The Wandering Screen

‘Werewolves Within’ Review: Elevated by the Performances but Without Memorable Moments

Posted on August 10, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Werewolves Within is an unintentionally distant cousin to Jim Cummings’ hilariously off-beat 2020 thriller The Wolf of Snow Hollow.

Category: Film

‘The Tomorrow War’ Review: Chris Pratt Sinks Amazon Prime’s Otherwise Intriguing Premise

Posted on July 30, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

In The Tomorrow War, directed by Lego Batman Movie’s Chris McKay, Pratt a high school science teacher and Army vet unsatisfied with life.

Category: Film

‘Never Have I Ever, Season 2’ Review: As Wonderful and Charming as its First Season

Posted on July 22, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Netflix’s Never Have I Ever has an incredibly winning season for a show that already had a stellar, engaging first run.

Category: TV

‘The White Lotus, Season One’ Review: Intersecting Lives of Luxury Hotel Guests? Sign Me Up!

Posted on July 19, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Enlightened creator Mike White moves into an exciting new chapter in his career, sweeping through the guests’ and staffs’ lives with ease and believability.

Category: TV

‘American Horror Stories, Season One’ Review: Ryan Murphy at his Laziest and Unimaginative

Posted on July 16, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

The magic of Ryan Murphy dissipates with his carelessness in American Horror Stories. He seems outrightly bored.

Category: TV

‘Shiva Baby’ Review: An Exceptional Directorial Debut of Controlled Chaos

Posted on July 13, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby is an astonishing directorial debut, and there’s a good reason it’s the talk of the town.

Category: Film

‘Love Victor, Season Two’ Review: Hulu’s Beautifully Evolving Series Matures Effortlessly

Posted on July 6, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Love, Victor season two explores sexuality in ways that feel monumental, Rachel Hilson continues to be a revelation.

Category: TV

‘In the Heights’ Review: This is Musical Theater, for Better or Worse

Posted on July 1, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Director Jon M. Chu, known for helming Crazy Rich Asians, is truly a visionary, embracing large dance numbers that sprawl across New York City streets and public swimming pools.

Category: Film

‘Starstruck’ TV Review: And So Begins the Rise of Kiwi Comedian Rose Matafeo

Posted on June 24, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

HBO Max’s romantic series Starstruck is truly a gem. At just over twenty minutes an episode, Rose Matafeo’s series is delightfully messy.

Category: TV

‘Awake’ Review: Expertly Shot Action Sequences Can’t Save this Netflix Thriller

Posted on June 10, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

In Mark Raso’s Awake, chaos erupts when a solar flare wipes out technology and humans descend into madness after losing the ability to sleep.

Category: Film

‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ Review: A Terrifying True Story Loses Focus

Posted on June 8, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

The first act sets up the case with a brutal exorcism, but the screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, switches the film into an investigative procedural.

Category: Film

‘Cruella’ Review: Welcome Back to the Movies, My Friends!

Posted on June 6, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Director Craig Gillespie continues his love of music against long tracking shots, finding a way to make the most use of each beat and crescendo in the song.

Category: Film

‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ Review: We Need More Angelina Jolie on Our Screens

Posted on May 25, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Those Who Wish Me Dead is a throwback to vintage thrillers that seamlessly weave multiple storylines against pounding action sequences.

Category: Film

‘The Woman in the Window’ Review: A Passable Thriller with an Effective Amy Adams

Posted on May 20, 2021March 14, 2023 by Matthew Koss

Featuring a stellar supporting cast, including Julianne Moore and Brian Tyree Henry, Joe Wright’s direction is dulled by trying to play too forcefully with the audience’s perception of reality.

Category: Film