Brent Hankins

2 months ago | lamplightreview.com | Brent Hankins

Sierra Falconer’s debut feature, Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake), unfolds like a series of postcards from a small-town summer: vivid, fleeting, and quietly profound. Through four loosely connected vignettes, Falconer captures the rhythms of life in a Michigan lakeside community, focusing just as much on the moments in between — the silences, the hesitations, the glances that go unnoticed — as the milestones of growing up, moving on, and holding onto the things that matter.

Oct 24, 2024 | lamplightreview.com | Brent Hankins

Venom: The Last Dance is a film that seems to be in conflict with its own identity, trying to deliver the chaotic fun and irreverence that fans have come to expect from the franchise, while veering into unnecessarily serious territory, leaving the quirky charm of its predecessors struggling to shine through. This final chapter is packed with potential, but pacing issues and tonal imbalance prevent it from landing with the same absurd energy that made Venom an unexpected cult hit.

Oct 17, 2024 | lamplightreview.com | Brent Hankins

Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice is a story not just about the making of a man, but about the forging of a certain type of power — one that thrives on aggression, manipulation, and moral flexibility. Through the lens of Donald Trump’s early relationship with Roy Cohn, the film draws a line between mentor and disciple, tracing the ways in which Cohn’s cynical philosophy took root in Trump and blossomed into something even more dangerous.

Sep 26, 2024 | lamplightreview.com | Brent Hankins

Will Ferrell and Harper Steele have been close friends for decades, since the pair first met on the set of Saturday Night Live, where Steele would eventually become head writer and Ferrell was one of the long-running sketch series’ biggest breakout stars. But when Harper came out as transgender three years ago, it raised the question of whether or not their longtime friendship would suffer any adverse effects.

Jul 19, 2024 | lamplightreview.com | Brent Hankins

This week, a cinematic pairing the likes of which has long been on the wishlists of comic fans across the globe will finally be realized as Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team up onscreen for Deadpool & Wolverine.