The Visit (M. Night Shyamalan, 2015) Ask yourself this: if not for The Sixth Sense, would you still care about M. Night … More
Author: chrisreedfilm
Christopher Llewellyn Reed is a film critic, filmmaker, and educator. A member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, he is Managing Editor at Film Festival Today; lead film critic at Hammer to Nail; the host of the award-winning Reel Talk with Christopher Llewellyn Reed, from Dragon Digital Media; and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice. In addition, he is one of the cohosts of The Fog of Truth, a podcast devoted to documentary cinema.
“Grandma” Needs a Defibrillator
Grandma (Paul Weitz, 2015) How I wanted to like this movie (despite its lackluster trailer). I love Lily Tomlin (most … More
9/4/15: Midday on 70 Years of Pacific-Theater Films of World War II
[Missed the show? Check out the podcast!] 70 years ago, on September 2, 1945, the Empire of Japan signed the … More
Sex, Drugs and Female Empowerment in Wonderful “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Marielle Heller, 2015) Be forewarned, O faint of heart, that this movie features inappropriate sex between … More
In “Listen to Me Marlon,” Brando, As Always, Mesmerizes
Listen to Me Marlon (Stevan Riley, 2015) This is not the first documentary about the great American actor Marlon Brando (there have … More
“American Ultra” Offers Eisenberg’s Mad Skills, and Not Much Else
American Ultra (Nima Nourizadeh, 2015) He’s a stoner! But wait, he might be so much more. What’s that spoon doing stuck … More
The Docucinema of Bold Ink: “Best of Enemies,” “The End of the Tour” and “Straight Outta Compton”
[NOTE from 8/22/15: I just added a post-script, below, to my review of “Straight Outta Compton.”] My apologies, for this … More
The Ditzy, Dizzy “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Dazzles with (Empty) Style
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Guy Ritchie, 2015) The original “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” television series ran from 1964 to 1968 on NBC. … More
The Redundant Reboot: “Fantastic Four” Falls Flat
Fantastic Four (Josh Trank, 2015) Where to begin? Perhaps with the question, not unique to this particular movie, of why. In … More
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” Entertains, But Needs Its Woolly Bits Shorn
Shaun the Sheep Movie (Mark Burton/Richard Starzak, 2015) The English animation studio Aardman Animations – best known for its Wallace and Gromit short films, … More
