The Signature Collection of Disney releases began with the studio’s first full-length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, so it only makes sense to reach…
Author: Brent Hankins
Brent Hankins
Brent Hankins has been blogging and writing film reviews online since 2011. He joined the Phoenix Film Critics Society in 2013, and was a founding member of the Phoenix Critics Circle the following year, where he currently serves as President. Brent also hosted the weekly Drinks and Discourse podcast for nearly 5 years, and is currently the editor-in-chief at The Lamplight Review. He resides in Tempe, AZ with his wife and son.
Now that Sundance is over, we’re once again marking our calendar and booking our flights to Austin, Texas for the 2017 SXSW Film Festival. After learning that…
Based on the Hillary Jordan novel of the same name, Mudbound tells the story of a black family in the Deep South of the 1940s whose lives…
Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours marks the writer-director’s third trip to the Sundance Film Festival, and this 14th-century comedy based – just barely – on Giovanni Boccaccio’s The…
Premiering in the Midnight category at Sundance, Damien Power’s feature-length debut Killing Ground spins a pair of stories about ill-fated camping trips in the Australian wilderness. Unflinching…
After a four-year stint as a correspondent on The Daily Show, Jessica Williams brings her comedic sensibilities to the big screen as the title character in the Sundance…
When we first meet Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza), she’s sitting in her car scrolling through an Instagram feed of someone’s wedding, sobbing uncontrollably as she “likes” every…
“Everything is stupid,” 13-year-old Dayveon Buckingham (Devin Blackmon) tells himself as he rides his bicycle along the tree-lined roads of his rural Arkansas town, and it’s…
Following a pair of dynamite performances in 2014’s Birdman and 2015’s Spotlight – both of which received an Academy Award for Best Picture – Michael Keaton remains…
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday, January 19, and once again I’ll be returning to Park City for opening weekend. I had a great experience…
After three critically acclaimed directorial efforts under his belt, including 2012’s Best Picture winner Argo, Ben Affleck goes behind the camera once again for the Prohibition-era gangster…
The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place earlier this evening, with Jimmy Fallon hosting the live telecast on NBC. Damien Chazelle’s La La Land was…
In just over two months, film fans will once again flock to Austin, Texas for the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, and news came today that visionary…
As a big-budget sci-fi drama featuring two of Hollywood’s hottest talents and an Oscar-nominated director, Passengers has all the ingredients of a surefire blockbuster. But while the…
On December 16th, 2016, the Phoenix Critics Circle gathered to announce their winners. Below you’ll find their list of winners for the best films and performances…
The Phoenix Critics Circle proudly announces nominees for its annual awards. Members have narrowed the films from 2016 to the top nominees in each category. Arrival,…
John Madden’s latest film, Miss Sloane, pulls back the curtain on the political machine, as a ruthless lobbyist (Jessica Chastain) goes to war against one of…
Hot on the heels of a shocking presidential election which saw an experienced female candidate lose to a grossly unqualified male opponent, John Madden’s political thriller…
This weekend, families will be able to join Disney’s newest heroine for an exciting adventure across the South Pacific Sea when Moana hits theaters just in…
Haley Lu Richardson may be best known for her supporting role as Maggie in the raunchy gymnastics comedy The Bronze, but the Phoenix native is poised…
This week, Walt Disney Animation will introduce audiences to their newest heroine as Moana sails into theaters around the world for a thrilling new adventure inspired…
The final few months of the year always bring with them a slew of films positioned to catch the eye of critics groups, guild members and…
It’s been a truly stellar year for animation, and even though Pixar’s long-awaited sequel Finding Dory and Walt Disney Animation’s brilliant, socially conscious Zootopia were tremendous contributions…
Many films have explored the difficulties that adolescence presents for young people struggling with their sexuality, but this story has seldom been told with such a powerful…
Antonio Campos’ Christine, a dramatization of the events that led a young TV news anchor from Sarasota, Florida to commit suicide during a live broadcast in…
With two seasons under its belt, HBO’s hit sports drama Ballers shows no signs of slowing down: a third season renewal has already been issued, and…
After a sold-out premiere screening at the Sundance Film Festival garnered a sizeable amount of positive acclaim, Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women has been on my radar for most…
If the idea of James Franco and Christian Slater playing gay porn producers whose rivalry turns violent with the arrival of the hottest young star in…
I often wonder about the impact of experiencing a film at a festival with a crowd that respects the sanctity of the cinema, as opposed to…
Watching actors play against type is always an interesting exercise, and Ben Affleck is given an opportunity to do exactly that in The Accountant. The latest…
As a dark psychological thriller featuring an unreliable female narrator, The Girl on the Train will no doubt draw comparisons to a similarly themed film from…
The inspirational sports drama is a tried-and-true Hollywood formula that has taken numerous forms over the decades without ever really changing the basic template. But there’s…
One of my favorite selections at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival was Operation Avalanche, Matt Johnson’s follow-up to 2013’s critically acclaimed indie The Dirties which follows a…
Let’s just address this right out of the gate: it’s impossible to watch a film about sharks, or shark attacks, without making comparisons to Jaws. But…