In the opening moments of Leos Carax’s Annette, fingers bang out a punchy piano riff while backup dancers bob their heads along with the beat as…
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 Fantasia International Film Festival is back for its 25th anniversary, once again embracing a virtual event composed of scheduled screenings, an on-demand film library, panels,…
Despite the enduring popularity of the legends, there’s never been a truly great cinematic depiction of King Arthur and his heroic Knights of the Round Table…
Oscar winner Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater finds Matt Damon — saddled with a thick goatee, a trucker cap and a pair of wraparound shades — portraying Bill…
As one of the most iconic and beloved attractions at the Disney theme parks, it was only a matter of time before Jungle Cruise was tapped…
The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival continues to shape up, with Dear Evan Hansen — director Stephen Chbosky’s adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical –…
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 sends the final installment of the horror trilogy back a few centuries to explore the truth behind the legend of Sarah…
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain starts by addressing death, specifically that of its subject. But in this case, it’s not the award-winning chef and television…
After more than a decade in supporting roles, former KGB assassin turned world-saving superhero Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) finally takes center stage in Black Widow, a…
After last week’s Fear Street Part 1: 1994 paid beautifully bloody homage to the slasher flicks of the late 90s, Fear Street Part 2: 1978 winds…
Prolific author R.L. Stine is best known for creating the hugely popular Goosebumps series and its numerous spinoffs, but it was actually the teen-centric Fear Street…
Chris Pratt is no stranger to big budget sci-fi filmmaking, having headlined two Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel Studios, and also popping up in…
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival has officially come to an end, and we’re wrapping up the last of our coverage with more brief impressions of some…
Adapting video games into feature-length films can be a tricky undertaking, and Hollywood has churned out a lengthy list of failures with few success stories in…
As the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival winds down, tension-filled home invasion thriller See For Me — centering on Sophie, a blind woman house-sitting in a remote…
When the New Orleans City Council voted to remove several Confederate monuments in December 2015, they probably didn’t expect groups of armed civilians to stand vigil…
When you’re young, there’s nothing quite like the allure of summer: casting off the responsibilities of the school year, filling your days with adventure and discovery,…
When Columbus, Ohio-based filmmakers Ori Segev and Noah Dixon set out to make their first feature, they never expected it to screen at a major film…
In a forgotten rural town, Dwight (Patrick Fugit) and his sister Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) care for their younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell), a frail thing…
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival is now in full swing, marking the first major North American film festival to host in-person screenings since the beginning of…
Avengers: Endgame may have capped off the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Infinity Saga” in thrilling fashion, but at least one dangling narrative thread was left unresolved: what…
The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival kicks off tomorrow night with the world premiere of In the Heights, Jon M. Chu’s feature film adaptation of the Tony…
After Walt Disney Pictures struck box office gold with Maleficent, a live-action adventure about the early years of the iconic villainess from animated classic Sleeping Beauty,…
Long before he found himself at odds with a major film studio over his nihilistic approach to superhero mythology, director Zack Snyder burst onto the scene…
Based on a best-selling novel, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour) and boasting an A-list cast that includes Amy Adams, Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore,…
Despite the release of an installment dubbed “the final chapter” in 2010, the Saw franchise just can’t seem to remain dead. 2017’s poorly received Jigsaw marked…
Guy Ritchie’s 1998 crime caper Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels introduced the world to Jason Statham, igniting a professional partnership that would extend to 2000’s…
After garnering an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Hollywood starlet Marion Davies in last year’s Mank, Amanda Seyfried is back on Netflix for Things Heard…
The work of novelist Tom Clancy has been the basis for a number of Hollywood adaptations, from critically acclaimed box office fare like The Hunt for…
With a history stretching back nearly three decades, Mortal Kombat is one of the longest-running and most successful video game franchises of all time, spawning numerous…
One could reasonably assume the writing process for Godzilla vs. Kong, opening this week in theaters and simultaneously streaming on HBO Max, involved copious amounts of…
About thirty minutes into Nobody, there’s a moment where Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) witnesses a group of dangerous-looking, clearly intoxicated men clamber onto a city bus…
The Phoenix Critics Circle are pleased to announce the recipients of their 2020 awards. After leading the way with seven nominations, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari picked up the…
Originally planned as Marvel’s first television offering before the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the production schedule, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier arrives fresh on the heels…