ALIEN: ROMULUS feels like ALIEN: THE RIDE
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Alien: Romulus feels like it was engineered in a lab from the parts of the previous Alien films, but it is a relentless thrill machine.
Action Countdown #3: Shot composition and music are the secret weapons of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Everything in Mad Max: Fury Road is a symphony, and the action sings its part with resounding clarity.
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE ends a universe with a big sticky load of fan service
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Deadpool and Wolverine is a eulogy for the non-MCU Marvel movies, mostly from the era at Fox that made the X-Men franchise, Daredevil, and three Fantastic Four movies.
As the first Millennial blockbuster, TWISTERS reminds us it is not too late
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Twisters places its characters in classic disaster situations, where awe of nature’s power is quickly replaced by terror.
Action Countdown #23: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is a kinetic opera
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Each action sequence tells its own story, with rise, fall, and climax giving a sense of progression while also being extremely thrilling.
Action Countdown #25: THE ROCK is the perfect example of Michael Bay merging action and emotion
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
When we talk about ranking the greatest action movies of all time, a handful of names immediately spring to mind. Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwartzeneggar, Tony Scott, among them, but definitely also Michael Bay.
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE reminds us the important of mourning the before times
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
A Quiet Place: Day One offers a surprising amount of depth underneath its thrills.
Chicago Critics Film Festival: DANDELION, WHAT YOU WISH FOR, GASOLINE RAINBOW, GOOD ONE
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
The Chicago Critics Film Festival ended as of last night and had a delightful and varied lineup of films. Here are some that will be worth looking out for when they release more broadly.
Chicago Critics Film Festival: SING SING, CUCKOO, ME, I SAW THE TV GLOW
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
The Chicago Critics Film Festival is currently underway, with multiple films scheduled each day through Thursday, May 9. There are plenty of intriguing films still to come, so check out the lineup. I wanted to share some short takes on what I have seen so far!
The Chicago Film Critics Film Festival - 2024 Preview
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
This is my first year going, so here are some of the films I am excited to check out during the festival.
CHALLENGERS deconstructs sex, relationships, and yes, tennis
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
In Luca Guadagnino’s latest film, Challengers, tennis becomes a malleable metaphor for the way we try to externalize our internal desires and the distance between ourselves and the people we feel closest to.
ABIGAIL mixes monster fun with slasher kills
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
The filmmakers clearly have a lot of affection for the classic monster movies and understand what made them scary to audiences almost a century ago.
Book Review: FROM THE MOMENT THEY MET IT WAS MURDER: DOUBLE INDEMNITY AND THE RISE OF FILM NOIR
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Ideal for those who really want to dig into this landmark film, From the Moment They Met It Was Murder provides many avenues to do so.
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE is a titanically fun team up
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
If King of the Monsters is “Stairway to Heaven,” The New Empire is “Running With The Devil.”
DUNE: PART TWO is a beautiful book report
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
The spice expands consciousness–I wish Denis Villeneuve had at least experimented with it before he decided to navigate the spaceways of this science fiction epic.
IO CAPITANO has familiar pieces but puts them together for a unique and moving whole
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Io Capitano is getting deserved attention for being a nominee for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscars, and rightly so.
Romance Week: Let's Do the Time Loop (Again)
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor
Some of the more effective “enemies to lovers” romances in cinema use the science fiction trope of the time loop to great effect.
FERRARI is a haunted, obsessive relationship drama powered by beautiful engines
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
What are the things we desire, and how do we measure that want against the pain and damage they can cause?
Ryan's Top 15 Movies of 2023
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
Trying to pick 15 films I wanted to highlight as the best of the year is an impossible task. But the important thing to remember is that you can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep.
Ryan’s Top 15 Discoveries of 2023
by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring
This is my favorite list to put together every year. I watched a ton of “new to me” movies this year, and so many of them brought me joy that it was hard to even narrow down to just 15,