blade Runner 2049’

        Despite $50 million projections, the science-fiction sequel disappointed with a front-loaded $32 million debut, skewing older and male. With an across-the-board positive critical response, it seems destined to share the same fate as…

  • Kingsman Comes Undone in ‘The Golden Circle’

        Matthew Vaughn is not interested in seeking approval from all audiences on his “Kingsman” franchise. The material is an edgy and blunt send-up of the spy genre that features questionable sexual politics and…

  • New Beginnings in ‘Broad City’s’ Fourth Season

        It is that time of year again, only “Broad City,” a program that usually runs in the spring, is back this fall. The dynamic duo remain magnetically comical and rambunctious, but there is…

  • Miss ‘Louie?’ Try ‘Better Things’

      The mother-daughter comedy returns for a second season Thursdays at 9 p.m., starting September 14 on FX. When Louie C.K. did not bring his eponymous FX program back for a sixth season, fans of…

  • Miss ‘Louie?’ Try ‘Better Things’

      The mother-daughter comedy returns for a second season Thursdays at 9 p.m., starting September 14 on FX. When Louie C.K. did not bring his eponymous FX program back for a sixth season, fans of…

  • Mainstream Moviegoers Should Dare to See “mother!”

      After months of speculation, the secretive film crash-landed in theatres with an “F” Cinemascore and an underwhelming opening weekend of $7.5 million. Paramount’s $30 million psychological fantasy picture polarized audiences and prompted walkouts. It…

  • Pennywise Dances his Way to the Box Office with “It”

        At the peak of 80’s nostalgia, New Line Cinema issues the first (film) adaptation of Stephen King’s killer clown. As an extension of Warner Brothers, the distributor has never put out a horror…

  • Fall Movie Preview

      Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig shrink themselves, Jennifer Lawrence goes full on Black Swan, and Ryan Gosling is the new Blade Runner in a season of hidden gems and high-stakes productions that range from…

  • 13 Reasons Why You Should Watch This

        Jesse Baalman Staff Writer “There’s all kinds of ways to feel lonely,” says Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), a high school sophomore who is driven to suicide in the Netflix mini-series based on Jay…

  • Ghost in the Shell Has Less Soul and More Body

          Jesse Baalman Staff Writer While “Ghost in the Shell” is grand in terms of visuals and aesthetics, it could have used a stronger script that deals with its philosophical themes in less…