E.T., Come Home: "Disclosure Day," "Power Ballad" and more
Steven Spielberg returns to his extraterrestrial roots in a mostly magnificent blockbuster drama. Plus: I probably shouldn't like "Power Ballad," but I did.
Latest
Everyone Comes to Rick's (Still)
Come for a screening and discussion of the deathless "Casablanca," 6/11 at the West Newton Cinema.
Watch List Digest 6/7/26
Reviews of movies new and old, in theaters and on streaming platforms. Plus some other stuff.
The Time of My Life
How two photographs taken 50 years apart have the author pondering ... everything.
Movies Ty Forgot He Reviewed: "Silent Souls" & "Don't Think Twice"
Take your pick: A deadpan bit of Finnish poetry or an incisive human comedy of Manhattan bad manners.
A Scream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: "Obsession" and "Backrooms"
Two up-from-YouTube directors upend the studio system -- but can the revolution last? And are the movies any good?
What to Watch: "Exit 8," "Spider-Noir" & actual noir
An existential thriller of liminal space comes to streaming, as does a curious Marvel update of an old Humphrey Bogart movie. Plus: Criterion noirs.
What to Watch: "Silent Friend," "I Love Boosters," "The Drama" and more
Two rewarding new theatrical releases -one haunting, the other hilarious - and a worst-case-scenario wedding drama on demand.
Five Weird (But Pretty Good*) Movies on Netflix
Dig deep into the service's offerings and you can come up with some interesting fool's gold.
Rex Reed 1938-2026
Thoughts on the movie critic as cultural relic.
What to Watch: "Blue Heron," "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist"
Sophy Romvari's heartbreaking memory play comes to theaters while Daniel Roher's AI both-sidesism hits VOD.
On the Unnecessity of Killing a President
It's alright, Ma -- I'm only blogging.
What to Watch
What to Watch: "Pillion," "Sound of Falling," "The Christophers," "Miroirs No, 2"
Two in theaters, two on demand.
What to Watch
What to Watch: "Séraphine" (2008)
A forgotten film gem from France -- and a brief apology to my subscribers.
Film Festivals
What to Watch at IFFBoston 2026
12 movies to catch at Boston's best film festival, April 22-29.
What to Watch
What to Watch: The Koker Trilogy, "Send Help"
Iranian director Abba Kiarostami's nesting-doll trio of classics has the power to renew a viewer's faith in movies, art and human beings. Plus: Rachel McAdams goes native.
What to Watch
What to Watch: "My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 - Last Air in Moscow"
Julia Loktev's monumental documentary about Putin's war against journalists comes to VOD.
What to Watch
Movies I Forgot I Reviewed: "Innocence" (2004)
From the archives: Marion Cotillard and a cast of schoolgirls in a disturbing, dreamlike meditation on childhood's end.
What to Watch
E.T. Go Home: "Project Hail Mary," "Islands"
A sybaritic slow-burner on demand and an over-manipulative crowd-pleaser from two directors who should know better.
Awards 🏆
Oscars Post-Mortem: Let People Enjoy Things
I’m glad PTA won best director, I’m doubly glad Michael B. Jordan won best actor, I wish for lots of reasons that “Sinners” had won best picture but, fine, the movie will last. And other thoughts.
Awards 🏆
Ty's Oscar Predictions, 2026
Do the problems of a little golden guy with no visible genitalia amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world?
Music 🎸
Pick Up the Pieces: A High School Reunion Playlist
One for the sixty-somethings: The wonderful, mortifying soundtrack of our adolescence.
What to Watch
What to Watch: The god-damn news, "Sirat," a new Jarmusch, and more.
Reviews of Spain's Oscar nominee, plus "Father Mother Sister Brother," Jodie Foster in "A Private Life," Claire Foy in "H is for Hawk" and one ball-busting Pre-Code movie starring Edward G. Robinson.
Awards 🏆
What to Watch: Oscar Shorts!
Reviews, predictions and links for all 15 nominees in all three short film categories, plus a belated look at "KPop Demon Hunters" and "Song Sung Blue."