Steve Crum
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
Kansas City Kansan,
Video-Reviewmaster.com,
Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers
Critics' Group:
Kansas City Film Critics Circle
Official Websites:
kansascitykansan.com
Movie Reviews Only
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A- | 75% | Palmer (2021) |
The acting and powerful storytelling belie expectations. See it, and you will be impressed. Timberlake underplays terrifically. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Feb 19, 2021
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C- | 55% | The Prom (2020) |
So why does the film fall short? The answer is overproduction and slickness. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Feb 9, 2021
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A- | 51% | The Midnight Sky (2020) |
Clooney, as well as the entire Aether crew, make the implausible plausible. That is a credit to their acting. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 17, 2021
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A- | 94% | Palm Springs (2020) |
The cleverness of Max Barbakow's direction blended with the originality of Andy Siara's screenplay result in a fast-paced, extremely diverting 90 minutes. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 12, 2021
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A- | 95% | First Cow (2020) |
'First Cow' both begins and ends with a mystery. That might frustrate some viewers, but it works pretty beautifully. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 31, 2020
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B | 87% | On The Rocks (2020) |
It turns out that there isn't really too much to the story, but Murray's eccentric, charismatic presence sells it. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 27, 2020
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A | 88% | News of the World (2020) |
Like the news presented by Kidd, 'News of the World' grabs us with irony, drama, and humor. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 24, 2020
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A | 90% | The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) |
Crackling dialogue and courtroom drama...both tense and shockingly funny. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Oct 21, 2020
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A | 94% | Dads (2020) |
A joyful, tearful, happy discovery of the re-defining of fatherhood. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Oct 12, 2020
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B | 78% | Greyhound (2020) |
Running a tight 91 minutes, "Greyhound" is a tense, nearly non-stop actioner. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Oct 2, 2020
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A- | 62% | The Call of the Wild (2020) |
A very good action-adventure film based upon Jack London's endearing 1903 novel. Although its PG rating is based upon some violence and peril depicted, the film is ultra suitable for family audiences. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Feb 21, 2020
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A | 89% | 1917 (2020) |
Among THE best movies set during WWI ever produced. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 10, 2020
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B | 85% | Just Mercy (2020) |
This above average movie deals with racism, a corrupt prison system, and determination. Like other films of this ilk, the audience's shock, disgust, and anger grow as the story progresses. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 10, 2020
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B | 51% | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) |
Lacks the outright fun and originality of the previous episodes, but it achieves its goal of providing big scale closure. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 19, 2019
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A | 92% | Ford v Ferrari (2019) |
Pistons and torques aside, 'FvF' is really about friendship, love, trust, and risk. It is a balancing act superbly orchestrated. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Nov 15, 2019
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C+ | 73% | Harriet (2019) |
The film looks and feels more like a well done History Channel reenactment. The facts are solid, but the emotional impact is lacking. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Nov 1, 2019
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A- | 81% | Judy (2019) |
Zellweger captures Judy Garland's person and-surprisingly-her voice and performance demeanor. She is enough like Judy to convince this longtime Garland fan. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Sep 27, 2019
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B- | 83% | Ad Astra (2019) |
The mundane aspects of space travel are definitely shown, but thankfully broken with some action- space monkeys and moon pirates included. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Sep 20, 2019
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A | 90% | Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) |
A doozy of a story packed with visual surrealism and clever plot surprises. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jul 2, 2019
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C | 50% | A Dog's Journey (2019) |
A scattershot story line, covering many years and leaving plot holes and unanswered questions. Coincidences abound to the point of ridiculousness. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted May 17, 2019
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A- | 91% | Gloria Bell (2019) |
Julianne Moore's extraordinary performance convinces us that Gloria will not only survive, but conquer. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 22, 2019
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B+ | 93% | Us (2019) |
You know a movie is really scary when audience members at the preview keep yelling at the screen, "Don't open that door!" and "Look out!" (I didn't say such, but I sure thought it.) - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 22, 2019
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C+ | 79% | Captain Marvel (2019) |
The fun of 'Captain Marvel' is not so much Danvers/Marvel, but her pal Nick Fury, portrayed by the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 8, 2019
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A | 92% | Stan & Ollie (2019) |
To play upon Mr. Hardy's catchphrase, 'Stan & Ollie' is quite the opposite of a mess The Boys have gotten us into. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 25, 2019
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B+ | 73% | On the Basis of Sex (2019) |
A fascinating, well crafted, accurate bio-drama about the early life-personal and professional-of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 11, 2019
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B+ | 65% | Vice (2018) |
Bale's transformation is incredibly uncanny and stunning. This is far from an Alec Baldwin burlesque of Donald Trump-funny as that is. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 25, 2018
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B+ | 79% | Mary Poppins Returns (2018) |
Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda are practically and perfectly cast. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 19, 2018
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A | 90% | A Star Is Born (2018) |
I will go out on a short limb to predict Academy Award nods to Cooper, Gaga and Elliott. Lady Gaga's days of wearing a meat dress are history. A born movie star is she. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Oct 5, 2018
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B- | 65% | The Little Stranger (2018) |
Low on the creepazoid meter, but it tingled a couple of nerves along my spine. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Aug 31, 2018
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A- | 79% | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) |
This sequel to 2008's 'Mama Mia!' is a delightfully winning romantic-musical-comedy. In a couple of ways, it outshines the extremely popular original. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jul 20, 2018
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B+ | 47% | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) |
Prepare for typical 'Jurassic Park' action, tinged with the dark humor of men and women at risk of losing their limbs and lives. Bring the family. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jun 22, 2018
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B | 69% | Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) |
...A fun and exciting, though imperfect, addition to the Star Wars array. 'Solo' is well worth seeing, particularly for fans. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted May 25, 2018
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A | 87% | Tully (2018) |
Charlize Theron's portrayal...is nothing short of brilliant, and certainly Oscar worthy. Adding Diablo Cody's screenplay and Jason Reitman's direction equals a trifecta supreme. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted May 4, 2018
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B- | 52% | Rampage (2018) |
Essentially turning to formula plotting, we get a hero (or three) versus some mad scientists who have unleashed monsters. We have seen this before, but it works very comfortably here. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Apr 12, 2018
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B | 72% | Ready Player One (2018) |
Gamers will get a kick out of this nearly non-stop racing movie loaded with familiar pop culture images. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 28, 2018
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C+ | 96% | Black Panther (2018) |
I had hoped for so much more than what was delivered. The loyal fan base will no doubt think otherwise. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Feb 16, 2018
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A- | 88% | The Post (2018) |
The cinematic takeaway here is a combination of the factual story, the superb supporting cast (Sarah Paulsen, Bob Odenkirk, Carrie Coon, and Tracy Letts among them), and the film's powerhouse leads, Streep and Hanks. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jan 10, 2018
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A- | 90% | Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) |
Director/screenwriter Rian Johnson has truly delivered the galaxy goods on this event-the second installment of the sequel trilogy. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 12, 2017
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B- | 32% | Wonder Wheel (2017) |
Though contrived, 'Wonder Wheel' has stunning color and Kate Winslet as pluses. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 1, 2017
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B- | 79% | The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) |
Compelling? Well, so-so. A unique take on the familiar Charles Dickens tale, 'A Christmas Carol'? Definitely. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Nov 22, 2017
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B | 87% | Only the Brave (2017) |
Two factors elevating 'Only the Brave' above the norm are the film's location photography and realistic forest fire sequences. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Oct 20, 2017
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A- | 92% | Dunkirk (2017) |
Important to the film's success is Hans Zimmer's unique score, which becomes a living entity unto itself due to pulsating sounds. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jul 21, 2017
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A | 92% | Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) |
This one is the best Spider-Man movie ever, and among the best of any in the history of superhero films. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jul 7, 2017
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B | 93% | Wonder Woman (2017) |
When 'Wonder Woman' is good, it is compellingly fun. But when the Amazonian warrior is shown for the 37th time in mid-air, slo-mo battle pose, it is a yawner. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Jun 2, 2017
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B+ | 85% | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) |
This second volume is pretty terrific, a must-see. It suffers a bit from being a sequel in that characters are already firmly defined. (The revelation of their personas was a plus in the previous film.) - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted May 5, 2017
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B | 64% | The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) |
Emotionally wrenching in many ways, 'The Zookeeper's Wife' succeeds as a fact-based a story of love and perseverance. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 31, 2017
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B+ | 75% | Kong: Skull Island (2017) |
Stereotypical in many ways, 'Kong: Skull Island' is great fun to watch, thanks to a literate, savvy script, fine acting, and visuals that should please the most discriminating monster movie fan. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 10, 2017
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B | 93% | Logan (2017) |
Combining these two blade runners, working side by side, is a recipe for stunts, special effects, and big box office. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Mar 3, 2017
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A- | 84% | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) |
Stylistic touches and new characters make 'Rogue One' seem fresh, which also invigorates the ongoing franchise. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Dec 16, 2016
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B | 74% | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) |
The joyful absurdities and frightful images peppering the self-described 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' are reason enough to see this fun flick. - Video-Reviewmaster.com
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| Posted Nov 18, 2016
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