Matthew Monagle
Tomatometer-approved critic
Matthew is a Texas-based film critic and tabletop aficionado. You can find his writing wherever people argue about movies online. He is also the co-host of Certified Forgotten, a podcast about the best horror movies of the 21st Century that fell through the cracks.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Clock (2023) |
There is a void in the market for horror films that speak directly to nonparents. Jacknow also shows enough command of both the material and the production design to prove her horror bonafides. - The Playlist
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| Posted May 16, 2023
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The Pope's Exorcist (2023) |
"'The Pope’s Exorcist' even has the gall to retcon the history of the church, which is the kind of pop punk theology that either endears you to the movie or turns you off it forever." - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Paint (2023) |
Wilson is often hilarious in the film – truly, no one else could take on this role – but 'Paint' creates a three-dimensional character in Carl and lovingly puts him through some very thoughtful paces. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Accused (2023) |
'Accused' is the best kind of thriller: one that works within its means to tell a harrowing story without exploiting its subject matter. - The Playlist
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Renfield (2023) |
In Nicolas Cage’s hands, Dracula is the perfect marriage between the rock star and the jilted lover. - The Playlist
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| Posted Apr 05, 2023
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Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2022) |
What makes Nick Kozakis’ 'Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism' such a standout exorcism film is that it shines its light most brightly on the believers. - The Playlist
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| Posted Apr 05, 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) |
Shazam! Fury of the Gods loses the thing that made it special. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 23, 2023
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Joy Ride (2023) |
Equal parts comedy and preparation. - The Playlist
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| Posted Mar 20, 2023
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Air (2023) |
Competent in all the right ways — good performances, strong dialogue, and a nice focus on 1980s production design and world-building — landing in the upper echelons of the Dad Movie lexicon. - The Playlist
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| Posted Mar 19, 2023
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Tetris (2023) |
Egerton remains a dynamic screen presence (and an early contender for Best Mustache of 2023). - The Playlist
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| Posted Mar 19, 2023
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Problemista (2023) |
"Problemista" combines Torres's comedic instincts into one wonderful package, playing with humor and storytelling in a way that is both remarkably cohesive but undeniably him. - The Playlist
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| Posted Mar 14, 2023
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Talk to Me (2023) |
'Talk to Me' is hardly a bad horror film, but the disconnect between what was and what could be looms large over the final act. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 13, 2023
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Satan Wants You (2023) |
If unserious people have a serious stranglehold on the country, you do not treat their agenda as a joke. Satan Wants You knows we’re smart enough to understand the connections we should make between the 1980s and today. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 13, 2023
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Flamin' Hot (2023) |
This is a movie centered on communities – religious, ethnic, and commercial – and how determined people can break free from the boxes that society has built around them. - The Playlist
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| Posted Mar 13, 2023
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) |
This film is a celebration of comedy and character. - The Playlist
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| Posted Mar 12, 2023
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Cocaine Bear (2023) |
Cocaine Bear is a success...by putting the emphasis on a handful of extremely gnarly kills and sprinkling in just enough weirdness to keep the entire train moving. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 02, 2023
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Fear (2023) |
It is frustrating to watch Fear carelessly oscillate between creature feature, haunted house movie, and folk horror. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jan 26, 2023
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The Wandering Earth II (2023) |
It is this combination of maximalism, nationalism, fatalism, and two-dimensional characterization that makes this one of the most enjoyable current franchises. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jan 19, 2023
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The Devil Conspiracy (2022) |
For those of a certain age, who cut their teeth on terrible creature features and bloated blockbusters at the turn of the century, The Devil Conspiracy will offer a kind of twisted nostalgia. - Austin Chronicle
Read More
| Posted Jan 12, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
The Pale Blue Eye holds together remarkably as a gothic piece of horror. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 22, 2022
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Emancipation (2022) |
If you like your Civil War films light on historicity but awash in alligator knife fights, then Emancipation is the movie for you. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 08, 2022
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Violent Night (2022) |
The result is a Santa Claus uncomplicated by backstory, which gives Harbour all the latitude he needs to find a winning character amidst the madness. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 01, 2022
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Missing (2021) |
There are powerful ideas, performances, and images present in Missing, but the film can never quite keep these elements synchronized long enough to pack a memorable punch. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 07, 2022
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Nightsiren (2022) |
Nightsiren is a bewitching film that will hopefully work its magic on countless horror audiences to come.
- Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 07, 2022
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Don't Look at the Demon (2022) |
There are worse reasons to see a movie than solid possessions and Fiona Dourif. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 06, 2022
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Medieval (2022) |
Even if 'Medieval' occasionally succumbs to its worst biopic influences, it’s still a delightfully confident work from a filmmaking team that knows its way around a sword. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 08, 2022
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Maneater (2022) |
Even as a guilty pleasure, Maneater is a particularly rough watch. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 25, 2022
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Summering (2022) |
Summering still captures the gentle doom of being aware that your life is about change forever. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 11, 2022
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She Will (2021) |
It’s odd to knock a film for not being more abstract, but Colbert has a true gift for sensory exploration. With Krige as its anchor, “She Will” offers moments of true greatness – and a few pointed barbs at ageism and patriarchal history, too. - The Playlist
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| Posted Jul 18, 2022
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The Phantom of the Open (2021) |
Rather than mine failure for cringe humor, Roberts and company find a bountiful font of empathy within the gutter. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 23, 2022
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Lightyear (2022) |
Lightyear is a unique miss in Pixar’s catalog, a film that neither commits to its sci-fi imagination nor tries to find authentic moments for kids. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 16, 2022
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Jurassic World Dominion (2022) |
Brings back likable characters and has the good grace to move at a fast clip. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 09, 2022
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Montana Story (2021) |
Introduces an element of finality to the American West...part of a new wave of films that herald the death of the Western. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted May 26, 2022
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Escape The Field (2022) |
While Escape the Field lacks the visual panache of its predecessors, there’s enough here to make it a solid night at the movies for the right kind of genre fan. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted May 05, 2022
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Jethica (2022) |
In finding humor, pathos, and beauty in such a complicated subject matter, Ohs and company deliver a sunbaked ghost story that should stand the test of time. - The Playlist
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| Posted Apr 05, 2022
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The Contractor (2022) |
There’s enough here to make The Contractor watchable even as we close the door on it ever being good. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 04, 2022
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Slash/Back (2022) |
Even accounting for the growing pains that come with a small budget and a cast of unknowns, Slash/Back delivers the goods. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 16, 2022
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Deadstream (2022) |
An absolute delight. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 13, 2022
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Uncharted (2022) |
Uncharted is finally here – and the result is an affable piece of studio filmmaking that easily clears our collective lowered bar. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Feb 17, 2022
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Moonfall (2022) |
Moonfall is bad – the wrong kind of bad – because everything in this formula fails to hold up its end of the bargain. The effects are muddled; the supporting cast is terrible. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Feb 10, 2022
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Antlers (2021) |
Antlers might have transcended its flaws to become a B-movie masterclass in the genre. Instead, we are treated to a film with a vague understanding of arthouse horror and no capacity for subtext. - Austin Chronicle
Read More
| Posted Oct 28, 2021
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Dear Evan Hansen (2021) |
Dear Evan Hansen could never work, not really, but any hope the film has of fostering sympathy for Hansen went out with the window with an actor born in the 1990s. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 15, 2021
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The Guilty (2021) |
Gyllenhaal works hard to make Baylor a more conflicted character. Yet in humanizing him the film also reduces an institutional failing into an individual one. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 15, 2021
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Free Guy (2021) |
This is no Ernest Cline novel; our emotional connection to the world and its characters goes far beyond the level of pop culture references. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 15, 2021
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The Last Duel (2021) |
The Last Duel is a thematic gold mine, one that sits nicely alongside some of Scott's best work to date. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 15, 2021
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Raging Fire (2021) |
Raging Fire reminds us that a little bit of real-world chaos can still go a long way. If you can sit through the occasional sermon about the role of police in modern society, you'll find yourself in the lap of true action greatness. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 17, 2021
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Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021) |
Compared to other Hollywood blockbusters, Snake Eyes is better than fine - but there are hundreds of Asian and Southeast Asian action movies that run circles around the final product here. At least Golding and Koji got theirs. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 30, 2021
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Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) |
If the Escape Room franchise has hit its ceiling, it is still far more engaging - and far more creative - than the horror films most multiplex audiences have to choose from. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 22, 2021
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The Forever Purge (2021) |
The Forever Purge does have its finger on the pulse of America at a particularly violent moment in time, but for a series defined by glorious chaos, this one paints pretty much by the numbers. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 02, 2021
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Us Kids (2020) |
The sad truth is that Us Kids feels a bit too much like the thing the students hoped to avoid: a celebration of a moment in time, not the start of a revolution. - Austin Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 10, 2021
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