Sean Burns

Film Critic

Sean Burns’ reviews, interviews and essays have appeared in Philadelphia Weekly, The Improper Bostonian, Metro, The Boston Herald, Nashville Scene, Time Out New York, Philadelphia City Paper and RogerEbert.com. He stashes them all at www.splicedpersonality.com.

Recently published

James Le Gros (left) and Lily Collias in writer-director India Donaldson's "Good One." (Courtesy Metrograph Pictures)

Fantastic film 'Good One' captures the disappointments of adulthood

Writer-director India Donaldson's deceptively simple debut feature sees a 17-year-old girl on a weekend camping trip in the Catskills with her controlling father and his shambling wreck of a best...

Arts & Culture

Aug 15, 2024

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in "It Ends with Us." (Courtesy Nicole Rivelli/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

'It Ends with Us' is a soapy fantasy of heartbreak and resilience

Director-star Justin Baldoni’s hotly anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s beloved bestseller stars Blake Lively as a Boston florist caught in a toxic relationship. The film "leans shamelessly — and not...

Arts & Culture

Aug 8, 2024

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in "The Instigators." (Courtesy Apple TV+)

Despite the star-studded cast, heist comedy 'The Instigators' falls flat

Director Doug Liman's Boston-set film stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as a couple of knuckleheads thrown together for a poorly planned heist job. "Sometimes a movie can have all...

Arts & Culture

Aug 1, 2024

Izaac Wang in writer-director Sean Wang's "Dìdi." (Courtesy Focus Features/Talking Fish Pictures, LLC)

Sean Wang's 'Dìdi' is a wise and funny coming-of-age film

The writer-director's heartfelt and all-too-true tale follows a 13-year-old boy named Chris during the seemingly endless summer before high school begins. The film is set in 2008 in a predominantly...

Arts & Culture

Jul 31, 2024

A still from director Agnieszka Holland's film "Green Border." (Agata Kubis/Kino Lorber)

'Green Border' is a harrowing depiction of Poland's migrant crisis

Director Agnieszka Holland’s film is a "harrowing yet unexpectedly hopeful in its depiction of human decency during the direst of circumstances," writes critic Sean Burns.

Arts & Culture

Jul 25, 2024

Director Sofia Coppola with Rashida Jones and Bill Murray on the set of "On the Rocks." (Courtesy Apple TV+)

The Brattle celebrates summer with Sofia Coppola retrospective

From the staggeringly assured "The Virgin Suicides" to the dream-like "Lost in Translation," the series features all eight of the director's films, screening every Wednesday from July 24 through Aug....

Arts & Culture

Jul 23, 2024

From left, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell in "Twisters." (Courtesy Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment)

'Twisters' is 'pretty good' for what it is

The “Twister” sequel stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell as a scientist and YouTuber whose teams collide while chasing storms. Film critic Sean Burns writes its "certainly an improvement on...

Arts & Culture

Jul 18, 2024

The cover of Susan Seidelman's new memoir "Desperately Seeking Something." (Courtesy St. Martin's Press)

'Desperately Seeking Susan' director Susan Seidelman reflects on her singular career

Seidelman shares anecdotes from her life in her new memoir "Desperately Seeking Something." She will be at the Brattle Theatre on Thursday, July 18, to sign copies and talk about...

Arts & Culture

Jul 17, 2024

"American Gigolo," starring Richard Gere, kicks off “Hot Summer Nights,” a six-week retrospective showcasing nearly 30 steamy movies from the 1980s and ‘90s. (Courtesy IFFBoston)

IFFBoston is bringing sexy back to the Somerville Theatre

“Hot Summer Nights” is a six-week retrospective showcasing nearly 30 steamy movies from the 1980s and ‘90s, back when sex was still a selling point for mainstream studio pictures.

Arts & Culture

Jul 10, 2024

Left: Dakota Johnson in director Christy Hall’s “Daddio." (Courtesy Phedon Papamichael/Sony Pictures Classics) Right: Zoe Ziegler and Julianne Nicholson in director Annie Baker's "Janet Planet." (Courtesy A24)

'Janet Planet' and 'Daddio' mark the arrival of serious cinematic talents

Two movies by female playwrights making their directorial debuts open in the Boston area this weekend. "Janet Planet” is the first film from Pulitzer Prize-winner (and Amherst’s own) Annie Baker,...

Arts & Culture

Jun 27, 2024