Randy Cordova

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
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 18, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 7, 2019
4.5/5 97% Pain and Glory (Dolor y gloria) (2019) "Pain and Glory" stays with you, and grows richer with reflection. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 17, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 9, 2019
4/5 82% Judy (2019) Despite its flaws, "Judy" can leave you feeling like an emotional wreck by the end. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 26, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 4, 2019
4/5 57% Tod@s Caen (2019) [T]he film is breezy and engaging, with sharp and snappy dialogue. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 28, 2019
3.5/5 88% Ready or Not (2019) This isn't a great horror movie so much as a fun thrill ride. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 21, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 21, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 9, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 17, 2019
4/5 76% Papi Chulo (2019) Bomer masterfully inhabits the role, with Sean's neuroses and sadness always ringing true. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 10, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 29, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 1, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 1, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 16, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 4, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 21, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 14, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 6, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 27, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 13, 2019
2/5 72% Piercing (2019) Ultimately, it's just a gorgeous, gruesomely wrapped package with little inside. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 31, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 24, 2019
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 7, 2019
4/5 64% Bird Box (2018) Bird Box is scary, but it also feels very human. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 18, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 19, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 7, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 5, 2018
3.5/5 76% Monster Party (2018) Pretty effective and rather fun, if you have the stomach for this sort of thing. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 30, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 9, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 2, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 2, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 17, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 17, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 11, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 5, 2018
2.5/5 No Score Yet Ya Veremos (2018) Despite competent performances all around, you never feel much chemistry between the actors. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 30, 2018
4/5 92% Searching (2018) In its most inventive moments, it almost feels like a new way of storytelling. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 27, 2018
4/5 50% Down a Dark Hall (2018) This supernatural chiller is a delightfully sneaky surprise. - Arizona Republic EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 14, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 18, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 5, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 28, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 14, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 24, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted May 3, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 5, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 1, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 8, 2018
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 EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 18, 2018