reviews

HEALTH Ratchet Up the Intensity on 'RAT WARS'

Exclaim! Staff Picks

PUBLISHED Dec 7, 2023

One of Exclaim!'s Best Albums of 2023, HEALTH's RAT WARS is packed from snout to tail with brutality and vulnerability, its 12 tracks drape...

Earthquake Thriller 'Concrete Utopia' Exposes the Cracks in Class Struggles

Directed by Um Tae-hwa

PUBLISHED Dec 5, 2023

Concrete Utopia is about the survivors of an earthquake, but it's less a traditional disaster film than it is a post-apocalyptic thriller,...

'Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?' Has No Rhythm and Contributes Nothing

PUBLISHED Dec 5, 2023

Geddy Lee, a Canadian icon for the past 50 years, is admired for his immense musical talent, gentle quirky energy and unabashed nerdiness....

The Beautifully Flawed 'The Boy and the Heron' Is Worthy of Studio Ghibli's Legacy

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

PUBLISHED Dec 5, 2023

Through Studio Ghibli — the legendary studio founded in 1985 — Hayao Miyazaki has written and directed some of the most revered and beloved...

Nation of Language Were Riding High in Toronto

Phoenix Concert Theatre, December 2

PUBLISHED Dec 4, 2023

At first blush, Nation of Language and Miss Grit make for odd touring partners. The former are classicists giving new clothes to past pleas...

Five-Timer Emma Stone Rescued 'SNL' from Some Clunkers

December 2, 2023

PUBLISHED Dec 3, 2023

Joining the Five-Timers Club, Emma Stone was a such a great host that she made up for a couple of clunkers on an otherwise strong week for...

'Silent Night,' Holy Night, All Is Calm, All Is Dull

Directed by John Woo

PUBLISHED Dec 1, 2023

A "heroic bloodshed" genre pioneer, Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo's fingerprints have been all over the English-language action sphere long...

'May December' Is an Uncomfortable Look in the Mirror

Directed by Todd Haynes

PUBLISHED Nov 30, 2023

Opening with a monarch butterfly laying its eggs, director Todd Haynes's latest effort reflects the same control and care for detail requir...