Yolanda Machado

Tomatometer-approved critic

Publications: AV Club, io9.com, TheWrap, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SassyMamaInLA, Remezcla, Cosmopolitan

Movie Reviews Only

Movies
TV

	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Review
	45%	Stuber (2019)	Though the story tries to take on toxic masculinity throughout the film, Tripper Clancy's script frequently loses focus and concentrates too much on lazy jokes, rendering the message very muddled and ultimately confused. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 11, 2019
	94%	Wild Rose (2019)	A stirring, dynamic, and joyously unexpected coming-of-age tale with a potentially star-making performance from lead Jessie Buckley. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 13, 2019
	82%	American Woman (2019)	After the first few traumas, every event just feels superficial - a surface scratch for the kind of audience that wants to see women's lives as merely a character study, with no deeper understanding of their inner psyches. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 13, 2019
	80%	Late Night (2019)	Kaling qualifies as an expert at writing romantic comedies after five seasons of The Mindy Project. But the romance in Late Night isn't girl-meets-boy; it's girl-meets-career. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 7, 2019
	55%	Ma (2019)	Attempts to be a psychological campy thriller but gets so lost in trying to construct a message that all the exaggerated thrills die before even lifting off. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted May 29, 2019
	57%	Aladdin (2019)	Though it's not without some noticeable flaws, the live action remake of Aladdin is a delight that kids are going to love. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted May 23, 2019
	91%	The Biggest Little Farm (2019)	A decent personal narrative film -even inspiring at times - but it could have provided a much-needed educational view and a deeper look at the importance of California's essential agricultural life. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted May 9, 2019
	67%	Wine Country (2019)	A smart, witty, and pretty damn realistic view of women in their 50s, their attitudes, and their friendships. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted May 6, 2019
	31%	The Curse of La Llorona (2019)	While first-time feature film director Michael Chaves has a great eye for detail, the choice to turn, dare I say, a sacred Latino folklore into a jump-scare monster movie was not the wisest decision. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 18, 2019
	59%	Breakthrough (2019)	I found myself being dismissed as a viewer, being directed to put my confidence in a story layered in the superficial aspects of faith, to trust without question that prayer conquers all, even as the film provides no foundation as to why I should. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 9, 2019
	89%	Missing Link (2019)	As beautiful in animation style as its predecessors [but] saddled with an overwhelmingly monotonous story and lifeless humor, with little entertainment for either generation. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 3, 2019
	56%	Yardie (2019)	The acting is decent, the cinematography is well executed, and the music is on point, but the delivery and the tone are completely mismatched. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 15, 2019
	97%	Booksmart (2019)	By far, one of the most perfect coming-of-age comedies I have ever seen. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 12, 2019
	81%	Long Shot (2019)	Rogen's off-kilter charm and jocularity pair well with Theron's elegance and wit. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 10, 2019
	94%	Us (2019)	It's where Peele cements his place as one of the best horror creators of our time, knowing that life's true horror stems from what humans are capable of doing to each other. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 9, 2019
	78%	Captain Marvel (2019)	Though it still falls into the usual origin story problems, Brie Larson elevates this 90s buddy film as an entertaining and enlightening addition to the MCU. - io9.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 5, 2019
	88%	To Dust (2019)	First time feature film writer-director Shawn Snyder dives right into the nitty gritty of science, loss ,and faith, and delivers a charming, quirky, human and, at times, macabre, film. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 6, 2019
	22%	Miss Bala (2019)	While Dunnet-Alcocer tries to give Lino some humanity, with a backstory to explain why he chose the cartel life, the script forgets to give Gloria the same consideration. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 31, 2019
	47%	Relive (2019)	Never touches on the contrast of a black cop with an ex-con brother, despite the cultural discussion and deeper exploration of the relationship of the two brothers that could have been provoked. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 29, 2019
	92%	Fighting with My Family (2019)	Brings to life both Paige's outward image of strength and her deep connection to her roots - particularly her ability to see the strength within her brother, even though it takes her longer to fully appreciate her own. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 28, 2019
	85%	The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)	Expands on the original's premise, adding new worlds and characters to the growing LEGO universe, while also crafting a story that is timely, inventive, hilarious and perfect for all ages. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 26, 2019
	62%	A Dog's Way Home (2019)	"A Dog's Way Home" is a joyless jaunt that offers an adorable canine star and not much else. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 10, 2019
	46%	Second Act (2018)	Through each storyline pivot, the focus is lost, and it never reclaims any footing it may have had in the first place. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 20, 2018
	54%	Maleficent (2014)	Overall - a fantastic fairy tale for today's new family. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 13, 2018
	65%	Tyrel (2018)	Rather than go all-in on exploring heavy issues regarding race, appropriation, depression, and anxiety, Silva chooses to teeter on the edge before letting the thought dissolve into nothing. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 4, 2018
	37%	Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)	While some Wizarding World fanatics will delight in the expanded universe of new characters, spells, and beasts to cuddle, others will wonder why this story even exists when it literally does nothing but give us way too much Johnny Depp. - Cosmopolitan EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 20, 2018
	15%	Robin Hood (2018)	Reboots and remakes are meant to introduce a new audience to a classic tale with fresh ideas and storylines that make the story relevant to modern audiences. "Robin Hood" doesn't even try. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 20, 2018
	96%	Roma (2018)	Cuarón has composed some of the most stunning shots and sequences in film history, and it would be a sin not to see this on the big screen, if possible. - L.A. Weekly EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 19, 2018
	63%	Mary Queen of Scots (2018)	Acknowledges both the struggles of women and the fact that people of color have always been part of society, even during the Renaissance and Age of Discovery. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 15, 2018
	63%	Bird Box (2018)	We all hope that we're raising smart, strong kids while also allowing them to experience the joys of childhood; it's that innate understanding of parenthood that makes Bullock's performance feel real. It's equally fascinating and terrifying to watch. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 13, 2018
	74%	On the Basis of Sex (2019)	Though the film does play it safe, and falls to a formulaic narrative, the flaws are less within the film itself than in our expectation of what we want it to tell us. - TheWrap EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 9, 2018
D	32%	The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)	Oh, this film is definitely, different, from all the Nutcrackers you know, but that doesn't really make it a good thing. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 2, 2018
A	66%	Suspiria (2018)	A feminine and feminist horror experience that isn't for the faint of heart. - Cosmopolitan EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 29, 2018
	90%	A Star Is Born (2018)	Hollywood has been churning out remakes and reboots at breakneck speed, but A Star Is Born is in a class of its own. - Marie Claire EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 25, 2018
B	76%	Smallfoot (2018)	Though not an animated technological marvel, it is a humorous delight for all ages with a great message that encourages thought and challenging the status quo. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 20, 2018
	64%	Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018)	OK, so Sierra Burgess Is a Loser isn't perfect. But, let's face it, most rom-coms typically aren't. - Cosmopolitan EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 7, 2018
A	97%	Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)	Thrilling and action packed, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie have set the platinum standard by which every action film that comes after Fallout will be measured. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 12, 2018
B	52%	Tomb Raider (2018)	Finally- a video game movie that works! Based on the 2013 video game reboot, this Lara Croft origin story is gritty, grounded and a roadmap to what heroines should be. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 15, 2018
	42%	A Wrinkle in Time (2018)	A Wrinkle in Time has given children the gift of inclusivity, where nothing-not their gender, not their family history, not their hometown, and not their skin color-is a limitation to who they can become. - Marie Claire EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 7, 2018
A-	97%	Black Panther (2018)	With gorgeous visuals from Wakanda to South Korea and back, vivid and bold Afrocentric costumes, and the support of some pretty bad-ass women, Black Panther is progressive, exciting, enveloping, and exactly what we all need in our lives right now. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 7, 2018
A	91%	Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)	Nothing can prepare you for what Star Wars: The Last Jedi delivers and that's exactly what makes so damn near perfect. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 12, 2017
A	97%	Coco (2017)	Coco is here, and it is astoundingly beautiful. - SassyMamaInLA EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 12, 2017