Yolanda Machado

Yolanda Machado
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications: Observer, AV Club, io9.com, TheWrap, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SassyMamaInLA, Remezcla, Cosmopolitan, AwardsWatch

Movie Reviews Only

T-Meter Title | Year
2.5/4 59% Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Is Wonder Woman 1984 entertaining? Sure, it's fun, hits all the right superhero marks, and visually, the 1980-something world is a technicolor throwback to behold. - Observer EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 23, 2020
70% Trolls World Tour (2020) At times the humor feels elementary (and at others a little flat), but the story really finds itself when it weaves musical history into this road-trip tale in a captivating and entertaining manner. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 8, 2020
62% The Call of the Wild (2020) There is something seriously wrong with an adaptation of a classic novel when, an hour into the film, you can't tell what the story is actually about. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 17, 2020
63% Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) Might not become a kid-movie classic, but it makes for a great little getaway to enjoy with the whole family. That, in itself, earns a golden ring. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 13, 2020
73% Beast Beast (2020) The doc-style cinematography allows the camera to act as an undercover agent, going deep into Gen Z territory. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 25, 2020
70% Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) This is not only a great film to reinvigorate the franchise, but the type of movie you will be kicking yourself if you don't see on a big screen. - AwardsWatch EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 16, 2020
47% Underwater (2020) Underwater is not Alien beneath the sea, although it desperately wants to be, from the close-up of barefoot Norah to having her run around in her underwear to the possible "baby" sea monster the crew captures at one point. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 7, 2020
18% Playmobil: The Movie (2019) Best watched running in the background of a playdate for pre-schoolers, buried under the noise of kids' own imaginations but offering the occasional distraction from a total toddler meltdown. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 7, 2019
88% Hala (2019) Viswanathan's resounding yet quiet performance allows the audience to see Hala for who she is - a smart, funny, intelligent, angsty, confused, and completely normal teenage girl. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 22, 2019
80% The All-Americans (2019) Yes, East L.A. is a community that struggles with poverty and homelessness and crime, but what the film lacks and forgets to capture is that, despite these struggles, and the kids' additional burdens, there is much beauty and joy to be found. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 7, 2019
23% Playing with Fire (2019) The film is bland and predictable, underestimates kids' abilities to understand story and humor, and relies way too much on sight gags that are clichéd and overdone. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 7, 2019
44% The Addams Family (2019) It doesn't attempt to talk down to children, one of my biggest pet peeves about some family films. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 10, 2019
81% Abominable (2019) Though Culton's script plays a bit formulaic, hitting specific marks of must-have gags, jokes and sentiment at very specific moments, there are enough touches of warmth and sweetness that keep the story enjoyable for audiences both young and not-so-young. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 26, 2019
82% Neither Wolf Nor Dog (2019) There's far too many moments where the script demands that Kent remind everyone "not all white men" that any appearance of care or understanding is quickly wiped away. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 13, 2019
98% Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (2019) The heart of "Fiddler" is family, and the film really touches on the meaning of family -- where not everything is pretty, and not everyone gets along, yet there's a connective tissue that offers a warm embrace to the audience. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 22, 2019
95% The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) A beautiful story about human connection, heroes, and finding the joy of simply living your truth. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 9, 2019
85% Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) Despite an awkward first act, the film harkens back to the family-adventure genre that today's parents can recall from their own childhoods. - TheWrap EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 29, 2019
42% 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
92% 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
88% 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
56% 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
66% 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
28% 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
63% 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
88% 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
54% 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
96% 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
93% 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
79% 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
89% 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
21% 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
42% Don't Let Go (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
93% 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
84% 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
59% 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
44% 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
60% 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
36% 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
95% 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
62% 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
64% 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
73% 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 65% Suspiria (2018) A feminine and feminist horror experience that isn't for the faint of heart. - Cosmopolitan EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 29, 2018