William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Art of Self-Defense'

Jesse Eisenberg plays a mild-mannered office drone who gets beaten up by a motorcycle gang and starts taking karate classes to protect himself, only to wind up in a cult-like community of macho monstrousness in "The Art of Self-Defense." Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots co-star in the new dark comedy from writer/director Riley Stearns.

In his review of "The Art of Self-Defense" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani calls the film "fiercely satisfying" and "one of this year's best," and praises Stearns' intelligent re-imagining of the toxic masculinity narrative popularized by "Fight Club."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Art of Self-Defense" at The Wrap

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Crawl'

Kaya Scodelario ("The Maze Runner: The Death Cure") stars in "Crawl," a new claustrophobic thriller from director Alexandre Aja ("Horns") about a college student trapped in a crawlspace in the middle of a hurricane with her injured father, played by Barry Pepper, and a man-eating alligator. 

In his review of "Crawl" at Bloody-Disgusting, William Bibbiani says the film boasts an "exhilarating sense of hopelessness," and argues that in addition to being scary, it's pretty inspiring too!

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Crawl" at Bloody-Disgusting

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Lion King' (2019)

Disney's 2D animated classic becomes a CG-animated blockbuster with photorealistic animals in Jon Favreau's "The Jungle Book!" Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, John Oliver, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and James Earl Jones co-star in the ambitious new remake.

In his review of "The Lion King" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says the film is "mostly to be recommended for its visual spectacle," but argues that the new technology almost completely undermines the story.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Lion King" (2019) at The Wrap!

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Witney Seibold Reviews 'Midsommar'

"Midsommar," Ari Aster's follow-up to "Hereditary," evokes "The Wicker Man" and, like its predecessor, a whole lot of emotional angst. It's a harrowing film with a slow pace and a lot of wailing and weeping. And, yes, it will eventually explode into violence, even as the Swedish citizens remain placid and smiling. 

In his review of "Midsommar" on IGN, Witney Seibold calls "Midsommar" a "languorous and meticulously crafted slow-burn horror films about real-life grief interrupted by encroaching, unexpected outerworld dread." It's a film of emotional isolation, but, unfortunately, it has some of the same structural problems as "Hereditary." 

Read: Witney Seibold Reviews "Midsommar" at IGN 

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Annabelle Comes Home'

The evil doll Annabelle is back in "Annabelle Comes Home," a supernatural thriller about teenagers who get trapped in a house with an army of demons while the paranormal investigator Warren family is out for the evening. Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman and Katie Sarife star in a supernatural thriller from writer/director Gary Dauberman.

In his review of "Annabelle Comes Home" at Bloody-Disgusting, William Bibbiani calls the film "satisfying, dramatic and spooky spin-off," and praises the performances as well as the new, demonic additions to the "Conjuring" franchise.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Annabelle Comes Home" at Bloody-Disgusting

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Child's Play' (2019)

The killer doll franchise gets an update in Lars Klevberg's "Child's Play," a remake of the 1988 horror classic about a boy whose best friend, a toy, turns out to be a serial killer. Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry and Gabriel Bateman co-star in the new version, in which Chucky is a high-tech luxury item that can also control other household objects and use them to commit murder.

In his review of "Child's Play" at Bloody-Disgusting, William Bibbiani says the film is "fast-paced, gory, inventive" but held back by its awkward attempts to harken back to, whilst differentiating itself from, the original film.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Child's Play" at Bloody-Disgusting

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Midsommar'

Ari Aster's follow-up to the critically acclaimed horror thriller "Hereditary" is here, and it's "Midsommar," an ambitious folk horror fable about American students getting swept up in a Swedish cult. Florence Pugh ("Fighting With My Family") and Jack Reynor ("Free Fire") and Jack Reynor star, in a film produce by A24.

In his review of "Midsommar"at Bloody-Disgusting, William Bibbiani calls it "as ambitious and overpowering a horror movie as you are likely to see this year," but finds fault with the film's familiar structure, slow pacing and ham-fisted allegories.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Midsommar" at The Wrap

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Witney Seibold Reviews 'Toy Story 4'

It was nine years ago when “Toy Story 3” seemingly closed out its series on a perfect note: Woody the cowboy, Buzz the spaceman, and all his toybox compatriots were handed – in a wistful scene that evokes tears just in the recollection – from the hands of Andy, their now college-aged owner, into the waiting arms of an enthused toddler named Molly. Kids grow up. It was time to put away childish things. And, once again, Pixar, with rare universal access to it, opened up the pipeline directly into our collective hearts.

As such, the announcement of a late-in-the-game follow-up to “Toy Story 3” elicited rage from my blackened soul. 

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Shaft' (2019)

Shaft is back, and so is Shaft, and so is Shaft! Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson reprise their title roles in Tim Story's "Shaft," which adds a new generation to the family, played by Jessie T. Usher. They unite and overcome their differences to solve a murder and uncover a conspiracy in the latest reboot of the iconic franchise.

In his review of "Shaft" (2019) at IGN, William Bibbiani laments the transformation of the franchise into a comedy featuring "jokes that would have been outdated and ignorant decades ago," as well an unsettling streak of homophobia.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Shaft" for IGN

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Men in Black: International'

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson reunite in "Men in Black: International," a globetrotting sci-fi adventure from director F. Gary Gray ("The Fate of the Furious"). A spin-off of the hit comedy series starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, "Men in Black: International" tells the story of two mismatched agents who get embroiled in an intergalactic conspiracy. Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani and Rafe Spall co-star.

In his review of "Men in Black: International" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says the film proves "Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth are two of the most likable movie stars in the galaxy," but laments the "highly conventional screenplay" which boasts "no new ideas."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Men in Black: International" for The Wrap

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Secret Life of Pets 2'

The secret life of pets gets a lot less secret with "The Secret Life of Pets 2," the sequel to the original animated blockbuster about adorable critters with personalities and adventures that would surprise the heck out of their owners. The sequel stars Patton Oswalt (taking over for Louis C.K.), Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey and Harrison Ford as critters with adventures like trips to the farm, losing an important chew toy, and rescuing a white tiger from an abusive circus.

In his review of "The Secret Life of Pets 2" at IGN, William Bibbiani calls the film "a mediocre retread of the original, with a few good gags but very little reason to exist, aside from temporarily distracting children and putting their parents to sleep."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Secret Life of Pets 2" at IGN

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Dark Phoenix'

The X-Men are back for one last adventure in "Dark Phoenix," the final film in the main X-Men franchise before Disney takes over. Sophie Turner ("Game of Thrones") takes the spotlight for a retelling of "The Dark Phoenix Saga," a classic comic book storyline about Jean Grey going mad with power, that was previously adapted in "X-Men: The Last Stand." James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain co-star.

In his review of "Dark Phoenix" at The Wrap, film critic William Bibbiani praises the action sequences but says the new film "makes the same old mistakes" as the "X-Men: The Last Stand," the first attempt to adapt the saga to the big screen, calling the new version "one-sided, paranoid and sexist."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Dark Phoenix" at The Wrap

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Domino' (2019)

Brian De Palma is back with a new thriller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Carice van Houten from "Game of Thrones." They're Danish detectives investigating a murder of a fellow cop, at the hands of a vigilant on a one-man mission of vengeance against ISIS.

In his review of "Domino" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani laments that "an actual game of dominos has more entertainment value," and "more depth and panache," but notes that the virtuosic director does occasionally put an interesting idea on screen.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Domino" at The Wrap!

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Ma'

Octavia Spencer reteams with Tate Taylor, the director of "The Help" (which earned her an Oscar), in the new thriller "Ma." Spencer stars as a woman who buys liquor for a group of teenagers, then begins to feed off of their attention, opening an underage tavern in her basement to lure adolescents. When they reject her, the dark side of "Ma" gets reveal. Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis and Luke Evans co-star.

In his review of "Ma" at Bloody-Disgusting, William Bibbiani praises the film's smart writing and creepy deaths, and in particular Octavia Spencer's performance, saying she "has the potential to become a classic horror villain."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews 'Ma' at Bloody-Disgusting

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters'

Godzilla is back, and this time he's bringing some old friends with him! "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" teams Godzilla back up with his old pal Mothra, as they fight to save the world from the awesome and terrifying powers of Ghidorah and Rodan. Oh, and a bunch of humans are in it too, like Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Thomas Middleditch, Zhang Ziyi and Charles Dance!

In his review of "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" at Bloody-Disgusting, William Bibbiani calls the movie "impossibly huge," and compares it to "an exhilarating theme park attraction where the guides are all award-winning Hollywood stars," but laments that the movie wastes its impressive ensemble cast.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" at Bloody-Disgusting!

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Witney Seibold Reviews 'Brightburn'

A horrifying reimagining of the Superman mythos, "Brightburn" tells the story of an alien boy who comes to Earth, gets raised by two decent midwestern parents, and turns into a horrifying monster anyway. Elizabeth Banks, David Denman and Jackson A. Dunn star, in a film directed by David Yarovesky.

In his review of "Brightburn" at IGN, Witney Seibold calls the film "a dark little hoot" and praises its efficacy as a "superhero murder thriller," but argues that it "doesn't take its satire to any kind of satisfying extreme." 

Read: Witney Seibold Reviews "Brightburn" for IGN

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Aladdin' (2019)

"Aladdin" is the latest Disney animated classic to get the live-action treatment. The new "Aladdin" stars Mena Massoud as the title character, a "diamond in the rough" who finds a Genie (Will Smith), woos a noble princess (Naomi Scott) and saves a country from the evil Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), in a film directed by Guy Ritchie ("The Man from U.N.C.LE.").

In his review of "Aladdin" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani calls the film "a chintzy revival, specifically designed to appeal to audiences who think 'that looks familiar' qualifies as entertainment," but praises the leads for their charming performances.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Aladdin" at The Wrap

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Brightburn'

What if Superman was a homicidal sociopath? That's the premise of "Brightburn," a new horror-thriller about a midwest couple who find an alien child in the woods and raise it to adolescence, when his powers kick in and give him all the opportunity he needs to do unspeakable things. Elizabeth Banks, David Denman and Jackson A. Dunn star in a film directed by David Yarovesky.

In his review of "Brightburn" at Bloody Digusting, William Bibbiani says the film "walks a fine line between wry pop culture commentary and genuine terror," but the refusal to take a thematic stance leaves the story open to some potentially ugly interpretations.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Brightburn" at Bloody Disgusting!

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Meeting Gorbachev'

Werner Herzog sits down with Mikhail Gorbachev, the former President of the USSR, in the new documentary "Meeting Gorbachev." Co-directed by André Singer and Herzog, the documentary mostly features interview footage alongside historical context, but also features some of the unlikely humor and insight that fans have come to expect from Herzog's work.

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says "Meeting Gorbachev" is "a conversation so deeply fascinating that there's nothing else the filmmakers could have done to spice it up," and praises the film's emotional depth along with Herzog's interview style.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Meeting Gorbachev" at The Wrap

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William Bibbiani Reviews 'Tolkien'

The author of "The Lord of the Rings" gets his own biopic starring Nicholas Hoult ("The Favourite") and Lily Collins ("The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"). "Tolkien" foreshadows J.R.R. Tolkien's literary creations with a story of love and war.

In his revel of "Tolkien" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani calls out the film's embarrassing clichés and contrivances, comparing it (unfavorably) to a Lifetime Original Movie and declaring "If you were trying to produce a parody of what a Tolkien biopic would look like, you'd get the exact same film."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews 'Tolkien' at The Wrap

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