Billie Eilish was only 13 years old when “Ocean Eyes” — written and recorded with her brother, Finneas O’Connell — was uploaded to Soundcloud, racking up…
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.
Arriving hot on the heels of Shaka King’s stellar Judas and the Black Messiah, which chronicles the FBI’s plot to take down Black Panther leader Fred…
“There’s no such thing as good people,” says Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) in the opening moments of J Blakeson’s wickedly funny black comedy, I Care a…
“I hope you will reveal your plan for me soon,” prays Maud (Morfydd Clark), a nurse whose involvement — and possible culpability — in a tragic…
Greg (Owen Wilson) works a bland job at a generic technical support company — aptly named “Technical Difficulties” — where he spends most of his days…
“With little pride and less hope, we begin the new year.” While those words could adequately characterize a more recent time period, in the case of…
As the 2021 Sundance Film Festival begins winding down, with several films getting picked up for distribution — including CODA, which set a new record for…
Premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Eight for Silver — the latest from director Sean Ellis (Anthropoid) — is an atmospheric thriller about a remote…
Jesus Christ, where do I even start? Prisoners of the Ghostland, Sion Sono’s first English-language feature (although there’s still a healthy amount of spoken Japanese) is…
Golden Globe winner Robin Wright is no stranger to stepping behind the camera, having directed multiple episodes of the critically acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards,…
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, with the (mostly) digital presentation already generating plenty of buzz for a number of titles. We’ll continue…
While mostly known for its dramatic selections, the Sundance Film Festival has played host to some stellar horror entries, particularly in recent years with standouts like…
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, with the (mostly) digital presentation already generating plenty of buzz for a number of titles. We’ll continue…
The coming of age drama is a tried-and-true indie staple, one whose cookie-cutter character archetypes and predictable story beats can often feel like the equivalent of…
The communal experience has always felt like one of the most vital ingredients of film festivals: sitting in a room full of strangers, waiting to embark…
Usually by this time of year, I’m making last-minute preparations for my annual trip to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. But with the…
Ever since the release of Iron Man 2 in May 2010, the arrival of new entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a fairly regular…
After showing up for a supporting role in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot teamed up with director Patty Jenkins for an exciting…
Prolific African-American playwright August Wilson is best remembered for The Century Cycle, a series of 10 plays that examined the black experience in America, with each…
That Tom Hanks, over the course of a career spanning four decades, has somehow never appeared in a Western feels almost like an oversight. Regrettably, his…
Published to much fanfare in 2016, J.D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy was pored over in the wake of Donald Trump’s election to the highest office in…
No stranger to shaking up the horror genre, Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon is back with another mashup, taking a tried and true Hollywood formula…
One can’t help but wonder if writer-director Thomas Bezucha was actively trying to evoke memories of Ma and Pa Kent in Man of Steel when he…
Nine Days Edson Oda’s poignant drama about what it truly means to be alive centers on Will (Winston Duke), who spends his days in a purgatory-like…
The 56th Chicago International Film Festival ran from October 14-25, featuring drive-in screenings complemented by virtual cinema offerings that brought the event to more people than…
Fourteen years ago, a fictional Kazakh journalist became a box office sensation in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Audiences…
Like 40 million others adults in the United States alone, Winona (Jessica Barden) suffers from an anxiety disorder — she just doesn’t realize it yet. Recently…
The all-virtual edition of AFI Fest 2020 kicked off in spectacular fashion Thursday evening with I’m Your Woman, a gritty 70s-era crime thriller from director Julia…
Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 Gothic romance novel Rebecca is no stranger to adaptation: among others, Alfred Hitchcock’s version won the Academy Award for Best Picture in…
“In a moment of crisis, the world’s most powerful nation didn’t rise to the occasion, it descended into division and chaos.” This quote, from the early…
There’s something chilling about watching uniformed police officers confront a group of protestors, remove their badges and nameplates, then wade into the crowd indiscriminately swinging fists…
Millie Bobby Brown has been pegged for superstardom ever since turning heads with her breakout role in hit Netflix series Stranger Things, and this week she…
The slow-motion, single-take opening of Antebellum, arriving this week on VOD after its original April theatrical release was cancelled in the wake of a pandemic, sets…
“Some people were born just so they could be buried.” This quote from The Devil All the Time, the latest offering from Antonio Campos (Christine), is…