Maya Phillips
Maya Phillips's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
New York Times
New York Magazine/Vulture
The Week
Black Nerd Problems
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Spirited (2022) |
It looks expensive and attempts to do everything at once, but it’s more shine than substance — and about as funny as the market price of a new iPhone. - New York Times
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| Posted Nov 10, 2022
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Wendell & Wild (2022) |
The story lines feel far-flung and disconnected, and the limits and rules of this world’s magical logic are at turns underdeveloped and inconsistent. - New York Times
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| Posted Oct 27, 2022
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Black Adam (2022) |
A dull, listless superhero movie that hits all the expected touchstones of the genre under the guise of a transgressive new antihero story. - New York Times
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| Posted Oct 20, 2022
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The School for Good and Evil (2022) |
A muddle of clichés and inconsistencies with just enough charm and cleverness to keep you watching. - New York Times
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| Posted Oct 19, 2022
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Drifting Home (2022) |
The pacing lags and the beats are predictable; the film’s go-to antic is having children repeatedly topple overboard. - New York Times
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| Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Turning Red (2022) |
The character writing and design are where “Turning Red,” directed by Domee Shi, most succeeds. - New York Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2022
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Encanto (2021) |
In "Encanto" there's a robust engagement with, and respect for, Latino culture in all of its dimensions. - New York Times
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| Posted Nov 23, 2021
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My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (2021) |
"World Heroes' Mission" has little to offer veteran fans of the series or new viewers, who won't find any of what makes the series great in what's essentially a filler arc. - New York Times
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| Posted Oct 28, 2021
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Small Engine Repair (2021) |
Ultimately, the story still feels unfinished, and Pollono's direction falters in the film's big twist, when it tries to balance horror and humor before its tidy resolution. - New York Times
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| Posted Sep 09, 2021
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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) |
The film uses the superficial markers of Asian culture and filmmaking without presenting anything unique in its Marvel take on that tradition. - New York Times
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| Posted Sep 01, 2021
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On Broadway (2019) |
"On Broadway" sure knows how to work a theater-lover's heart. - New York Times
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| Posted Aug 19, 2021
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Free Guy (2021) |
A perfectly enjoyable experience. - New York Times
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| Posted Aug 12, 2021
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Vivo (2021) |
Thank the Broadway gods for the film's stellar music. - New York Times
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| Posted Aug 05, 2021
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Black Widow (2021) |
"Black Widow" never feels more than just a footnote in the story, a detour that holds no weight in the larger M.C.U. narrative, except to set up Yelena for a larger role in the future. - New York Times
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| Posted Jul 10, 2021
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The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) |
Another infant adventure that hits the same notes as the original, and has little to show for it. - New York Times
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| Posted Jul 01, 2021
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Revolution Rent (2019) |
The show "Rent" gave us an onstage revolution, while "Revolution Rent" often gives us an underwhelming translation. - New York Times
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| Posted Jun 16, 2021
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The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) |
"The Mitchells vs. the Machines" not only has laughably eccentric characters but also a script packed with bonkers, fast-paced action - with elaborate, wild visuals to match. - New York Times
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| Posted Apr 30, 2021
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Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) |
The film seems to want more of everything except the quality that it most needs, and the quality that it seems to only comprehend in the abstract. - New York Times
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| Posted Mar 15, 2021
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On-Gaku: Our Sound (2019) |
Rock 'n' roll is here to stay, and so is "On-Gaku: Our Sound," a quirky homage to classic animation and 1960s-70s rock with an idiosyncratic style and the thrumming heart of a musician. - New York Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2021
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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) |
"Sponge on the Run" may take us back under the sea, but this sponge is all dried up. - New York Times
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| Posted Mar 04, 2021
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Flora and Ulysses (2020) |
"Flora & Ulysses" veers close to falling into the trap of cheesiness that kids' movies of this genre often find themselves in, but miraculously never does. - New York Times
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| Posted Feb 18, 2021
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To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021) |
I'm no fan of Valentine's Day unless it's a heart-shaped confection, but for those who are, "To All the Boys" is a light but satisfying dessert. - New York Times
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| Posted Feb 12, 2021
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Earwig and the Witch (2020) |
Uses ingredients from the tried-and-true Ghibli recipe while serving a film that lacks the heart the studio has always brought to its best. - New York Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2021
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Let Them All Talk (2020) |
Talk, talk, talk - "Let Them All Talk" is aptly named, because it's full of stilted conversations, though they fail to captivate. - New York Times
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| Posted Dec 09, 2020
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Kill It and Leave This Town (2020) |
The grim film feels excavated from the subconscious: The coarse illustration style, with its frazzled, stray lines, emphasizes the bleakness of the images. - New York Times
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| Posted Nov 26, 2020
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November (2020) |
A piece that, despite its self-consciously ornamental style, incisively conveys an urgent message of awakening for this America. - New York Times
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| Posted Nov 03, 2020
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Black Boys (2020) |
Despite trying so hard to prove the worth of Black boys, the film makes anonymous examples of them. - New York Times
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| Posted Sep 10, 2020
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Children of the Sea (2019) |
"Children of the Sea" finds plenty of beauty and purpose in the watery depths but doesn't provide enough grounding first: It's all too easy to get lost 20,000 leagues under the sea. - New York Times
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| Posted Sep 02, 2020
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The Binge (2020) |
Only exceptional in its mind-numbing inanity. - New York Times
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| Posted Aug 27, 2020
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The Son of the White Mare (1981) |
The simultaneously geometric and fluid animation renders each mythic trope totally new. - New York Times
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| Posted Aug 20, 2020
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Latte & the Magic Waterstone (2019) |
Serves up some sweetness but otherwise keeps its laughs mild and its themes unimaginatively simple. - New York Times
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| Posted Jul 31, 2020
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You Should Have Left (2020) |
Time to head for the door. - New York Times
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| Posted Jun 19, 2020
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Weathering With You (2019) |
Despite the beauty the film finds in destruction, it never fully answers the question of what happens to love in a world that's sinking. - The Week
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| Posted Jan 22, 2020
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Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling (2018) |
Change is overwhelming, is what Static Cling seems to say, but it also shows what good can come with it. - The Week
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| Posted Aug 22, 2019
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Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019) |
Enter the Florpus picks up pretty much where the show left off, like an hour-long episode of the original series, but one that's often softened around the edges. - The Week
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| Posted Aug 22, 2019
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See You Yesterday (2019) |
Though the movie encounters some of the usual pitfalls of time-travel plots (predictability, muddled rules) and sports some hokey, eighties-style special effects, what it offers in terms of diversity and messaging is a treasure. - New Yorker
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| Posted May 29, 2019
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Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) |
If you're a fan of Batman - a complex, self-aware Batman that can be funny and dark, smart and utterly ridiculous, all at the same time - Caped Crusaders is a movie you simply cannot miss. - Black Nerd Problems
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| Posted Jun 13, 2018
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (2014) |
Save that $11 and wait to see this one on Netflix. - Black Nerd Problems
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| Posted Jun 12, 2018
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