Mara Reinstein

If you ever want to experience real A-list glamour without traveling to Hollywood, go north to the Toronto International Film Festival. This is where Jennifer Lopez, Natalie Portman, Michael B. Jordan, Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman all turn up on red carpets and support their movies — and that was just […]

3 stars (out of 4) Kristen Stewart is Spencer. That’s not stating the obvious about the actress’ high-profile role as the late Princess of Wales, who was born Diana Frances Spencer. Kristen Stewart is Spencer. As in, she is the breathtaking soul of her film, owning every scene and single-handedly elevating it to must-watch status. […]

2.5 stars out of 4 Black Widow deserved better. This sentiment first applied when the former Russian assassin made her onscreen debut in the woeful Iron Man 2 in 2010, and certainly when she martyred herself and died in Avengers: Endgame nine years later. Now, Scarlett Johansson‘s OG female Avenger — worthy of her own […]

Remember the summer movie season? It’s been a few years, so here’s a refresher: Lots of shiny big-budget spectacles and sunny gems specially designed to whisk you away from the real world for a few hours. (Read: No traces of a Nomadland.) After the sad effort of 2020 — thanks for trying, Tenet — the […]

The best coming-of-age movie of 2021 revolves around an introspective California teen who just happens to be a multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-winning international superstar. As if Billie Eilish weren’t already a prominent voice of her generation. The documentary is Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 26, and as you […]

No fuzzy snow boots. No standing in lines that rival the queue for the rollercoasters at Disney World. No sightings of Mindy Kaling and Timothee Chalamet on Main Street. Like all the other big fests around the world, the annual Sundance Film Festival went virtual in 2021 due to the global pandemic. Translation? Instead of […]

Worst. Movie. Year. Ever. Sorry-not-sorry, but there’s no getting around that sad fact. Because of the pandemic, many theaters all over the country have been shuttered for nine months — the one in my New York City neighborhood still boasts posters for winter favorites such as Onward, Sonic the Hedgehog and Birds of Prey. Meanwhile, […]

3.5 stars (out of 4) There haven’t been a whole lot of reasons to smile this year — and I’m just referring to the alarming death of delightful movie comedies. (Sorry, the re-release of Hocus Pocus doesn’t count.) Everything changes right now thanks to The Prom, a wondrously entertaining and big-hearted musical comedy guaranteed to […]

Remember The Grinch Who Stole Christmas? He somehow escaped Whoville right around March and spread jeer around the movie world throughout 2020. (It’s a sad day when watching a reading of 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High on a laptop just to pick up on vibes between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt was a highlight.) […]

2.5 stars (out of 4) There never was a sequel to Lost in Translation. Everyone who saw writer-director Sofia Coppola’s moody and exquisite 2003 arthouse hit must give their own interpretation as to what Bill Murray whispered into the ear of Scarlett Johansson as the two parted ways in Tokyo. Here’s one possibility: “Psst … […]

To paraphrase the great Cher Horowitz, 2020 has been way harsh, Tai. Even from a movie perspective — minor in the grand scheme of a worldwide health pandemic, but still! —we missed out on sitting in air-conditioned theaters this summer to see surefire blockbusters Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Fast & Furious 9, In the Heights, Jungle Cruise […]

2.5 stars (out of 4) Well it’s about time Bill and Ted showed up to save us from the 2020 doldrums. Why didn’t they bring a better movie along for the ride? Sorry, dudes and dude-ettes. Bill & Ted Face the Music, the third movie in the endearing time-traveling adventure and the first one in […]

2 stars (out of 4) “There’s, like, something wrong with me,” Pete Davidson says to a girl early in The King of Staten Island. The two friends-with-benefits have just slept together, and now she wants a legit relationship. But he dismisses the idea because, as he implies, he’s not worth pursuing. He’s an impulsive screw-up […]

Let’s start with good news! There will be summer movies in 2020. One more time with emphasis? Sure, why not. There will be summer movies in 2020. And here’s the interesting twist: Even though the season has a reputation for its proliferation of sequels, spinoffs and revivals, this year’s edition will be a one-of-a-kind event […]

The coronavirus outbreak has many people weighing their streaming options from home as they self-isolate. Some have binged Love Is Blind, while others tuned in for John Legend’s incredible Instagram concert or rewatched Frozen 2. Now, there are an onslaught on new movies coming soon. Well, new-ish. With movie theaters shut down out of public safety concerns, many […]

2.5 stars (out of 4) A sincere thank you is owed to Ben Affleck. The actor easily could have remained in that Batman suit for the foreseeable future, cloaking both his face and his emotions. He chose to instead emerge from the D.C. Comics darkness and get real in The Way Back. He’s still portraying […]

The tribe has spoken, and the ultimate outwit-outplay-outlast Survivor is … Jeff Probst, who’s presided over the groundbreaking game/TV social experiment since the very first episode in 2000. Nearly 20 years and more than 500 torch snuffs later, “I’m still having a blast,” the five-time Emmy winner and executive producer, 58, told Us Weekly exclusively […]

In terms of dates, this is the earliest Oscar ceremony in history. But didn’t it seem like it was never going to get here? Once again, the granddaddy of all awards shows — now in its 92nd year — has weathered an exhausting maelstrom, from the all-male directing nominations to the lack of diversity in […]

“I saw it at Sundance.” Every fan of thought-provoking prestige movies — read: movies that don’t feature comic-book superheroes or a blooper reel over the closing credits — knows there’s a cache associated with that phrase. The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, after all, is where beloved indies make their first stop en […]

1.5 stars (out of 4) What a missed opportunity. Now, when it comes to the ridiculous mess that is The Rhythm Section, I could be referring to the fact that the film squanders the talents of Blake Lively, Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown. Or that it fails to launch a potentially exciting female-led action […]

You can picture Jeff Probst declaring it from inside a helicopter flying above some South Pacific body of water: 20 years. 40 seasons. 590 contestants. One Survivor. No doubt the reality show that premiered in summer 2000 as a breezy experiment to see how 16 strangers could outwit, outplay and outlast each other on a […]