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Katie Rife
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Your Lucky Day (2023) |
Your Lucky Day moves along at an engaging pace throughout, although it doesn't reach its brutal potential as a thriller until two-thirds of the way through. Up to that point, it's burdened by clumsy repetition of its central theme. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 27, 2023
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The Toxic Avenger (2023) |
Here, “agreeably stupid” is the order of the day... It’s a deliberate choice on the filmmaker’s part -- one that will alienate much of the film’s potential audience, but will appeal to those already primed to snicker their way through it. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Cassandro (2023) |
Set in the colorful world of Mexican professional wrestling, its ambitions are modest and its main character is charismatic, thanks to Gael García Bernal’s loving depiction of the man known as "The Liberace of lucha libre." - IGN Movies
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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Dumb Money (2023) |
A large cast of familiar faces also keeps the novelty factor high, even if the plot is a foregone conclusion. In the end, Goliath always wins. So you might as well have some lulz along the way. - IGN Movies
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Woman of the Hour (2023) |
Kendrick’s image as an actor isn’t necessarily tied to dark, edgy material, but as a director she shows a talent for staging scenes of Hitchcockian suspense alongside her signature wit. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 11, 2023
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My Animal (2023) |
The film is more about style than plot, but the setting and direction are novel enough, and the chemistry between the actors is palpable enough, to make it an achingly nostalgic experience, especially for LGBTQ+ viewers. - IGN Movies
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| Posted Sep 09, 2023
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Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023) |
“Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” isn’t a wholly new take on the subgenre. But it is a charming one — a rom-com for teenagers (and teenagers at heart) who swoon when cute boys talk about death. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 03, 2023
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The Good Mother (2023) |
The Good Mother starts with a gunshot and ends with a whimper. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Sep 01, 2023
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King Coal (2023) |
“King Coal” finds its purpose... as a loose collection of segments covering different aspects of coal mining and culture in Appalachia crystallizes into a statement of hope for the region. - indieWire
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| Posted Aug 18, 2023
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Sympathy for the Devil (2023) |
Cage brings genuine menace to his manic role, and co-star Joel Kinnaman holds his own as the straight man. Where the story lands is predictable, but the journey there is fun and full of tension. - IGN Movies
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| Posted Jul 25, 2023
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The Flood (2023) |
The promising premise loses momentum quickly, thanks to stiff performances and subpar digital effects. The Flood is only tolerable with beers, friends, and low expectations. - IGN Movies
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| Posted Jul 17, 2023
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Insidious: The Red Door (2023) |
Callbacks to other “Insidious” films are half-hearted, and “The Red Door” seems to give up on trying to make all of the pieces fit after a while. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Jul 07, 2023
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Sanctuary (2022) |
Writer Micah Bloomberg’s script ingeniously incorporates the movie’s themes into its structure, and Qualley and Abbott—but especially Qualley—playfully keep the audience guessing throughout. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted May 19, 2023
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Fast X (2023) |
Fast X suffers from the same condition as latter-day MCU movies, where it’s so laden with internal mythology that it feels more like homework than popcorn entertainment. - Polygon
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| Posted May 17, 2023
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The Mother (2023) |
Lopez translates her background as a dancer into gritty action choreography with the ease of a seasoned professional. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted May 12, 2023
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Rare Objects (2023) |
Unfortunately, none of the movie’s good intentions ever pan out. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Apr 17, 2023
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The Worst Ones (2022) |
“The Worst Ones” stays true to itself. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Money Shot: The Pornhub Story (2023) |
It’s titillation with a side of radicalization. - Polygon
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| Posted Mar 22, 2023
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Evil Dead Rise (2023) |
Once it gets out of its own way and gives the audience what they came to see, “Evil Dead Rise” is an absolute blast. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Mar 17, 2023
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Unicorn Wars (2022) |
While “Unicorn Wars” undoubtedly indulges [its] impulses—think cartoon genitalia and bears hanging themselves in despair—it thankfully also has more going on. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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Palm Trees and Power Lines (2022) |
Beyond simple documentation, the movie’s intentions are fuzzy. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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Children of the Corn (2020) |
There’s a lot of screaming and blood, and kids giggling while clutching rusty farm equipment, but none of it leads to anything. - Polygon
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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My Happy Ending (2023) |
“My Happy Ending” can’t even do a tearjerker right. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022) |
[Huesera] accomplishes a lofty goal for genre cinema: Taking a familiar formula and turning it into a personal statement. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023) |
Allowing both love and money to complicate the primal enjoyment of watching muscular men in sweatpants gyrate ends up diluting the film’s once-simple pleasures. Maybe you can’t have it all. - Polygon
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| Posted Feb 07, 2023
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Cat Person (2023) |
Cat Person gets it wrong so consistently, makes its points so inelegantly, and pads out the short story in such an ill-conceived way that it ends up invalidating the same concerns on which it’s built. - Polygon
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Mami Wata (2023) |
The extra time spent developing the film pays off on screen: From its opening title design to the last notes of Tunde Jegede’s score, Mami Wata is a work of art. - indieWire
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Infinity Pool (2023) |
Infinity Pool is the best horror satire about Americans abroad since Hostel. - Polygon
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Kids vs. Aliens (2022) |
In keeping with our current "poptimistic" age, Kids Vs. Aliens keeps the aggressive neon splatter, but loses the cynicism—a choice that, for all the F-bombs and fake blood, makes it a surprisingly pure film. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Jethica (2022) |
This is a strange film all around, distractible and full of Olympic-level tonal gambits. Viewers’ mileage will vary. Wildly. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Jan 13, 2023
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M3GAN (2022) |
Like Malignant, M3gan knows it's ridiculous. It fills a kiddie pool with ridiculousness and splashes around in it. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Jan 06, 2023
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Wildcat (2022) |
While the points where Wildcat goes beyond simply being a feel-good nature documentary and delves into Harry’s mental health struggles are honest, they raise more questions than they answer. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Emily the Criminal (2022) |
As a crime thriller, Emily the Criminal is well-written and absorbingly paced, but it’s Plaza’s fearless work that makes it memorable. - Polygon
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| Posted Dec 12, 2022
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Spoiler Alert (2022) |
This is a nice film. A sweet film. A film you can watch with your mother-in-law. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Dec 09, 2022
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A Wounded Fawn (2022) |
[A Wounded Fawn] is forged in fire and blood, taking [Stevens'] eye for striking visuals and elevating it to psychedelic new heights. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Dec 02, 2022
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Violent Night (2022) |
The film has fun lobbing snarky one-liners and outrageous bloodshed at the audience, but on the whole, Violent Night’s big red bag of self-aware tricks is overstuffed. - Polygon
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| Posted Dec 02, 2022
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Taurus (2022) |
Even in offering a cautionary tale, all it can deliver is shallow provocation and monotonous cliché. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Nov 18, 2022
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Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) |
Bardo tries to do so much that in the end, it ends up saying nothing. - Polygon
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| Posted Nov 17, 2022
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The Wonder (2022) |
The Wonder crosses a line between eerie ambiguity and aimless floundering. - Polygon
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| Posted Nov 16, 2022
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Soft & Quiet (2022) |
Soft & Quiet is extremely effective as a piece of educational agitprop. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Nov 04, 2022
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My Policeman (2022) |
The film has nothing to add to the canon of depressing LGBTQ+ period dramas that’s profound enough to overcome the story’s dreary packaging. - Rolling Stone
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| Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Who Invited Them (2022) |
Birmingham does a good job teasing the audience with the possibility of violence, while coyly withholding the orgy of bloodshed that seems sure to explode at some point. - Dread Central
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| Posted Oct 18, 2022
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Hellraiser (2022) |
Hellraiser 2022 easily clears the admittedly low bar of being one of the best Hellraiser movies. - Polygon
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| Posted Oct 05, 2022
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Smile (2022) |
In padding out the concept from an 11-minute short into a nearly two-hour movie, Smile leans too heavily not only on formulaic mystery plotting, but also on horror themes and imagery lifted from popular hits like The Ring and It Follows. - RogerEbert.com
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| Posted Sep 23, 2022
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I Like Movies (2022) |
A film that is small but not slight, sweet but not cloying, and the kind of thing that can make even a cynical critic like movies again. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 20, 2022
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Dalíland (2022) |
On paper, Dalíland has all the elements of a fascinating character study. In practice, it’s more of a rote exercise. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 20, 2022
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All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) |
Just as polished but not quite as flashy as Sam Mendes’ “1917,” the film displays a similar level of commitment to historical detail, but presents its elaborately staged battlefield scenes in a relatively more plain spoken style. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 14, 2022
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The Whale (2022) |
Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is an act of hate disguised as tough love. - Polygon
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| Posted Sep 14, 2022
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The Woman King (2022) |
This film has a fire in its belly. But more importantly, it also has a heart full of love: love of life, love of freedom, love of Black people and culture, and love for its ferocious, complicated, brave women. - Polygon
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| Posted Sep 14, 2022
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A Jazzman's Blues (2022) |
It’s apparent that Perry worked in theater when he wrote this script. At its core, “A Jazzman’s Blues” is a soap opera full of shocking secrets, emotional confrontations, and one exceedingly satisfying slap. - indieWire
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| Posted Sep 13, 2022
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