Current Movie Reviews

 Generally, movies I have seen and intend to review are on this list, with links to live reviews.  If the link is not live, I intend to review it but have not finalized it.  If you have a question about a specific movie, feel free to email me with a question at sam@srstaley.com or samuelrstaley@aol.com. 

My movie reviews include an approximate word count . For reference, movie reviews in newspapers typically run about 300-400 words. I have three platforms for publishing my reviews: the Independent Institute in Oakland, California, where long reviews and analysis typically run;  Facebook  (Movie Reviews by Sam Staley, or @themovieswithsam), and on my personal blog (blog.srstaley.com).  Facebook is typically the most timely. Also, follow me on twitter @samrstaley

Don't forget to check out my book Contemporary Film and Economics (Routledge, 2018) and see why one film producer called it "subversively educational."

Reviews for 2020 movie releases

• Bennett's War  
• Birds of Prey
• Brave New World (966 words, Peacock Network series)
• Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words (761)
• Lady Driver (661)
• The Rhythm Section (365)
• Sergio  
• The Stand At Paxton County (756)

Reviews for 2019 movie releases: (* Academy Award nominee)

• 1917 (401)*
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 
• A Hidden Life (403)
• Alita: Battle Angel (613)
• Alladin (454)
• Anna (588)
• Bharat (540, in Hindi w/ English subtitles)
• Apollo 11 (667, documentary)
• Avengers: End Game
• Bombshell* (1,857 + analysis)
• Captain Marvel (483)
  • Captain Marvel & storytelling (spoiler alert)
• Captive State (592)
• Dark Phoenix (365)
• Dora and the Lost City of Gold (582) 
• Fighting With My Family (483)
• Five Feet Apart (613)
• Ford V Ferrari  (503)*
• Harriet  (674)
• Hotel Mumbai (1,064)
• Hustlers (753)
• India's Most Wanted (560, in Hindi w/ English subtitles)
• John Wick 3 (407)
• JoJo Rabbit (564)*
• Joker* (780)
• Judy* (345)
• Just Mercy
• Knives Out (320)
• The Current War (553)
• The Irishman* (413)
• The Kid (398)
• The Lighthouse (352)
• Last Christmas (557)
• Marriage Story* (579)
• Men in Black: International (272)
• Midway (185)
• Miss Bala (546)
• Miss Virginia (1,215)
• Motherless Brooklyn (1,008)
• Once Upon A Time in Hollywood* (334)
• Parasite (743)*
• Queen and Slim (1,557, including commentary )
• Richard Jewell* (896) (Commentary on controversy surrounding the movie can be found here.)
• Rocketman* (473)
• Run The Race (449)
• Shazam 
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (476)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (518)
• Terminator: Dark Fate (507)
• The Two Popes (717)
• Uncut Gems 
• Unplanned (1,069 )
• Yesterday (942)

For 2018 reviews click here.  

For a complete movie review archive click here. 

A movie may not be on this list for one of two reasons: I have not seen the movie, or the movie scored lower than an 8.5 on my rubric (roughly a B). 

Given the subjective nature of movies as an expression of art, and the fact negative reviews tend to prejudice the commercial success of a film more than positive ones, I generally do not post negative reviews. 

If you have a question about a movie, feel free to email me at Sam@srstaley.com or samuelrstaley@aol.com.