JAKE COYLE

Film writer and critic

Coyle is a film writer and critic for The Associated Press.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Godzilla, left, and Kong in a scene from "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
‘Godzilla x Kong’ maintains box-office dominion in second weekend
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” easily swatted away a pair of challengers to hold on to the top spot at the box office for the second week in a row, according to studio estimates Sunday.
 
This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from the film "Monkey Man." (Universal Pictures via AP)
Movie Review: Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ is a political allegory bathed in blood
Like “Slumdog Millionaire,” Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” is set in Mumbai and has a touch of fable to it. But in tone and texture, it could hardly be more different.
 
★★★★
This image released by Apple TV+ shows a scene from "Girls State." (Apple TV+ via AP)
As Roe v. Wade fell, teenage girls formed a mock government in ‘Girls State’
In the summer of 2022, days before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some 500 high school girls gathered in Missouri for a weeklong mock government camp in which they elected their own governor and seated an all-female Supreme Court that would rule on their own bodies.
 
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Godzilla, left, and Kong in a scene from "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Movie Review: ‘Godzilla x Kong’ has scales and scale but not much else
As the old saying goes, there are two kinds of people on this Earth: Those who like their movies with a giant evil ape swinging a vertebrae like a lasso while riding a kaiju controlled by a crystal, and those who don’t.
 
★★★★
This image released by Neon shows Josh O'Connor, center, in a scene from "La Chimera." (Neon via AP)
Movie Review: Alice Rohrwacher’s tombaroli tale ‘La Chimera’ is pure magic - QA-2
When we talk about “movie magic,” the first thing that comes to mind is often something like the bikes achieving liftoff in “E.T.”
 
★★★★
Olivia Colman, left, and Jessie Buckley pose for a portrait to promote "Wicked Little Letters" on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley on the joys of foul language and friendship
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley play women brought together by letters in the new film “Wicked Little Letters” but their preferred means of communication is WhatsApp. They are real-life pals who play bitter enemies in “Wicked Little Letter.”
 
This image released by Apple TV+ shows Steve Martin in a scene from the documentary "Steve! (Martin) a Documentary in 2 Pieces." (Apple TV+ via AP)
The irony of Steve Martin’s life isn’t lost on him
People participate in documentaries for all kinds of reasons. But Steve Martin may be unique in making a film about his life with the instruction of: “See if you can make sense of all THAT.” Morgan Neville’s Apple TV+ documentary “STEVE!
 
FILE - In this Jan.. 6, 2009, file photo, Golden Globe statuettes are seen during a news conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
Golden Globes land 5-year deal to air on CBS, stream on Paramount+
The Golden Globes and CBS have reached a five-year deal to broadcast the annual award show and stream it live on Paramount+.
 
This image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, Dan Aykroyd and Patton Oswalt in a scene from "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is No. 1 with $45.2M, Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Immaculate’ lands in fourth--Test
Ghost busting is still a good business. According to studio estimates Sunday, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend. That gave Sony Pictures its first No. 1 film since last summer.
 
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Anya Taylor-Joy in a scene from "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
‘Furiosa,’ the follow-up to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ will premiere at Cannes Film Festival - updated .1
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” George Miller’s eagerly awaited follow-up to “Mad Max: Fury Road,” will make its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
 
This image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Celeste O'Connor, Kumail Nanjiani, Finn Wolfhard and James Acaster in a scene from "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." (Jaap Buitendijk/Columbia Pictures/Sony via AP)
Movie Review: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ clears a low bar--Test1.
Forty years after “Ghostbusters” and following a string of sequels that never measured up to the original it’s fair to wonder, well, who else ought we to call?
 
★★★★
Kirsten Dunst arrives for the world premiere of "Civil War," at the Paramount Theatre during the South by Southwest Film Festival, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)
‘Civil War,’ an election-year provocation, premieres at SXSW film festival
“Civil War,” Alex Garland’s election-year provocation, debuted at the SXSW Film and TV Festival, unveiling a violent vision of a near-future America at war with itself.
 
Ryan Gosling arrives for the world premiere of "The Fall Guy" at the Paramount Theatre during the South by Southwest Film Festival on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)
‘The Fall Guy,’ a love letter to stunt performers, premieres at SXSW
Coming nearly straight from the Oscars with a truck full of Kenergy, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt rolled into South By Southwest to premiere “The Fall Guy,” an affectionate, action-fueled ode to stunt work and the dedicated professionals that throw their bodies into filmmaking.
 
Lily Gladstone arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Emma Stone won, but Lily Gladstone didn’t lose
The Academy Awards were full of sure-things, long-awaited anointments and easy predictions. That puts even more focus on the category that was hardest to call: best actress. Emma Stone’s win over Lily Gladstone was a difficult to define result.
 
This image released by Universal Pictures shows characters Shifu, voiced by Dustin Hoffman, left, and Po, voiced by Jack Black in a scene from DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 4." (DreamWorks Animation/Universal Pictures via AP)
‘Kung Fu Panda 4' opens No. 1, while ‘Dune: Part Two’ stays strong
As Universal Pictures prepared for a big night at the Academy Awards with “Oppenheimer,” the studio also celebrated the No. 1 debut of “Kung Fu Panda 4,” which collected $58.3 million in domestic theaters over the weekend.
 
Emma Thomas, left, and Christopher Nolan accept the award for best picture for "Oppenheimer" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
‘Oppenheimer’ crowned best picture at an Academy Awards shadowed by war
“Oppenheimer,” a solemn three-hour biopic that became an unlikely billion-dollar box-office sensation, was crowed best picture at a 96th Academy Awards that doubled as a coronation for Christopher Nolan.
 
People walk by an Oscars statue on the red carpet ahead of the 96th Academy Awards, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Who will win at the Oscars? See full predictions from AP’s film writers
Ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards, Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr are offering their complete list of predictions. In all, Oscars in 23 categories will be handed out at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
 
FILE - The marquee of the Los Feliz Theatre features the films "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," Friday, July 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. Both films were blockbusters in 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File
And the Oscar goes to ... a movie most people have seen
The Oscars are poised to do something on Sunday that they haven’t done in a very long time: Hand its top award to a blockbuster.
 
Oscars preview image of the Oppenheimer film
Oscar worthy? AP film critics decide
 
This image released by A24 shows Katy O’Brian, left, and Kristen Stewart in a scene from "Love Lies Bleeding." (Anna Kooris/A24 via AP)
Movie Review: ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ is peak Kristen Stewart - Test
Muscles ripple, veins pop and electronic music throbs in “Love Lies Bleeding,” a heaving, hyper-sexy neo-noir drenched in sweat, blood and bug guts, writes Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review.
 
★★★★
This image released by Netflix shows Michael Fassbender as an assassin in a scene from "The Killer." (Netflix via AP)
Best cameo? Best hat? Ahead of the Oscars, AP hands out its own awards
The Academy Awards honor many things in movies but not some of the most important. Ahead of Sunday’s Oscars, AP Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle make selections for their own awards.
 
FILE - Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks at the Oscars on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Kimmel will host the 96th Oscars on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Q&A: Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the Oscars again. This time, it’s an election year
Through one of the most tumultuous periods in Oscar history, through flub and slap, Jimmy Kimmel has emerged as the steadying hand and abiding face of the Academy Awards.
 
This image released by Janus and Sideshow Films shows a scene from "About Dry Grasses." (Sideshow and Janus Films via AP)
Movie Review: The colossal melancholy of Ceylan’s ‘About Dry Grasses’ - test update
Nuri Bilge Ceylan makes long films, by movie standards, but short ones by Russian literature standards. There may be no filmmaker more consciously working in a novelistic tradition.
 
★★★★
This image released by Apple TV+ shows Lily Gladstone, left, and director Martin Scorsese on the set of "Killers of the Flower Moon." (Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV+ via AP)
What will win at the Oscars? AP’s film writers set their predictions
It’s been a stellar year in film, and not just because of the convergence of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” and their release dates.
 
U.S. director Martin Scorsese, left, and Wim Wenders attend the presentation of the Honorary Golden Bear at this year's Berlinale, in Berlin, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. Scorsese received the award for his life's work. The 74th Berlin International Film Festival runs through Feb. 25. (Britta Pedersen/dpa via AP)
We may be living in the golden age of older filmmakers. This year’s Oscars are evidence
Old age may be debated as a liability on the presidential campaign trail, but it’s not at this year’s Oscars. The 83-year-old Hayao Miyazaki is the older director ever nominated for best animated film.
 
Lily Gladstone accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for "Killers of the Flower Moon" during the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
‘Oppenheimer,’ Lily Gladstone win at 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards
“Oppenheimer” continued to steamroll through Hollywood’s awards season on Saturday, winning the top prize, for outstanding cast, along with awards for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
 
Jack Fisk poses for a portrait during the 96th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Inside the enduring movie homes of Jack Fisk, production design legend
The legendary production designer Jack Fisk has for half a century been building some of the most indelible homes and structures of movies.
 
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Movie Review: ‘Dune: Part Two’ sustains the dystopian dream of ‘Part One'-Test1.
 
★★★★
Writer/director Ethan Coen, left, and writer Tricia Cooke pose for a portrait to promote "Drive-Away Dolls" on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)
Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke give sexploitation cinema a queer spin in ‘Drive-Away Dolls’
Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s “Drive-Away Dolls” signifies both the much-awaited return of Coen to narrative filmmaking and the giddy revival of a long-dormant spirit of ’70s B-movie filmmaking.
 
FILE - The Beatles address the media in the press room of Kennedy International Airport on their arrival, Feb. 7, 1964 in New York. The Beatles are getting the big-screen biopic treatment in not just one but a Fab Four of movies that will give each band member their own film, all of which are to be directed by Sam Mendes. (AP Photo, File)
Beatles to get a Fab Four of biopics, with a movie each for Paul, John, George and Ringo
The Beatles are getting the big-screen biopic treatment in a Fab Four of movies that will give each band member their own film. All are to be directed by Sam Mendes.
 
Load More