Justin Chang

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Our film critic, Justin Chang, recommends the monster movie Hope, which takes place in a South Korean border town that becomes the site of an alien invasion.

It's the latest from the director Na Hong-jin, who's known for his thrillers such as The Yellow Sea and The Wailing.

Hope is now playing in theaters.

Na has already said in interviews that he's planning a sequel.

Will the next movie clear up some of our confusion? We can always hope.

Justin Chang is a film critic for The New Yorker.

Hope is now playing in theaters.

So yeah, it wasn't a financial success, but it was certainly a critical one.

Justin Chang for the LA Times called it a uniquely confessional work in which a great artist freely and happily acknowledges the manipulation inherent in the art form he was born to make.

David Fear in Rolling Stone said, if the movie does adhere to Spielberg's signature beats and features so many recognisable Spielbergisms occasionally to his detriment, it's still one of the most impressive, enlightening, vital things he's ever done.

Alison Wilmore for Vulture said, Spielberg, an incredibly precise filmmaker, never seems certain as to what a movie about his life or about that of a slightly outsized proxy should look like.

Greengrass first noticed the parallels to today during the pandemic.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the new drama Filipiniana.

That's coming up on Fresh Air Weekend.

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[upbeat music] The new drama Filipiniana follows a teenage girl who's just started working at an upscale resort in Manila.

It's the first feature from Filipino writer-director Rafael Manuel, and it won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

It's now playing in select theaters, and our film critic Justin Chang has this review.

The few weeks or so that stretch between late August and early September are generally thought of as the doldrums of the movie release calendar.

Sam hosts the interview podcast Talk Easy.

Coming up, our film critic Justin Chang reviews Practical Magic 2.

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The supernatural romantic dramedy Practical Magic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman opened in 1998 to mixed reviews and did poorly at the box office, but it eventually developed a cult following.

And now, 28 years later, Bullock and Kidman have reunited for a sequel, Practical Magic 2.

It opens in theaters tomorrow, and our film critic Justin Chang has this review.

I didn't see Practical Magic when it opened in theaters back in 1998.

It's the first feature from the Filipino writer-director Rafael Manuel, and it won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

It's now playing in select theaters, and our film critic Justin Chang has this review.

The few weeks or so that stretch between late August and early September are generally thought of as the doldrums of the movie release calendar.

The summer blockbusters have come and mostly gone, and the fall Oscar contenders have yet to drop.

It's a rich dose of comic fantasy that serves to underscore the situation's grim reality.

Filipiniana is an impeccable piece of world-building that genuinely challenges us to imagine a better world.

Justin Chang is a film critic at The New Yorker.

He reviewed the new film Filipiniana.