Ben Mankiewicz
Tomatometer-approved critic
At the Movies film critic.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Florida Project (2017) |
What bothered me about this (and I ended up loving it) is that the kids are terrible. - What the Flick?!
Read More
| Posted Sep 26, 2018
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Tower (2016) |
You feel like you were there that day from the perspectives of the principal players. - What the Flick?!
Read More
| Posted Sep 12, 2018
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Searching (2018) |
There's no question now...[John Cho] is a great actor. Only a great actor could do what he is required to do in this movie and pull it off the way he does. - What the Flick?!
Read More
| Posted Aug 23, 2018
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Crazy Rich Asians (2018) |
One of the great things that Crazy Rich Asians does is [show] you...the idea that Chinese people who continued to live in China or Singapore...have a very different view of Chinese people how grew up in America. - What the Flick?!
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2018
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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) |
There are a number of smaller, more intimate numbers, and they are brutal. - What the Flick?!
Read More
| Posted Jul 19, 2018
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Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) |
While this was very good and very dramatic at time...I sort of consistently felt like something was slightly, slightly off. - What the Flick?!
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| Posted Jul 18, 2018
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Shock and Awe (2017) |
There is a degree of outrage [in] the movie, but there is no passion in that outrage...the characters had it but the movie didn't. - What the Flick?!
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| Posted Jul 13, 2018
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Three Identical Strangers (2018) |
[Bobby, Eddy, and David] are so energetic, and they tell the story in such an engaging way. - What the Flick?!
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| Posted Jun 29, 2018
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Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) |
I am fully charmed by Benicio del Toro. - What the Flick?!
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| Posted Jun 29, 2018
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The Catcher Was a Spy (2018) |
It is inconsistent in almost every way that matters. - What the Flick?!
Read More
| Posted Jun 25, 2018
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The Hangover Part II (2011) |
Think of it as a decent high school football player who suffers from having an older brother who was all-state two years earlier. - Huffington Post
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| Posted May 27, 2011
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The Ghost Writer (2010) |
It's a totally credible, briskly paced, suspenseful and particularly well-cast political thriller. - Turner Classic Movies Online
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| Posted Feb 19, 2010
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Shutter Island (2010) |
An adult, insightful, tense, complicated psychological thriller. - Turner Classic Movies Online
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| Posted Feb 19, 2010
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District 9 (2009) |
This is a great movie. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 17, 2009
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Ponyo (2008) |
I was, I'm afraid, a little lost at times. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 17, 2009
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Bandslam (2009) |
There is really just a lot to like here. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 17, 2009
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Inglourious Basterds (2009) |
This is a seriously provocative film. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 17, 2009
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The Goods: Live Hard. Sell Hard. (2009) |
This was funny in the beginning, no question, but then it turned into I thought a sort of a very stale comedy. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2009
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The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) |
I thought really very little in the film worked. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2009
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Paper Heart (2009) |
It felt completely inauthentic. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 10, 2009
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A Perfect Getaway (2009) |
I just don't think there was enough drama in the first two-thirds of this movie. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 10, 2009
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Cold Souls (2009) |
I found myself thinking about this movie for a long time after I got out of the theater. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 10, 2009
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Winged Creatures (2008) |
The film is quite literally fragmented. Too much story -- and too little about each character. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 10, 2009
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Julie & Julia (2009) |
If it weren't for the sheer brilliance of Streep and on-screen husband Stanley Tucci, this would be an easy skip. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 10, 2009
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Adam (2009) |
A sweet, atypical love story. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 03, 2009
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In the Loop (2009) |
Every movie that clearly tells us how we marched toward the war, through bullying, intimidation, and making opponents seem crazy is worth seeing. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 03, 2009
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Funny People (2009) |
It walks a perfectly fine line between being funny and tragic. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 03, 2009
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World's Greatest Dad (2009) |
I think Goldthwait wrote a terrific script here and I think it manages to stay funny after it takes its rather dark turn. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Aug 03, 2009
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Thirst (2009) |
There were moments where I was genuinely scared and moments where I was genuinely moved. - At the Movies
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| Posted Aug 03, 2009
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Shrink (2009) |
I felt it felt forced from the first moment into the last moment. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 27, 2009
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Orphan (2009) |
It's bloody, you should be warned, but in the end it is worth it. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 27, 2009
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Humpday (2009) |
Those conversations were really memorable and really well executed. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 27, 2009
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The Answer Man (2009) |
You have a likable cast, an engaging enough story with a few moments of both humor and emotional honesty. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 27, 2009
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G-Force (2009) |
I don't think kids will find it funny, [and] their parents will find it unbearable. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 27, 2009
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The Ugly Truth (2009) |
The Ugly Truth has a nice moment here and there, but there is much more ugliness than truth. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 27, 2009
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(500) Days of Summer (2009) |
Conventional? Not at all. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 13, 2009
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I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009) |
The story quickly -- and I mean quickly -- devolves into an unimaginative high school retread. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 13, 2009
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Brüno (2009) |
It's certainly not that there aren't a few funny moments in the film. There are, but overwhelmingly, Bruno's stunts are demeaning, they are insulting and they are really cruel. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 13, 2009
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) |
This is a big summer movie that meets expectations. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jul 13, 2009
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Soul Power (2008) |
This has no contextual structure at all. It is essentially the archive footage slapped together. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 13, 2009
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Public Enemies (2009) |
I do think this is a film worth seeing, so obviously, I say see it. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 06, 2009
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Local Color (2006) |
I suspect Local Color will lose those unfamiliar with the jargon and subtleties of the art world. Skip it. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 06, 2009
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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) |
Certainly not terrible, but ultimately forgettable and that means you should skip it. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 06, 2009
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I Hate Valentine's Day (2009) |
Everyone who's ever seen a movie knows where this is headed... but getting there is breezy, fun, and most importantly, well-executed. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 06, 2009
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The Girl From Monaco (2008) |
It was a perfect blend of satire and tension. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jul 06, 2009
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Afghan Star (2009) |
If you think American Idol is a cultural phenomenon here, imagine its impact on a country devastated by 30 years of internal strife, religious intolerance, civil war and foreign invasion. - At the Movies
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| Posted Jun 29, 2009
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Chéri (2009) |
Michelle Pfeiffer is quite good, but the script leaves Kathy Bates -- talented as she is -- with a bit of a cartoonish performance. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jun 29, 2009
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The Hurt Locker (2008) |
Outstanding performances across the board, but I thought Anthony Mackie in particular really, really nailed it. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jun 29, 2009
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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
It is as if Michael Bay was saying "You think I've blown stuff up before? Ha-ha. Wait till you see this." - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jun 29, 2009
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My Sister's Keeper (2009) |
I have a heart. I just don't want schlock. - At the Movies
Read More
| Posted Jun 29, 2009
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