Catherine Keener Archives

8MM (1999)

Rating: ★★

Apr 29, 1999Snuff Movie Thriller

This seeks to be another Se7en, adapting a script by Se7en writer Andrew Kevin Walker and employing the same visual style in the story of Nicolas Cage delving into a seedy underworld in search of a snuff movie.

Director: Joel Schumacher

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, …

Category: Horror

29 April 199930 September 2020 by Roog

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Rating: ★★★★

Dec 8, 1999Portal Into Actor's Head/Absurdism

Hilariously eccentric Spike Jonze-Charlie Kaufman collaboration in which John Cusack finds an office building that has a portal that takes someone through into actor John Malkovich's head. The wacky spins that the script places on the idea are ingenious

Director: Spike Jonze

Actors: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, John Malkovich, Catherine Keener, …

Category: Fantasy

8 December 19997 September 2025 by Roog

S1m0ne (2002)

Rating: ★★

Nov 15, 2003Virtual Hollywood Actress

Andrew Niccol makes a comedy in which down-on-his-luck film director Al Pacino obtains a computer program for simulating a performance and creates a virtual actress, hoodwinking the public into believing she is a real person.

Director: Andrew Niccol

Actors: Al Pacino, Rachel Roberts, Catherine Keener, Pruitt Taylor Vince, …

Category: Science Fiction

15 November 200321 November 2021 by Roog

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Rating: ★★★★

Apr 4, 2009Meta-Fiction and Surrealism

Mind-bending Charlie Kaufman meta-fiction in which Philip Seymour Hoffman creates a vast theatre project that drags on for years and starts to merge into his own life

Director: Charlie Kaufman

Actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, Tom Noonan, …

Category: Fantasy

4 April 200911 September 2020 by Roog

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Rating: ★★★★

Nov 2, 2009Boy Frolics With Friendly Monsters

Spike Jonze conducts his own unique and individualistic adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book about a young boy who sails away to an island of friendly monsters

Director: Spike Jonze

Actors: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, …

Category: Fantasy

2 November 20097 July 2026 by Roog

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Rating: ★★

Feb 14, 2010Greek Myth in the Present Day

Chris Columbus seeks to emulate the success of the Harry Potter films with this adaptation of a Young Adult series about the children of Greek gods. The film falls apart due to Columbus's typical banal cues and effects overkill

Director: Chris Columbus

Actors: Logan Lerman, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Brandon T. Jackson, …

Category: Fantasy

14 February 20106 January 2024 by Roog

The Croods (2013)

Rating: ★★★

Mar 31, 2013Animation/Prehistoric Comedy

What gives the expectation of being a formulaic animated film about a prehistoric cave family instead comes with a fresh and naturalistic sense of humour that proves oddly appealing

Director: Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman, …

Category: Fantasy

31 March 201329 October 2024 by Roog

Get Out (2017)

Rating: ★★★

May 6, 2017Sinister Small Town/Racial Mind Control

A rehash of The Stepford Wives recast along racial lines. It is a surprise to see a mainstream horror hit with a strong message about racism, not that Jordan Peele neglects the horror element either

Director: Jordan Peele

Actors: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, …

Category: Horror

6 May 201730 July 2026 by Roog

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Rating: ★★

Feb 2, 2019Pixar Animation/Superhero Spoof

Pixar's venture into sequels has resulted in works playing off past successes that are lesser than their originals. This came with much anticipation but it too must be counted as another disappointment

Director: Brad Bird

Actors: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huckleberry Milner, …

Category: Science Fiction

2 February 201917 April 2026 by Roog

The Croods: A New Age (2020)

Rating: ★★★

Aug 13, 2021Animation/Prehistoric Comedy

The sequel to DreamWorks' animated prehistoric film. For a very low expectation effort - the modern animated sequel - this emerges as far more colourful and entertaining than one expects

Director: Joel Crawford

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Peter Dinklage, …

Category: Fantasy

13 August 202114 January 2026 by Roog

The Adam Project (2022)

Rating: ★★

Mar 26, 2022Time Travel

Likeable but lightweight time travel film where Ryan Reynolds gains the aid of his twelve year-old self after travelling back in time to the present on a mission to save the future

Director: Shawn Levy

Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, …

Category: Science Fiction

26 March 202221 November 2025 by Roog

Joker: Folie a Deux (2024)

Rating: ★★

Nov 9, 2024Comic-Book Super-Villain

Joker was a huge hit with Joaquin Phoenix winning an Academy Award for his role. This sequel emerged to very mixed reception, partly due to its rejection of the first film and then heading off to become a musical

Director: Todd Phillips

Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, …

Category: Fantasy

9 November 202414 May 2026 by Roog