Amy Nicholson
@theamynicholson.bsky.social
Film critic of the LA Times and host of the podcast Unspooled.
Say hello with your favorite movie and why -- or a picture of a standard poodle.
IG/Letterboxd: @theamynicholson
Say hello with your favorite movie and why -- or a picture of a standard poodle.
IG/Letterboxd: @theamynicholson
William Shakespeare wouldn’t be wowed by this domestic drama about his home life back in Stratford-upon-Avon. Where’s the action? The wit? The wordplay?
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: To weep or not to weep? The lush ‘Hamnet’ sinks under nonstop crying and a dull Bard
Chloé Zhao, director of the Oscar-winning "Nomadland," returns with a sodden, sorrowful fiction about Shakespeare's home life that stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.
www.latimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:56 PM
William Shakespeare wouldn’t be wowed by this domestic drama about his home life back in Stratford-upon-Avon. Where’s the action? The wit? The wordplay?
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Truth.
My Udo Kier story is he randomly walked into a live podcast event at the Overlook Film Festival, grabbed a mic and made himself my third guest.
Blessed moment.
My Udo Kier story is he randomly walked into a live podcast event at the Overlook Film Festival, grabbed a mic and made himself my third guest.
Blessed moment.
RIP to the magnificent, beautiful and deeply bananas Udo Kier. Everyone I know who has met him, no matter how glancingly, has their Udo Kier Story. May we all live half such enormous, outrageous lives.
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Truth.
My Udo Kier story is he randomly walked into a live podcast event at the Overlook Film Festival, grabbed a mic and made himself my third guest.
Blessed moment.
My Udo Kier story is he randomly walked into a live podcast event at the Overlook Film Festival, grabbed a mic and made himself my third guest.
Blessed moment.
Hi, meet your new favorite movie.
The action spectacular of the year stars a 66-year-old man in a speeding truck. “Sisu: Road to Revenge” declares its intention in the title — it’s a scrappy, indie translation of “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
The action spectacular of the year stars a 66-year-old man in a speeding truck. “Sisu: Road to Revenge” declares its intention in the title — it’s a scrappy, indie translation of “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: Speed to the theater for 'Sisu: Road to Revenge,' Finland's madcap take on 'Fury Road'
Hollywood just hired Finnish director Jalmari Helander to reboot "Rambo" and this grisly, hilarious, full-throttle chase movie easily proves why.
www.latimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Hi, meet your new favorite movie.
The action spectacular of the year stars a 66-year-old man in a speeding truck. “Sisu: Road to Revenge” declares its intention in the title — it’s a scrappy, indie translation of “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
The action spectacular of the year stars a 66-year-old man in a speeding truck. “Sisu: Road to Revenge” declares its intention in the title — it’s a scrappy, indie translation of “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
Enjoyed WICKED: FOR GOOD much more than the last one.
The first installment was all tedious set-up. The second has a body count.
Also, Ariana is by far the MVP.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
The first installment was all tedious set-up. The second has a body count.
Also, Ariana is by far the MVP.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: The first one was a candy-colored slog, but 'Wicked: For Good' is pleasantly sour
There's no rest for the whirling visuals, but Jon M. Chu's follow-up to "Wicked" works when it stops to admire the powerhouse duo of Cynthia Erivo and the hilarious Ariana Grande.
www.latimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Enjoyed WICKED: FOR GOOD much more than the last one.
The first installment was all tedious set-up. The second has a body count.
Also, Ariana is by far the MVP.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
The first installment was all tedious set-up. The second has a body count.
Also, Ariana is by far the MVP.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
I wrote about the penny, a terrible coin that sucks, and one I'm going to miss for some reason
RIP Penny, an Essential Part of Americana
Sure, the cent is ineffectual, outdated, and often in the way. But it deserves our appreciation—and our grief.
www.theringer.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I wrote about the penny, a terrible coin that sucks, and one I'm going to miss for some reason
No bleaker satire than making it through THE RUNNING MAN, past end credits of a raised fist with “Together Against the Network,” to see the words: A Skydance Corporation.
Or maybe there is, if someone makes a documentary about what Edgar Wright may have had to cut.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Or maybe there is, if someone makes a documentary about what Edgar Wright may have had to cut.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: Edgar Wright's 'The Running Man' limps into theaters too relevant to be any fun
Stephen King’s 1982 techno-dystopian novel no longer feels sci-fi, making this remake trip over its own feet. (It's still better than the Schwarzenegger version.)
www.latimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:13 PM
No bleaker satire than making it through THE RUNNING MAN, past end credits of a raised fist with “Together Against the Network,” to see the words: A Skydance Corporation.
Or maybe there is, if someone makes a documentary about what Edgar Wright may have had to cut.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Or maybe there is, if someone makes a documentary about what Edgar Wright may have had to cut.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
The second time I saw the road thriller “Sirāt,” I couldn’t wait to hear the audience moan.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: Enjoy the sharp twists in the techno-thumping, Cannes-winning road thriller 'Sirāt'
The pleasures and agonies of Oliver Laxe’s spellbinding Cannes winner 'Sirāt' kick off at a sandy Moroccan rave where a dad and his son search for a lost girl.
www.latimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:39 PM
The second time I saw the road thriller “Sirāt,” I couldn’t wait to hear the audience moan.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
Howdy folks! Make sure you make frequent visits to the DIASPORA event calendar for the latest happenings in art and culture in the Los Angeles area!
thediasporatimes.com/2025/11/10/d...
thediasporatimes.com/2025/11/10/d...
DIASPORA Calendar: November 10-16, 2025 - DIASPORA
DIASPORA Calendar: November 10-16, 2025
thediasporatimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Howdy folks! Make sure you make frequent visits to the DIASPORA event calendar for the latest happenings in art and culture in the Los Angeles area!
thediasporatimes.com/2025/11/10/d...
thediasporatimes.com/2025/11/10/d...
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
Aspiring film critics! LAFCA and @rottentomatoes.com are again offering TWO $3,000 SCHOLARSHIPS to students attending L.A.-area community colleges: one to a woman and one to a person from an underrepresented group(s). Apply by Dec. 7 and spread the word! bit.ly/LAFCAScholarship2025
November 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Aspiring film critics! LAFCA and @rottentomatoes.com are again offering TWO $3,000 SCHOLARSHIPS to students attending L.A.-area community colleges: one to a woman and one to a person from an underrepresented group(s). Apply by Dec. 7 and spread the word! bit.ly/LAFCAScholarship2025
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
Schumer is pressured to step aside as Senate Democratic leader after shutdown vote
Schumer is pressured to step aside as Senate Democratic leader after shutdown vote
National progressive organizations urged Chuck Schumer to step down, and have encouraged New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for his Senate seat in 2029.
www.latimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Schumer is pressured to step aside as Senate Democratic leader after shutdown vote
👨🔬💀🧪⚡️❤️
Goddamn @theamynicholson.bsky.social COOKED with this FRANKENSTEIN review. Bow down to one of the greats. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
November 8, 2025 at 9:21 PM
👨🔬💀🧪⚡️❤️
I like -- but don't love -- SENTIMENTAL VALUE
But Elle Fanning is great as a Hollywood star struggling to make her own Nordic family drama, calibrating her sobs to have a hint of hamminess, a marvelous detail that makes this whole type of movie look a little forced.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
But Elle Fanning is great as a Hollywood star struggling to make her own Nordic family drama, calibrating her sobs to have a hint of hamminess, a marvelous detail that makes this whole type of movie look a little forced.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: 'Sentimental Value' flirts with Hollywood satire, but settles for arthouse sniffles
Director Joachim Trier and Renate Reinsve of "The Worst Person in the World" reteam for another bittersweet awards contender that co-stars Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning.
www.latimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:33 PM
I like -- but don't love -- SENTIMENTAL VALUE
But Elle Fanning is great as a Hollywood star struggling to make her own Nordic family drama, calibrating her sobs to have a hint of hamminess, a marvelous detail that makes this whole type of movie look a little forced.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
But Elle Fanning is great as a Hollywood star struggling to make her own Nordic family drama, calibrating her sobs to have a hint of hamminess, a marvelous detail that makes this whole type of movie look a little forced.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
DIE MY LOVE
As good and committed as Jennifer Lawrence is, there were times I wanted to rescue her from her own movie, to protect her from the fate of Faye Dunaway when “Mommie Dearest” turned another blond Oscar winner into a joke.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
As good and committed as Jennifer Lawrence is, there were times I wanted to rescue her from her own movie, to protect her from the fate of Faye Dunaway when “Mommie Dearest” turned another blond Oscar winner into a joke.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: Jennifer Lawrence gives everything to the wild, brutal 'Die My Love' but gets left dangling
This messy Molotov cocktail by indie auteur Lynne Ramsay pairs Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson as flailing new parents who fight, bite and destroy.
www.latimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:54 PM
DIE MY LOVE
As good and committed as Jennifer Lawrence is, there were times I wanted to rescue her from her own movie, to protect her from the fate of Faye Dunaway when “Mommie Dearest” turned another blond Oscar winner into a joke.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
As good and committed as Jennifer Lawrence is, there were times I wanted to rescue her from her own movie, to protect her from the fate of Faye Dunaway when “Mommie Dearest” turned another blond Oscar winner into a joke.
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
BACK TO THE FUTURE is the modern era’s zippiest comedy about the collapse of the American dream.
It took me a dozen watches to realize the preservationist bugging Marty to save the clock tower wants to keep it **broken** for the sake of “history and heritage.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
It took me a dozen watches to realize the preservationist bugging Marty to save the clock tower wants to keep it **broken** for the sake of “history and heritage.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: It's the right time to go 'Back to the Future,' blockbustering's most brilliant social satire
Robert Zemeckis' marvelous sci-fi comedy reveals new bits of genius with every rewatch. As social criticism, it's right up there with 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Blade Runner.'
www.latimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:35 PM
BACK TO THE FUTURE is the modern era’s zippiest comedy about the collapse of the American dream.
It took me a dozen watches to realize the preservationist bugging Marty to save the clock tower wants to keep it **broken** for the sake of “history and heritage.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
It took me a dozen watches to realize the preservationist bugging Marty to save the clock tower wants to keep it **broken** for the sake of “history and heritage.”
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
Many of you have been watching our contract fight at the L.A. Times and asking how to help. Now's the time.
Tell our managers that you'll honor the picket line if negotiations drag to a point where we're forced to call a strike. You can sign here:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Tell our managers that you'll honor the picket line if negotiations drag to a point where we're forced to call a strike. You can sign here:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Support Los Angeles Times journalists fighting for a fair contract
The newsroom staff of the Los Angeles Times, represented by Media Guild of the West (NewsGuild-CWA 39213), has been bargaining a new union contract for more than 18 months. In that time, the company h...
actionnetwork.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Many of you have been watching our contract fight at the L.A. Times and asking how to help. Now's the time.
Tell our managers that you'll honor the picket line if negotiations drag to a point where we're forced to call a strike. You can sign here:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Tell our managers that you'll honor the picket line if negotiations drag to a point where we're forced to call a strike. You can sign here:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Fascinated that we all saw the same ending three different ways!
on an all-singing, all-dancing, all-movies Culture Gabfest, @thehighsign.bsky.social @theamynicholson.bsky.social and me take on Hedda, A House of Dynamite, and The Perfect Neighbor, spoil all three endings, and disagree about one of them.
A House of Dynamite Features Cinema’s Most Stressful Zoom Call.
Kathryn Bigelow’s bureaucratic thriller A House of Dynamite performs a tense live wire act, but this explosive material may not have much bang.
slate.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Fascinated that we all saw the same ending three different ways!
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
on an all-singing, all-dancing, all-movies Culture Gabfest, @thehighsign.bsky.social @theamynicholson.bsky.social and me take on Hedda, A House of Dynamite, and The Perfect Neighbor, spoil all three endings, and disagree about one of them.
A House of Dynamite Features Cinema’s Most Stressful Zoom Call.
Kathryn Bigelow’s bureaucratic thriller A House of Dynamite performs a tense live wire act, but this explosive material may not have much bang.
slate.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:11 PM
on an all-singing, all-dancing, all-movies Culture Gabfest, @thehighsign.bsky.social @theamynicholson.bsky.social and me take on Hedda, A House of Dynamite, and The Perfect Neighbor, spoil all three endings, and disagree about one of them.
NOUVELLE VAGUE is the origin story of Jean-Luc Godard, and, in a way, of Richard Linklater himself.
Even more importantly, it’s a manual for what he hopes will be a fresh wave of talent storming the shore any minute. (I’m counting on it.)
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Even more importantly, it’s a manual for what he hopes will be a fresh wave of talent storming the shore any minute. (I’m counting on it.)
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: Made to inspire young artists to break the rules, the fizzy 'Nouvelle Vague' shows how it's done
Richard Linklater zips back to re-create the shoot of Jean-Luc Godard's scrappy low-budget "Breathless," producing a primer on how to go your own way.
www.latimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
NOUVELLE VAGUE is the origin story of Jean-Luc Godard, and, in a way, of Richard Linklater himself.
Even more importantly, it’s a manual for what he hopes will be a fresh wave of talent storming the shore any minute. (I’m counting on it.)
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Even more importantly, it’s a manual for what he hopes will be a fresh wave of talent storming the shore any minute. (I’m counting on it.)
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
October 28, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
A stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
October 27, 2025 at 11:54 PM
A stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hell yeah! Congrats gang!
Congrats to our members who were nominated for Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards by @lapressclub.bsky.social! @jon-frosch.bsky.social @theamynicholson.bsky.social @joshuarothkopf.bsky.social @carlosfilm.bsky.social @williambibbiani.bsky.social @katiewalshstx.bsky.social @ajhan.bsky.social
October 27, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Hell yeah! Congrats gang!
AUSTIN REAVES 🏀❤️🏀
October 27, 2025 at 3:53 AM
AUSTIN REAVES 🏀❤️🏀
Where are my freaks at? The ones down with ultra-gross out comedy?
Cause this is a great one. In LA for a few more days, traveling around after that.
Cause this is a great one. In LA for a few more days, traveling around after that.
October 26, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Where are my freaks at? The ones down with ultra-gross out comedy?
Cause this is a great one. In LA for a few more days, traveling around after that.
Cause this is a great one. In LA for a few more days, traveling around after that.
Reposted by Amy Nicholson
Meanwhile, @theamynicholson.bsky.social loved BUGONIA, was floored by Emma Stone and called the film "a hilarious movie with no hope for the future of humanity." That's my idea of high praise. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Review: It's Emma Stone's planet now as the alien comedy 'Bugonia' proves
Director Yorgos Lanthimos and Stone follow 'The Favourite' and 'Poor Things' with a nasty-fun conspiracy movie that also features Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis.
www.latimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Meanwhile, @theamynicholson.bsky.social loved BUGONIA, was floored by Emma Stone and called the film "a hilarious movie with no hope for the future of humanity." That's my idea of high praise. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...