An Appreciation of Maggie Smith
Beloved actor Maggie Smith died yesterday at 89. To understand her brilliance, look no further than her complex performance in the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
309 Articles by: Eileen Jones
Page 1 of 16 Next
Eileen Jones is a film critic at Jacobin, host of the Filmsuck podcast, and author of Filmsuck, USA.
Corrupt Pols and Charismatic Idiots
Around 1947, McCarthyism hit Hollywood, just when it was starting to make hit films about the corruption and idiocy of American electoral politics.
Demi Moore’s The Substance Is Bright Pop Body Horror
The Substance, starring Demi Moore, is a bright and showy body horror film about aging and the hypersexualization of the female body. But it doesn’t go much further than illustrating at great length that there are nasty cultural attitudes toward older women.
RIP James Earl Jones
Few American acting careers have made such lasting impressions on so many as James Earl Jones’s.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Is a Sweetly Satirical Delight
After a dreary sojourn through several terrible films, director Tim Burton’s delightful new Beetlejuice joint proves that you can go home again.
The Crow Is a Predictable Dud
From the depths of August’s cinematic dumping ground comes The Crow, a dreary reboot of the classic 1994 Brandon Lee film, reviled by critics and loaded with lurid CGI and occult hooey. Save yourself the ticket price — better films are on their way.
Alien: Romulus Has a Wow Finish for the Summer
If you guessed that our film critic Eileen Jones would hate Alien: Romulus, buddy, you guessed wrong. The corporate manipulation and betrayal in the Alien films don’t lose their fascination over the course of their many variations.
Borderlands Bombs Out
Borderlands is officially a box office disaster. Even Cate Blanchett can’t save it.
M. Night Shyamalan Falls Into His Own Trap Once Again
Trap is a deeply silly thriller — and further proof that writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is among the most uneven filmmakers in the history of the medium.
Deadpool & Wolverine Gleefully Skewers the Marvel Universe
Deadpool & Wolverine’s cynical mocking of all things Marvel is its secret weapon. No wonder it’s making a killing at the box office.
Glen Powell Chases Down Twisters
In Twisters, Glen Powell, Hollywood’s newest MVP, spins a formulaic script into good old-fashioned summer box office gold.
Fly Me to the Moon Crashes Back Down to Earth
Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson try to win the 1969 space race in Fly Me to the Moon. But its heavy-handed history lessons ruin the fun.
Kinds of Kindness Is Teenage Nihilism for the Art House Crowd
Yorgos Lanthimos’s Kinds of Kindness is a nearly three-hour anthology film about the human capacity for cruelty. It’s exactly as fun as that sounds.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon Is as Bad as You’ve Heard
Supposedly the first of four films, Kevin Costner’s dull and messy Western throwback, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, is almost certainly dead on arrival.
Elaine May Is the Greatest Director You’ve Never Heard Of
A new biography of writer-director-performer Elaine May makes a strong case for her canonization as one of our greatest comic talents. Unfortunately, Hollywood never knew what to do with her.
The Bikeriders Is Running on Fumes
Jeff Nichols’s The Bikeriders coasts on Austin Butler’s outlaw charm and an excellent performance from Tom Hardy. But neither can get this nostalgia piece into third gear.
RIP Donald Sutherland, a Hollywood Legend
Donald Sutherland (1935–2024) projected equal parts warmth, intelligence, and menace on the big screen. But he wasn’t just a brilliant actor — he was a man of the Left who never abandoned those values.
Inside Out 2 Just Saved the Summer Box Office
Inside Out 2 just saved Hollywood’s summer profit margins. Too bad it’s just another bland depiction of the Pixar Child’s inner life.
Hit Man Is a Glen Powell Rom-Com Turned Film Noir
Richard Linklater’s new film, Hit Man, works thanks to the star power and charm of Glen Powell. You won’t even mind the not-entirely-convincing film noir twist.
Furiosa Fails the Mad Max Series — and the Summer Box Office
Anya Taylor-Joy revs up her engines for Furiosa, but this Mad Max prequel is running on fumes.