Alison Willmore is a film critic for New York magazine and Vulture. Formerly, she was the only critic at BuzzFeed News, the first TV editor at IndieWire, and the host of Filmspotting: SVU.
movie review
Did We Really Need Kaiju to Get All Cute?Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doesn’t deliver the giant-monster goods, but it does make its creatures disconcertingly adorable.
A New Road House by Way of Looney TunesJake Gyllenhaal is better at oddballs than heroes — thank God he’s playing one of the former in this Road House remake.
kingdom of dreams
The 2024 Oscars Closed the GatesThis year’s Academy Awards turned on the charm and turned away from anything uncomfortable, even as protests raged outside.
Miyazaki Didn’t Lose a StepBack from temporary retirement, Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning film, The Boy and the Heron, is a reminder of what makes him an animation legend.
Drive-Away Dolls Is Just Fizzy EnoughMargaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan star in a lesbian road trip comedy that will mostly remind you of better movies.
The Iron Claw Should Be Even SadderZac Efron, Harris Dickinson, and Jeremy Allen White star in the story of a tragic wrestling family that holds its subjects at arm’s length.
The 15 Best Movies We Saw This Year at SundanceThis year’s slate actually felt like Sundance, like the festival it used to be before it became just another stop on Hollywood’s eternal red carpet.
In Search of a More Welcoming RealityJane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow is an enveloping, confounding film about isolation, gender transition, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The Seductive Eileen Flirts With DisasterAnne Hathaway goes Hitchcock blonde and Thomasin McKenzie is deceptively mousy, but the real MVP of this Ottessa Moshfegh is Marin Ireland.
best of 2023
A Year of Movie EndingsIn 2023, there were plenty of onscreen climaxes, but some of the industry’s most interesting denouements happened offscreen.
best of 2023
The Best Movies of 2023This year seemed to mark the end of a film era. Has another exploded out of the box already?
Napoleon Charges in Without a PlanRidley Scott’s new historical epic isn’t good, but at least it gives us an unforgettably weird Joaquin Phoenix performance.
movie review
Is Taika Waititi Even Trying Anymore?The New Zealand filmmaker’s new film, Next Goal Wins, is so sloppily made that it might make you wonder why he even bothered.
movie review
When Did the MCU Start Feeling So Small?The Marvels brings together Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani for far-flung galactic adventures that feel disappointingly dinky.