All posts by Stephen Michael Brown

I've reviewed films for more than 35 years. Current movie reviews of new theatrical releases and streaming films are added weekly to the Silver Screen Capture movie news site. Many capsule critiques originally appeared in expanded form in my syndicated Lights Camera Reaction column.
2025

Cartoon Carnage On Display in King Adaptation “The Monkey”

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The Monkey film

A cursed curio and two vengeful twins are the Maine attraction in the latest adaptation of a classic Stephen King short story. The Monkey (B-), the latest horror film by Osgood Perkins, explores childhood trauma through the eyes of actor Theo James in dual roles as bickering brothers in possession of an organ grinder wind-up toy monkey capable of causing a spontaneous and usually grisly death with each turn of his key. Also this primate plaything doesn’t take requests, even when someone wishes someone else dead. The burden of ownership of the drumming monkey weighs heavily on the back of the nicer brother throughout life and especially on a father son roadtrip with his own estranged son. The film’s off-kilter humor and general sense of nihilism underscore the sometimes sheer randomness of why freak accidents happen. The film’s kills are abundant and inventive even if the overall content is as threadbare as its titular toy’s red vest. The final showdown is a bit sloppy, and the conclusion slightly unsatisfying. But the movie is generally a brisk ride and shines brightest when staring most deeply into sinister terrain. Despite matinee idol looks, Theo James does a nifty job in his often unhinged, goofy roles. Perkins deftly mixes suspense and silliness in this dark lark, building on a Gremlins and Final Destination style tradition.

My FilmThirst video review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT25FceFC/

2024, Rent It Tonight

“Liza” Documentary a Dazzler

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Bruce David Klein’s latest documentary shows how a star was reborn into a stage and screen legend. Chronicling the complex period of Liza Minnelli’s life starting in the 1970s, just after the tragic death of her mother Judy Garland, Liza:  A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (B+), is star-studded and often dazzling. Viewers will get to see the documentary subject confront a range of personal and professional challenges on the way to becoming a bona fide icon. Over the formative years covered in the film, Liza seeks out extraordinary mentors in the fields of music and dance (John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse among them) and fashion via Halston. With insightful participation from a coterie of colleagues ranging from Ben Vereen to the late Chita Rivera, along with revelatory participation by the star herself, it’s an intriguing look at the star’s rise and resilience. It is most interesting when she is most vulnerable. The episodic format with chapter titles and quotes is a little tedious, but ultimately it’s a definitive portrait of the lady.

2025

TikTok Top Oscars Predictions

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In 60 seconds, we reveal what we think will win in the top categories at the Academy Awards ceremony March 2, 2025.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2PFhaNQ

2025

“Captain America: Brave New World” Shields Viewers from Much Fun or Fantasy

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The 35th Marvel Cinematic Universe film mixes Tom Clancy style espionage with the increasingly complicated trappings of serialized superheroism, and the whole hulking smash-up faces an identity and creativity crisis. Julius Onah’s Captain America: Brave New World (C) chronicles two characters in the honeymoon periods of newfound careers: Harrison Ford as newly elected and problematic U.S. President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson who assumes the mantle of the Captain America persona with a touch of imposter syndrome. A proposed team-up between commander-in-chief and the newly coronated Cap is quickly jeopardized by a series of meddling menaces plus raiders of a lost “adamantium” element that proves to be a MacGuffin most mid. The story fails to transport viewers to interesting places despite the fact that one location is intriguingly titled Celestial Island and then not developed in the slightest. Conversely the production devotes multiple minutes to a junkyard fight and one single row of cherry blossom trees shot from various angles. A presidential security advisor played by Shira Haas is furnished limited lines when there could have been a smart political subtext unfolding. Danny Ramirez coasts on charisma as Joaquin Torres/Falcon, a sidekick who’s both silly and sentimental and generally the most genuinely entertaining part of the movie. The action sequences move fast, largely masking any real momentum, while generally the film’s pace crawls. Much of this installment plays out like a chore with phoned-in performances, despite the participation of multiple past Oscar nominees. Ford and Mackie are game for the drama, but the temperamental POTUS and the bearer of the shield can only wield so much life out of this flimsy episode.

My “FilmThirt” persona reviews this movie on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2fKCpmM

2025, Rent It Tonight

A “Companion” for the Curious

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A genre defying film that’s part romance, part satire, part horror, part fantasy, part whodunit and parts unknown, Drew Hancock’s Companion (B+) confronts the dynamics of modern relationships in fierce and twisty ways. Set in a lavish weekend getaway mountain home, the gathered ensemble is game for the occasion: Sophie Thatcher as a troubled companion to everyman Jack Quaid; Lukas Gage and Harvey Guillen as blissful gay partners; and Megan Suri as unconventional gangster moll to a mysterious and married Rupert Friend. Some secrets and blood are spilled in a story that will keep people guessing. The narrative gleefully continues to reframe itself as more layers are revealed. Viewers also discover a technology component capable of shifting the characters’ destinies. Hancock has a good deal of creativity up his sleeve as gender and power dynamics unfurl in his wily wilderness. Thatcher is a natural as a character getting a strange feeling about her vacation mates, and Quaid gives off an effortless affable quality. The film is not so terribly bloody or scary as to keep away the casually curious. It does, however, lose a little steam toward the end. Overall this unassuming and brisk movie will reward those seeking a mainstream film with some thematic travels down some surprising paths.

Here’s some spoiler-free fan art I made with the Leonardo.AI app after contemplating the movie a while:

2025

There’s an Oscars Class at KSU – and I Got to Speak to the Students!

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I spoke with the Academy Awards class taught by Dr. Amber Hutchins at Kennesaw State University this week to discuss a variety of topics about the very volatile 2025 Oscars!

2025

Atlanta Film Festival Documentary “Speak.” Showcases Peak Performance

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High school speech makers prove the power of the podium in Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman’s moving documentary Speak. (A). By telling the behind-the-scenes stories of a quintet of top-ranked students in the national speech and debate category called “original oratory” in which they deliver the teenage equivalent of TED Talks, viewers get an insider look at the purpose and passions of the next generation. Chronicling nearly a year of one of the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competitions also means a fascinating glimpse into the family dynamics, lives and loves and heartland hobbies driving these talented young people. Snippets of some of the subjects’ best original works prove very inspiring. The race to the championship may not match the pace or profit of high school sports, but the impact proves undeniable after watching these kids in action.

This film will be presented at the Atlanta Film Festival April 26 at 4:30 p.m. at The Tara. Tickets available here.

2025

Sundance Drama “Plainclothes” Comes to Out on Film

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Plainclothes Out on Film

In the grand cinematic tradition of voyeurs becoming involved with their subjects, two unlikely men assume the archetypal roles in Carmen Emmi’s Plainclothes (B). Set in ‘90s New York, a working-class undercover officer (Tom Blyth) is tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets, portrayed by Russell Tovey. The acts of surveillance – especially footage in VHS and CCTV forms – add texture to Emmi’s creative and intimate camera work. Blyth is the fascinating find here; he’s absorbing to observe when both stoic and displaying utter yearning. There are lovely set pieces ranging from a matinee movie palace to a botanical garden greenhouse adding atmosphere to the furtive romance. Despite good performances, some plot elements feel routine, and the central leads’ familial stakes are largely given short shrift. Overall it’s a good watch.

2024

Documentary “Sabbath Queen” Shakes Up the Orthodoxy

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The honey and apples fall fabulously far from the family tree as 39th generation ex-Orthodox Jew Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie radically reinvents religion and ritual in Sandi DuBowski’s Sabbath Queen (B+). Spanning more than two decades, with animation filling in some of the ancestral details, this entertaining and insightful documentary chronicles the nonconforming descendent of the Chief Rabbis of Israel as he questions conventions at every stage of his journey. Sampling elements from all walks of life, faith and identity, Amichai leverages his drag queen persona, life as a queer bio-dad and his role as a crusader for human rights in his quest to keep faith fresh and relevant. The thesis includes notions that sacred prayers for peace and protection and entreaties to “Preach, gurl!” all have worth on a walk of faith, but the film often pierces deeply into long-standing norms. At first the protagonist’s bucking of tradition seems to ruffle the feathers of the elders, and soon the doc showcases encounters in Israel with people who deeply disapprove of him and don’t hold back about their disdain for his lifestyle and approach. Viewers won’t agree with every nuance of the subject’s iterative approach to identity and inclusiveness, but tracing his path proves fruitful and fascinating.

SEE IT: This recommended documentary makes its Atlanta premiere at Atlanta Jewish Film Festival February 23 at 4:45pm at Plaza Theatre Atlanta:

https://ajff.org/film/sabbath-queen#:~:text=A%20daring%2C%20deeply%20personal%20odyssey,vision%20of%20faith%20and%20identity.

2024

Fernanda Torres in Brazil’s Oscars Entry “I’m Still Here” Celebrates Motherhood

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Many of the best moms in the movies tend to carry a tune (Mamma Mia!, The Sound of Music), pack a punch or a wallop (The Terminator, Aliens) or be played by Sally Field. Joining this hallowed pantheon is Fernanda Torres as Eunice Paiva, the matriarch who keeps a brave face despite her dissident husband’s forced disappearance during the military dictatorship regime of 1970 Brazil in the Walter Salles film I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) (B+). The film does a masterful job setting up the idyllic seaside metropolitan life of its real-life family, with ominous foreshadowing of imminent dangers. Torres is towering as the woman who finds her agency and strength especially when the walls of her world come crashing. Her character’s dignity makes for one of the awards season’s best performances. Selton Mello deftly portrays the loving husband and father and former politician whose actions appear furtive to the ruling class. Salles mixes panoramic shots, home movie style camera storytelling and chilly claustrophobic interiors as the family gets systematically expelled from their Eden of Rio. Beyond the central couple, it’s a bit harder for viewers to get to know all of the family’s joyous offspring, played by multiple actors over the decades, but everyone is roundly committed to the narrative. The cautionary tale of censorship and watch lists and jailing one’s enemy and stoking the embers of resistance are all resonant in this gripping story. But it’s Torres as the mama chameleon commanding the screen who emerges as the film’s VIP.

2024

“How Can We Be Lovers” If We Can’t Experience the “Diane Warren: Relentless” Documentary Together?

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You won’t want to miss a thing in this pop song filled documentary ode to one of the world’s most successful hit-makers. Director Bess Kargman’s documentary Diane Warren: Relentless (A-) depicts a fascinating woman who was born to be a songwriting phenomenon. Famously talked about during nearly every Oscars season including this one for her record number of Best Song nominations without a category win — although she recently won the Lifetime Achievement Award statuette — Warren is known publicly for her melodic missives of uplift but authentically opens up about the challenges of her own life which are sometimes far from the stuff of a love ballad. Cher, Jennifer Hudson, Gloria Estefan, Beyoncé, Clive Owen and LeAnn Times are among those who describe the origins of Warren’s breakout early hits like “Rhythm of the Night,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop us Now,” “I Get Weak,” “Un-break My Heart” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.” But it’s Warren’s own words about her childhood and her L.A. upbringing as a bullied Jewish girl who becomes an outcast, juvenile delinquent and runaway but always finds solace packing a punch through music-making that are the beating heart of the film. Hers is a fascinating chronicle she tells with gallows humor and the wisdom of years, with rituals and proclivities both amusing and beguiling to her celebrity clientele. Her lifelong friendship with now executive assistant Cindy Wiener is a fun foil to the song queen’s droll depiction of some off her own idiosyncrasies, from her refusal to fall in love in real life to her unconventional relationships with a disapproving mother and a doting father. Viewers will play armchair psychologists even if sometimes kept at arm’s length from some of the mysteries of this genius, but the glimpses into her cat-filled halls of inspiration, bathtub guitar sessions and episodes of overcoming emotional impulses to always transcend as a breakthrough balladeer is a wonder to behold. There’s a poignant series of sequences with Lady Gaga ([Diane] “is insane…ly talented,” says the rock star) about pouring one’s soul into a song with unexpected results which gives a singular lens into the subject’s life and ambitions. Her collaboration with Kesha on a new song “Dear Me” feels destined to be the next lauded Oscars darling, incidentally, adding to the meta-narrative. It’s fascinating to watch the writer of “Because I Loved You” and “How Do I Live” still hustle like she has something to prove. In a time of many dramatized behind-the-scenes biopics about musicians, this doc really gets under the surface at why and how its titular subject does what she does so fabulously.

SEE IT: This highly recommended documentary makes its Atlanta premiere at Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Oscars Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 1:50pm at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center:

https://ajff.org/film/diane-warren-relentless

2025

Stephen Brown’s Oscars Eve of Nomination Day Predictions

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Oscar nominations are tomorrow morning. Here are my predictions for what will make the Academy’s nomination list in all categories for 2024 movies being honored March 2, 2025. Can’t wait to be wrong on some choices! Then phase two of voting will commence!

THE BEST PICTURE TEN
All We Imagine is Light

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

September 5

The Substance

Wicked

BEST DIRECTOR
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez 

Sean Baker, Anora 

Edward Berger, Conclave 

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance 

BEST ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths

Mikey Madison, Anora 

Demi Moore, The Substance 

BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Michele Austin, Hard Truths

Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl 

Ariana Grande, Wicked 

Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain 

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice 

Stanley Tucci, Conclave

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Complete Unknown 

Conclave 

Emilia Pérez

Nickel Boys

Wicked

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Anora

The Brutalist 

Hard Truths

A Real Pain

The Substance 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Brutalist 

Conclave

Dune: Part Two 

Nickel Boys

Nosferatu

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Conclave

Gladiator II

Nosferatu

The Substance

Wicked

BEST FILM EDITING

Anora

The Brutalist 

Conclave

Dune: Part Two 

Emilia Pérez 

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 

A Different Man 

Nosferatu 

The Substance

Wicked

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist

Conclave 

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu 

Wicked

BEST SCORE
The Brutalist

Challengers

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

The Wild Robot 

BEST SONG
“El Mal,” Emilia Pérez

“The Journey,” The Six Triple Eight

“Kiss the Sky,” The Wild Robot 

“Never Too Late,” Elton John: Never Too Late

“Sick in the Head,” Kneecap

BEST SOUND
A Complete Unknown 

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

The Substance

Wicked

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Better Man

Dune: Part Two

Gladiator II

Twisters

Wicked

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Daughters

No Other Land

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Sugarcane

Will and Harper

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Emilia Pérez 

Flow

I’m Still Here 

Kneecap 

The Seed of the Sacred Fig 

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
A Bear Named Wojtek

Beautiful Men 

A Crab in the Pool

Wander to Wonder

Yuck!

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Death by Numbers 

I Am Ready, Warden 

Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World 

Once Upon a Time in Ukraine 

A Swim Lesson

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Anuja

Dovecote 

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

The Masterpiece

An Orange from Jaffa