Randy Cordova
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
Los Angeles Times,
Arizona Republic,
Journal News (Westchester, NY)
Critics' Group:
Phoenix Film Critics Society
Movie Reviews Only
T-Meter | Title | Year | Review | |
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3/5 | 95% | A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) |
One is left wanting to know more about Mr. Rogers, but the film reduces him to little more than a kind of superhero family therapist. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Nov 18, 2019
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3.5/5 | 78% | Doctor Sleep (2019) |
For all its missteps, including a comic-book tone at times, the film's humanity continually pulls you in. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Nov 7, 2019
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4.5/5 | 97% | Pain and Glory (Dolor y gloria) (2019) |
"Pain and Glory" stays with you, and grows richer with reflection. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Oct 17, 2019
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1.5/5 | 4% | Mary (2019) |
The Anthony Jaswinski screenplay, besides giving the actors no characters whatsoever to play, is also overly familiar. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Oct 9, 2019
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4/5 | 82% | Judy (2019) |
Despite its flaws, "Judy" can leave you feeling like an emotional wreck by the end. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Sep 26, 2019
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4.5/5 | 97% | Love, Antosha (2019) |
It serves as both a celebration of Yelchin's life and a tribute to his parents, particularly his mother. That infuses the film with a warmth and compassion that keeps it from feeling like a funeral-service memorial. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Sep 4, 2019
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4/5 | 57% | Tod@s Caen (2019) |
[T]he film is breezy and engaging, with sharp and snappy dialogue. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 28, 2019
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3.5/5 | 88% | Ready or Not (2019) |
This isn't a great horror movie so much as a fun thrill ride. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 21, 2019
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3.5/5 | 39% | Angel Has Fallen (2019) |
Is "Angel Has Fallen" the kind of thing you'll remember in a year? Probably not, but it will keep you entertained for a couple of hours on an August night, and that's all it's aiming for. Mission accomplished. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 21, 2019
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85% | Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) |
Even if you've never watched a whole episode of "Dora the Explorer" you'd have to be a grinch not to be slightly charmed by the whole thing. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 9, 2019
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4.5/5 | 84% | The Art of Self-Defense (2019) |
Stearns says some people have compared the film to a comic "Fight Club," but it feels like something that is wholly original ⁠- and compelling. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jul 17, 2019
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4/5 | 76% | Papi Chulo (2019) |
Bomer masterfully inhabits the role, with Sean's neuroses and sadness always ringing true. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jun 10, 2019
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4/5 | 55% | Ma (2019) |
"Ma" is one loony little horror film, and Octavia Spencer has a grand old time being the craziest thing in it. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted May 29, 2019
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2/5 | 33% | The Intruder (2019) |
So, basically, a lot of things happen; not interesting or believable things, but, hey, there's movement and action. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted May 1, 2019
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3.5/5 | 80% | The Last (2019) |
It's the type of premise that simply makes one wonder what they would do in a similar situation, which is usually a good sign. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted May 1, 2019
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2.5/5 | 29% | The Curse of La Llorona (2019) |
There is no sense of dread or impending doom; instead it's just one jolt after another. It's like having someone jump out at you every five minutes, and about as much fun. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Apr 16, 2019
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4/5 | 58% | Pet Sematary (2019) |
Always a dependable actor, Clarke does exemplary work here; as he's overcome with grief, you understand why he's reaching for any kind of way to keep his family together. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Apr 4, 2019
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3.5/5 | 82% | Sorry Angel (Plaire, aimer et courir vite) (2019) |
The city - and the film itself - seemed to be bathed in blue, and it somehow feels both warm and cool at the same time. Warm, as in richly evocative, but also crisp and unsentimental. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Mar 21, 2019
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2.5/5 | 13% | No Manches Frida 2 (2019) |
If the original was lightweight fun, this one is even more inconsequential. Still, Chaparro almost manages to make the whole thing worthwhile. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Mar 14, 2019
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2/5 | 44% | The Wedding Guest (2019) |
[Winterbottom] has a great feeling for atmosphere, with lots of bustling street scenes and seedy hotel rooms, but it never translates to anything close to excitement. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Mar 6, 2019
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1.5/5 | No Score Yet | I Killed My Husband (He matado a mi marido!) (2019) |
The movie seems designed as a vehicle for Alonso, who even performs the movie's title tune. She can be a zesty comic actress with the right material. Here, she goes down singing with the ship. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Feb 27, 2019
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4/5 | 78% | Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben) (2019) |
Think of it this way: If this were a book, it would be described as a page-turner. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Feb 13, 2019
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2/5 | 72% | Piercing (2019) |
Ultimately, it's just a gorgeous, gruesomely wrapped package with little inside. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jan 31, 2019
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1.5/5 | 20% | Serenity (2019) |
It's a bonkers experience similar to watching "The Postman Always Rings Twice" during a particularly heavy acid trip. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jan 24, 2019
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4/5 | 81% | Perfectos Desconocidos (2019) |
The movie is delicately perched between low-key believability and telenovela melodramatics, yet never falls too far to one side. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jan 7, 2019
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4/5 | 64% | Bird Box (2018) |
Bird Box is scary, but it also feels very human. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Dec 18, 2018
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4/5 | 88% | Museum (Museo) (2018) |
Moviegoers looking for the kind of zip found in an "Ocean's" movie may feel a bit lost at sea with "Museo" and its offbeat rhythms and quirky charms. But the rewards definitely will be greater, if you keep an open mind. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Nov 19, 2018
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4/5 | 80% | Boy Erased (2018) |
As a director, Edgerton's strength is his economy. He doesn't reach for the florid or the melodramatic, even when opportunity arises. Instead, his approach is quiet and encompassing. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Nov 7, 2018
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2/5 | 39% | The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) |
Alvarez has designed the movie as more of an action thriller, but it's not like we're invested enough in anyone to care about the outcome. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Nov 5, 2018
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3.5/5 | 76% | Monster Party (2018) |
Pretty effective and rather fun, if you have the stomach for this sort of thing. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Oct 30, 2018
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3.5/5 | 74% | Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) |
Despite the presence of people like Jeff Bridges and Jon Hamm, it's the lesser names who make the strongest impressions. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Oct 9, 2018
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4/5 | 31% | Loving Pablo (2018) |
At its heart, this is a soap opera - a bloody one, sure, but still a soap with deliciously ripe dialogue and a diva at the center. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Oct 2, 2018
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5/5 | 90% | A Star Is Born (2018) |
Somehow, Cooper has made a Hollywood fairy tale seem utterly believable and magical at the same time. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Oct 2, 2018
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4.5/5 | 88% | Love, Gilda (2018) |
As a love letter to a talented and endearing soul, it's hard to fault "Love, Gilda." Like its subject, it feels remarkably honest and genuine. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Sep 17, 2018
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1.5/5 | 13% | Life Itself (2018) |
"Life Itself" is one of the worst kind of bad movies, because it achieves nothing that it sets out to do. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Sep 17, 2018
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4/5 | 84% | A Simple Favor (2018) |
For all its ludicrous plot twists and a mystery that falls too conveniently into place, "A Simple Favor" is just fun. It's light and frothy. Secrets are revealed, great-looking people wear fabulous clothes, and it's all perfectly twisty and engrossing. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Sep 11, 2018
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3.5/5 | 51% | Destination Wedding (2018) |
Watching unpleasant characters onscreen isn't always a fun experience, so casting Reeves and Ryder is genius. They're both full-on movie stars: charismatic, wildly photogenic, the whole nine yards - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Sep 5, 2018
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2.5/5 | No Score Yet | Ya Veremos (2018) |
Despite competent performances all around, you never feel much chemistry between the actors. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 30, 2018
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4/5 | 92% | Searching (2018) |
In its most inventive moments, it almost feels like a new way of storytelling. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 27, 2018
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4/5 | 50% | Down a Dark Hall (2018) |
This supernatural chiller is a delightfully sneaky surprise. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Aug 14, 2018
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4/5 | 79% | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) |
If the original plot seemed like a flimsy excuse to trot out a bunch of ABBA's Europop classics, the new film basically does away with a plot altogether. But really, who needs one? - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jul 18, 2018
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4.5/5 | 88% | Whitney (2018) |
Most of all, it's clear-eyed and remarkably honest, and Macdonald shows a flair for illustrating how Houston's life fits in the bigger picture. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jul 5, 2018
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3/5 | 49% | Boundaries (2018) |
Every so often, writer-director Shana Feste will drop in a line or a situation that doesn't feel like something she picked up from Indie Screenwriting Tropes 101, and you feel yourself being drawn into the story. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jun 28, 2018
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2.5/5 | 49% | A Kid Like Jake (2018) |
The movie's premise sounds like it should be the basis for a barbed satire of the finest proportions. Instead, it opts for a tone that is decidedly sober and lacking any kind of sharp edge. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jun 14, 2018
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4/5 | 58% | Always at the Carlyle (2018) |
It's one part history lesson and one part ode to the rapidly fading quality of refinement. But mostly, it's a chance to indulge in juicy celebrity stories, catnip for those who love that kind of thing. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted May 24, 2018
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3.5/5 | 24% | Overboard (2018) |
Writers and directors Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg don't do anything particularly clever or inspired, but they display a knack for snappy dialogue and draw solid work from the cast. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted May 3, 2018
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3.5/5 | 72% | Gemini (2018) |
[Kirke] possesses an endearing, thoroughly non-actressy quality. She feels completely real and unrehearsed, like she's saying the lines for the first time. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Apr 5, 2018
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2.5/5 | 18% | Death Wish (2018) |
The film, much like Willis' performance, never flatlines, but it never delivers the thrills you expect from this type of genre piece. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Mar 1, 2018
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3.5/5 | 22% | La Boda De Valentina (2018) |
A lot of things are tossed at viewers; some work, some don't. But it's a genial, pleasant farce that grows more enjoyable once it calms down and stops being so frantic. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Feb 8, 2018
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4/5 | 42% | Den of Thieves (2018) |
"Den of Thieves" won't win any points for originality, but it sure has fun swiping bits and pieces from other movies. - Arizona Republic
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| Posted Jan 18, 2018
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