Chris Bumbray
Tomatometer-approved critic
| Publications: | rec.arts.movies.reviews, JoBlo's Movie Emporium, DVD Clinic |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92% | Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) |
Its impressive how RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET does something similar to what READY PLAYER ONE tried to do, namely satirize our obsession with pop culture and the internet, but be a lot more effective with the message by being subtle. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Nov 16, 2018
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| 7/10 | 40% | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) |
A dark and grim turn for the franchise that's already splitting critics. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Nov 16, 2018
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| 41% | The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) |
Loses sight of what made Lisabeth Salander such an intriguing character in the first place. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Nov 9, 2018
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| 80% | Overlord (2018) |
OVERLORD is one of the horror sleeper hits of the year and a blast from start to finish.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Nov 8, 2018
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| 5/10 | 32% | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) |
A curious mix of high art and commerce, the tell-tale shared directing credit held by Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston tells you all you need to know about the movie's production. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Nov 2, 2018
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| 62% | Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) |
While a touch too vanilla and very sanitized, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY works the way it was intended, as a celebration of the band and its music. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Oct 31, 2018
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| 0% | London Fields (2018) |
Utterly impossibly to separate from the off-screen drama. The finished result wasn't worth the agony everyone went through to get it on the screen. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Oct 24, 2018
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| 96% | The Hate U Give (2018) |
A strong, empathetic film that deserves to be widely seen. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Oct 16, 2018
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| 6/10 | 58% | The House That Jack Built (2018) |
Depraved, troubling but always compelling with a career best performance by star Matt Dillon. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2018
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| 6/10 | 29% | Venom (2018) |
Silly fun. Tom Hardy plays the infected Eddie like a cross between fifties-era Marlon Brando, nineties-era Al Pacino and mugging for the cameras Jerry Lewis, making him unlike any superhero lead you've ever seen. He's oddly mesmerizing. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Oct 5, 2018
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| 73% | Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) |
A brilliant noir pastiche with Jeff Bridges and Cynthia Erivo the perfect pair to give it some emotional heft. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Oct 4, 2018
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| 89% | All About Nina (2018) |
Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers a gutsy performance in a solid little indie sleeper. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2018
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| 76% | Smallfoot (2018) |
Surprisingly clever, fun kids flick. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2018
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| 13% | Life Itself (2018) |
Mawkish and manipulative, although well-acted.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2018
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| 88% | Driven (2018) |
If all you know about the DeLorean is that it's the time machine in BACK TO THE FUTURE< get ready for a wild ride. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 19, 2018
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| 78% | Hotel Mumbai (2018) |
Difficult to watch at times, but ultimately life affirming.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 19, 2018
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| 70% | Hold the Dark (2018) |
Difficult to watch and only occasionally impressive.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 17, 2018
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| 59% | The Front Runner (2018) |
A strong return to form for Jason Reitman with a strong cast.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 17, 2018
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| 8/10 | 100% | Everything or Nothing (2012) |
While not a perfect summation of the series (no "official" doc ever could be) - EVERYTHING OR NOTHING is still a very entertaining rundown of my all-time favorite big-screen hero, although I'll admit I'm an easy lay when it comes to 007. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 17, 2018
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| 85% | Destroyer (2018) |
A career redefining performance by Nicole Kidman. One of the best films out of this year's TIFF.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2018
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| 99% | Roma (2018) |
An absolute classic. Will be taught in film schools someday.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2018
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| 91% | Widows (2018) |
A lean-and-mean action flick with one of the year's best ensemble casts. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2018
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| 85% | Boy Erased (2018) |
Provocative and well-acted, but fells rushed towards the end.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 13, 2018
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| 76% | Mid90s (2018) |
An impressively low key debut for Jonah Hill as a director. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 13, 2018
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| 88% | First Man (2018) |
A viceral, thrilling experience expertly directed and acted.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 11, 2018
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| 94% | If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) |
Regina King is superb.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 10, 2018
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| 58% | White Boy Rick (2018) |
Grimly effective and powerfully acted.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 10, 2018
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| 90% | A Star Is Born (2018) |
Believe the hype. Cooper is a born director and Lady Gaga is superb.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 9, 2018
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| 79% | Halloween (2018) |
a lean, mean, old-school slasher that will delight longtime fans and win new ones ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 9, 2018
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| 69% | Beautiful Boy (2018) |
A sobering, realistic look at drug addiction with strong performances all around. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 8, 2018
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| 85% | The Sisters Brothers (2018) |
John C. Reilly's work is Oscar-worthy.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 8, 2018
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| 83% | Monsters and Men (2018) |
Well acted and compassionate.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 7, 2018
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| 33% | The Predator (2018) |
A total blast as long as you're willing to go along for the ride. The ensemble cast is excellent.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 7, 2018
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| 9/10 | 58% | Outlaw King (2018) |
Underserved audiences looking for legit spectacle designed for a grown-up audience will eat this up. It's superb.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Sep 7, 2018
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| 30% | Kin (2018) |
Feels very "streaming TV", but well acted and modestly entertaining with a few dynamic moments. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 30, 2018
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| 23% | The Happytime Murders (2018) |
if you found the trailer funny you'll probably feel the same way about the movie. If, like me, it made you cringe at how unfunny it was, stay away. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 24, 2018
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| 81% | Alpha (2018) |
Well worth seeing in IMAX 3D‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 20, 2018
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| 23% | Mile 22 (2018) |
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 16, 2018
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| 92% | Crazy Rich Asians (2018) |
The first good date movie to come along in quite some time. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 14, 2018
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| 6/10 | 30% | The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018) |
While The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter doesn't come close to being on-par with Hill's other work, being too mainstream and toned-down, it's still a solid watch and good for a few laughs. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 13, 2018
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| 92% | A Prayer Before Dawn (2018) |
A staggering showcase for star Joe Cole. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 9, 2018
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| 45% | The Meg (2018) |
Disappointingly straight-forward. Not as much silly fun as you might hope for. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 9, 2018
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| 71% | Christopher Robin (2018) |
Probably better for younger kids and their parents than older kids more used to Star Wars and Pixar, but quite charming and sweet. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 3, 2018
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| 5/10 | 49% | The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) |
Not funny at all, but, director Susanna Fogel has a legitimately great eye for action, so this could be something of a calling card for her directing a different kind of film. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Aug 1, 2018
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| 8/10 | 93% | Searching (2018) |
Without a doubt, Searching is the most effective use yet of the screen life technique, although I'd like to see it may be used outside of the thriller genre. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Jul 31, 2018
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| 44% | Hot Summer Nights (2018) |
Not terribly original, with it playing like the director watched Risky Business, Boogie Nights and Blow a little too closely - but still entertaining. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Jul 26, 2018
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| 97% | Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) |
It's one of those perfect modern blockbusters like THE DARK KNIGHT, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, SKYFALL, and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. It illustrates just how good a movie like this could be. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Jul 26, 2018
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| 84% | The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2018) |
A low-budget charmer with checking-out. Sam Elliot goes-for-broke in an award worthy performance. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Jul 24, 2018
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| 7/10 | 85% | Nightmare Cinema (2018) |
I had a good time with it, and for the Dante segment alone it's a must-see.‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Jul 23, 2018
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| 57% | Under the Silver Lake (2019) |
SOUTHLAND TALES all over again. ‐ JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Read More | Posted Jul 20, 2018
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