Reviews
436
in total
-
Cry Macho
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-09-27
Regardless of whether Cry Macho merits a rating of good, bad, or ugly, Eastwood’s mere presence, despite any perceived physical frailties, can’t help but dwarf this slenderest of movies.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Dating & New York
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-09-09
Honestly, both Sex and the City and Seinfeld tackled the romantic pitfalls of youngish single life in NYC more adeptly in their relatively truncated formats than this 91-minute movie, and with a helluva lot more verve and wit.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The Boss Baby: Family Business
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-06-30
It’s overwhelming, but there are a few nice touches that aren’t completely lost in the bedlam.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-06-17
Like the jelly-bean sugar high in one of the more manic running gags, it’s all terribly exhausting in the way most movies tailored to the under-10 crowd can be.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Into the Darkness
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-05-19
You’d think this chapter in Danish history would inspire passion in a native filmmaker, but the movie lacks fervency.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The Killing of Two Lovers
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-05-13
It’s a familiar template for domestic drama, particularly in its observations about traditional masculinity, but rarely – at least, in recent memory – has this type of story felt so potent or dangerous.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The World to Come
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-02-11
In her sophomore film, director Fastvold, assisted by painterly cinematographer André Chemetoff, has envisioned a softer version of the American frontier, still untamed but capable of hope. It’s a befitting vision of a world to come, one in which forbidden love will one day finally find its name.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Supernova
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-01-28
With these two actors in command, Supernova doesn’t just dare to speak the name of a love between two deeply committed men facing an untenable situation. It shouts it from the rooftops.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Our Friend
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2021-01-21
Aside from Segel’s grounding performance, the pleasures of Our Friend lie in some of its observational specifics about human behavior.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Fatale
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-12-18
As improbable as Valerie’s endgame seems once revealed, it plainly demonstrates she’s nobody's chump. It’s not exactly a feminist reading, but one that gives Fatale a little backbone.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Wild Mountain Thyme
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-12-11
The two leads are watchable enough, but the script keeps their characters emotionally separated, so you never see anything remotely like chemistry between them.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
True to the Game 2
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-11-05
Apart from the nowhere storyline devoid of any interesting character development or conflict, the movie feels vaguely exploitative.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Martin Eden
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-10-15
Every so often, a spark in Marinelli’s mesmerizing blue-gray eyes flickers and you can imagine the passion that drove the man to his madness. In those moments, Martin Eden subtly flames, if only briefly.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The War with Grandpa
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-10-09
The ho-hum practical jokes the two inflict upon the other can be described as Home Alone lite: No concussion-inducing swinging paint cans or burn-inducing doorknobs inspired by Looney Tunes violence here. Which, of course, takes all the fun out of it.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
House of Cardin
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-08-26
There’s little juicy about his life, except for maybe when he briefly left his stalwart, long-time male lover and business associate, André Oliver, for the sultry French actress, Jeanne Moreau. While House of Cardin devotes a few more than a glancing minute to this intriguing episode, perhaps it’s a worthy topic for another documentary at another time.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Rebuilding Paradise
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-07-30
Rebuilding Paradise speaks to the resiliency of human beings, and maybe something about the American can-do spirit.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The Painted Bird
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-07-16
Nearly three hours in length, the movie becomes an endurance test with each heartless act, relentless in its depiction of a Hobbesian state of humankind, in which life has little innate value.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
John Lewis: Good Trouble
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-07-01
Director Porter has done an excellent job assembling archival footage and interviews to tell Lewis’ story; she has the markings of a great storyteller.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Up from the Streets: New Orleans: The City of Music
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-05-14
This gloriously messy celebration of New Orleans’ musical legacy is a savory gumbo of uniquely American ingredients – jazz, blues, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, gospel, funk, hip-hop – generously seasoned with love and respect for the largely African-American artists who forged that heritage over the past three centuries.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
I Still Believe
A review by Steve Davis for Austin Chronicle2020-03-11
Though the movie’s raison d’être is unmistakable from the outset, the most compelling moments come not when God’s name is being invoked out loud and with great frequency, but rather when the loving symbiosis between two young people facing adversity and caring for each other is tenderly communicated without uttering any words, conveyed in something as simple as the direct gaze between two pairs of locked eyes. Now that’s the notion of a higher power in which we can all believe.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle
