Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Welcome to LAFCA, @themaureenlee.bsky.social & @shirklesxp.bsky.social ! Looking forward to meeting you both at our next meeting! 🥳

CineWomen 18: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson waxes nostalgic with ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’… Plus Victoria Mahoney directs a sequel to ‘The Old Guard,’ Sophie Brooks says ‘Oh, Hi,’ and Karyn Kusama’s ‘Girlfight’ turns twenty-five.

Some films #DirectedbyWomen I saw this month—thoughts at #CineWomen: annleee.medium.com/cinewomen-18...

- #IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer
- #TheOldGuard2
- #OhHi
- #Girlfight

📽️ #FemaleFilmmakerFriday #52FilmsbyWomen

SDCC 2025: The Fans Are All Right The coverage you read may be jaded. The reporters need to remember the fun

Today's reviews may have bumped it downward, but please don't neglect my epic comic-con blog. lytrules.substack.com/p/sdcc-2025-...

Welcome welcome @themaureenlee.bsky.social and @shirklesxp.bsky.social!

We’re excited to welcome two new members to our ranks: @themaureenlee.bsky.social and @shirklesxp.bsky.social! Congratulations!

‘The Naked Gun’ Review: Liam Neeson Reloads the Franchise and Hits a Bullseye The long-awaited legacy sequel transforms Neeson’s whole career into one big joke — and it’s funny as hell

THE NAKED GUN (2025) is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very funny.

Akiva Schaffer knows exactly type this type of comedy works.

Liam Neeson is ripping his whole late-career persona to shreds, retroactively making his other films hilarious.

And Pamela Anderson rules.

My review!

‘The Naked Gun’ review: Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson headline pleasingly reverential comedy sequel Seth MacFarlane produces this latest instalment of the hit cop-comedy franchise

THE NAKED GUN is the second-best installment in the Naked Gun franchise.

The Naked Gun - The Film Verdict The gags fly fast and furious as Liam Neeson and director and co-writer Akiva Schaffer revive the outrageous film and TV franchise from Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker.

Reviewing The Naked Gun (2025) for The Film Verdict #filmsky 📽️ /

Last night was pure magic. Talking to Disney animation legends Ron Clements and John Musker about the making of THE LITTLE MERMAID was a delight. These artists made several movies that mean so much to me. Thank you to @egyptianla.bsky.social and @lafilmcritics.bsky.social for making it happen!

Review: 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is a grown-up glow-up for the superhero genre The director of "WandaVision" assembles a retro throwback with Jell-O salads and classic sci-fi pacing, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS slots into summer blockbuster season like a square peg in a round popcorn bucket. Watching it, I felt as snug as being nestled in the backseat of my grandparents’ car at the drive-in.

www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

‘The Bad Guys 2’ Review: A Wacky Kids Movie About the Tragedy of Recidivism The adorable animal felons in The Bad Guys 2 are trapped in a depressing cycle of crime and punishment — but also it’s, like, silly and stuff.

I loved THE BAD GUYS, and THE BAD GUYS 2 is more of the same. Not in the best way.

I suspect the need to produce mainstream kids entertainment makes it difficult to tackle how America fails its former convicts. And the wild, silly finale doesn't do justice to that theme they chose.

My review:

Ambitious rom-com gone wrong Oh, Hi! plays with clichés but never comes together Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman are a couple at odds in Oh, Hi!. But their film falls apart once it goes from mild to wild.

OH, HI! is such a nervy attempt to tackle the insecurity and terror of modern dating -- all in the guise of a dark comedy -- that I'm sorry it's not more successful than it is.

Very nice!

‘The Home’ Review: Subpar Pete Davidson Thriller Tries to Put the ‘Boo’ in Boomers James DeMonaco, the creator of "The Purge," co-writes and directs an underwhelming retirement home riff on "Get Out"

Pete Davidson sure is likable in James DeMonaco's THE HOME!

Unfortunately, that's one of the movie's problems.

My review of this disappointing scary-boomer horror thriller is at TheWrap!

The Egyptian Theatre - LAFCA Presents: Norma Rae Q&A WITH SALLY FIELD | PART OF LAFCA AT THE EGYPTIAN

Another great screening coming your way LA: NORMA RAE, with THE Sally Field herself, in conversation with @claudiapuig.bsky.social! This is movie is NOT streaming, so come on out and take in a gorgeous 4K DCP at the @egyptianla.bsky.social on Wed, August 13th. www.egyptiantheatre.com/film/lafca-n...

On Thursday, July 24 I’ll be moderating a Q&A with Disney animation legends Ron Clements & John Musker before a screening of THE LITTLE MERMAID at the Egyptian Theatre as part of @lafilmcritics.bsky.social 50th anniversary celebration.

Link to ticket info: www.egyptiantheatre.com/film/lafca-t...

Movie Review: 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' more focused on TV than big-screen spectacle Directed by Matt Shakman, “First Steps” is a total reset of the characters. -- Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

Sorry, I thought FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS was excruciatingly dull and looked like MCU TV dogshit. Utterly uncinematic. azdailysun.com/entertainmen...

a man is sitting at a table in a kitchen wearing a fantastic 4 shirt ALT: a man is sitting at a table in a kitchen wearing a fantastic 4 shirt

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS could never be as fresh or groundbreaking as the comic book series it's based on, so Marvel went full retro instead, producing an epic, old-fashioned sci-fi spectacle with endearing but mostly thin characters.

My review is at TheWrap! www.thewrap.com/the-fantasti...

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review - Almost Incredible(s) The Pixar ripoff remains the best, but this team at least gets close

lytrules.substack.com/p/the-fantas...

‘Folktales’: Sundance Review Troubled teenagers run wild with Norwegian huskies in this crowdpleasing documentary from Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

Documentarians Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's best films are often about hard subjects. But for their latest, they go for a crowd-pleaser. Here's my review of FOLKTALES, which opens in New York on Friday.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s thrilling CLOUD is in theaters now. For the New York Times, I wrote about what connects his eclectic filmography from CURE to CHARISMA to TOKYO SONATA, and more. A treat to write about one of the most fascinating filmmakers working today: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/19/m...

Smurfs - The Film Verdict The occasional bursts of visual style and clever humor come too few and far between in this dreary do-over of the big blue franchise.

My review of Smurfs for The Film Verdict #filmsky 📽️

“Cloud” Is a Cautionary Tale of E-Commerce—and the Summer’s Best Action Movie In Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s film, a crafty online grifter learns that digital crimes beget analog punishments.

Web of lies: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s terrific CLOUD, reviewed. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

This is the stuff of dreams. I’m moderating a Q&A with Ron Clements and John Musker before a screening of THE LITTLE MERMAID at the Egyptian Theatre on July 24 as part of the series celebrating the 50th anniversary of @lafilmcritics.bsky.social

Ticket info: www.egyptiantheatre.com/film/lafca-t...

The Egyptian Theatre - LAFCA Presents: The Little Mermaid Q&A WITH DIRECTORS RON CLEMENTS AND JOHN MUSKER | PART OF LAFCA AT THE EGYPTIAN

Announcing our next screening in the @lafilmcritics.bsky.social series... THE LITTLE MERMAID!

Join us Thurs, July 24 at 7:30! Featuring Q&A (before the film screening) with directors Ron Clements and John Musker, moderated by Carlos Aguilar.
🧜‍♀️ Be where the people are – get your tickets now!

Embeth Davidtz has always been soft-spoken. Stepping up as a director, she decided to roar We spoke to the actor, director and screenwriter about her bold behind-the-camera debut "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" and her South African upbringing.

Actor Embeth Davidtz never had a desire to direct. Then she read Alexandra Fuller's memoir DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT and decided it had to be a film. For the @latimes.com, I spent time with Davidtz, who's still exorcising a fraught childhood growing up in apartheid-era South Africa.

Pixar’s ELIO is not a political film, but it arrived at a politically charged time. For De Los at @latimes.com , I wrote on how a movie about a Latino kid who feels he doesn’t belong could speak to Latino kids currently being made to feel like they don’t belong: www.latimes.com/delos/story/...

Review: Up, up and … eh? A rebooted ‘Superman’ gives the Man of Steel a mind of marshmallow Director James Gunn launches his DC Extended Universe with a high-energy Superman played by David Corenswet, joined by co-stars Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan.

Fine, I’ll say it. I need Superman. I’m craving a hero who stands for truth and justice whether he’s rescuing cats or reporting the news.

www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Superman - The Film Verdict The Man of Steel soars again in a superhero saga that plays to writer-director James Gunn’s considerable strengths at genre storytelling.

My review of Superman (2025) for The Film Verdict #filmsky 📽️

‘Superman’ review: James Gunn puts his own stamp on the iconic Man of Steel David Corenswet's more introspective Superman kicks off a new chapter of the DC Universe.

There's a lot riding on James Gunn's SUPERMAN, which doesn't just reboot the Man of Steel but also ushers in a new comic-book era for Warner Bros. that's being overseen by Gunn. After all that anticipation, I think the movie is ... good enough. Here's my review: