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.

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

Movie Review: ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’

2015’s nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller Sicario didn’t need a sequel. The story of a young FBI agent getting a firsthand look at the conflict ...

By Brent HankinsJune 29, 20180

DVD & Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Peter Pan: Anniversary Edition’

Peter Pan is one of Disney’s most beloved classics, and it arrives on Blu-ray this week as the seventh entry into the Walt Disney ...

By Brent HankinsJune 6, 20180

DVD & Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: ‘A Wrinkle in Time’

After helming the somber civil rights drama Selma and the harrowing prison documentary 13th, Ava DuVernay is shifting gears in a big way, making the leap ...

By Brent HankinsJune 6, 20180

DVD & Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Black Panther’

The first Marvel film headlined by a black superhero is a remarkably entertaining superhero origin story. The home video release looks and sounds ...

By Brent HankinsMay 15, 20180

What We Learned at the ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Press Conference

Avengers: Infinity War is already burning up the box office, but before anyone – even the heroes themselves – had seen a completed ...

By Brent HankinsApril 27, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Super Troopers 2’

Sixteen years after the Vermont Highway Patrol first endeared themselves to comedy fans and stoners across the globe, the Super Troopers are finally ...

By Brent HankinsApril 20, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Rampage’

To say that Rampage is based upon the 1980s arcade machine of the same name would be accurate – the film does feature ...

By Brent HankinsApril 12, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Blockers’

On its face, the premise of Blockers is troubling: upon discovering their teenage daughters have entered into a pact to lose their virginity ...

By Brent HankinsApril 5, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Ready Player One’

Before Ready Player One was first published in 2011, the film rights to Ernest Cline’s geek-themed fantasy epic had already been purchased by ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 28, 20180

‘Deadpool 2’ Trailer: Isn’t That a Little Derivative?

So far, the plot of Deadpool 2 has been kept mostly under wraps (unless you’re inclined to believe the absurd synopsis released by ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 22, 20180

Movie Review: ‘The New Romantic’ [SXSW 2018]

“Romance is dead,” proclaims Blake Conway (Jessica Barden), a college senior and aspiring journalist who writes an anonymous romance column for the school’s ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 11, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Wobble Palace’ [SXSW 2018]

Wobble Palace, premiering at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival, is one of the most uncomfortable films I’ve ever sat through, an examination of ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 11, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Heavy Trip’ [SXSW 2018]

Anguished screams can be heard emanating from the basement of a slaughterhouse in a small Finnish village, but it’s not the resident reindeer ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 11, 20180

Movie Review: ‘The Vanishing of Sidney Hall’

When we first meet Sidney Hall (Logan Lerman), he’s standing at the front of his English class, reciting an essay on the meaning ...

By Brent HankinsMarch 1, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Mute’

As Netflix continues to expand its library of original content, the streaming network’s executive team seems uniquely focused on attracting top-tier Hollywood talent, ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 27, 20180

DVD & Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Coco’

Coco is one of Pixar's most original and inspiring projects in years, and this fully loaded Blu-ray is yet another example of Disney ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 27, 20180

Movie Review: ‘Black Panther’

Despite the overwhelming success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (a collective gross of more than $5 billion domestically), the studio has oft been ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 15, 20180

‘Deadpool 2’ Trailer: Well, That’s Just Lazy Writing

Ryan Reynolds is bringing his foul-mouthed mutant mercenary back to the big screen in just a few shorts months, and the Deadpool 2 ...

By Brent HankinsFebruary 7, 20180

Phoenix Critics Circle Announces 2017 Award Nominations

The Phoenix Critics Circle proudly announces nominees for its annual awards. Members have narrowed the films from 2017 to the top nominees in ...

By Brent HankinsDecember 12, 20170

Movie Review: ‘Darkest Hour’

Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk provided audiences with a gripping look at one of the most harrowing moments of World War II, told from the ...

By Brent HankinsDecember 7, 20170

Movie Review: ‘The Disaster Artist’

Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space is often regarded as the worst film in the history of cinema, but if you set ...

By Brent HankinsDecember 6, 20170

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