Josh Bell
496 articles published since March 17, 2012
About Josh Bell
Josh Bell is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He's the former film editor of Las Vegas Weekly and the former TV comedies guide for About.com and has written about movies and TV for Vulture, Polygon, Inverse, New Scientist, Crooked Marquee and more. He's a member of the Critics Choice Association, the Television Critics Association, and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, and has archived 2,000-plus reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
On the airwaves, Josh reviews movies weekly in Las Vegas on KTNV Channel 13 and Highway Radio, and he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year with comedian Jason Harris. His favorite movie of all time is Heathers. Follow him on Twitter at @signalbleed and on Facebook at Josh Bell Hates Everything.
REVIEW: Dan Harmon's Krapopolis Is More Mildly Amusing Than Innovative
Krapopolis isn't a masterpiece, but it's a fun and entertaining animated comedy that should fit in perfectly with Fox's long-running animation lineup.
REVIEW: Satanic Hispanics Is a Satisfying Latino Horror Showcase
As a showcase for a group of underappreciated Latino horror filmmakers, Satanic Hispanics accomplishes its goal. Here's CBR's review.
REVIEW: The Good Mother Unevenly Balances Crime Thriller and Character Drama
The Good Mother is awkwardly positioned between drama and crime thriller, with strong aspects of both that don't quite fit together.
REVIEW: Perpetrator Delivers a Strange But Effective Coming-of-Age Horror Story
Filmmaker Jennifer Reeder focuses on delivering a vibe, and the impressionistic Perpetrator doesn't hinge on shocking twists or intricate plotting.
REVIEW: Queer Horror Movie Bad Things Gets By on Its Unsettling Vibes
Director Stewart Thorndike excels at creating haunting imagery, making Bad Things consistently creepy even as it devolves into surreal incoherence.
REVIEW: Birth/Rebirth Delivers an Effective Twist on the Frankenstein Story
Birth/Rebirth is a twisted story about motherhood, with two seemingly opposite protagonists who are both invested in a little girl's resurrection.
REVIEW: The Pod Generation Squanders Its Intriguing Sci-Fi Concepts
Director Sophie Barthes offers a strikingly designed future world, but The Pod Generation's storytelling is never as compelling as its design sense.
REVIEW: Shortcomings Delivers a Satisfying Adaptation of Adrian Tomine's Comic
Director Randall Park's Shortcomings retains the acerbic wit of Adrian Tomine's graphic novel. Here's CBR's review.
REVIEW: A Fully Committed Nicolas Cage Carries Sympathy for the Devil
Even when Sympathy for the Devil's narrative falters, Nicolas Cage's enjoyably bonkers turn as a mysterious carjacker is always mesmerizing to watch.
REVIEW: Only Murders in the Building's Third Season Brings Intrigue and Wit
Even when the plotting gets a bit dicey, Only Murders in the Building is so full of amusing, well-drawn characters that it's always entertaining.
REVIEW: Harley Quinn Remains Charming and Vulgar in Its Fourth Season
Harley Quinn's fourth season continues to deliver rewarding character development, clever world-building, and an appealing cast. Here's CBR's review.
REVIEW: Final Cut Offers a Redundant Remake of a Zombie Sensation
Final Cut director Michel Hazanavicius faithfully replicates the original movie's plot and characters, but the result is fairly bland.
REVIEW: Steven Soderbergh Delivers a Complex Crime Thriller in Full Circle
Full Circle continually throws in new twists and reveals new bits of backstory, tightening the complex web of connections among the characters.
REVIEW: Netflix's Run Rabbit Run Is a Dull Exercise in Exploring Trauma Through Horror
The Australian psychological thriller Run Rabbit Run is all about trauma, but it doesn't offer any rewarding new approach to familiar themes.
REVIEW: Maggie Moore(s) is a Scattered Crime Comedy, Carried By Jon Hamm
There's not much to the murder mystery in Maggie Moore(s), but star Jon Hamm carries the movie with his affable, charming screen presence.
REVIEW: I'm a Virgo Delivers Delightfully Surreal Social Commentary
Boots Riley packs in a lot of political activism and magical-realist absurdity, making I'm a Virgo unwieldy but compelling. Here's CBR's Review.
REVIEW: Hulu's Jagged Mind Creates Uneven Horror From Domestic Abuse
The blunt, obvious storytelling holds Jagged Mind back from being truly scary or affecting, but has some strong, sporadic moments.
REVIEW: The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster Creatively Updates Frankenstein
At its best, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster uses its horror elements to highlight and expand on the social issues its characters face.
REVIEW: Based on a True Story Offers a Weak Comedic Twist on True Crime
There's no mystery to solve on Peacock's Based on a True Story, just two terrible people desperately exploiting the victims of a psychopath.
REVIEW: Shudder's Influencer Delivers Fascinating Twists
Director and co-writer Kurtis David Harder toys with the audience in a thrilling and clever way that makes Influencer fascinating to watch.