>
Lael Loewenstein
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
The Stones and Brian Jones (2023) |
What's really cool about this documentary is their interviews with Bill Wyman and other musicians about Jones' creative contributions to the group, and I didn't really know about that before. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Nov 29, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023) |
One of the best documentaries of the year. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Nov 29, 2023
|
|
|
|
Saltburn (2023) |
While I think the film is visually sumptuous and striking... It doesn't feel like it has a lot of substance. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Nov 29, 2023
|
|
|
|
May December (2023) |
Tremendously well done. It does teeter on the edge of comedy, but it's a dramatic film to my mind. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Nov 29, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) |
It is very long and sometimes unwieldy, but in the hands of director Francis Lawrence... I think fans will like it. It delivers mostly the high notes you expect from a film of this sort. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Nov 29, 2023
|
|
|
|
Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind (2022) |
A beautifully rendered documentary of someone whose work has been undeniably influential. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Oct 04, 2023
|
|
|
|
A Million Miles Away (2023) |
It falls back on the tropes that we've seen in other inspirational films... But I don't won't to fault it too much because the story is so remarkable. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
El Conde (2023) |
A tremendous technical achievement... [But] it feels curiously bloodless for a movie that's so much about bloodletting. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
Scrapper (2023) |
A really remarkable directorial debut. It's a quirky, weird, delightful and offbeat film. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023) |
It's very well-intentioned, but it doesn't hit the notes and ends up feeling like a medley of greatest hits from the first two. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
Bella! (2023) |
I found it to be very well-researched and thoroughly engaging. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Sep 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Golda (2023) |
Plodding and boring. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Sep 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Bank of Dave (2023) |
The most charming and delightful movie of the week. I was really happy to have something brighten my day. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Sep 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Retribution (2023) |
It started strong and looked promising... But then it just degenerated. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Sep 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story (2023) |
This was much better than I expected it to be and probably better than it had any right to be. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Sep 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Barbie (2023) |
It is in many ways reverential to Barbie, and in other ways subversive. It's kind of amazing that it manages to do both. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Bobi Wine: The People's President (2022) |
A searing political documentary. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
The First Slam Dunk (2022) |
The sound design brings up every squeak of a sneaker on the gym floor. It really feels like you're at a basketball game. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Unknown Country (2022) |
Gladstone is an actress who conveys tremendous depth. Even when she is being silent superficially, there is so much going on that you feel she is being keenly observant of the world around her. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
|
|
Haunted Mansion (2023) |
It doesn't feel like a completely cohesive film, nor is it particularly successful at getting the emotions that it strives for, but it's serviceable. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Aug 11, 2023
|
|
|
|
Prisoner's Daughter (2022) |
Clichéd and trite, sadly. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
In the Company of Rose (2022) |
What struck me about this documentary was what a remarkable woman Rose was in her own right. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
Revoir Paris (2022) |
This is a really good film by a filmmaker I appreciate a lot. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
Wham! (2023) |
I enjoyed this film and learned quite a lot about Wham! - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) |
An affectionate and mostly appropriate return to all the things we love about Indiana Jones. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
Victim/Suspect (2023) |
It's a very important subject, but I didn't feel that Schwartzman brought anything near the incisiveness of her earlier documentaries. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023) |
This film scratches the surface... It doesn't get in deep, and I didn't learn much about her. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Master Gardener (2022) |
Is Master Gardener a thriller? I don't think; I think it wants to be, but it falls short. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Sanctuary (2022) |
Instead of being ick or yawning-inducing, it is funny, edgy, weird and always intriguing. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Thief Collector (2022) |
Otto did a particularly good job fusing all these different elements. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Wanda Sykes: I'm An Entertainer (2023) |
Sykes is terrifically funny and has such a great perspective. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Fast X (2023) |
This film is very entertaining but not especially good. That's OK, because if you're a fan of this series I think you'll be happy with what you get. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Ghosted (2023) |
A madcap adventure that sucked. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) |
An energetic and well-sourced documentary about the legendary Little Richard. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Wild Life (2023) |
It's beautifully told. A little shapeless, but still affecting. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Carmen (2022) |
An easy film to admire but a difficult film to like... It's very well-constructed and evocative, but narratively it just drifts. It's an odd film. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Joyland (2022) |
A deeply affecting and accomplished first film. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Judy Blume Forever (2023) |
A wonderfully vibrant portrait of someone who, in her ninth decade, is still quite vibrant herself. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Murder Mystery 2 (2023) |
Absolutely unbearable. A phoned-in and uninspired vanity project. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Apr 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Space Oddity (2022) |
A little quirky and weird, but it's got sweet moments. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Apr 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
One Day as a Lion (2023) |
I thought the actors were a little bit better than this script, but it's a decent effort and entertaining. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Apr 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Tetris (2023) |
The film really captures being on the cusp of a technological breakthrough... Quite entertaining. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Apr 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
Air (2023) |
A slam dunk for Affleck and the entire creative team. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Apr 07, 2023
|
|
|
|
A Radiant Girl (2021) |
It has a very odd sense of not being of its time or place... There wasn't much about it that was specific to its moment. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Mar 02, 2023
|
|
|
|
Boy From Nowhere (2023) |
A very sweet, lovely film. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Mar 02, 2023
|
|
|
|
Return to Seoul (2022) |
A very good film. It is tremendously well-thought out and beautifully mounted. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Mar 02, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Other Fellow (2022) |
A pretty good documentary and a pretty clever idea. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Feb 28, 2023
|
|
|
|
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) |
[Jonathan Majors] elevated the material and was in a realm altogether... [But the movie] was too drunk on its own mythology. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Feb 28, 2023
|
|
|
|
Bezos: The Beginning (2022) |
There is nothing particularly inspired here. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Feb 11, 2023
|
|
|
|
Chess Story (2021) |
It's extremely well-directed and one of the best uses of sound design I've heard in a while. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Read More
| Posted Feb 11, 2023
|