Stephanie Merry
Stephanie Merry's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer when
published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Washington Post
| Publications: | Washington Post |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4 | 77% | Loving Vincent (2017) |
Visually, it's spectacular. Conceptually, it's jaw-dropping to simply considering the effort that went into this. The story, however, doesn't always hold its own.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2017
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| 3/4 | 97% | Lucky (2017) |
Stanton, as "Lucky" reminds us, remained capable of carrying a movie even to the very end.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 5, 2017
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| 3/4 | 96% | Stronger (2017) |
"Stronger" isn't always easy to watch; Jeff makes bad decisions and life gets messy. But it does feel like a realistic depiction of one man's life.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 50% | Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) |
"Kingsman" is essentially a live-action cartoon, one that aims for an audible reaction and little else. That may not be the world's loftiest goal, but whether it results in a gagging eww or a chuckle, it's a plan that usually succeeds.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 72% | Viceroy's House (2017) |
"Viceroy's House" works, but mainly as a historical refresher on the 70th anniversary of Indian independence. As drama, it's a reminder that truth is sometimes more affecting than fiction.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 7, 2017
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| 2/4 | 30% | I Do... Until I Don't (2017) |
When we see the interviews through Vivian's camera ... the view is hilariously over-the-top. But these little bits of brilliance never last long.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 31, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 93% | Gook (2017) |
Chon's tale is ... praiseworthy, from its beautiful cinematography (by Ante Cheng in her feature debut) to its take on infamous events from a fresh perspective.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 24, 2017
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| 3.5/4 | 97% | Columbus (2017) |
The director's greatest strength lies in creating a mood. "Columbus" is melancholy without being morose, and talky without forced cleverness.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 17, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 49% | The Glass Castle (2017) |
The movie may hit home for anyone who has ever wondered how much of our identity is shaped by nature, vs. nurture.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 10, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 79% | Brigsby Bear (2017) |
"Brigsby" never ventures into the caustic simply for the sake of comedy. These days, that's refreshing. There aren't many movies that value sweetness over cynicism.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Aug 3, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 89% | Girls Trip (2017) |
"Girls Trip" accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: shock and amuse. Along the way, it reminds us how important old friends can be.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jul 20, 2017
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| 3/4 | 100% | Harold And Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2017) |
The story it tells is conventional, chronological and straightforward. And that's enough. With a story this charming, who needs bells and whistles?‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jul 13, 2017
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| 2/4 | 68% | The Journey (2017) |
Every element of the movie feels fabricated, from the stilted conversation to the all-too-convenient obstacles the movie keeps throwing in the path of progress, including a flat tire, an empty gas tank and an implausible detour to a church.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jul 6, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 76% | The Exception (The Kaiser's Last Kiss) (2017) |
For all its late-in-the-game silliness, "The Exception" is a solidly acted, well-told tale about how love of country holds up in the face of other, less nationalistic passions.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jun 29, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 16% | The Mummy (2017) |
The big thrills and few laughs are no match for the cumbersome, convoluted story, not to mention the nonexistent chemistry between Cruise and Wallis.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jun 8, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 63% | Dean (2017) |
"Dean" has its moments. The cast is solid, and the story moves along smoothly. Slight though it may be, it's a sweet enough tale, while it lasts.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jun 1, 2017
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| 1/4 | 19% | Baywatch (2017) |
Johnson being Johnson, he's still a delight to watch. But there's only so much a charismatic giant can do when he's up against a blend of lazy gross-out humor and inane male wish fulfillment weighed down by terrible editing and lame action.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted May 25, 2017
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| 3.5/4 | 92% | A Quiet Passion (2017) |
It's not easy to do justice to such a beloved, enigmatic artist, but "A Quiet Passion" was well worth the wait.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted May 11, 2017
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| 3/4 | 94% | Citizen Jane: Battle for the City (2017) |
The movie is scored like a thriller, seemingly building to some terrifying conclusion. And, in a way, it does ...‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted May 4, 2017
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| 3/4 | 87% | The Lost City of Z (2017) |
The movie is long, but never slow, even as it leaves ample time to survey the breathtaking vistas captured by cinematographer Darius Khondji.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Apr 20, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 66% | The Fate of the Furious (2017) |
"Fate" gives fans of the franchise exactly what they want, provided they can ditch logic as easily as the movie does.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Apr 13, 2017
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| 2/4 | 48% | The Ticket (2017) |
"The Ticket" is a modern-day parable about a kindly blind man who, when he gains sight, becomes generically awful.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Apr 6, 2017
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| 2/4 | 61% | The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) |
A fitfully engaging, conspicuously cleaned-up Holocaust drama that, while well-acted all around, gets bogged down by its insistence on hewing to formula.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 30, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 20% | The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017) |
It isn't so much a war movie as a melodrama that uses violence as a convenient backdrop for romantic intrigue.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 9, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 25% | Table 19 (2017) |
The movie races through each of its stories, careening toward tidy endings with all the grace of a car trying to make it though the intersection before the light turns red.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Mar 2, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 83% | A United Kingdom (2017) |
Although the relationship lacks a certain fire, the acting is superb.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Feb 16, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 83% | The Founder (2017) |
In the end, "The Founder" is little more than a deflating reminder, as if we needed one, that the winner takes all, and integrity isn't always the key to success.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 19, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | 23% | The Bye Bye Man (2017) |
The derivative work doesn't deliver scares so much as a few starts, all while ripping off such genre classics as "Candyman" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street."‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 12, 2017
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| 3/4 | 87% | A Monster Calls (2017) |
The movie is memorable for its stunning and inventive imagery, especially when the tree-monster's tales spring to life as little works of art set in motion.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Jan 5, 2017
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| 3/4 | 85% | Lion (2016) |
"Lion" is a complex movie, with its profound themes of home and identity, and its tonally disparate halves. A smartly understated approach to Brierley's story holds it all together.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 23, 2016
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| 2/4 | 14% | Collateral Beauty (2016) |
The movie manages to be simultaneously superficial and heartbreaking. That's no easy feat - nor is it a laudable one.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 15, 2016
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| 1.5/4 | 46% | The Duelist (Duelyant) (2016) |
Most fans of costume drama don't head to the movies expecting explosive exit wounds, and few action fans are going to be wowed by ostentatious lapels.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Dec 1, 2016
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| 2/4 | 56% | Rules Don't Apply (2016) |
None of the visual flourishes can make up for the way the story sags in its final stretch.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 22, 2016
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| 2/4 | 69% | Bleed For This (2016) |
No amount of feints will change one fact: "Bleed for This" has no new moves.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 17, 2016
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| 2/4 | 46% | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) |
Lee might be a pioneer, but what good is that when he leaves his story behind?‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 17, 2016
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| 3/4 | 100% | The Uncondemned (2016) |
The movie is a worthy legacy, revealing an important bit of history that could easily have been forgotten.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Nov 3, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 94% | Miss Hokusai (Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai) (2016) |
Although it's lovely to look at, the movie is disjointed and is told through a seemingly random collection of vignettes, some of which are more memorable than others.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 27, 2016
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| 1/4 | 37% | Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) |
Action movies don't have to be believable or poignant. They just have to get your adrenaline pumping. But the movie lacks inspiration in that department, too ...‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 20, 2016
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| 3/4 | 90% | A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove) (2016) |
The moving twists and turns of the love story and the bright comedy elevate an otherwise familiar story line. The mix of genres works, too.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 20, 2016
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| 3/4 | 89% | Do Not Resist (2016) |
Calls attention to a trend that has led to some startling societal changes.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 13, 2016
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| 3/4 | 80% | Girl Asleep (2016) |
"Girl Asleep" isn't easy to categorize. It's a wild curiosity that shifts on a whim. In that sense, there couldn't be a better metaphor for the inner workings of a teenage girl's mind.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 6, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 82% | Denial (2016) |
Hare's screenplay is efficient at delivering facts, but just the facts. The movie may be competent at telling its story, but it's missing one key ingredient: feeling.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Oct 6, 2016
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| 3/4 | 90% | Tanna (2016) |
The movie is a tremendous accomplishment, especially considering that the cast had never seen cameras before - much less movies - yet still agreed to star in the drama.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 29, 2016
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| 2/4 | 82% | Front Cover (2016) |
The film's examination of the first-generation American experience feels fresh. The delivery, however, is hardly original.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 29, 2016
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| 3/4 | 77% | Goat (2016) |
This isn't an easy film to watch. But it's even harder to forget.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 22, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 92% | Queen of Katwe (2016) |
Subtlety isn't the strong suit of "Queen of Katwe." But beneath the hackneyed aphorisms, there's a thrilling story worthy of our attention.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 22, 2016
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| 3/4 | 96% | The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016) |
It all feels a little glossy, but who can complain when the vibes are so good and the tunes so catchy?‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 79% | Author: The JT LeRoy Story (2016) |
By turns fascinating and unseemly.‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2016
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| 1.5/4 | 15% | The Wild Life (2016) |
It's no great shock when a movie based on a beloved book falls short of the original, but few fail as confoundingly as "The Wild Life."‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 9, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 50% | Complete Unknown (2016) |
Even if it's not quite as thrilling as it first seems, "Complete Unknown" poses questions that practically beg for animated conversation ...‐ Washington Post
Read More | Posted Sep 1, 2016
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