What to Watch: Four Cool Streams for a Hot Weekend
New to VOD: Four cinematic diversions running the gamut from the sublime to the very silly.
Latest
"Eddie Coyle," Anaplasmosis and "Off the Map"
Come hear Chris Vognar and me talk Boston crime-film turkey Thursday night, and make time for a lost little charmer on demand. Plus, Ty vs the ticks.
Watch List Digest 6/20/26
Get yer movie recommendations here. Some music stuff, too.
What to Watch: "I Swear," "Eno," "EPiC"
A pottymouthed feel-good Scottish movie on demand, plus music docs from the King and the Brain.
Hitch(ing) Post
In praise of one of the great rock 'n' roll eccentrics.
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.
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
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.
Good Movies 📽
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.
Remembrances ⭐️
Rex Reed 1938-2026
Thoughts on the movie critic as cultural relic.
What to Watch
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.
Politics
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.