|
6/10
|
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
A fun enough sequel that misses out on some of the magic of the first but still has plenty of powerful ideas up its sleeve.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
|
|
9/10
|
John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
John Wick is not only back, he’s better than ever in one of the best modern American action films this side of a Mission: Impossible.
Posted Mar 14, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
65
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Despite a simplistic premise and a lean 90-minute runtime, that logline describing the film is basically all it’s got.
Posted Mar 10, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Scream VI
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Even with a weak third act, there’s a lot of fun to be had, some very tense Ghostface chases and action, and a whole lot of gore to paint the streets of New York City red.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Project Wolf Hunting
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
This film is brutal and not for the squeamish. However, something must be said for the ingenuity on display to homage several different films creatively.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
Marlowe
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
The plot is so uninvolving and uninventive that a couple degrees to the right and Marlowe could have played as a parody.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Huesera: The Bone Woman
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Thanks to a combination of effects and performance artists contorting themselves in ways designed to shock, enough imagery is present (along with effective sound design) to make for a solid horror entry from director Michaelle Garza Cervera.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
We Have a Ghost
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
David Harbour is perfection here, offering up a terrific silent performance that is worth the price of admission (for a film streaming on Netflix).
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Bruiser
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
It builds to a breaking point that I’m not sure works all the way, but the film is never less than compelling in reaching its ultimate conclusion.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Unseen
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Utilizing split screens and all sorts of neat tricks, director Yoko Okumura gets plenty of mileage out of the video phone chat parameters.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
Inside
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
What could work as a bizarre Twilight Zone episode or at least a tighter film is an overlong drama that makes its message and themes clear without providing much else of interest beyond Dafoe’s various struggles and attempts to escape.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Champions
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
This movie is entirely fine as an underdog sports movie, even if it’s got very little new to offer, feeling like a script dug out of the early 00s basket (despite being a remake of 2018’s Campeones from Spain).
Posted Mar 07, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
The results are quite entertaining. The plotting is deceptively straightforward, and perhaps the runtime is a little longer than needed, but it’s hard to mind when one is having so much fun.
Posted Mar 01, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Creed III
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
As a directorial debut, it seems as though Michael B. Jordan felt the call and purposely stacked the deck against himself, only to still manage to go the distance.
Posted Feb 28, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
Cocaine Bear
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
It’s not as though a bear being powered by yayo doesn’t yield exciting results. I just wish the effort wasn’t so uneven.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
Marlowe
(2022)
|
Catherine Springer
|
Neeson...sleepwalks through this film, injecting not a scintilla of charisma into one of literature’s most iconic characters. He looks like he’s miserable, and it translates to a performance that is flat and lifeless, just like this film.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
The Quiet Girl
(2022)
|
Catherine Springer
|
The blending of melancholy with compassion and love is deeply moving and absolutely perfectly delivered by the three central performances from Clinch, Crowley, and Bennett.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
Linoleum
(2022)
|
Catherine Springer
|
It does take a bit to balance itself out, but once you get used to the elephant in the room, Linoleum finds its way into your heart and surprises you with its offbeat sincerity.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
A House Made of Splinters
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Given the setting, there’s an interesting level of intimacy at play, as the camera guides us through various events ranging from depressing to inspiring.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
All That Breathes
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Just seeing the work that goes into the help being provided for these birds is never less than fascinating.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
At Midnight
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
At Midnight is the sort of film that could use a strong push to do anything that could allow for more ambition or subversion.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Somebody I Used To Know
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Whatever Franco is up to with these small directorial efforts, it’s working.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Sharper
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
This isn’t the next coming of The Grifters, but as a solid drama featuring a few matchstick men, I had a lot of fun seeing where this journey would take me.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Linoleum
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Gaffigan leads the pack in what must be his best performance yet as an actor.
Posted Feb 15, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Quantumania is aggressively fine as a whole, trading in something closer to reality for a vast digital space, but as a start to Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one wonders if Scott Lang was the right man to call in for the job.
Posted Feb 14, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Who Invited Charlie?
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
It has to find that balance between being overly broad and having something to say about how people are forced to come together due to a pandemic, but I was impressed with what director Xavier Manrique pulled out here.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Attachment
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
It plays with some expectations and even leans on some familiar tropes involving Jewish mothers as a way to do something new.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
The Wandering Earth II
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
At nearly three hours, director Frant Gwo is leaning on a lot for us to care about the variety of characters involved, yet I was into it. The increased quality in the CG visual effects helped for sure, better making good on the world assembled here.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Pathaan
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
This film feels like Siddharth Anand watched all of the Mission: Impossible movies and determined John Woo’s MI2 was the best but could be done even better.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Infinity Pool
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
The first half seems to hit all of what’s needed, while the second half becomes more excessive. But the performances are undeniable, given the commitment involved. This particularly goes for an unhinged Goth.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
You People
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
What could easily be a throwaway comedy gets by on having a good number of laughs and just enough meat on the material to keep it interesting.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Knock at the Cabin
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Knock at the Cabin finds the right ways to balance impending doom with thrills that will hold the audience’s attention. As a result, this movie is Shyamalan’s best since Signs.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Kids vs. Aliens
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
This is the sort of “kids on bikes” movie that focuses less on how to cash in on certain kinds of nostalgia and more on delighting in ways to stretch a limited budget into something that looks pretty cool.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
Life Upside Down
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
It’s a downbeat character comedy that lacks much in the way of witty humor, moves at a poor pace, and looks pretty awful.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
To Leslie
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Marc Maron (also a producer) is providing not only the best work of his career (drawing on his own past for the role) but possibly delivering even better than Riseborough.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Close
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Solid visual storytelling and how the film captures friendship and heartbreak work as they need to, yet this sensitive drama doesn’t fully dare to delve into what it seems to want to get at.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
One Fine Morning
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Watching the everyday struggles Sandra goes through as a mother and daughter allow the film to pursue multiple avenues that reflect life. While some tragedy goes with it, there’s also enough significance to be found in its emotional honesty.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
Shotgun Wedding
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
There’s a fun premise here that is unfortunately hampered by the lack of much visual imagination to elevate the material above sitcom-level plotting and stakes.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
|
|
8/10
|
Cat Person
(2023)
|
Scott Menzel
|
With a sharp script and strong direction, Cat Person is a bold and ambitious film that isn’t afraid to take risks.
Posted Jan 22, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Sick
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Sick is a slasher film I could have easily seen building an audience in theaters. Instead, it’s a streaming release, but a good one.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Alice, Darling
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Alice, Darling feels a bit uneven, yet the work done by debut director Mary Nighy to portray the harsh ramifications of extreme emotional abuse deserves notice.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
Skinamarink
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
With no traditional plot and so many deliberately vague or ambiguous choices made on the part of filmmaker Kyle Edward Ball, it may come down to wanting to experience an experimental horror film attempting to condense a child’s perspective of the unknown.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
There's Something Wrong with the Children
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
The sickly green font announcing the title makes us well aware something is wrong, but the film still feels pretty right.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Plane
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
A tight little package delivering enough fun and suspense to elevate this to a standard I hope other Butler action flicks can keep delivering on.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
The Son
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
The narrative trickiness of The Father was a far more interesting challenge to portray on film than what amounts to an off-putting affair revolving around a young man’s depression and the irresponsible actions taken to counter it.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
7/10
|
Women Talking
(2022)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Not at all lacking in its punch when considering the baseline for these performances as a whole, the score by Hildur Guðnadóttir, and the moody atmosphere. I only wish I had felt more affected by the work overall.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
|
The Offering
(2022)
|
Audrey Fox
|
The Offering offers impeccable haunted house vibes and an intriguing take on Jewish demonology, but is short on actual scares.
Posted Jan 17, 2023
|
|
4/10
|
Missing
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
The expanded scope of the story and some underwhelming performances do little to allow the viewer to buy in beyond some of the more visceral or heavy-handed emotional moments.
Posted Jan 17, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
A Man Called Otto
(2022)
|
Catherine Springer
|
We know where this film is going from the first scene, but it’s easy to settle in with Hanks’ instantly entertaining characterization as he skillfully sands down Otto’s rough edges with subtle humor.
Posted Jan 11, 2023
|
|
5/10
|
The Old Way
(2023)
|
Aaron Neuwirth
|
Granted, so many westerns have been made due to being notably cheaper to make, but while this may be a step above a lot of DTV Cage films, it still feels like it’s coming from a lower tier of filmmaker as far as creating an authentic western look.
Posted Jan 11, 2023
|
