“Pitched somewhere between a tall tale and an expose, marinated in the whiskey and cocaine benders of outlaw country music’s juke joint fringe, it’s a richly ambivalent film about artistic expression as its own reward and the bad romance of our most destructive impulses. If a movie could smell this one would reek of old cigarette butts and stale beer.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 09/21/2018

“A kicky throwback to those mischievous, slightly sinister kids’ adventures Steven Spielberg proteges used to churn out on a fairly regular basis three decades ago. There’s a modesty to the film that’s becoming, and a real nimbleness to the visual wit. Funny how it took Eli Roth, of all people, to make the best Robert Zemeckis movie in ages.” – North Shore Movies 09/20/2018

“Lizzie has got to be the most bloodless movie ever made about an ax murderer. Smothered in hushed whispers and gloomy shadows, this umpteenth exploration of Fall River’s notorious hatchet job sucks all the salaciousness out of its sordid story, leaving a bone-dry husk of period prestige. It’s a one-note movie and that note is room tone.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 09/19/2018

“The camera is as unmoored as the character. There are no establishing shots in the picture, which simply drops us into scenes sometimes halfway through and trusts the audience will suss things out. The sound design is cluttered with loud clatters and hushed, rhythmic breathing exercises. We’re inside Madeline’s mind the whole time, and it’s busy in there.” – WBUR’s The ARTery, 09/14/2018

“This is an entertaining enough Friday night at the movies, but to say that the seams show is an understatement. Co-written and directed by cheeky genre deconstructionist Shane Black, it’s a hodgepodge of half-developed science fiction concepts, splattery set-pieces and Black’s specialty: tough guys talking shit. I really liked the shit-talking parts.” – North Shore Movies, 09/13/2018

“There’s nothing for us to enjoy in the self-mockery. The flat staging and abject absence of visual style signal more contempt than amusement. Nobody’s taking this silly story seriously, but Feig is too prudish and (let’s face it) incompetent to provide any compensating sensual pleasures, the way De Palma or Fincher have in the past with similarly chintzy material.” – North Shore Movies, 09/13/2018

“A tangy little bit of literary score-settling, taking the piss out of mid-century macho myths of what a Great American Writer was supposed to be. Staged in a deceptively dry fashion by Swedish director Björn Runge, the movie lulls you into a false sense of decorous complacency before the claws come out. The melodramatic second hour is simply delicious.” – North Shore Movies 09/13/2018