Lindsay Traves
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Tetris (2023) |
By splashing the whole story with vivacious music, story-telling, visual gags, and performances, Tetris amps up a legal drama making it as exciting as clearing four lines at once. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Mar 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
Evil Dead Rise (2023) |
A rich blend of the remake’s bleak vibe and the original trilogy’s comedic tone. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Mar 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
Problemista (2023) |
A cool-toned and warm-blooded take on the young-ish-adult experience of keeping your head above water. It’s also a smart tale of how different people’s experiences shape them and how they interact with the world as a result. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Mar 15, 2023
|
|
|
|
Appendage (2023) |
Appendage’s on-the-nose metaphor loses steam really quickly, which is why it worked better as a short. It’s not so much a rich metaphor as an idea that directly announces itself through pointy practical effects teeth. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2023
|
|
|
|
Attachment (2022) |
For those who are used to hearing their mothers spit to ward of a curse, who’ve worn hamsas and evil eyes, or who’ve been gifted challah and salt in their new homes, Attachment taps into a magical exploration of the Jewish religion. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Feb 22, 2023
|
|
|
|
Knock at the Cabin (2023) |
A beautifully made horror feature about love and shouldering the burden of the whole world. It’s all held up by stellar subtle performances that work to jam the audience into a war between the lines and their meaning. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Feb 04, 2023
|
|
|
|
Shotgun Wedding (2023) |
The stakes are low throughout, the tone never rising to the darkly comedic levels of its cohorts, so it lives and dies by the performances of Lopez and Duhamel keeping the comedy and the heart intact. They deliver. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Feb 01, 2023
|
|
|
|
M3GAN (2022) |
M3GAN is a comedy, and an effective one, that dares you to laugh in somber moments before launching a punch line into your gut. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Jan 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) |
It’s derivative, trashy, and feels like a DTV sequel to a middling franchise. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Dec 07, 2022
|
|
|
|
Blood Relatives (2022) |
Though it maybe didn’t need the full 90-ish minutes to make its point, the movie capitalizes off the sweet and delightful tone in a way that makes you want it to keep going. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Nov 29, 2022
|
|
|
|
Disenchanted (2022) |
Disenchanted is an enjoyable enough follow-up to its delightful predecessor, it just seems that Enchanted exhausted the magic. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Nov 23, 2022
|
|
|
|
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) |
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story marries Appel’s internet and sketch comedy with Yankovic’s parody artistry to create a spin on the biopic that has a good-spirited laugh in its own face. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2022
|
|
|
|
V/H/S/99 (2022) |
Not ever minute is a winner, but it has enough to justify its length, all culminating in the final segment which most perfectly grasps Y2K fear, horror, and comedy. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 24, 2022
|
|
|
|
Halloween Ends (2022) |
It’d be maddening if it wasn’t so boring. But it’s not just about what the movie isn’t, it’s also about what it is -- a messy collection of sluggish scenes with no thematic through line and a distinct lack of tension, excitement, or slashing. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 17, 2022
|
|
|
|
Grimcutty (2022) |
Grimcutty is born of an interesting idea about how parents just don’t understand, but its execution is an unfortunately boring and sluggish story that might have been saved by a really dope-looking monster. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
Smile (2022) |
Smile is not for the faint of heart and is not likely to be the comfy cozy October rainy day watch. This ruthless horror story is grim indictment of mental health stigmas wrapped in a terrifying batch of scares. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) |
Farrell and Gleeson expertly use their subtle expressions to portray despair, quiet rage, and perplexed longing all through repeated instances of giving and declining invitations for a pint. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Sep 20, 2022
|
|
|
|
Pearl (2022) |
West and Goth have expanded on the first installment’s tale of sexual repression as violence in this deranged feature that’s elevated even further by Goth’s sparkling and wistful performance as a ruthless killer. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Sep 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Triangle of Sadness (2022) |
The jokes are cracklingly dry while sandwiched between toilet gags that make for a rip-roaring experience. Östlund’s work sits comfortably beside the work of Armando Iannucci in its ability to blend sharp and dry wit with over-the-top vulgarity. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Sep 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Sick (2022) |
It’s a strange and uncomfortable time, and Sick, an otherwise expertly built and intense home invasion thrill ride, reminds us of it. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Sep 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) |
Glass Onion is a beautiful-to-look-at feature that is a total gas. There’s a lot of fun to be had while watching gorgeously costumed, loveable actors flutter through a stunning manor, spitting out lines that allow us to laugh at their expense. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Sep 13, 2022
|
|
|
|
Samaritan (2022) |
Samaritan doesn’t so much seem to be relitigating these concepts as it feels like a bot consumed a bunch of cynical superhero media and spat out an emulation. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Aug 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
Orphan: First Kill (2022) |
By exploiting your comfort in the formula and your tempered expectations, Orphan: First Kill is able to slam the gas pedal and jolt your limp body forward. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Aug 16, 2022
|
|
|
|
Glorious (2022) |
On the other side of the flashy poster is a delicious cosmic nightmare scented with human refuse and inhuman sludge. If this group invites you to a no-pants party, say “yes.” - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Aug 16, 2022
|
|
|
|
Hypochondriac (2022) |
Though it’s imperfect, the magnetic and warm performance of its lead captivates you just enough to stay with him on his journey. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Aug 03, 2022
|
|
|
|
Relax, I'm from the Future (2023) |
Its absurdist take on the state of the foreseeable end of the world works to balance escapism with an all-too-real story about present day. It’s Terminator by way of the next generation of zany modern anxiety. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Aug 01, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Black Phone (2021) |
The Black Phone is a spooky, scary Horror movie with a capital “H” that did everything to remind me why I love a good fright. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Jun 27, 2022
|
|
|
|
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) |
By writing and directing himself, Raiff's sincerity reads as a nauseating, him trying to capitalize off his own natural charm. It's the centering of his lead that washes away a lot of the authenticity of the story. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Jun 17, 2022
|
|
|
|
Crimes of the Future (2022) |
In returning to his roots, David Cronenberg has given his adoring fans more of what they want: bizarre bio-technological nightmares that wink at sexuality by way of the grotesque. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Jun 08, 2022
|
|
|
|
Firestarter (2022) |
Firestarter is mostly a bummer since it feels like the promise of what might have been. Immense talent and iconic source material should have made for a couch-and-popcorn fright, but this newest feature couldn’t… heat up enough to get the kernels to pop? - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2022
|
|
|
|
Monstrous (2022) |
It’s a pleasure to watch the spooky Ricci glide through ’50s housewife cliches... It’s her movie, and it’s the success of her strong but naïve performance that allows the themes to glow. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted May 13, 2022
|
|
|
|
Turning Red (2022) |
It’s a cute-as-a-button story about the power of relationships, found family, and finding yourself that feels like the warm embrace of a hot water bottle gingerly placed over your cramps. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Mar 17, 2022
|
|
|
|
After Yang (2021) |
Writer and director, Kogonada, gorgeously tackles complicated emotions using a neutral painted setting and the restrained performance of his lead. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Mar 04, 2022
|
|
|
|
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) |
This is an effective and well-created rural slasher that has kill scenes we’ll all be shouting about and climbing over each other to mention on “best of” lists. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Feb 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Brazen (2022) |
This isn't about accuracy or reality, it's about Yankee-candle-vanilla-scented escapism... What makes it interesting is the story of the streamer's business model pivoting to lap up the spray of its network competitors. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Jan 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) |
A fresh take on adapting the videogame that spits out fan-favorite references and a lot of blood. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Dec 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) |
Though a familiar biopic, the themes embedded in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain tell a richer story. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Nov 12, 2021
|
|
|
|
Halloween Kills (2021) |
It's messy and choppy and completely confused about what it's trying to accomplish. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 21, 2021
|
|
|
|
Silent Night (2021) |
It's her first feature, having previously created shorts, and it's impressive how much she's able to pull from this simple premise. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 12, 2021
|
|
|
|
I'm Your Man (2021) |
I hadn't expected to describe a story of love and robots this way, but I'm Your Man is a quirky and lovable twist on the romantic comedy. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 12, 2021
|
|
|
|
There's Someone Inside Your House (2021) |
This newest attempt at appealing to the blossoming generation of slasher fans wears the mask of a fresh slasher, but underneath it all is a boring collection of kill scenes that uses Gen Z buzzwords for clout. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 12, 2021
|
|
|
|
No One Gets Out Alive (2021) |
There's beauty in its simplicity, using a familiar tale for a fresh metaphor, even if it doesn't break a ton of new ground with its structure. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Oct 08, 2021
|
|
|
|
Night of the Animated Dead (2021) |
The longstanding iconography of this film is completely thwarted by this adaptation. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Oct 04, 2021
|
|
|
|
Encounter (2021) |
Much of the weight is carried by the core cast, and while they haul it with ease, I wish they'd gotten more work to do with the movie playing its cards a bit closer to the chest. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Oct 04, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Guilty (2021) |
The Guilty is a white-knuckle thrill ride that reveals its secrets in just enough time to keep you breathless. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Oct 04, 2021
|
|
|
|
DASHCAM (2021) |
It feels like Host made a promise that Rob Savage and Jed Shepherd couldn't keep. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Sep 13, 2021
|
|
|
|
He's All That (2021) |
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this contemporary take on an old favorite, but it would also be a lie to say it's successful. - Pajiba
Read More
| Posted Sep 02, 2021
|
|
|
|
Candyman (2021) |
Nia DaCosta's take on this rich tale is nothing short of brilliant. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Aug 26, 2021
|
|
|
|
Hellbender (2021) |
Many have tried to use witchcraft as an allegory for the women's experience, and Hellbender does well enough with the premise. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Aug 17, 2021
|
|
|
|
Seobok: Project Clone (2021) |
For all it's lack of thematic focus, the film is mostly a blast to consume. - CGMagazine
Read More
| Posted Aug 12, 2021
|