Jesse Hassenger

1/21/22

20 major stars whose careers took off at Sundance

Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Olsen, and Michael B. Jordan are all Sundance Breakthrough alumni

1/16/22

How <i>Yellowjackets</i> counts on its talented cast to (mostly) avoid double troubles

How Yellowjackets counts on its talented cast to (mostly) avoid double troubles

Christina Ricci and Melanie Lynskey, in particular, guide Showtime's hit through some daunting territory

1/13/22

<i>Peacemaker</i>’s John Cena makes some familiar moves in his journey from wrestling to acting

Peacemaker’s John Cena makes some familiar moves in his journey from wrestling to acting

Before Cena made the trek from ring icon to Hollywood hero, the likes of Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista followed…

1/11/22

Vanessa Kirby loses herself on the streets of New York in the dreamy <i>Italian Studies</i>

Vanessa Kirby loses herself on the streets of New York in the dreamy Italian Studies

Writer-director Adam Leon adds a bittersweet, unmoored quality to his signature NYC walk-and-talk

1/10/22

<i>Hotel Transylvania</i> loses Adam Sandler, but retains its animated energy in <i>Transformania</i>

Hotel Transylvania loses Adam Sandler, but retains its animated energy in Transformania

The fourth and final movie in the series enlivens a worn-out story with delightful animation

12/27/21

<i>Scream</i>, <i>Morbius</i>, and some kid-friendly monsters kick 2022 off on a spooky note

Scream, Morbius, and some kid-friendly monsters kick 2022 off on a spooky note

Sequels to Hotel Transylvania and Ice Age are some of the bigger releases in a very quiet January

12/22/21

A Coen brother goes solo, with help from Denzel and Shakespeare, in a striking <i>Macbeth</i>

A Coen brother goes solo, with help from Denzel and Shakespeare, in a striking Macbeth

Joel Coen’s take on the Scottish Play may not be definitive, but it’s one of the best-looking movies of the year

12/21/21

The best films of 2021: The ballots

Here's how 10 critics voted in our annual poll on the year in movies

12/21/21

The best films of 2021

West Side Story, The Green Knight, and Licorice Pizza are among our favorite movies of the year

12/15/21

Ben Affleck is the only thing remotely intoxicating about George Clooney’s <i>The</i> <i>Tender Bar</i>

Ben Affleck is the only thing remotely intoxicating about George Clooney’s The Tender Bar

This memoir adaptation is almost pointless enough to induce nostalgia for Clooney’s more self-important awards bait

12/15/21

Peacock’s <i>MacGruber</i> revival is the wrong kind of overkill

Peacock’s MacGruber revival is the wrong kind of overkill

This new limited series is classic MacGruber: It stretches a 100-minute job to over three hours

12/15/21

The best movie scenes of 2021

Some of the year's best movie moments came from No Time To Die, Shang-Chi, and Licorice Pizza

12/13/21

For a movie that turns giant monsters into pro wrestlers,<i> Rumble </i>isn’t much fun

For a movie that turns giant monsters into pro wrestlers, Rumble isn’t much fun

Giant monsters. A wresting picture. What did they need, a road map?

12/13/21

One of the overlooked gems of the year was a lean, nasty thriller starring Megan Fox

Fox does strong work in the little-seen Till Death, now on Netflix

12/11/21

Is <i>Hook</i> Steven Spielberg’s worst movie, or just his most excessive?

Is Hook Steven Spielberg’s worst movie, or just his most excessive?

The notorious Spielberg boondoggle is celebrating 30 years of vexing adults and delighting kids

12/7/21

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence cope with disaster in the despairing satire <i>Don’t Look Up</i>

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence cope with disaster in the despairing satire Don’t Look Up

Adam McKay makes an angry, star-studded, uncertain return to broad comedy

12/7/21

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem can’t act around the Sorkinisms of <i>Being The Ricardos</i>

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem can’t act around the Sorkinisms of Being The Ricardos

Finally, I Love Lucy gets the Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip treatment!

12/3/21

<i>Diary Of A Wimpy Kid</i> moves over to Disney+ for a brief, cheap-looking animated reboot

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid moves over to Disney+ for a brief, cheap-looking animated reboot

As far as hour-long Disney animated movies go, this one is no Dumbo

12/2/21

The best movies of 2001

Where do Memento, Lord Of The Rings, and Mulholland Drive fall on our retrospective countdown?

11/23/21

Close out the year in movies with <i>Spider-Man</i>, <i>The Matrix</i>, and a slew of Oscar hopefuls

Close out the year in movies with Spider-Man, The Matrix, and a slew of Oscar hopefuls

Plus: West Side Story, The King’s Man, Nightmare Alley, and more in our December movie preview

Jesse Hassenger's posts

20 major stars whose careers took off at Sundance

How Yellowjackets counts on its talented cast to (mostly) avoid double troubles

Peacemaker’s John Cena makes some familiar moves in his journey from wrestling to acting

Vanessa Kirby loses herself on the streets of New York in the dreamy Italian Studies

Hotel Transylvania loses Adam Sandler, but retains its animated energy in Transformania

Scream, Morbius, and some kid-friendly monsters kick 2022 off on a spooky note

A Coen brother goes solo, with help from Denzel and Shakespeare, in a striking Macbeth

The best films of 2021: The ballots

The best films of 2021

Ben Affleck is the only thing remotely intoxicating about George Clooney’s The Tender Bar

Peacock’s MacGruber revival is the wrong kind of overkill

The best movie scenes of 2021

For a movie that turns giant monsters into pro wrestlers, Rumble isn’t much fun

One of the overlooked gems of the year was a lean, nasty thriller starring Megan Fox

Is Hook Steven Spielberg’s worst movie, or just his most excessive?

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence cope with disaster in the despairing satire Don’t Look Up

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem can’t act around the Sorkinisms of Being The Ricardos

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid moves over to Disney+ for a brief, cheap-looking animated reboot

The best movies of 2001

Close out the year in movies with Spider-Man, The Matrix, and a slew of Oscar hopefuls