Writing a review of a film for which I have no strong opinion is always something of a tedious task, but less than 48 hours after…
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.
The boys are back in the long-awaited feature film version of HBO’s hit comedy series Entourage. Four years after the show aired its season finale, the…
If there’s one thing you can’t fault San Andreas for, it’s false advertising. The Brad Peyton-directed disaster flick has sold itself in its marketing with massive…
Whenever I see a horror film, I want it to be smart and scary. Granted, I’m usually willing to settle for one or the other, but…
I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland ever since I first heard about the “mystery box” from the Disney archives, whose contents sparked…
The Barden Bellas are back on the stage in Pitch Perfect 2, the sequel to 2012’s surprise hit about a collegiate a cappella group. Three years…
After a grueling journey from Scotland to America on a quest to reunite with his beloved, Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) crosses paths with a mysterious drifter…
“I fucking loved it.” That was my initial reaction after walking out of the theater following the screening of Mad Max: Fury Road, and 24 hours…
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to the big screen following his eight-year stint as the Governor of California was met with a triumphant cheer from fans of the ridiculous,…
It’s been more than 20 years since the death of Kurt Cobain, and while there have been numerous documentaries, books, and television programs devoted to telling his…
Three years ago, the stars of several different superhero films joined forces in Marvel’s The Avengers. Not only was it a moment that comic book fans…
There are plenty of movies about characters with amazing abilities and extraordinary powers, but most of them feature adults in flashy costumes or metal suits. Little Boy,…
Universal’s microbudget horror flick Unfriended has been scaring up business at the box office, opening to more than $15 million and garnering positive reviews from both critics and…
One of last year’s best films comes to home video with the Blu-ray release of Wild, director Jean-Marc Vallee’s follow-up to The Dallas Buyers Club. This…
Screenwriter Alex Garland, best known for his work on sci-fi favorites 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with this month’s Ex Machina. Working from…
After the Warner Bros. animated feature Son of Batman enjoyed its world premiere at WonderCon 2014, it only makes sense that the next chapter in the…
FX’s new comedy series The Comedians is a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketchy comedy series, where Billy Crystal and Josh Gad play versions of themselves,…
It was about nine months ago when the pilot episode of Gotham premiered to an excited and enthusiastic crowd at San Diego Comic Con. Since then,…
The Fast and Furious franchise has been a box office juggernaut, with the last three installments taking in a collective total of $1.7 billion at the…
One of the standout offerings from the 2015 Phoenix Film Festival was Khalil Sullin’s sci-fi drama Listening, which explores the moral and ethical issues that arise…
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was a smash hit at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, premiering to a standing ovation and garnering rave reviews throughout…
Director Marcus Nispel certainly knows horror – he directed 2003’s stellar remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and was also behind the camera for the imaginative Friday…
There’s no denying that Beach Boys songwriter Brian Wilson is one of the most talented and influential musicians of the 20th century, and it’s a bit…
Get Hard is a shining example of a finished product not being greater than the sum of its parts. The idea of bringing together two comedic heavyweights isn’t…
The 15th Annual Phoenix Film Festival occurs this year from Thursday, March 26th to Thursday, April 2nd. Continually breaking attendance records since its inception, last year’s…
The Final Girls was one of my favorite movies from the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, and seeing it with a late-night audience at the Paramount Theater…
Although not a runaway success, Divergent did quite well at the box office, and one year later we’re getting the second installment, Insurgent, based on the book of the same…
Constance Zimmer is probably most recognizable for her role as Dana Gordon in the hit HBO series Entourage – although her portrayal of political reporter Janine Skorsky in…
Petting Zoo, director Micah Magee’s intimate portrait of a young woman from a low-income family coping with an unexpected pregnancy, premiered earlier this year at the Berlin…
While I generally enjoy most music biopics, it’s hard to argue with the fact that most of them tend to subscribe to a very familiar pattern.…
It was only a matter of time before screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) found himself stepping behind the camera, and he takes a fresh…
The combination of horror and comedy is always a volatile recipe, and the failure to mix those ingredients just right can often result in disaster. But every…
To call Russell Brand a polarizing figure in the realm pop culture would be something of an understatement. Over the years, the comedian, actor and author has concocted…
The latest installment in what promises to be a long parade of live-action updates to classic Disney stories, Cinderella revisits the beloved fairy tale with a…