Maya Phillips
Posts
“Barbie” and “Poor Things” Show Two Versions of Female Liberation
The Oscar best picture hopefuls “Barbie” and “Poor Things” look nothing alike, but their central characters go on similar journeys.
It Was a Year of Superhero Fatigue on the Big Screen
Audiences are showing fatigue when it comes to Marvel’s box office behemoths of recent years. Based on what they were served in 2023, it’s hard...
The Meaning of Flight in the Films of Hayao Miyazaki
When characters take flight in the films of the master animator, there is always a deeper meaning.
10 Performances That Pushed Emotional Limits
For our critic-at-large, the year was marked by the Black excellence of “Purlie Victorious,” the brutality of “Bottoms” and rage of “Beef.”
Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ and Its Insight Into Grief, Family and Gender
For one critic, every encounter with this Shakespeare play deepens her understanding of its insights into grief, family and gender.
How “Bottoms” Reinvents the Coming-of-Age Fight Scene
The hero vs. bully template made famous in the ’80s gets subverted in this indie comedy, as well as in Hulu’s “Miguel Wants to Fight.”
‘My Hero Academia’: The Anime Coco Gauff Watches Prematch
“I watched like four or five episodes of ‘My Hero Academia’ before I played,” she said after advancing to the U.S. Open final.
From ‘The Idol’ to ‘Oppenheimer,’ a Nudity Summer Report Card
From “The Idol” to “Oppenheimer,” women’s bodies were on display on our screens the past few months. Some executions succeeded with humor, others felt misguided.
‘Blue Beetle’ Review: A Hero Story That’s All in the Family
The plot is boilerplate and the superhero is not particularly compelling. At least his family members steal the show.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Review
This time around, the four kung-fu-fighting old masters of the sewers dream of having a normal life with the humans. But not if Ice Cube...