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Jared Mobarak
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Origin of Evil (2022) |
It leads to an inevitable conclusion that grows darker and murkier than expected via the blur between reality and psychosis, but its familiar and obvious choices always seem fresh. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Mother, May I? (2023) |
Because the scariest part of what's happening isn't that they might lose themselves to that dread. It's that they will recognize who it is they are becoming is who they actually need to be. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Quicksand (2023) |
The rest is noise regardless of how serious or dangerous it proves. This is a world where trauma doesn't exist, so there's no use sweating the small stuff like murder, car theft, or bodily injury. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Summer Qamp (2023) |
It's the sort of experience that can deliver the much-needed empowerment boost to figure out who it is you truly are. And you know it works from the fact that this film exists. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Songs of Earth (2023) |
In the end, regardless of its message for the future or its personal ode to Olin's heritage, you cannot deny the breathtaking imagery, effective score, and soulful delivery. If nothing else, its aesthetics will astound. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Smugglers (2023) |
Besides those two extended sequences, SMUGGLERS is otherwise dialogue-driven with a healthy dose of secrets and betrayals as Jin-sook and Choon-ja position themselves to control their own fate. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Widow Clicquot (2023) |
So, while the film is still a love story and biography, it's also a process-driven historical document. And Bennett is wonderful as always. Her ability to show strength through vulnerability is unparalleled. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Thank You For Coming (2023) |
The film intentionally plays with preconceptions and cultural imperatives to shield us from a third and more important conclusion: that happiness isn't dependent on anyone other than yourself. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Frybread Face and Me (2023) |
Luther therefore deals with some heavy-ish subject matter throughout without shining too bright a light on it. The film is playing with familiar tropes along a formulaic path, but it’s simply too endearing to dismiss outright. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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The Queen of My Dreams (2023) |
The joys and pain of nature vs. nurture arrive in full force as love is defeated by petty grievances born from indoctrination that blinds too many from seeing what truly matters: happiness. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 15, 2023
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Rebel (2022) |
With long-takes and stunningly choreographed music video-esque interludes, the filmmakers are using every cinematic trick in the book to overwhelm us [emotionally] into investing in the Wasakis' plight. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 15, 2023
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Flipside (2023) |
Rather than choose one record from each of his would-be subjects’ crates, however, Wilcha combines them all into one and lets the stories they tell become about him and, by extension, us. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 15, 2023
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Uproar (2023) |
Save a powerfully cathartic, climactic moment for Josh, Uproar might stop short of getting truly angry, but it doesn't shy from the complexity of what being an outsider means. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 14, 2023
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Rustin (2023) |
Rustin still has its Oscar-bait moments and doesn't necessarily take any big swings that might risk mainstream appeal, but it's a solid drama and above-average profile, nonetheless. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 14, 2023
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In the Rearview (2023) |
IN THE REARVIEW is a crucial document of what has resulted from Putin's unprovoked war. It's a means to have the carnage and emotional duress put on-the-record for those who still choose to turn a blind eye. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 14, 2023
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The King Tide (2023) |
With potent performances and a gorgeous, textured aesthetic, The King Tide proves a mesmerizing experience. The camerawork keeps the horrors that unravel mostly to our imagination so we can continue to look at reactions rather than results. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 13, 2023
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His Three Daughters (2023) |
It's the care and attention to letting emotions speak for themselves (literally and figuratively respectively) that makes HIS THREE DAUGHTERS so potent. Being present doesn't always have to be so loud. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Backspot (2023) |
BACKSPOT isn't necessarily treading new ground in revealing these truths, but it presents them in an effective, entertaining, and thoughtful way. The characters are very specifically depicted as kids, not young adults. That makes a huge difference. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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The Tundra Within Me (2023) |
Opens a window onto a culture that deserves recognition both on an international scale where environmental concerns lie and a human one where the desire for progress is too often wrongly confused with a denial of tradition. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023) |
Despite its darkly supernatural package, however, Louis-Seize's film adheres to its idiosyncratic tone of purposeful excitement for a future that’s hardly assured. Because death can be a beginning too. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Next Goal Wins (2023) |
It's not going to win any awards, but it should do very well at the box office. Because despite there being zero surprises as it fulfills its mass-marketed for-profit formula, Next Goal Wins never talks down to us. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Yellow Bus (2023) |
The real standout out, however, is the acting. Chatterjee and Alloush are both fantastic with Sial’s frustration and fatigue lending a necessary counter to their volatility. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Dear Jassi (2023) |
By letting the horrors to come unfold in all their uncensored brutality, Dear Jassi forces those who would rather dismiss such situations as not being their problem to experience the violence being done in God's name first-hand. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Days of Happiness (2023) |
What initially feels like a solid drama lifted by its soulful lead performance actually proves a slow burning crescendo of catharsis wherein Emma must find the strength to cut the strings that have been leading her forward. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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The Teacher (2023) |
There's no vagueness here to the fact that a clandestine war is being waged by rebels as opposed to terrorists. That's not to say it condones their actions either. It merely contextualizes them. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Kill (2023) |
Just let the rage unleash in whatever convenient way is necessary to get the blood flowing faster. What's good enough for John Wick should be good enough for Kill, so wake the boogeyman up and let him loose. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Finestkind (2023) |
There's no better Father's Day gift than streaming an example of their stunted emotions and stubborn failures via a thriller-adjacent plot that ultimately lets them off the hook to rousing fanfare. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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North Star (2023) |
Sometimes personal stories like this just don't quite translate to formulaic mainstream-appeal storytelling. Craft and intent simply couldn't quite push it across the finish line. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Rotting in the Sun (2023) |
When ROTTING IN THE SUN is funny, though, it's very funny. Its pieces might overshadow the whole, but some of them are so good that sitting through the rest becomes a necessity. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Bottoms (2023) |
You do need to get on its wavelength to enjoy it to the fullest. It probably skews too crazy for my own liking, but I had a smile on my face throughout and laughed out loud enough to become a legitimate fan. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Lost Ladies (2023) |
It's a progressive story without being preachy. A rom-com/mystery hybrid weaving its themes into the fabric of its plot to avoid talking down to an audience that understands its motives all too well. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Dicks: The Musical (2023) |
[Lane and Mullally] are the real draw, leaving all shame at the door to debase themselves for chuckles and guffaws alike. It’s enough to recommend Dicks, even if you find yourself regretting it too. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Copa 71 (2023) |
Along with these first-hand accounts, the footage of the games themself amazes too. Add some stunning still photography and a wealth of newspaper headlines and COPA 71 becomes an archival treasure trove of sports history. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Sep 08, 2023
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The Good Mother (2023) |
The film is an empty calorie page-turner. A primetime movie of the week that forgets its compelling true-life tragedies are worth more than being rendered as color for generic twists and turns. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Sep 01, 2023
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Piaffe (2022) |
It can be very slow and is always weird in the absurdness of the sensorial fetishes that result, but you cannot deny its singular passion to provoke, arouse, and entertain. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 25, 2023
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Golda (2023) |
GOLDA isn't therefore a bad film. It's simply a forgettable one save its central performance (although even that shouldn't make much of an impact during awards season). - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 25, 2023
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Trader (2023) |
What follows is a one-woman show of the highs and lows of luck, skill, and ruthless exploitation. Murray [puts] everything she has into the role. You love to despise her. You want her to win even as you realize the steep price being paid by us. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 25, 2023
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Brightwood (2022) |
[Elcar pivots to horror] to prove the metaphorical circles of carnage we put ourselves through don't always have an exit ramp. Whether voluntarily or not, we become comfortable in the chaos. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 25, 2023
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Mutt (2023) |
That these characters can exist in that murky area of confused feelings without having to lose themselves in easy vilification is a testament to the empathy with which Lungulov-Klotz utilizes throughout his story. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 18, 2023
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Love Life (2022) |
Jealousy isn't what Fukada is interested in pursuing. He's focusing upon forgiveness instead. Not for the other's transgressions or unspoken feelings, but for themselves. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 11, 2023
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Restore Point (2023) |
It may feel by-the-numbers in scope, but its execution more than makes up the difference. A testament to everyone involved that it proves a worthy return to the genre [for the Czechia]. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 11, 2023
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Oppenheimer (2023) |
Thankfully, despite my qualms with Nolan purposefully structuring things to exploit our belief he's finally told a straightforward story, I was still completely taken by its gravitas. Give Murphy and Downey Jr. Oscars. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 11, 2023
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Hundreds of Beavers (2022) |
While this live-action LOONEY TUNES epic of silent-era slapstick nonsense is definitely too long, it proves itself to be a vast improvement over its predecessor by fully leaning into the madness until you can't help reveling in its charm. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 11, 2023
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River (2023) |
While the journey doesn't utilize a single-take device like BEYOND, its frenetic pace and potential for extreme emotions demands a similar level of investment that you'll be more than willing to provide due to its infectious sense of entertainment. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 11, 2023
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With Love and a Major Organ (2023) |
It's a gruesome yet beautiful concept that Albright and Lederer manifest through unforgettable visual metaphor [along this] humorously poignant journey towards understanding our love can inflict pain onto others just as easily as it can onto ourselves. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 04, 2023
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A Compassionate Spy (2022) |
[Rather than an account of his spying] this is instead more a bio-pic of the man himself and the life born out of his treasonous act of defiance. And more than that, it's a love letter to him as told by his widow Joan. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 04, 2023
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Brother (2022) |
Virgo is weaving through ups and downs with a deft rhythm to ensure we never get too high or low. Johnson and Pierre provide the journey the authenticity necessary for its sprawling drama to feel lived. Blake is the heart, but these men supply its soul. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 04, 2023
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Vincent Must Die (2023) |
That's where the fun and intrigue lie since this isn't some high concept gore-fest of carnage like MAYHEM or THE SADNESS. Castang has crafted a quiet drama out of the scenario instead. - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 04, 2023
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Passages (2023) |
PASSAGES works so well and feels so refreshing because it flips the usual redemption formula. Instead of teaching Tomas the error of his insidiously domineering way, it opens the eyes of his victims (and ours). - Hey, Have You Seen ...?
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| Posted Aug 04, 2023
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A Disturbance in The Force (2023) |
Coon and Kozak show that The Star Wars Holiday Special truly exists on an island alone as an unwitting cautionary tale never to be repeated again. - The Film Stage
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| Posted Aug 04, 2023
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