Brent Hankins

Brent Hankins has been blogging and writing film reviews online since 2011. He joined the Phoenix Film Critics Society in 2013, and was a founding member of the Phoenix Critics Circle the following year, where he currently serves as President. Brent also hosted the weekly Drinks and Discourse podcast for nearly 5 years, and is currently the editor-in-chief at The Lamplight Review. He resides in Tempe, AZ with his wife and son.

Eva Green in Dumbo

Movie Review: ‘Dumbo’

Over the past few years, Walt Disney Studios has taken a number of characters and stories from their animated classics and updated them ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 26, 20190

Garth Brooks performs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ on March 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Concert Reviews

Review: Garth Brooks rocks record-breaking crowd at State Farm Stadium

Country music superstar Garth Brooks returned to the Valley on Saturday night with a sold-out show at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 24, 20190

Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer in Shazam

Second Opinon: ‘Shazam’ Review

The doom and gloom of the DC Extended Universe’s first few efforts is beginning to feel like a distant memory, and the course ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 23, 20190

Colson Baker, Douglas Booth, Daniel Webber, and Iwan Rheon in The Dirt

Movie Review: ‘The Dirt’

The past few years have sparked something of a resurgence in music biopics, with Hollywood tackling subjects ranging from Beach Boys genius Brian ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 22, 20192

Lupita Nyong'o, Evan Alex, and Shahadi Wright Joseph in Us

Movie Review: ‘Us’

Sketch comedy star Jordan Peele shocked the world with his 2017 directorial debut Get Out, a brilliant undertaking that was equal parts thriller, ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 20, 20190

Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard in The Hummingbird Project.

Movie Review: ‘The Hummingbird Project’

Making an engaging film about the mundane details of Wall Street trading is no easy feat. Adam McKay managed to pull it off ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 19, 20190

Emily Blunt, Joel Dawson, Pixie Davies and Nathanael Saleh in Mary Poppins Returns.

DVD & Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Mary Poppins Returns’

Taking a break from its ongoing quest to update each of its classic animated films into live-action/CG hybrids, Walt Disney Studios dusts off ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 18, 20190

Elizabeth Holmes in The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

SXSW 2019 Movie Review: ‘The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley’

“I don’t have many secrets,” says Elizabeth Holmes in the opening moments of Alex Gibney’s riveting new documentary, The Inventor: Out for Blood ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 13, 20190

Akio Sakurai in Mr. Jimmy. Photo courtesy of SXSW

SXSW 2019 Movie Review: ‘Mr. Jimmy’

In a crowded, dimly lit Tokyo club, a guitarist rips through nearly three hours of Led Zeppelin covers. But the versions of “Stairway ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 9, 20190

Brie Larson in Captain Marvel

Movie Review: ‘Captain Marvel’

Despite a whopping twenty films under its banner, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a bit late to the party when it comes to ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 5, 20192

Movie Review: ‘Fighting With My Family’

Ask a random person on the street if they can name a WWE Superstar, and their response would likely be a name like ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 21, 20190

Panic! at the Disco performs at the Honda Center in Anaheim on February 14, 2019. Photo by Jeff Chamseddine

Concert Reviews

REVIEW: Panic! at the Disco thrills sold out crowd at Honda Center

ANAHEIM — Couples who elected to spend Valentine’s Day at the Honda Center with Panic! at the Disco were treated to an extravagant, ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 15, 20190

Griffin Gluck and Pete Davidson in Big Time Adolescence

Sundance 2019 Movie Review: ‘Big Time Adolescence’

Many of us can recall someone older (and allegedly wiser) telling us that our teenage years would be the best of our lives, ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 4, 20190

Aisling Franciosi in The Nightingale

Sundance 2019 Movie Review: ‘The Nightingale’

The Nightingale, Jennifer Kent’s follow-up to her 2014 horror hit The Babadook, is far removed from the supernatural scares of her previous work. ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 31, 20190

Alice Englert in Them That Follow

Sundance 2019 Movie Review: ‘Them That Follow’

A rumination on the dangers of zealotry and blind devotion to faith, Them That Follow centers on Mara (Alice Englert), a young woman ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 31, 20190

Lupita Nyong'o in Little Monsters

Sundance 2019 Movie Review: ‘Little Monsters’

Little Monsters opens with a series of arguments between Dave (Alexander England) and his longtime girlfriend, the last of which results in him ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 31, 20190

Sundance 2019 Movie Review: ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’

Veteran documentarian Joe Berlinger — best known for the Paradise Lost trilogy, covering the arrest, incarceration and eventual release of the West Memphis ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 31, 20190

Elton John performs at Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ on January 26, 2019. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Concert Reviews

REVIEW: Elton John says goodbye to Arizona in final tour stop

GLENDALE -- After five decades of live performances, Elton John is hanging up his sequined jackets and oversized sunglasses, but not before making ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 27, 20190

Sundance 2019 Movie Review: ‘Stieg Larsson: The Man Who Played With Fire’

Stieg Larsson may not quite be a household name, but anyone privileged enough to have read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 26, 20190

Movie Review: ‘Glass’

When the final moments of M. Night Shyamalan’s Split revealed that the events of the film took place in the same universe as ...

By Brent HankinsJanuary 17, 20190

Every Time I Die performs at Club Red in Mesa, AZ. Photo Credit: Brent Hankins

Concert Reviews

PHOTOS: Every Time I Die bring “20 Years of Bullshit” to Mesa, AZ

MESA -- Every Time I Die rolled into Club Red for the latest stop on their "20 Years of Bullshit" tour, and the ...

By Brent HankinsNovember 20, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Widows’

Far removed from the intimate and introspective dramatic efforts like Hunger and Shame that began his directorial career, or the Oscar-winning historical tale ...

By Brent HankinsNovember 16, 20180

Claire Foy in The Girl in the Spider's Web

Movie Review: ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story’

It’s a shame that David Fincher never had the opportunity to continue the story of Lisbeth Salander after his excellent remake of The ...

By Brent HankinsNovember 6, 20180

The Cast of Suspiria

Movie Review: ‘Suspiria’

Told in “six acts and an epilogue set in divided Berlin” as a title card helpfully explains, Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria is less a ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 31, 20180

Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody

Movie Review: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is one of the most beloved and recognizable figures in rock history, known for his lavish costumes and flamboyant ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 30, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Mid90s’

When we first meet 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic), he’s being hurled into a wall and pummeled mercilessly by his older brother Ian (Lucas ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 25, 20180

Movie Review: ‘First Man’

From the opening moments of First Man, it’s clear that director Damien Chazelle has set out to depict space travel in a way ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 11, 20180

‘What They Had’ to Open First Annual Peoria Film Fest

The Peoria Film Fest is excited to announce details of their festive opening night cocktail party followed by a screening of Bleecker Street’s ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 1, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Assassination Nation’

The opening moments of Assassination Nation, director Sam Levinson’s no-holds-barred indictment of the toxicity that permeates so much of our modern culture, warns viewers ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 1, 20180

First Lineup Announced for Peoria Film Festival

The Phoenix Film Foundation and Phoenix Film Festival are excited to announce the first round of films that will be playing at the Peoria Film Fest! A quick list of movies can be ...

By Brent HankinsOctober 1, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Lizzie’

The story of Lizzie Borden, the 32-year-old woman who allegedly butchered her family with an axe in the late 1800s, has been told ...

By Brent HankinsSeptember 20, 20180

Movie Review: ‘A Simple Favor’

Best known for female-driven, laugh-out-loud comedies like Bridesmaids and The Heat, director Paul Feig brings his signature brand of humor – albeit noticeably ...

By Brent HankinsSeptember 14, 20180

Glassjaw performs at The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ. Photo Credit: Brent Hankins

Concert Reviews

PHOTOS: Glassjaw at The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ

PHOENIX -- Post-hardcore legends Glassjaw returned to the road this year, making a mid-summer stop at The Van Buren in support of Material ...

By Brent HankinsJuly 23, 20180

Movie Review: ‘The Equalizer 2’

If you scroll through Denzel Washington’s lengthy resume, one thing you won’t find is a sequel: the two-time Academy Award winner has never ...

By Brent HankinsJuly 20, 20180

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