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Dan Buffa

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Born, raised, and living in St. Louis, Missouri, I’ve loved movies since I was a kid. My father, Richard, was my film school. We watched, discussed, and argued over movies on countless occasions. I soon became a film nerd, wanting to know how they were made, what they were supposed to mean, and how they related to real life. I can watch Michael Mann's three-hour crime epic, "Heat," on a loop. Jon Favreau's "Chef" is a special film. Movies that make you feel good and empowered are the best specimens of film. Escapism is a required drug for adulting, so movies are my safe haven. My son is my movie pal these days. I started writing large email bursts to a select group of friends back in 2005 before helping create and start a film website called film-addict.com in 2012. I moved to KSDK News in 2015 before moving my reviews to a Substack newsletter in 2022 where I’ve been ever since.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) 61% EDIT “Jeremy Allen White and Scott Cooper lean into the darkness of Bruce Springsteen's musical mind with both feet. It's not for everybody, but the story told is deft and precise.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review Weapons (2025) 93% EDIT “You will never see Amy Madigan the same ever again. Give her the Oscar today.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review John Candy: I Like Me (2025) 89% EDIT “Watching this will allow the sadness to creep in, but the joy of watching a comedic artist bring so much joy to people's lives is something to revisit. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review Predator: Badlands (2025) 86% EDIT “Making a classic villain change sides is a daring feat that the writer/director pulls off with precise emotion and game performances. Also some of the best action sequences of the year. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) 75% EDIT “The ending is troublesome and sudden, but the acting and writing are strong enough to make this a fresh recommendation overall. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review The Running Man (2025) 62% EDIT “Glen Powell continues to do a lot of Tom Cruising, which has its good and bad effects. The action is entertaining enough, but there isn't a strong argument in my mind for this remake to exist. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review Marty Supreme (2025) 93% EDIT “Chalamet goes for broke, Safdie's storytelling method is relentless, and Gwyneth Paltrow gives her best performance in a long time. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 31, 2025 Full Review Die My Love (2025) 74% EDIT “Both of the stars go for broke and lift the depressing material up a few notches until a bittersweet finale carries the impact of the film home.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 21, 2025 Full Review One Battle After Another (2025) 94% A- EDIT “DiCaprio and Del Toro are fantastic, but the star of the show here is the director having the time of his life behind the camera showing us a decrepit world that we know all too well. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 21, 2025 Full Review Jay Kelly (2025) 75% B EDIT “Clooney and Dern deliver assured performances to lift up the art-imitating-real-life material, but it's Sandler who delivers the most sincere (and heartbreaking) performance. Watch it for him. He's all of us. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 21, 2025 Full Review F1 The Movie (2025) 82% B+ EDIT “While Brad Pitt effortlessly conveys Sonny's turmoil and edge, it's the breathtaking racing scenes that pack the hardest punch. Oh, and using a Led Zeppelin classic to kick things off isn't a bad idea at all. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 21, 2025 Full Review Train Dreams (2025) 95% EDIT “Soulful and steady, these cinematic dreams convey a powerful message about endurance in one's trade. Sadly, it is a one time only watch due to the dreariness. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 21, 2025 Full Review Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) 66% C+ EDIT “The third entry is more of the tiresome same: Impressive yet overfed visuals mixed with underfed storytelling. The actors deserve better material. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Dec 21, 2025 Full Review Havoc (2025) 64% EDIT “It’s not everyone’s cup of cinema tea, but it delivers on what Gareth Evans fans like and offers a nice Hardy performance.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 26, 2025 Full Review The Accountant 2 (2025) 75% A- EDIT “Bernthal can do a lot with a little, and he and Affleck riff so naturally on screen and are able to convincingly build a runway of a past that makes the current events sing and sting with reckless abandon.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 26, 2025 Full Review The Gorge (2025) 62% EDIT “All in all, a solid action adventure that spins a new take on the forbidden romance setup. Levi taking the leap to go see a woman he just met does unleash chaos, but would you resist the urge to dive headfirst over a large canyon for love?” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 26, 2025 Full Review G20 (2025) 55% EDIT “Call this the Viola Davis show. She makes any film better with a unique blend of authentic gravitas, and this easy-to-digest actioner falls right into that bracket. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 26, 2025 Full Review Drop (2025) 83% EDIT “It doesn’t mess around when it comes to action when the time calls for it, and the screenplay mixes in some laughs for the audience to cool off with as the tension rises. This is an easy one to place yourself into as the movie plays out.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review Warfare (2025) 92% A EDIT “Garland and Mendoza are a dream team for a war movie. The former gives you the precision of an accomplished director working at the top of his game, while the latter delivers the authenticity of the events depicted. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review The Friend (2024) 84% A EDIT “There’s so much to love about this movie, especially how unforced and pure it is throughout its two-hour runtime. The screenplay includes dialogue that sounds as if it were spoken by real people and not punchline memes and cliched girl talk.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review A Working Man (2025) 47% EDIT “Statham is one of a kind. There’s a reason Ayer quickly returned to working with him, and Stallone continues to write scripts for his talents. He’s a silent man of action who achieves more with a kick and a stare than with a mouthy speech. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review Novocaine (2025) 81% EDIT “Quaid turns in a star-making performance that proves he can carry a movie like this and make it entertaining and far away from annoying. While the box office receipts would say otherwise, it is a nice movie theater experience.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review Black Bag (2025) 96% EDIT “If you’re in the mood for a jazzy-sounding, intricately plotted, and well-acted thriller with a deft touch of suspense, Steven Soderbergh’s latest collaboration with David Koepp may be in your wheelhouse.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review Last Breath (2025) 79% EDIT “Parkinson’s no frills approach to telling a true story is what makes this a dynamic thriller with some staying power for multiple viewings. The movie says a lot without having to produce monologues or speeches.” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Apr 11, 2025 Full Review Captain America: Brave New World (2025) 46% 3/4 EDIT “Anthony Mackie is the driving force behind a good old time at the movies that reminded me of a school night at the cinema with my dad when I was a kid. No world-building, just an action adventure that aims to please and ease the mind. ” – Ramble On With Buffa (Substack) Feb 14, 2025 Full Review
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