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B+
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Rodeo
(2022)
|
Kimber Myers
|
There are undercurrents of danger, desire, and unpredictability in Rodeo even beyond the risks of street racing, with much of it rising from the combined fierceness and vulnerability of Julie Ledru’s character and performance.
Posted Mar 21, 2023
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D+
|
Scream VI
(2023)
|
Kimber Myers
|
With Scream VI, Scream (2022) filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are so interested in reinventing Wes Craven’s saga and keeping audiences guessing and grossed out that they’ve made a film that makes no impact at all.
Posted Mar 21, 2023
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B
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Inside
(2023)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
If art is truly about suffering, Dafoe (who did get a Best Actor nom playing suffering artist Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate a few years back) goes through a lot of it in Inside -- and it’s a sight to behold.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
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D+
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Craving
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
Drug addiction as a metaphor for demonic possession is a strong hook for a horror movie, but director and co-writer J. Horton never finds a coherent way of expressing it.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Punch
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The cliches outweigh the tenderness in this wispy, meandering drama about the relationship between a macho teenage boxer and his sensitive gay classmate.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Sound of Silence
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
The sudden appearance and disappearance of ghosts loses its potency after a while, and the movie doesn't have any other reliable ways of jolting the audience.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
B-
|
The Year Between
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The dark humor is more effective than the earnest family bonding, although Heller's genuine love and gratitude eventually shine through.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
C
|
The Donor Party
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
Characters and subplots come and go seemingly at random, and writer-director Thom Harp has no sense of what's potentially funny about any of them.
Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Linoleum
(2022)
|
Kimber Myers
|
With his second feature, writer-director Colin West has made the type of movie that you want to encourage people to see, not only for how good it is, but so that you have someone to talk about it with, with no danger of spoiling its surprises.
Posted Mar 04, 2023
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B-
|
Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
(2023)
|
Kimber Myers
|
Operation Fortune is a perfectly fine Guy Ritchie film, full of the requisite glam locations, sharp tailoring, and smug heroes, but Hugh Grant elevates this brisk, breezy action movie every minute he’s on screen.
Posted Mar 04, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Creed III
(2023)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
With Creed III, Jordan does go all out in proving he can give audiences a sufficient fight movie. But, just like all the Rocky pictures Stallone directed, it’s mostly a mighty, mediocre show.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
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|
|
Next Stop Wonderland
(1998)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
It’s easy to see why Weinstein wanted this Wonderland. It’s a kooky, audience-friendly tale of star-crossed romance...
Posted Feb 23, 2023
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|
|
My Baby's Daddy
(2004)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
Griffin and the three other credited screenwriters come up with jokes and characters that are tired, lame and downright embarrassing.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
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|
|
Mimic
(1997)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
Even though the story is your standard-issue, scary-movie pap, full of supposedly intelligent human beings making the most boneheaded decisions, those giant, flying cockroaches are still some scary mofos.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
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|
|
B. Monkey
(1998)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
Even without the clunky pacing and hella gratuitous nudity, Monkey is still a pitiful, lame-ass attempt at being both carnal and criminal.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
|
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C
|
Who Are You People
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
Writer-director Ben Epstein never quite balances the jarring tonal shifts of his coming-of-age drama.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
C-
|
The Welder
(2021)
|
Josh Bell
|
Director David Liz is better at building vague unease than he is at delivering social commentary.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
B+
|
The Other Fellow
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The structure can be a little haphazard, but the individual stories are fascinating enough to hold the viewer's interest on their own.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
C
|
Devil's Peak
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
The setting and the plot are thinly sketched, and the suspense and thrills are minimal.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Lamya's Poem
(2021)
|
Josh Bell
|
With its blandly educational tone and unremarkable animation, Lamya's Poem is never as rousing or inspirational as it's meant to be.
Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
B
|
Magic Mike's Last Dance
(2023)
|
Kimber Myers
|
There’s alchemy at work in Magic Mike’s Last Dance; it bares far less skin than its two predecessors, but this third movie in the Steven Soderbergh franchise is somehow its sexiest ...
Posted Feb 21, 2023
|
|
B
|
Knock at the Cabin
(2023)
|
Kimber Myers
|
... Most of the pleasures of Knock at the Cabin arrive from two sources: Shyamalan’s masterful filmmaking and Bautista’s nuanced performance.
Posted Feb 21, 2023
|
|
D+
|
Shotgun Wedding
(2023)
|
Kimber Myers
|
Shotgun Wedding isn’t the worst rom-com ever made, but it’s the type of generically terrible offering that serves as a reminder of why my beloved genre fell out of fashion — a fate that Jennifer Lopez herself may be partially responsible for.
Posted Feb 21, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Missing
(2023)
|
Kimber Myers
|
Though Missing has more serious subjects on its mind than just advocating for unique passwords and better digital hygiene, this is a highly engaging, slightly silly movie mystery made more for Gen Z than its predecessor was.
Posted Feb 21, 2023
|
|
D+
|
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
Despite some reshoots that followed the viral success of the movie's trailer, Blood and Honey is still just a low-budget horror quickie, virtually indistinguishable from any of the 80-plus other movies that producer Scott Jeffrey has worked on since 2016.
Posted Feb 16, 2023
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|
|
Marnie
(1964)
|
Sean Burns
|
A sinister, unpleasant picture, yet you can’t stop thinking about it. When the movie’s over you want to take a shower, and then talk about it some more.
Posted Feb 14, 2023
|
|
C-
|
Somebody I Used To Know
(2023)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
Franco and Brie [are] once again trying to breathe fresh, new life into a stale movie genre. But, apart from bringing some more multicultural flavor, it’s another toxic, tiresome love train you and your significant other can get on this Valentine’s Day.
Posted Feb 09, 2023
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|
B+
|
Daughter
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
Immerses the viewer in an eerie world within the house's beige interiors, making Father and his warped ideas scary and mesmerizing, right up to the chilling final shot.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
C
|
Line of Fire
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The filmmakers seem to think they're making a profound existential statement, but that's just window dressing for cheap exploitation.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
B
|
Woman of the Photographs
(2020)
|
Josh Bell
|
Sometimes it's a little too opaque, but it's compelling even when it's baffling.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
C-
|
Frankie Meets Jack
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
Somehow, even the dog acting is bad.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
C
|
Who Invited Charlie?
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
This amiable but listless comedy alternates between awkward humor and awkward sentiment.
Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
C-
|
80 for Brady
(2023)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
As delightful as it is to see Tomlin, Fonda, Moreno, and Field together on the big screen, 80 for Brady is really a cinematic tribute to Tom Brady and how freakin’ magnificent he is.
Posted Feb 03, 2023
|
|
B
|
Erin's Guide to Kissing Girls
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
A cute, upbeat take on queer romance, focusing on personal relationships rather than coming-out angst.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
D-
|
Exceptional Beings
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
This sci-fi fiasco is startlingly incoherent, a jumble of pseudo-philosophical nonsense, horrendous special effects, and incomprehensible plotting.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Petit Mal
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
It's sometimes too sedate for its own good, but even the most mundane moments have an appealing, honest vulnerability.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
C-
|
Immortal City Records
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
The characters' motivations are inconsistent, the mystery is almost entirely nonexistent, and the supposed bangers that put the label on the map sound like knock-offs designed to trick Spotify algorithms.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Blood
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The drama is mostly flat, and the true horrors of Owen's condition only manifest when the movie is nearly over.
Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
|
Play Misty for Me
(1971)
|
Sean Burns
|
Look, if you’re an up-and-coming actor directing a film for the first and possibly last time, why wouldn’t you devote 4.2% of the total running time to Donna Mills having sex with you under a waterfall?
Posted Jan 28, 2023
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|
C+
|
Kids vs. Aliens
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
There's a lot of loud, chaotic enthusiasm, but not much coherence or excitement.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Actual People
(2021)
|
Josh Bell
|
Zauhar proves herself a worthy next-generation successor to Lena Dunham or Greta Gerwig.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
C+
|
There's Something Wrong with the Children
(2023)
|
Josh Bell
|
Benjamin relies on tired jump-scare music stings and cheap fake-outs, although the adult stars bring some bite to their characters' internal struggles.
Posted Jan 18, 2023
|
|
C-
|
The Tomorrow Job
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The time-travel mechanics are clever and reasonably cohesive, but the heist plot is a convoluted jumble of characters with confusing motivations and relationships.
Posted Jan 17, 2023
|
|
C
|
The Seven Faces of Jane
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
The kind of movie that was undoubtedly more enjoyable to make than it is to watch.
Posted Jan 17, 2023
|
|
C-
|
House Party
(2023)
|
Craig D. Lindsey
|
These supporting players provide far more laughs than Latimore and Cole.
Posted Jan 12, 2023
|
|
|
The Long Voyage Home
(1940)
|
Sean Burns
|
An achingly beautiful movie.
Posted Jan 08, 2023
|
|
B+
|
M3GAN
(2022)
|
Kimber Myers
|
... M3GAN and M3gan herself are more than just memes; this is a killer crowd-pleaser that is perfectly sinister and silly.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
|
|
|
Fanny and Alexander
(1982)
|
Sean Burns
|
Very much a filmmaker’s final statement, it’s bookended by blustery, farewell speeches from florid patriarchs to whom everybody’s only half-paying attention.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
|
|
|
Matriarch
(2022)
|
Josh Bell
|
Methodically paced and atmospheric, it erupts into glorious, graphic weirdness in the finale, and Steiner expertly navigates the tonal shifts.
Posted Dec 20, 2022
|
|
|
Teenage Emotions
(2021)
|
Josh Bell
|
An engaging and entertaining portrait of the overwhelming angst and insecurity of being a teenager, with actors who look and behave like genuine high schoolers (because they are).
Posted Dec 20, 2022
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