Glenn Kenny
Film stuff @nytimesarts , @ebertvoices , @decider Author of “Made Men: The Story of ‘Goodfellas’” (2020) and now “The World is Yours: The Story of ‘Scarface.’”
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Articles by Glenn Kenny
‘Wham! 10 Days in China’ Review: Pop Music History With a Secret Goal
The British pop duo Wham! was the first Western act of its kind to play mainland China. This documentary reveals the hidden agenda of the shows.
‘Wham! 10 Days in China’ Review: Pop Music History With a Secret Goal Original
The British duo Wham!, a 1980s pop act equally adept at peppy earworms (the bopping “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”) and swoony ballads (the sax-driven “Careless Whisper”) had, along with their manager Simon Napier-Bell, one grand ambition: to play stadium shows in the United States. And how would they do that? By touring mainland China, of course. The logic is laid out in “Wham! 10 Days in China,” a zippy and intriguing documentary directed by Mike Christie.
‘Wham! 10 Days in China’ Review: Pop Music History With a Secret Goal
12 hours ago A Michigan family of eight, including six children under the age of 15, died in what authorities now believe was a murder-suicide. Amanda “Mandy” Karolkiewicz, 39, Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, and their six children — a 15-year-old son, a 12-year-old son, an 11-year-old son, 11-year-old twin …
‘72 Hours’ Review: Kevin Hart Is Joining Your Bachelor Party Original
Who among us has not at some point nodded sagely along when Stevie Nicks poignantly rasps “Now I’m getting older too” on the Fleetwood Mac song “Landslide?” The condition is unavoidable. Even the sparkplug comedic performer Kevin Hart, whose breakneck energy implies a kind of eternal youth, isn’t immune to the slings and arrows of middle-age aches and pains. In the new picture “72 Hours,” directed by Hart’s frequent collaborator Tim Story, the actor plays a younger man.
Tales of Brave Ulysses: What To Watch While You’re Waiting For (Or Can’t Get Into) Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ IMAX Screenings
Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited The Odyssey opens Friday and the picture goes big, or bigger than big, in every particular. Three hours long, it’s Nolan’s first picture shot entirely on the large-gauge, giant screen IMAX format. The first film adaptations of Homer’s homecoming story, chronicling hero Odysseus’ return from the Trojan War, were made well over one hundred years ago. The scale and ambition of Nolan’s vision — both narrative and technical — is arguably unprecedented, however.
The Isolate Thief
“The Isolate Thief” is a tough, grisly Western that overplays the grisliness a little too often for its own good; towards the end you’ll be thinking, “So-and-so’s now got HOW many bullet wounds and sounds like they’re breathing through a really major bronchial infection, so how are they still alive?” but like they sometimes say, movies can be all about suspension of disbelief.
‘Westhampton’ Review: A Humiliating Return
‘Westhampton’ Review: A Humiliating Return They say that you can’t go home again; in this movie, a young filmmaker learns that the hard way. Thomas Bell (Finn Wittrock) is a young filmmaker who encounters some difficulties when he returns to his hometown.
‘Westhampton’ Review: A Humiliating Return
Native American painters have long been overlooked. This show helps rectify that. ‘Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting,’ at the National Museum of the American Indian, charts the development of painting by Native artists since World War I. Paintings by Native American artists haven’t been shown often in D.C. museums, Indian artists having long been dismissively …
‘Westhampton’ Review: A Humiliating Return
‘Westhampton’ Review: A Humiliating Return They say that you can’t go home again; in this movie, a young filmmaker learns that the hard way. Thomas Bell (Finn Wittrock) is a young filmmaker who encounters some difficulties when he returns to his hometown. Credit...Obscured Releasing July 9, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET Westhampton Directed by Christian Nilsson Drama Not Rated 1h 34m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
‘Little Brother’ Review: Just the Two of Us
‘Little Brother’ Review: Just the Two of Us John Cena and Eric André star in this crude, but funny, movie about a real estate agent who encounters a blast from the past. John Cena as Rudd, Eric André as Marcus in “Little Brother.”Credit...Clifton Prescod/Netflix June 25, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET Little Brother Directed by Matt Spicer Comedy R 1h 42m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
‘Little Brother’ Review: Just the Two of Us
1 day ago What’s new on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and more? We've got you covered. Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even …
‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ Review: An Unexpected Recipient
‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ Review: An Unexpected Recipient The movie, starring Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson, begins as a tear-jerker and morphs into a poignant rom-com. Zoey Deutch plays Jill, a pastry chef who regularly leaves her sister voice mail messages.
‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ Review: An Unexpected Recipient Original
‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ Review: An Unexpected Recipient The movie, starring Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson, begins as a tear-jerker and morphs into a poignant rom-com. Zoey Deutch plays Jill, a pastry chef who regularly leaves her sister voice mail messages.
A Brief History of Beach Movies, Part 4: Scares on the Sand
Summer is finally here, and nothing evokes the spirit of the season like sand, sun, sweat, and surf. Here, in DECIDER’s A Brief History of Beach Movies, critic Glenn Kenny charts the evolution of one of the most iconic and idiosyncratic genres in cinema… We’ve witnesses innocence found and lost, and even seen how revisionists reinvented the genre. Today?
A Brief History of Beach Movies, Part 4: Scares on the Sand
College & University 2 hours ago Tributes Paid to 2 College Students Who Died After Being Swept Out to Sea While Napping on Beach People - Adam England • 2h New details have emerged about the two women who died after being swept out to sea while napping on a California beach last week, days after their identities were confirmed to PEOPLE.
A Brief History of Beach Movies, Part 3: Reinvention Time
Summer is finally here, and nothing evokes the spirit of the season like sand, sun, sweat, and surf. Here, in DECIDER’s A Brief History of Beach Movies, critic Glenn Kenny charts the evolution of one of the most iconic and idiosyncratic genres in cinema… We’ve witnesses innocence found and lost, and even seen how revisionists reinvented the genre... The beach is ostensibly a carefree place, and it’s also a place where “carefree” means, literally, that no one cares.
A Brief History of Beach Movies, Part 2: The Genre Grows Up And Grims Up
Summer is finally here, and nothing evokes the spirit of the season like sand, sun, sweat, and surf. Here, in DECIDER’s A Brief History of Beach Movies, critic Glenn Kenny charts the evolution of one of the most iconic and idiosyncratic genres in cinema… Last week, we tracked the innocent beginnings of beach movies. Now, that innocence is firmly lost.
A Brief History of Beach Movies, Part 1: Oh, To Be Young, Innocent, and in Summer Love!
Summer is finally here, and nothing evokes the spirit of the season like sand, sun, sweat, and surf. Here, in DECIDER’s A Brief History of Beach Movies, critic Glenn Kenny charts the evolution of one of the most iconic and idiosyncratic genres in cinema… Starting with the first blush of innocent fun on the beach.
‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Review: Questlove’s Tribute to an Inspiration
Crime 4 hours ago 'Hero' Dad of 3 Dies After Being Run Over as He Tried to Stop Truck Driver from Allegedly Strangling a Woman at a Gas Station People - Escher Walcott • 4h A father of three has died after being run over while trying to stop a woman from being assaulted in Ohio. On Sunday, May 31, Billy Grooms was at a Hillsboro gas station with his son when they allegedly saw a young woman being strangled. Grooms, 49, attempted to stop the assailant, who then ran him …
‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Review: Questlove’s Tribute to an Inspiration
‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Review: Questlove’s Tribute to an Inspiration In “To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World,” he draws a compelling portrait of Maurice White, the band’s founder, and his enduring legacy. Maurice White, as seen in “Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial vs. That’s The Weight Of The World,” a documentary directed by Questlove.Credit...HBO June 7, 2026, 1:56 p.m. ET Earth, Wind & Fire: To Be Celestial vs.
‘Masters of the Universe’ Review: Becoming a He-Man
‘Masters of the Universe’ Review: Becoming a He-Man The filmmakers behind this new live-action movie lean into the franchise’s ridiculousness, with sometimes engaging results.
'Masters of the Universe' Review: Becoming a He-Man
Thanks in part to filmmakers like James Gunn, whose superhero movies often strike a balance between the skewed and the sincere, moviegoers are enjoying, or at least living through, the age of the self-aware corporate blockbuster. The settings and characters of "Masters of the Universe" are certainly silly and campy enough to not just warrant such a treatment, but to possibly flourish under it.
Robert Quine- Glenn Kenny on the bio that never was
Why I Am Not Writing A Biography of Robert Quine Google (2026). Prompt: "Create a B&W book cover based on Robert Quine's half of the Basic album cover" Retrieved from https://gemini.google.com When I was in my late teens, during the late 1970s, I lived, largely against my will, in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. Not the best spot for a punk rock fan and an aspiring punk rock singer, as you may infer.
‘The Breadwinner’ Review:
‘The Breadwinner’ Review: The comedian Nate Bargatze makes a big swing with this movie about a stay-at-home dad, and gets a big assist from three funny kids.
‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ review: He’s back for more
This movie begins, as so many contemporary espionage pictures do, with men at laptops being interrupted by men with guns: In Dubai, a covert intelligence outpost is infiltrated by a small posse of men with high-caliber fast-shooting weapons. Their stolid, silver-haired commander has given only one instruction: “No hesitation.” The carnage is considerable.
'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War' Review: He's Back for More
This movie begins, as so many contemporary espionage pictures do, with men at laptops being interrupted by men with guns: In Dubai, a covert intelligence outpost is infiltrated by a small posse of men with high-caliber fast-shooting weapons. Their stolid, silver-haired commander has given only one instruction: "No hesitation." The carnage is considerable.
‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ Review: He’s Back for More
‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ Review: He’s Back for More John Krasinski makes his feature-film debut in the Ryan role, alongside Michael Kelly and Wendell Pierce.
'In the Grey' Review: Cavill and Gyllenhaal Bring the Ruckus
In the new action picture "In the Grey," directed by Guy Ritchie, the titular color finds little purchase. Given that the movie is set largely in the Canary Islands (with check-ins from big money spots such as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia), the colors here are mostly the vivid blue of the sea and the sharp, eye-popping cream of the outfits worn by its villainous billion-dollar debtor Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem, Javier's elder brother) and its righteous debt collector Rachel Wild (Eiza González).
‘In the Grey’ Review: Cavill and Gyllenhaal Bring the Ruckus
‘James Bond’: 5 actors who could lead Amazon’s new 007 era, including Jacob Elordi and Henry Cavill One of the most iconic characters in cinema will soon be back on the silver screen. Amazon MGM Studios has officially started the hunt for the next …
‘In the Grey’ Review: Cavill and Gyllenhaal Bring the Ruckus
‘In the Grey’ Review: Cavill and Gyllenhaal Bring the Ruckus Guy Ritchie’s latest is a sleek, sun-drenched actioner in which morality is fuzzy but the fashion is sharp. Henry Cavill, left, with Jake Gyllenhaal in “In the Grey.”Credit...Dan Smith/Black Bear May 15, 2026, 10:53 a.m. ET In the Grey Directed by Guy Ritchie Action, Drama, Thriller R 1h 38m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
The Wizard of the Kremlin
I was slightly confounded by the latest from acclaimed filmmaker Olivier Assayas; its title subject is based on a real-life figure, a Russian “oligarch helper,” so to speak, named Vladislav Surkov—here called Vadim Baranov—as the credited source material for the film is an Italian novel by Giuliano di Empoli.
R.I.P. Ted Turner: The Larger Than Life Media Mogul And The Twisted Path He Took To Become Cinephilia’s Best Friend
Over twenty years ago, Robert Goldberg and Gerald Jay Goldberg published a biography of Ted Turner called Citizen Turner: The Wild Ride of an American Tycoon. It wasn’t the first time that the Southern-born media mogul got compared to the fictional newsprint colossus co-created and incarnated by Orson Welles.
‘Mortal Kombat II’ Review: Eye-Popping Pyrotechnics
‘Mortal Kombat II’ Review: Eye-Popping Pyrotechnics The movie, directed by Simon McQuoid and based on the cult video game, unleashes another gruesome fighter tournament to determine the fate of the universe. Max Huang as Kung Lao in “Mortal Kombat II,” directed by Simon McQuoid.Credit...Warner Bros.
‘Mortal Kombat II’ Review: Eye-Popping Pyrotechnics
11 hours ago Fox McCloud and friends will return in a new video game, Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo announced Wednesday during a surprise Nintendo Direct showcase for the title. It will be the first new Star Fox release since 2016's Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard for Wii U, not counting the …
'Mortal Kombat II' Review: Eye-Popping Pyrotechnics
Two different movie franchises have come into being since the video game "Mortal Kombat" stunned arcades in 1992. That game's most popular catchphrases, "Get over here!" (to fight, that is) and "Finish him!" (self-explanatory), are repeated here at peak moments. Extra-peak moments, one should say, because the whole movie is a peak moment.
‘Deep Water’ Review: Prepare for an Emergency Landing, With Fins
‘Deep Water’ Review: Prepare for an Emergency Landing, With Fins The action director Renny Harlin combines two different kinds of disaster movies, with lots of gory shark scenes.
‘Desert Warrior’ Review: An Extra-Lavish Epic From Saudi Arabia
An action-adventure film set in seventh-century Arabia features many fighting men, but the warrior of the title turns out to be the British-Saudi actress Aiysha Hart.
Rock and Roll Can Never Die: The Unstoppable Beat of David Chase’s Low-Key Masterpiece ‘Not Fade Away’
If you are a fan of The Sopranos — and odds are that as a Decider reader you are certainly that, and more — you are conversant with the series’ theme song, “Woke Up This Morning,” the career peak of its writers/performers Alabama 3.
‘A Great Awakening’ Review: An Unlikely Founding Friendship
The opening minutes of this film, with its shot of a fly crawling on a wall in an overheated 18th-century conference hall and an actor depicting a sweaty Benjamin Franklin, may call to mind the 1972 movie version of the rousing musical “1776.” But “A Great Awakening” brings a rather less antic stress to bear on the birth of the United States. This film, directed by Joshua Enck, tracks the friendship of Franklin and the Rev.
‘She Dances’ Review: Steve Zahn Is a Reluctant Chaperone
Zahn plays the father of Claire (his real-life daughter, Audrey), awkwardly accompanying her and a friend to a competition in Kentucky. From left, Audrey Zahn, Steve Zahn and Mackenzie Ziegler in “She Dances.”Credit...EKKL Entertainment/Macaroni Art Productions March 26, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET She Dances Directed by Rick Gomez Comedy, Drama PG-13 1h 33m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
Chuck Norris: He Kicked Ass. What More Do You Want?
As I approached middle age back in the 1990s, I found my personal life in a dark wood. I began dating a young woman of Italian extraction who loved and doted on her Very Old Grandmother, a very nice (I suppose?) woman who loved little more than staying at home in her United Nations Plaza apartment and watching reruns of Walker: Texas Ranger.
‘Tow’ Review: When a Camry Is Home
After her car is stolen and then impounded, Amanda (Rose Byrne), fights the system to get it back. Simon Rex and Rose Byrne, right, in “Tow.”Credit...Vertical/Roadside Attractions March 19, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET Tow Directed by Stephanie Laing Drama R 1h 45m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
‘Reminders of Him’ Review: A Second Chance at Love
The young actor Maika Monroe made a substantial impression on critics and audiences alike in the 2014 indie horror picture “It Follows.” Since then, she has appeared in quite a few more horror films, but her range is expanding. In “Reminders of Him,” directed by Vanessa Caswill and adapted from a Colleen Hoover novel, Monroe proves that she can sell a 110 percent shameless tear-jerker like nobody’s business. The movie begins with Kenna (Monroe) walking into her hometown, Laramie, Wyo.
'Reminders of Him' Review: A Second Chance at Love
The young actor Maika Monroe made a substantial impression on critics and audiences alike in the 2014 indie horror picture "It Follows." Since then, she has appeared in quite a few more horror films, but her range is expanding. In "Reminders of Him," directed by Vanessa Caswill and adapted from a Colleen Hoover novel, Monroe proves that she can sell a 110% shameless tear-jerker like nobody's business.
‘Youngblood’ Review: He’s Got a Reason to Be Chippy
‘Youngblood’ Review: He’s Got a Reason to Be Chippy A remake of the 1986 crowd-pleasing hockey movie, starring Ashton James as a promising young Black player, has a lot more on its mind than the original. Ashton James in “Youngblood.”Credit...Well Go USA March 5, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET Youngblood Directed by Hubert Davis Drama, Romance, Sport PG-13 1h 45m Find Tickets When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
‘The Bluff’ Review: She Has a Very Particular Set of Skills
‘The Bluff’ Review: She Has a Very Particular Set of Skills Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays a notorious pirate who must protect her family at all costs in this Caribbean action movie. Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Ercel in “The Bluff,” directed by Frank E. Flowers.Credit...Paul Abell/Amazon MGM Studios Feb. 25, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET The Bluff Directed by Frank E.
Reseña de ‘Muerte en invierno’ Original
Reseña de ‘Muerte en invierno’: Emma Thompson es víctima y salvadora La actriz, como siempre, impregna su personalidad y logra que hinchemos potentemente por ella, en este thriller gélido y visualmente hermoso.
Documentary Review: Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It
(Critic's Pick) At one point in this film about protean musician Billy Preston, drummer and producer Bill Maxwell says, "Billy didn't just have perfect pitch, he had perfect anticipation." Meaning Preston could play a tune through with the other musicians after hearing only a few chords. And "Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It," a sometimes mind-blowing documentary directed by Paris Barclay, doesn't ask you to take Maxwell's word for it.
‘Billy Preston’ Review: A Unique and Tortured Talent
The Beatles, the Stones and Clapton shared the stage with him. He made solo hits, too. A documentary by Paris Barclay explores his success and his difficult life.
‘Billy Preston’ Review: A Unique and Tortured Talent
Now The Beatles’ beloved collaborator died at 59 in 2006. A new documentary, “That’s the Way God Planned It,” explores what he long kept hidden. On Aug. 1, 1971, one of music’s most storied concerts took place at Madison Square Garden: a benefit for the people of Bangladesh featuring rock’s mightiest …
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