Chris McCoy
Tomatometer-approved critic
Chris McCoy is the Film/TV Editor for The Memphis Flyer. He has been writing about film and television professionally since 2001, and also writes travel, science, profiles and general interest articles on a freelance basis. Along with his wife, Laura Jean Hocking, he is the co-owner of the film and video production company Oddly Buoyant Productions. He has directed three feature films, including the award-winning Memphis punk rock documentary Antenna, as well as numerous short films and music videos.
Mad Max: Fury Road Moonlight Us Out Of The Past Faces, Places Close Encounters of the Third Kind Star Wars: The Last Jedi Treasure of the Sierra Madre Man With A Movie Camera The General This Is What Love In Action Looks Like Dolemite Is My Name
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) |
Like Knives Out, Glass Onion fronts as a frothy potboiler just out for a good time. But in its heart, it’s a scathing satire of our oligarchic ruling class. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Violent Night (2022) |
It’s not a holiday classic like Die Hard, but it is a decent temporary remedy for the mandatory holiday cheer. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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White Noise (2022) |
What was considered over-the-top crazy in 1985 is now just stuff that happens in everyday life. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) |
In the midst of all the techno-wizardry, using mo-cap to empower Sigourney Weaver to play her own teenage daughter turns out to be Cameron’s greatest stroke of genius. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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M3GAN (2022) |
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work on my “M3GAN was right!” memes. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Skinamarink (2022) |
The operative word for Skinamarink is “creepy.” - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) |
Coogler is the best director working in the comic book space. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Nov 12, 2022
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Barbarian (2022) |
Does a secret underground torture dungeon count as livable square footage in a real estate listing?
The answer may surprise you! - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Vengeance (2022) |
Vengeance is a strange, ambitious hybrid of fish out-of-water comedy and mystery. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Emily the Criminal (2022) |
Emily The Criminal is another masterful performance by Plaza, who has quietly become one of the best actors of her generation. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) |
At a crisply paced 95 minutes, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a satisfying cinematic snack. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Nope (2022) |
As he pulled the rug out from under me for the umpteenth time, I sat in the theater muttering “Jordan Peele, you magnificent bastard.” - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jul 22, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
Armed with a squadron of F-18s, compact digital cameras, and a wild disregard for Tom Cruise’s personal safety, Maverick’s aerial sequences are the most spectacular ever filmed. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jun 22, 2022
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The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) |
The Bob’s Burgers Movie represents a rare success in translating TV animation to the big screen. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jun 22, 2022
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Jurassic World Dominion (2022) |
How many ways can you screw up a dinosaur movie? - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jun 22, 2022
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Lightyear (2022) |
Lightyear aspires to be nothing more than a fun space adventure, and that’s a mission MacLane and Pixar easily accomplish. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jun 22, 2022
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Elvis (2022) |
Ultimately, your reaction to Elvis is going to depend on whether or not you can vibrate on Luhrmann’s frequency. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jun 22, 2022
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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) |
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a light, feel-good victory lap for Cage and fans of Face/Off, but it’s not even the most meta film the star of Adaptation ever made. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted May 20, 2022
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) |
Sam Raimi doesn’t need $200 million to make a great film, but when he has it, he shows everyone how it’s done. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted May 20, 2022
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The Northman (2022) |
This is not the sanitized, horned-helmet-wearing, Marvel comics Thor vision of Viking-hood. This is blood and mud and ice and pagan gods, and, reader, I am here for it. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted May 20, 2022
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Emergency (2022) |
Emergency is a little heavier than your normal party movie, but it’s still a bong-ripping good time. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted May 20, 2022
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CODA (2021) |
CODA is a classic story of intergenerational conflict spiced up with a culture clash narrative between the deaf and hearing communities. The execution is nearly flawless - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Apr 13, 2022
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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
Daniels have crafted a tour de force of pop surrealism on a budget that wouldnt cover Avengers: Endgames catering bill. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Apr 13, 2022
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Turning Red (2022) |
As a Pixar fanatic, Turning Red is a welcome return to form after the unfocused Onward, but only time and rewatches will tell if it belongs in the storied animation studios upper echelon. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Mar 16, 2022
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The Batman (2022) |
Theres a good two-hour film buried in this bladder-busting, three-hour mess. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Mar 08, 2022
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The Worst Person in the World (2021) |
This film seems like a rom-com on the surface, but its really about Julie learning to accept herself, and learning that shes not, as she calls herself, the worst person in the world. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Mar 02, 2022
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Nightmare Alley (2021) |
Nightmare Alleys dark vision of America as a utopia for confidence men and carnival barkers has never felt more relevant. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 17, 2022
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Jackass Forever (2022) |
Jackass Forever breaks new ground in the field of high-speed photography of the human testicle. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 17, 2022
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Licorice Pizza (2021) |
The meandering Licorice Pizza lacks the gravitas of Andersons There Will Be Blood and cant approach the spooky depths of Inherent Vice. But theres something about this films Altman-esque alchemy that just feels good. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 03, 2022
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The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) |
With a Macbeth that is as technically meticulous as he is powerful, Denzel Washington once again makes the argument that he is our greatest living actor. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 03, 2022
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Drive My Car (2021) |
Great films establish their own rhythm and seduce you into living on their time. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 03, 2022
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House of Gucci (2021) |
guess there will always be an appetite for watching awful people behaving awfully. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Dec 08, 2021
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Last Night in Soho (2021) |
Wright's one of contemporary cinema's most inventive visual stylists, and this film is a feast of in-camera effects and plain old misdirection. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Nov 02, 2021
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Dune (2021) |
Science fiction claims to be about tomorrow, but it's really about today. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Oct 22, 2021
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Candyman (2021) |
What's great about Candyman is Nia DaCosta's direction. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Aug 28, 2021
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Respect (2021) |
Hudson's singing is as up to the Aretha challenge as anyone on the planet, especially toward the end when she returns to her gospel roots. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Aug 13, 2021
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The Suicide Squad (2021) |
Q: So who are the good guys? A: There are no good guys. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Aug 08, 2021
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Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021) |
Neville, to his credit, understands that the big risk in making this film is to focus too much on the end. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jul 21, 2021
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Black Widow (2021) |
With director Cate Shortland at the helm, Black Widow is the best superhero picture since Black Panther. It's not just an acceptably entertaining Marvel product, but an actual good film in its own right - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jul 12, 2021
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Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) |
Words fail, as they often do, to express the power of this music. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jul 02, 2021
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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) |
The Devil Made Me Do It is dreadful, but not in a good way. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Jun 05, 2021
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The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) |
The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a visually stunning, mixed-media collage of a movie. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted May 05, 2021
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Mortal Kombat (2021) |
Well, it's better than Angry Birds, I'll give it that much. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Apr 27, 2021
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Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) |
RELEASE THE WONDER TWINS CUT! - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Mar 25, 2021
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Coming 2 America (2021) |
This is a pop confection whose only goal is to entertain as broadly as possible. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Mar 06, 2021
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Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) |
Kaluuya's earth-shaking performance may be the headline, but everything from the noir-toned cinematography to the banging score is honed to a razor edge. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 17, 2021
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Minari (2020) |
The stakes in Minari are refreshingly low. No one is saving the world; they're just trying to keep a marriage together and food on the table. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 12, 2021
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Nomadland (2020) |
McDormand's performance might just be the best of her storied career. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Feb 11, 2021
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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) |
Somewhere along the line, Jenkins lost the plot. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Dec 26, 2020
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J.R. "Bob" Dobbs & The Church of the SubGenius (2019) |
In many ways, the SubGenius were ahead of their time. - Memphis Flyer
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| Posted Dec 18, 2020
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