Michael O'Sullivan
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Michael O’Sullivan has worked since 1993 at The Washington Post, where he covers art, film and other forms of popular — and unpopular — culture.
All Stories

“The Only Living Boy in New York” starts off strong, then goes horribly wrong
It's hard to know what to make of the protagonist of "The Only Living Boy in New York," a dour but idealistic aspiring writer in his early 20s who, when...

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard”: Bloody buddy flick is par for the coarse
At once reassuringly familiar -- even starchy -- and yet oddly unsatisfying, "The Hitman's Bodyguard" is meat-and-potatoes moviemaking at its most fungible.

“Escapes” looks at the screenwriter of “Blade Runner” — and finds a talkative bore
"Escapes" is an eccentric portrait of a not especially eccentric -- or even terribly interesting -- subject: Hampton Fancher

“13 Minutes”: A portrait of the man behind the 1939 plot to kill Hitler
The German historical drama "13 Minutes" opens with the sound of strenuous human grunting, accompanied by the regular ticktock of a mechanical timer.

“Annabelle: Creation” is scary good
The Devil-doll prequel "Annabelle: Creation," while pulled together from the familiar components of the ghost story, is uncommonly, nerve-wrackingly satisfying.

“The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography”: An artist comes out from behind her camera
Photographer Elsa Dorfman is known for her large-format Polaroid portraits, created on 20-by-24-inch instant film, using one of the five cameras originally built by the company, which stopped making the...

“Valerian”: A brilliant galaxy with no signs of life
For anyone looking for more than a two-hour-plus sugar coma -- say, emotional connection to a single character -- you probably won't find it here.

Somebody’s watching me: One heart that can’t let go
By the standards of the traditional ghost story, "A Ghost Story" isn't much of one.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” spins a tale that is not just thrilling but soulful, too
The best thing about the rebooted "Planet of the Apes" film series has always been the apes.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a refreshing reboot of a familiar superhero story
In a breath of fresh air, "Homecoming" opens with a prologue that, despite the movie's origin-story contours, has nothing to do with getting bitten by a radioactive spider, or the...