Bob Strauss
Critic Overview in Movies
Critic Reviews for Movies
Apr 27, 2026
Hokum100
Apr 27, 2026
Uncertainty is a genre trope this director is particularly gifted at manipulating. So many horror films are incoherent due to a lack of good writing; if anything in McCarthy’s script isn’t fully clear, it’s in the same manner that life itself fails to make sense.
Apr 21, 2026
40 Years of F—in’ Up75
Apr 21, 2026
In honor of NOFX’s final performances, the punk band produced and candidly participated in the documentary “40 Years of F—in’ Up.” The result is even wilder than expected and more heartfelt than it has any right to be. Even still, it will likely be more appreciated by fans of the veteran California punks than by anyone new to their music.
Apr 8, 2026
Newborn50
Apr 8, 2026
Nate Parker’s film isn’t always successful at balancing empathy with suspense or its prison reform message with character development. But there are engaging moments from start to finish, with a plot that, while not as surprising as writer-director Parker may have thought, wracks nerves multiple times.
Mar 25, 2026
They Will Kill You50
Mar 25, 2026
Sokolov has cited notable filmmakers like Sergio Leone, Park Chan-wook and Quentin Tarantino as influences, and their inspiration can be seen in the film’s tense standoffs, corridor fights and flashing swordplay, respectively. For all that and some original flourishes, though, this mainly feels like a Radio Silence rehash.
Mar 12, 2026
The Gates50
Mar 12, 2026
Dialogue, quirky incidents and a general acceptance that this is the unfortunate way life is make this more than just a genre exercise, though hardly a breathtaking grabber of “Get Out” proportions.
Feb 18, 2026
How to Make a Killing50
Feb 18, 2026
Knowing what Powell is capable of, it’s not unreasonable to go into this expecting a bigger payoff.
Feb 10, 2026
The President's Cake75
Feb 10, 2026
Winner of both the Camera d’Or and an audience award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, writer-director Hasan Hadi’s feature debut is both beguiling and unforgiving, culturally specific yet universal, funny and heartbreaking.
Jan 21, 2026
The Testament of Ann Lee100
Jan 21, 2026
This is a transcendent cinematic vision you can dance to. By God, it’s inspired.
Jan 15, 2026
The Rip50
Jan 15, 2026
The Rip is another one — efficient for what it is, but if it’s remembered at all it will be for Damon and Affleck’s matching beards and effortless way of appearing at home together onscreen.
Jan 5, 2026
I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not75
Jan 5, 2026
The director succeeds most at giving an inkling of the real Chase, now somewhat frail in his 80s. But she also makes a case that at past points, when the public consensus was “God, he’s being an ass again,” the truth may have been rather more poignant.