Justin Chang
Justin Chang is a film critic at The New Yorker. He also reviews movies for NPR’s “Fresh Air.” Previously, he was the film critic at the Los Angeles Times and chief film critic at Variety. His book “FilmCraft: Editing” was published in 2011. Chang serves as chair of the National Society of Film Critics and secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and is a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee. He teaches at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.
All the Films in Competition at Cannes, Ranked from Best to Worst
The twenty-two films that premièred in the 2024 festival’s main program offered much to savor and revile.
A Road Warrior’s Driving Lessons in the Thrilling, Sprawling “Furiosa”
George Miller’s latest addition to the “Mad Max” franchise plunges into the backstory of the action hero memorably introduced by Charlize Theron.
The Madly Captivating Urban Sprawl of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”
After a thirteen-year absence, a great American director returns with an ambitious vision of a city—and a world—in need of renewal.
The Beautifully Unnerving Gaze of “Evil Does Not Exist”
The Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi follows his Oscar-winning “Drive My Car” with a hauntingly ambiguous drama of nature and capitalism in conflict.
Love Means Nothing in Tennis but Everything in “Challengers”
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist sustain a three-way rally of romance in Luca Guadagnino’s almost absurdly sexy sports film.
American Confinement in “We Grown Now” and “Stress Positions”
A crisis turns home into a place of constraint in two new independent features.
“Civil War” Presents a Striking but Muddled State of Disunion
Kirsten Dunst plays a war photographer in the trenches of Alex Garland’s speculative dystopian thriller.
The Enchanting Archeological Romance of “La Chimera”
The ghosts of the past haunt Alice Rohrwacher’s fourth feature, which stars Josh O’Connor as a tomb raider nursing a broken heart.
The Form-Blurring Fury of “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World”
Radu Jude’s TikTok-tinged movie can be breathtakingly funny, but the absurdity is rooted in a powerful sense of outrage.
Why Does the “Road House” Remake Pull Its Punches?
There’s lots of violence in Doug Liman’s update of the 1989 slugfest, but, despite the menacing presence of Jake Gyllenhaal, it’s more timid than its predecessor.
At the “Oppenheimer” Oscars, Hollywood Went in Search of Lost Time
After the pandemic, the strikes, and years of small-scale pictures in the spotlight, the triumph of a brainy blockbuster seemed like a nod to a bygone heyday.
The Oscars: Who’ll Win, Who Should Win, and Who’s Overdue
More than in most years, the doctrine of dueness has dominated the 2024 awards season.
The Sterile Spectacle of “Dune: Part Two”
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is better than its predecessor, but only in a few extravagant moments does it rise above proficiency and flirt with transcendence.
Two African Migrants’ Fantastical, Harrowing Odyssey in “Io Capitano”
Matteo Garrone’s epic about two young Senegalese cousins attempting to reach Italy is his finest film since “Gomorrah.”
“About Dry Grasses” Is a Departure for Nuri Bilge Ceylan
The great Turkish director has a thing for misanthropic males, but the protagonist of his latest film encounters a woman who calls out knee-jerk cynicism.
All the Films in Competition at Cannes, Ranked from Best to Worst
The twenty-two films that premièred in the 2024 festival’s main program offered much to savor and revile.
A Road Warrior’s Driving Lessons in the Thrilling, Sprawling “Furiosa”
George Miller’s latest addition to the “Mad Max” franchise plunges into the backstory of the action hero memorably introduced by Charlize Theron.
The Madly Captivating Urban Sprawl of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”
After a thirteen-year absence, a great American director returns with an ambitious vision of a city—and a world—in need of renewal.
The Beautifully Unnerving Gaze of “Evil Does Not Exist”
The Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi follows his Oscar-winning “Drive My Car” with a hauntingly ambiguous drama of nature and capitalism in conflict.
Love Means Nothing in Tennis but Everything in “Challengers”
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist sustain a three-way rally of romance in Luca Guadagnino’s almost absurdly sexy sports film.
American Confinement in “We Grown Now” and “Stress Positions”
A crisis turns home into a place of constraint in two new independent features.
“Civil War” Presents a Striking but Muddled State of Disunion
Kirsten Dunst plays a war photographer in the trenches of Alex Garland’s speculative dystopian thriller.
The Enchanting Archeological Romance of “La Chimera”
The ghosts of the past haunt Alice Rohrwacher’s fourth feature, which stars Josh O’Connor as a tomb raider nursing a broken heart.
The Form-Blurring Fury of “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World”
Radu Jude’s TikTok-tinged movie can be breathtakingly funny, but the absurdity is rooted in a powerful sense of outrage.
Why Does the “Road House” Remake Pull Its Punches?
There’s lots of violence in Doug Liman’s update of the 1989 slugfest, but, despite the menacing presence of Jake Gyllenhaal, it’s more timid than its predecessor.
At the “Oppenheimer” Oscars, Hollywood Went in Search of Lost Time
After the pandemic, the strikes, and years of small-scale pictures in the spotlight, the triumph of a brainy blockbuster seemed like a nod to a bygone heyday.
The Oscars: Who’ll Win, Who Should Win, and Who’s Overdue
More than in most years, the doctrine of dueness has dominated the 2024 awards season.
The Sterile Spectacle of “Dune: Part Two”
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is better than its predecessor, but only in a few extravagant moments does it rise above proficiency and flirt with transcendence.
Two African Migrants’ Fantastical, Harrowing Odyssey in “Io Capitano”
Matteo Garrone’s epic about two young Senegalese cousins attempting to reach Italy is his finest film since “Gomorrah.”
“About Dry Grasses” Is a Departure for Nuri Bilge Ceylan
The great Turkish director has a thing for misanthropic males, but the protagonist of his latest film encounters a woman who calls out knee-jerk cynicism.