Welcome to the Author Archive for Ciara Wardlow

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Ciara Wardlow, Film Critic: Ciara writes about film, television, and occasionally science-y things. She lives in Harlem. Sometimes she tries to be funny on Twitter and you can email her here.

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Now on HBO Max: Steven Soderbergh's 'No Sudden Move' Could Have Used Some 'Ocean's Eleven' Flavor

Tribeca Review: 'Paper and Glue' Presents a Heartwarming Manifesto on the Power of Art and Representation

Tribeca Review: Fresh but Flawed ‘Catch the Fair One’ Presents a Brutal Take on Revenge Tropes

Review: 'Miss Juneteenth' Paints a Rousing, Quietly Radical Portrait of Black Womanhood

Now on HBO Max: ‘In The Heights’ Makes for a Cotton-Candy Sweet, Deliciously Summery Spectacle

Review: 'A Quiet Place Part II' Is Just Like the First One, But with Cillian Murphy Upgrade

Review: David Oyelowo's Directorial Debut 'The Water Man' Delivers A Kids Quest That's All Too Familiar

'Spiral' Review: Everyone Sucks Here, But Not in a Fun Way

Review: Gentle Hug of a Movie 'The Outside Story' Makes an Excellent Case for Brian Tyree Henry's Star Power

Review: Gorgeously Shot 'Gunda' Will Leave You Guilty for Loving Bacon, Also Kinda Makes No Sense

Review: Tiffany Haddish Steals The Show in 'Bad Trip,' a Solid, if not Spectacular, Hidden Camera Comedy

Review: Benedict Cumberbatch's Stylish Spy Drama 'The Courier' Hits Like a Sleeping Pill

Now on Hulu: ‘Nomadland’ Paints an Epic Yet Intimate Portrait of American Life on the Fringes

Review: Visually Stunning 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Will Educate or Exasperate You

Review: Bone Dry ‘French Exit’ Understands Michelle Pfeiffer’s Star Power, Seems Confused About Everything Else

Review: Visually Enchanting ’The Dig’ Ironically Fails to Dig Deeper

Review: The Devil is in the Details of the Divinely Creepy ‘Saint Maud’

Now on Netflix: ‘White Tiger’ Tells a Cutthroat Rags-to-Riches Tale, Hold the B*llsh*t

Now on VOD: ‘MLK/FBI’ Provides a Much-Needed Re-Education

Review: 'Small Axe: Education' Ends Steve McQueen’s Groundbreaking Project on a High Note

Review: Reflective 'Small Axe: Alex Wheatle' Works Better as a Piece of a Puzzle than a Standalone

Review: John Boyega Gives Career-Best Performance in Outstanding 'Small Axe: Red, White and Blue’

Review: In 'Small Axe: Lovers Rock' Steve McQueen Throws the Party We All Need Right Now

Review: “Small Axe: Mangrove” Presents a Compelling Opening Argument for Steve McQueen’s Five-Part Ode to the Black British Experience

Review: Let ‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’ Take You on a Festive Trip, But Leave Your Brain Behind

Review: ‘Bad Hair’ is Neither Scary nor Funny, Black Women Continue Deserving Better

Review: Spooky if Familiar Faustian Bargain ‘Nocturne’ Will Do in a Pinch

On VOD: All-Star Cast Makes ‘Misbehaviour’ Worthwhile Easy Viewing

Review: Uneven but Worthwhile ‘Kajillionaire’ Explores Family Ties, Keeps Things Weird

Review, With Spoilers: Grossly Misguided 'Antebellum' Thinks Trauma Is Empowering for Some Stupid Reason

Review: ‘Unpregnant’ Is a Charming Joyride with Important Things to Say

'The Social Dilemma' Looks to Spark Important Conversations but Yikes Those Re-Enactments

Drab ‘Measure For Measure’ Takes Shakespearian Problem Play and Adds More Problems

Review: ‘I Used to Go Here’ Exceeds Expectations with Witty Take on Life’s Disappointments

Review: 'She Dies Tomorrow' Kills Stellar Concept with Tepid Execution

Review: 'Playing with Fire' Lacks Any Spark of Life

Review: If You Still Feel Joy, ‘The Painted Bird’ Can Fix That

Review: Fascinating ‘Showbiz Kids’ Documentary Feels Like It Would Have Been a Better Docuseries

Review: ‘Warrior Nun’ Commits the Cardinal Sin of Being F**king Boring

Review: Haunting Horror 'Relic' Will Make You Want to Call Your Mother

Review: 'First Cow' Crafts a Greed Parable as Wholesome as a Glass of Milk

Don’t Fall for the Impossible Promise of DNA Ancestry Kits

Review: Horrifically Uninspired 'You Should Have Left' Details Nightmare Scenario of Man Feeling Responsible for His Actions

Review: 'Shirley' Eschews Tired Biopic Tropes for a Similarly Trite Descent into Deranged Lesbian Longing

Review: Hypnotically Eerie 'The Vast of Night' is Must-See Sci-Fi

Review: ‘Valley Girl’ is a Mildly Entertaining Musical Journey Full of People Who Can’t Sing

Review: ‘Selah and the Spades’ is a Mood, But Not Much of a Movie

Review: Hopelessly Uninspired 'Like A Boss' Unlikely to Entertain

Review: 'The Hunt' Chases its Own Tail for Two Hours Because F*ck You, That’s Why

Our COVID-19 Response Has a Typhoid Mary Problem

Review: 'Emma' Presents a Refreshingly Unsentimental Take on an Austen Classic

Review: ‘Downhill’ Is Fine, Just Fine but Julia Louis-Dreyfus Deserves Better

Spoiler Review: Horrifically Bleak but Hardly Horrifying ‘The Lodge’ Not Worth the Trip

Review: “The Turning” Reboots Iconic Horror Tale as Tepid Garbage

Review: ‘1917’ Shares A Familiar Story Made Fantastic in the Telling

Review: ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ is Dumb as a Post But at Least It Tries

'Take Shelter' Tackles Fear with Fearless Eloquence

Taika Waititi Taught Old Tropes New Tricks in the 2010s' Most Hilariously Heartfelt Adventure

Review: Scorsese's 'The Irishman' is a Blast from the Past and a Glimpse of the Future

Review: 'Playing with Fire' Lacks Any Spark of Life

Review: 'Harriet' Delivers Important Commentary in an Unfortunately Conventional Package

5 Historic Oddities Hidden in the Disney+ Lineup

Why Are Y'all Stumping ‘Joker’ When ‘The Invisible Man’ Was Here All Along?

NYFF Review: 'Varda by Agnès' is a Heartfelt Farewell from a Cinematic Icon

NYFF Review: 'The Whistlers' Brings Entertainment, Leaves no Lasting Impression

NYFF Review: The Refreshingly Sharp-Witted, Sci-Fi Adjacent Neo-Western, 'Bacurau'

'Mindhunter' Season 2 Hurts Your Feelings in All the Best Ways

Season 3 of 'GLOW' is a Fun Ride Stuck in Stasis

How 'Derry Girls' Laughs in the Face of Toxic Masculinity

Requiem for the Irish Skeletons in Martin Scorsese’s Cinematic Closet