Mara Reinstein

Murray Close/Lionsgate The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes earns 3 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein. In theory, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes does not have the odds ever in its favor. Not only has the franchise been absent from the moviegoing consciousness […]

A24 Priscilla, which premiered at the New York Film Festival, earns 3.5 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein. If Elvis presented the King of Rock ‘n Roll as a razzle-dazzle music icon struggling with his demons, Priscilla plays like the other side of the record. The softer side. And a […]

Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, earns 3.5 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein. When the first Maestro trailer dropped in August, too many headlines honed in on Bradley Cooper’s prominent prosthetic nose. The more substantive and surprising takeaway: Carey Mulligan’s top billing in the credits. Um, isn’t this […]

May December, which opened the 61st annual New York Film Festival, earns 3 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein. On the extremely soggy opening night of the 61st New York Film Festival, the artistic director took the stage at Lincoln Center and introduced May December with a declaration: This selection […]

If you’ve read this far, it means you love movies. The Toronto International Film Festival loves movies, too. Big, buzzy, original, Oscar-bound, star-driven movies. Just last year, TIFF was the place where Brendan Fraser wept upon seeing the enthused reaction to his drama, The Whale. Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson and Janelle Monae entertained the audience […]

Movie buffs, assemble: Now that the temperature is cooling down, there’s no reason to feel guilty about spending time indoors. Luckily, there’s a bounty of incredible films hitting the big (and small!) screen this fall. Whether you’re looking for a star-studded dramedy to dive into (see: Dumb Money) or an erotic thriller with a touch […]

Woman of the Hour, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, earns 3.5 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein. We already know Anna Kendrick is a talent. For 15 years, the Oscar-nominated actress has flashed her sly comedic strengths in too many movies to list. She turned a cute […]

Dumb Money, which made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, earns 3 stars (out of 4) from Us Weekly movie critic Mara Reinstein.  Close your eyes and flash all the way back to early 2021. Amid political upheaval and a pandemic (and, um, the buzz surrounding WandaVision), a cast of individual traders […]

Courtesy of Yannis Drakoulidis / Focus Features 2 stars (out of 4) Even delightful confections are sometimes best left at single servings. Like, say, Baklava. And My Big Fat Greek Wedding. After a lackluster 2016 sequel, talented writer-director-star Nia Vardalos has reassembled her bustling onscreen family for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. But if […]

3 stars (out of 4) Here’s an underrated trait of a legit movie star: The ability to exude cool charisma just by silently sitting on a barstool and taking a drag from a cigarette. This is how Austin Butler‘s character, Benny, is introduced in the first moment of The Bikeriders. He’s quietly minding his own […]

Youtube 3 stars (out of 4) So, how well-versed are you in quantum physics? Do you know the difference between a hydrogen bomb and an atom bomb? Does the word “isotope” mean anything to you? Knowing the answers is not the make-or-break when it comes to enjoying — well, more like gleaning the full experience — out […]

3 stars (out of 4) The Barbie marketing campaign deserves raves. Margot Robbie established herself as a living doll on various red carpets — love that Day-to-Night Barbie throwback outfit! — while Ryan Gosling exuded the perfect amount of Ken-ergy. Bravo to all. Now, playtime’s over. And the answer to the big question is yes, […]

Happy Valentine’s Day. I can’t offer you chocolate or flowers or a love note from a Hemsworth brother. But I can offer you a swath of escapist movies to suit or soothe your mood. Take two of these and tweet me in the morning. Your mood: So sappy, sentimental and Hallmark-y, you could cry Your […]

Three. Frustrating. Years. That’s how much time has passed since the Sundance Film Festival last held an in-person edition in Park City, Utah. (Put it this way: The opening night selection was the Taylor Swift documentary, Miss Americana, which chronicled the making of her 2018 album of Reputation. So, like, ancient history.) Blame the pandemic, […]

Greetings from the movies corner of the pop culture world. You remember movies, right? All of three years ago, the brightest and the best offerings shined on the big screen. (Your diverse 2019 offerings included universally acclaimed hits such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Knives Out and Parasite.) However, the coronavirus pandemic changed […]

Want to know why the Toronto International Film Festival is so special? Consider that on September 9, an army of breathless fans lined up on the downtown streets for hours just to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift as she walked into the TIFF Bell Lightbox auditorium, where she was due to give a talk […]

A very marvel-ous season! Nearly five months since the last Marvel Cinematic Universe flick hit the big screen, this summer will have two highly anticipated sequels coming out: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder — and that’s just the tipping point for 2022 movie releases. As summer is knocking down our door, it […]

Sigh. We were oh-so close to spotting Kanye West stomping around in snow boots on Main Street. But just a few weeks before the Sundance Film Festival was scheduled to kick off in Park City, Utah, plans got scrapped because of you-know-what. Long gone are the days of celebrities popping into random screenings — fun fact: I […]

2.5 stars (out of 4) Do you like scary movies? Well, of course! Especially when the movies are grade-A entertaining thrill-fests like Scream back in 1996. But let’s (ghost)face it: The three ensuing sequels disappointed viewers to various degrees, with the mess that was Scream 3 as the franchise’s grimacing low point. Now comes the […]

Hello and welcome to the year 2031! The 40th Spider-Man movie is a hit. Timothee Chalamet still hasn’t cut his hair. Taylor Swift just released an hour-long song about her summer with that Kennedy cousin. People are still in awe of that gorgeous and surprisingly poignant West Side Story remake. And nobody is talking about, let alone vividly recalls, the Hollywood studios’ ever-fluctuating […]

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I’m telling you why: We’re finally getting a proper holiday movie season. This is not a slight against Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari or The Father — all fine films — but come on. Only the true cinephiles of the world […]