After nearly a decade of live-action disappointments, Tim Burton returns with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an adaptation of the popular novel by Ransom Riggs. The…
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.
Director Antoine Fuqua has dabbled in remake territory before – 2014’s The Equalizer was an update of the 1980s television series, albeit with significant changes -…
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated Disney film that I ever saw in theaters, which almost certainly contributed to my lifelong reverence for it. It may…
By now, it’s reasonable to assume that you’ve heard the name Edward Snowden at some point over the past few years. The former CIA and NSA…
In 1999, The Blair Witch Project terrified audiences with an ingenious marketing campaign that convinced moviegoers the shaky, handheld footage on the big screen was authentic, and…
You’d be hard-pressed to find an American citizen lacking at least a vague familiarity with the “Miracle on the Hudson,” where an experienced US Airways pilot…
After two stellar indie offerings (Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines), director Derek Cianfrance delivers his first project for a major studio with this…
Ridley Scott has long been regarded as one of the pioneering voices of sci-fi filmmaking, with two of his contributions (Alien and Blade Runner) being widely…
Disney’s ongoing quest to give each of its classic animated stories a live-action makeover reached new heights this year with The Jungle Book, an incredible visual achievement that…
After a second season finale that marked a major victory for our heroes while also serving up the loss of one of its most significant characters, FX’s…
Earlier this year, I attended the Sundance Film Festival for the very first time, and one of the films I was most looking forward to was…
The rags-to-riches story of legendary Panamanian pugilist Robert Duran has always been ripe for a Hollywood sports drama, and it finally arrives this week in the form…
At first glance, Todd Phillips (The Hangover) might not seem like the most obvious choice to direct a film about a pair of international arms dealers. But…
Disney’s update of Pete’s Dragon, opening in theaters this weekend, arrives as something of a curiosity. The studio has spent the past several years mining its extensive…
After writing and producing hilarious, raunch-filled comedies like Pineapple Express and This is the End, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are back with Sausage Party, an…
FX’s Emmy-nominated animated spy comedy Archer has long been a staple of San Diego Comic-Con, with annual appearances from the hilarious voice cast and a no-holds-barred Q&A panel…
After the critical drubbing levied against Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, many fans –- myself included –- hoped Warner Bros. could right the ship with Suicide Squad,…
In 2007, after three films and a decent-enough conclusion, the story of Jason Bourne seemed to have run its course, with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass…
FX’s vampire drama The Strain has been a mainstay at San Diego Comic-Con for the past few years, and 2016 was no different. With the premiere…
After grossing out audiences with his gore-drenched 2013 remake of Evil Dead, director Fede Alvarez returned earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival with Don’t…
Based on a chilling three-minute short film that became a viral sensation, Lights Out opened to strong reviews and an impressive $21.6 million – more than four…
The first season of Ballers, HBO’s comedy-drama series about the lives of professional football players, drew some inevitable comparisons to the similarly-themed Entourage, and it’s hard to…
It’s the 1980s, and Pablo Escobar’s Medillin cartel is smuggling between 70 and 80 tons of cocaine into the United States on a monthly basis. With numerous government agencies…
Last year at Disney’s D23 Expo, CEO Bob Iger confirmed a long-running rumor- and made dreams come true for millions of fans – when he confirmed…
Shuffled from one foster home to another thanks to his long history of “kicking things, breaking things, burning things” and basically engaging in all manner of…
Even with the luxuries and conveniences afforded by modern technology, raising six children might seem like a monumental task for any set of parents. So you would…
The height of summer blockbuster season may not seem like prime release territory for an epic drama set against the backdrop of the Civil War, but in…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a painfully naive young woman from a small town somewhere in the midwest arrives in Los Angeles with stars…
[Editor’s Note: With Swiss Army Man opening in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, we’re running our original Sundance review again]
During the last pep rally of the school year, student body president and star athlete Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) is in the midst of his final address when…
The Conjuring was one of the best horror films in recent memory, a fresh and inspired twist on haunted houses and demonic possessions that raked in $318…
Disney’s Zootopia was a box-office sensation, raking in more than $1 billion worldwide and becoming the second highest-grossing original film of all time behind James Cameron’s…
After a series of hilarious music videos on Saturday Night Live, Andy Samberg and his pals from The Lonely Island bring their irreverent, foul-mouthed and undeniably catchy melodies…
I reviewed The Finest Hours for its theatrical release back in January, but my affinity for the charms of Chris Pine prompted me to give the…