Fred Topel
Tomatometer-approved critic
Labyrinth, Toy Story 2, The Rock, Face/Off, True Lies, The Big Hit, The Big One (Michael Moore), Casablanca
We Live Entertainment,
Bloody Disgusting,
CraveOnline,
Nerd Report,
Monsters and Critics,
Suite101.com,
Slashfilm,
Guff.com,
Rotten Tomatoes,
Nuke the Fridge,
United Press International,
Screen Junkies,
Can Magazine,
Syfy Wire,
Madblast.com,
Moviepilot,
Wizard,
Mandatory,
Popdust,
Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Los Angeles, CA
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Boogeyman (2023) |
The Boogeyman is about kids facing the monster their parents can't or won't confront. That, too, is a metaphor for that moment in life when young adults realize mommy or daddy can't protect them from the real world. - United Press International
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| Posted May 25, 2023
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About My Father (2023) |
Some of the conflicts may have indeed been based on Maniscalco's life, but the film struggles to land the joke. - United Press International
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| Posted May 25, 2023
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The Little Mermaid (2023) |
The production of The Little Mermaid reveals the shortcomings of these adaptations. Not one single shot looks like they're actually underwater. - United Press International
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| Posted May 22, 2023
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White Men Can't Jump (2023) |
To believe insults would make opponents miss their shots, the insults have to be far more clever than this. How relevant are Richard Simmons jokes in 2023? - United Press International
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| Posted May 18, 2023
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Fast X (2023) |
Momoa literally dances around all the cliches of action movie villains. Dante mocks Dom for taking the whole thing seriously, as if Dante is playing a video game with The Fast and the Furious characters as avatars. - United Press International
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| Posted May 17, 2023
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What's Love Got to Do with It? (2022) |
Rom-coms have a way of oversimplifying relationships so What's Love Got to Do With It? deserves respect for exploring different cultural practices, while comparing and contrasting the pros and cons of each. - United Press International
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| Posted May 01, 2023
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Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) |
In live-action, it's a lot harder to buy a child beating up adult pirates. The grown-up actors have to let Peter win, like parents do when they play games with their small children. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 28, 2023
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) |
Where Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 resonates the most is in its emotional storyline. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 28, 2023
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023) |
Still revolutionary. 53 years after the book's publication, there is still far too little mainstream media that speaks honestly to young audiences about puberty. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 26, 2023
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Sisu (2022) |
Sisu gets off to a really bad start with a title card that explains "Sisu" is a Finnish word that cannot be defined, but means courage. So, apparently, it can be defined. That wasn't so hard. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 24, 2023
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Ghosted (2023) |
Ghosted is especially frustrating because it's so close to working. Instead, each scene feels as desperate to connect as Cole is to get a date. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 21, 2023
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Evil Dead Rise (2023) |
Puts a different enough spin on the Evil Dead franchise to justify another entry. It also retains enough familiar elements and homages to the previous films to ensure it still pleases the fans. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 19, 2023
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Beau Is Afraid (2023) |
There is an objective story to Beau is Afraid, but also a metaphor that can provoke analysis and conversations long after the three-hour epic. Either aspect is a worthwhile experience. and those who engage in both will be exponentially rewarded. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 11, 2023
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Renfield (2023) |
Cage also turns on the menace. This Dracula is not a buffoon. He's still as dangerous as the Dracula adapted from Bram Stoker, albeit far more graphic than 1931 films could portray. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 11, 2023
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Ride On (2023) |
The film may be about movie veterans finding a new place in their career, but the fact that Chan still does everything may be the film's most inspiring message. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 05, 2023
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) |
The pleasures of seeing Super Mario Bros. rendered in top-shelf animation, including loving homages to the game, more than makes up for sporadic awkward patches. - United Press International
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| Posted Apr 04, 2023
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Fist of the Condor (2023) |
A lean martial arts vehicle for Zaror and his co-stars. The simplicity of showing graceful athletes at their best still works. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 27, 2023
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Murder Mystery 2 (2023) |
Murder Mystery is now Adam Sandler's funniest franchise since he never revisited Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore or the Zohan. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 26, 2023
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Air (2023) |
Makes a story about sports and the shoe business as understandable as possible to viewers who follow neither. The film shows how the story of the sneaker led to revolutionary changes in the history of athletic spokespeople. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 22, 2023
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Tori and Lokita (2022) |
A bleak, but effective, drama. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 20, 2023
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) |
Matches the grandeur of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. With an irreverent sense of humor, D&D is more accessible than those fantasies, whether viewers have played the games or not. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 20, 2023
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Tetris (2023) |
The film moves at the pace of the evolution of technology, which is to say breathlessly quick. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 16, 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) |
It has a lot of good ideas, but has difficulty weaving them into a coherent story. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 15, 2023
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John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) |
Every action scene in John Wick: Chapter 4 could be the climax of any other movie. There is no small fight in this movie. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 14, 2023
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65 (2023) |
This premise is only slightly less outrageous than Cocaine Bear, though it doesn't have the true story to back it up. Nevertheless, 65 absolutely delivers on prehistoric survival plus space weapons. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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Scream VI (2023) |
Scream VI is just copying things people said on Twitter, not making its own observations. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 08, 2023
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Champions (2023) |
Champions is definitely celebrating these characters, and the actors who play them. The jokes are at Marcus' expense. - United Press International
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| Posted Mar 08, 2023
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Children of the Corn (2020) |
Close to having a poignant take on the material. It's especially disappointing it ends up leaning into the violent horror schlock of the franchise's straight-to-video sequels. - United Press International
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| Posted Feb 27, 2023
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Creed III (2023) |
Creed III offers a healthy mix of remixing franchise formula and charging its own path. It can be a tad blunt, but it has something worthwhile to say. - United Press International
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Cocaine Bear (2023) |
Hollywood used to thrive on premise-driven movies like Cocaine Bear. Hopefully, such a well-executed one can usher in a new age of buzzworthy ideas. - United Press International
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| Posted Feb 23, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) |
Instead of bringing comic books to life, Quantumania turns live-action into comic books. Visual effects are a given with fantastic superhero movies, but when everything surrounding the actors is animated, nothing is tangible. - United Press International
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| Posted Feb 14, 2023
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Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023) |
Instead of closing the trilogy, this could be the Fast Five that takes the franchise in a bold new direction. Magic Mike could become a series in which Mike adds new members to his company and creates increasingly ambitious shows with each sequel. - United Press International
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Knock at the Cabin (2023) |
It can't help but feel like the preceding actions are pointless, whatever the answer to the question is. - United Press International
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| Posted Feb 01, 2023
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Cassandro (2023) |
Cassandro depicts the showmanship Saul brought to the ring. That's pure joy on Bernal's face, and he's also flipping and somersaulting himself. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 30, 2023
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Talk to Me (2023) |
Invents a frightening new mythology for conjuring up evil spirits. At its heart, they are still the dead trying to scare the living, but these feel more modern and palpable. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 30, 2023
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Beyond Utopia (2023) |
A remarkable firsthand look at refugees escaping North Korea. With footage captured by people on the journey and operatives helping them, the film captures real families' struggles. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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Rye Lane (2023) |
Rye Lane feels like a British Richard Linklater movie. Instead of his Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight walk and talks, Dom and Yas enjoy a stroll and talk through London locations. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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My Animal (2023) |
A sexy werewolf love story. The emphasis is more on the romance but it still delivers on both genres. - United Press International
Read More
| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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Drift (2023) |
Hopefully, living with Jacqueline for 90 minutes can make viewers compassionate so if they meet someone in need, they might be a little more like Callie. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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A Thousand and One (2023) |
the strength of A Thousand and One is its emphasis on the downtime... These are the moments that give Inez the strength to keep fighting, and the moments many other films shortchange to focus on the most dramatic ones. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 28, 2023
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Passages (2023) |
[The film] is about the damage a toxic narcissist can do. Unfortunately, it makes the audience feel as bad as his victims. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Divinity (2023) |
Obviously intended to be a challenging film. However, even if you meet the film on its own terms, it still proves problematic. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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The Persian Version (2023) |
An invigorating mother and daughter story. Using tried-and-true cinematic techniques, and breaking a few narrative rules, The Persian Version is pure heart manifested on screen. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 26, 2023
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The Accidental Getaway Driver (2023) |
An emotional, suspenseful thriller. The film sticks to a more realistic depiction of crime, but no less tense than more sensational Hollywood counterparts. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 26, 2023
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Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) |
A poignant science fiction film about income inequality. It renders the metaphor entertaining as successfully as classic sci-fi like Robocop and District 9. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Eileen (2023) |
The last 30 minutes of Eileen become a different movie. Only it's not like From Dusk Till Dawn where the switch is the point. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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A Little Prayer (2023) |
It features strong performances and a few powerful scenes, but overall feels too uneventful. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Bad Behaviour (2023) |
Feels like a film so personal it may have been therapeutic to make, but it becomes impenetrable to outsiders. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Fair Play (2023) |
There certainly are enough layers to Fair Play for many interpretations, but here's one. Emily's promotion exposes Luke's toxic masculinity, which seals his fate. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 24, 2023
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Run Rabbit Run (2023) |
The family mystery is rather obvious and anticlimactic. Snook is as powerful as ever portraying a mother pushed to her limits, but it's not enough to recommend the film. - United Press International
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| Posted Jan 24, 2023
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