John Fink
John Fink's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
The Film Stage
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Renfield (2023) |
Suffering from genre dysphoria, Renfield has all elements in place for a hilarious comedy but ultimately takes itself just a little too seriously for its concept. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Apr 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Chop & Steele (2022) |
Chop & Steele plays like one act of artistic defiance after another in celebration of Pickett and Prueher’s love of obscure content, much of which was never cleared for public consumption. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Apr 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Spinning Gold (2023) |
The final result suggests a project that had to cut corners along the way rather than take time to develop characters. Still, there is something occasionally fun in watching a film with questionable choices bookended by over-the-top musical numbers. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Apr 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Arc of Oblivion (2023) |
A sweeping, often playful odyssey, The Arc of Oblivion seeks out expert help in exploring the nature of archiving, including the gatekeepers who decide what is important to keep record of. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2023
|
|
|
|
Raging Grace (2023) |
Not unlike the rage sparked within Bong Joon Ho’s now-classic Parasite, Paris Zarcilla’s Raging Grace explores a perverse relationship between a wealthy estate owner and their laborer. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 29, 2023
|
|
|
|
Angel Applicant (2023) |
Telling the story of his own affliction, Angel Applicant is a captivating self-portrait that––like the work of graphic-designer-turned-filmmaker Mike Mills––uses everyday objects and works of art to make sense of one’s own life. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
If You Were the Last (2023) |
If You Were the Last’s simple concept works precisely because Mercado doesn’t try scaling it into a prestige sci-fi drama. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
Americana (2023) |
The film’s cast advances the film above a late-night B-movie, each having fun channeling the archetypes of the neo-westerns that came before. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
Confessions of a Good Samaritan (2023) |
Lane is, of course, too smart to pull on all the strings and create a manipulative PSA about organ donation. The film instead is a study in altruism without an uplifting ending where she gets to meet the stranger to whom she gave her kidney. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 25, 2023
|
|
|
|
Only The Good Survive (2023) |
Only the Good Survive contains all the twists and turns of a rambling thriller narrative that lands somewhere between Scott Pilgrim and The Usual Suspects. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 25, 2023
|
|
|
|
Joy Ride (2023) |
Joy Ride is a hilarious, high-energy film that follows the road trip genre closely before subverting in its own way. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 25, 2023
|
|
|
|
Caterpillar (2023) |
Rather than framing the film as a cautionary medical tale, it remains a grounded, sympathetic portrait of David and his quest for beauty. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 23, 2023
|
|
|
|
Evil Dead Rise (2023) |
Cronin and his technical team know exactly what they’re doing and deliver all the bloody cheese grater scrapes, demonic strangulation by wire, and jump scares that are to be expected. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 20, 2023
|
|
|
|
The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution (2023) |
The New Americans: Gaming and Revolution perhaps lays out a thesis for an America that’s unsustainable and subject to more pronounced booms and busts––where regulatory hurdles and algorithms can be exploited like a cheat code. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Mustache (2023) |
The film is a compassionate portrait of a young man finding his place in several communities with a rigorous support system of mentors and family members in place. I just wish Khan would have given us a little more time with the rich ensemble around him. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 13, 2023
|
|
|
|
Another Body (2023) |
A film like this is essential viewing. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 13, 2023
|
|
|
|
Flamin' Hot (2023) |
Embellishments aside, Flamin’ Hot is like the perfect snack or comfort food: consistent, delivering an experience that pleases because it is so familiar, and a classic Hollywood rags-to-riches story with a heavy dose of Latin flavor. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 13, 2023
|
|
|
|
Twice Colonized (2023) |
What does it mean to confront the colonial sins of the past and truly make reparations for the erasure of cultures? Lin Alluna’s Twice Colonized directly explores this question through its subject. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 14, 2023
|
|
|
|
Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV (2023) |
Ambitious, accessible, and comprehensive, Kim’s film is a thoroughly entertaining introduction to Paik, filled with the same joy and curiosity as his work. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Persian Version (2023) |
An often hilarious and spirited film with a deceptively complicated plot structure, it unpacks family secrets that ultimately inform the present. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Fancy Dance (2023) |
Fancy Dance is a rich character study that explores the contemporary impact of permanently marginalizing a community with limited options. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Talk to Me (2023) |
Featuring a great premise from which to build a franchise, YouTube creators Danny and Michael Philippou’s directorial debut Talk To Me is a refreshing retread, imagining tantalizing “micro-possessions” that get stronger the more you use them. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
Fantastic Machine (2023) |
In some ways it has bitten off a little more than it can chew, covering its ground in about 5% of the time a college course would dedicate to media literacy. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Stroll (2023) |
It’s a history of multiple communities and an important contribution to New York lore; a story told from the perspective of someone who made history and is now in a position to write it. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2023
|
|
|
|
King Coal (2023) |
A poetic ode to the blue ridges of West Virginia and Central Appalachia, King Coal in passages evokes an IMAX educational film for its scope, space, and presence. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 30, 2023
|
|
|
|
Kim's Video (2023) |
Kim’s Video is endlessly entertaining, embracing the energy of the films that made Redmon, a kid from Paris, Texas who loved movies and was thankfully able to escape to New York at the right time and find Kim’s. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
To Live and Die and Live (2023) |
The mood created by Basir, who also photographed To Live and Die and Live, is far more interesting than any over-the-top, formulaic family drama the film boxes itself into. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Pod Generation (2023) |
A film that might signal a world to come if the masters of the universe have their way. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Tuba Thieves (2023) |
A rich visual and auditory project that’s probably best experienced in an acoustically perfect environment. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
House Party (2023) |
When cinematic house parties have been getting out of control for years (see the most extreme case in Project X) this one is no doubt a banger, but not one for the ages––it all unfolds with predictable results as a lesser edition in the HPCU. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jan 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022) |
A warm, wise, personal celebration of raw creative energy. So many exciting things can happen when the gatekeepers step aside and the entrepreneurs run the show, changing how films are marketed and presented across the country. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Nov 09, 2022
|
|
|
|
Clerks III (2022) |
Clerks III will be most rewarding for long-time fans, while also hitting genuine emotional beats that come from developing a strong relationship with these characters over time. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Sep 12, 2022
|
|
|
|
Exposing Muybridge (2021) |
The film, like Muybridge, is full of mystery, playfulness, and complexity—an illuminating and engaging history lesson. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Aug 23, 2022
|
|
|
|
Vengeance (2022) |
A smart, subversive fish-out-of-water comedy. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jun 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Black Phone (2021) |
The Black Phone lands in uncanny valley—somewhere between an intelligent thriller that stays with you and a disposable summer entertainment built around jump scares. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Jun 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) |
The Belchers are such a purposefully weird and inclusive group; even if you haven’t seen the show you’ll feel right at home after a few minutes. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted May 28, 2022
|
|
|
|
Look at Me: XXXTENTACION (2022) |
What emerges is a portrait of a performer that lived with a great deal of pain, range, and immaturity that somehow was able to leverage social media and the zeitgeist to launch a brief career that touched a generation of fans. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Apr 04, 2022
|
|
|
|
Seriously Red (2021) |
Seriously Red follows the formula of the dead-pan coming-of-age-too-late comedy, landing several one-liners that are perhaps more rewarding for Dolly devotees than causal audiences. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Apr 04, 2022
|
|
|
|
A Woman on the Outside (2022) |
The experiment is still ongoing and struggles on the ground continue. Crystal and, by extension, this documentary call attention to one aspect of the system and the need for more opportunities so the cycle may be broken. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Apr 01, 2022
|
|
|
|
Raquel 1:1 (2022) |
A good deal more restrained and nuanced than The Craft and Carrie, Raquel 1:1 takes itself perhaps a little too seriously. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
To Leslie (2022) |
Riseborough delivers a knockout performance full of tics, nuances, and a beauty that has faded after too many nights of hard partying and hard living. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Unknown Country (2022) |
Similar to the films of Gladstones collaborator Kelly Reichardt, The Unknown Country tells us so little yet so much about Tana as she goes on a spiritual quest. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
Anonymous Club (2021) |
A current of loneliness runs through Danny Cohens beautifully haunting Anonymous Club, a rich documentary filmed in 16mm chronicling little more than a year in the life of singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
Under the Influence (2022) |
An OG YouTuber like Casey Neistat is perhaps one of the only people that could make the film in this way, with this level of access, but he lacks some critical distance needed for deeper insight. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
Soft & Quiet (2022) |
To say Soft & Quiet is designed to get your blood boiling is an understatement. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 24, 2022
|
|
|
|
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) |
The film may be Linklaters warmest and most nostalgic precisely because of its specifics. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 16, 2022
|
|
|
|
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
The Daniels have funneled an energy some may have found occasionally obnoxious in their debut feature Swiss Army Man into a frenetic race against time with little restraint but plenty precision. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) |
Like Cage, its a curious creation, one that never quite matches the ambitions of the man of the hour, but does allow him to poke fun at himself and treat fans to something cathartically silly. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Exiles (2022) |
The film is an open, honest portrait of personal conflict, contradictions, and suppressed narratives that shed some new light on the student protest movement by bringing the footageand some of the personal baggageout of the vault. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 08, 2022
|
|
|
|
Navalny (2022) |
With CNNs resources Roher has created a documentary that is both an active record and testament to democracy. - The Film Stage
Read More
| Posted Feb 08, 2022
|