Oktay Ege Kozak
Oktay Ege Kozak's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Paste Magazine
The Playlist
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Before Midnight (2013) |
A refreshing counter-point to Hollywood's typical happily ever after stories. - Bitch Media
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| Posted Jan 15, 2021
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Get Duked! (2019) |
It's one of the freshest and funniest movies of the year. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Aug 29, 2020
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Irresistible (2020) |
Some of these asides are poignant and fit the film's flow... but some, like a bunch of visual pranks on the audience, don't land, stylistic flourishes that end up feeling underdeveloped. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jul 02, 2020
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You Should Have Left (2020) |
You Should Have Left works when it's a streamlined campfire ghost story, but the unnecessary bells and whistles weighs it down. Still, it's just good enough to work as a timewaster for genre fans. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jun 27, 2020
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The King of Staten Island (2020) |
The movie is indulgent and unfocused, but it's also gripping and full of life. Kind of like its protagonist. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jun 16, 2020
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Until the Birds Return (2017) |
The switch in narrative is so seamless and organic, the camera a fly on the wall that just happens to attach itself to the next random individual. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Apr 15, 2020
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Trolls World Tour (2020) |
It's not as grotesque and convoluted as the first Trolls, and it does offer a simple, streamlined plot that the very young target audience can easily follow... but don't expect anything remotely resembling a fresh and inventive sequel. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Apr 15, 2020
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Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) |
Yet the movie's real joy, if there is any, lies with Carrey fully embracing his '90s rubberface days. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Feb 14, 2020
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Gretel & Hansel (2020) |
The film thrives within a dream-logic vibe, especially in Olivares' cinematography, with its heavy emphasis on symmetrical framing, stark contast and lush use of yellows and blues, evoking subliminal terror. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Feb 14, 2020
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Just Mercy (2019) |
Just Mercy occasionally relies on the expected clichés of the genre, and it doesn't play many new notes-but it's rarely off-key. Most importantly, it's genuinely passionate about telling the tale of a man who sought the truth. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 10, 2020
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Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) |
Skip The Next Level and hope for some form of originality in the next one instead. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Dec 18, 2019
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The Aeronauts (2019) |
There's a terrific 50-minute fan edit somewhere in The Aeronauts, but as far as the theatrical experience goes, half of it is more than worth your time, if you're willing to tolerate the other half. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Dec 06, 2019
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Motherless Brooklyn (2019) |
Motherless Brooklyn is far from an airtight masterwork like Confidential, but for those looking for a neo-noir that goes down as harshly yet as satisfyingly as Sam Spade's favorite Bacardi, it'll deliver. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Nov 15, 2019
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Black and Blue (2019) |
Black and Blue is the perfect choice for those looking to add an exciting new thriller to their viewing queue. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Oct 29, 2019
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Abominable (2019) |
Abominable may not offer much when it comes to a unique premise... but it's nonetheless a wholesome bit of family fun with an impressive focus on themes of overcoming grief, propped up by a visual feast. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Oct 07, 2019
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The Sound of Silence (2019) |
While not quite a complete experience that sticks the landing, The Sound of Silence is nevertheless an impressive debut from a fresh new filmmaker. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Sep 25, 2019
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Don't Let Go (2019) |
[Don't Let Go 's] premise could open up a bevy of clever and twisted narrative possibilities, but writer/director Jacob Estes settles on the most generic thriller tropes at every turn - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Sep 12, 2019
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Good Boys (2019) |
Good Boys manages to find that happy medium between outrageous and heartstring-pulling. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Aug 19, 2019
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The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) |
The Art of Racing in the Rain is just the right kind of tearjerker with an injection of positivity that our understandably pessimistic society needs. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Aug 13, 2019
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Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) |
Even though it suffers from tonal and narrative inconsistencies, Dora and the Lost City of Gold deserves just enough praise for working as a gateway action/adventure exotic exploration movie for kids to eventually get into Indiana Jones. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Aug 12, 2019
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Stuber (2019) |
Stuber, although supported by the odd-couple chemistry between its two leads, ends up as stale as if it was made 20 years ago. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jul 17, 2019
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Yesterday (2019) |
If it accomplishes nothing else, Yesterday lets us relive the grandiosity of The Beatles as if it's our first time. A fab accomplishment indeed. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jun 27, 2019
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Late Night (2019) |
At its core, it's a tough-love letter to the insane ordeal of pursuing an actual career in comedy, paired with an open thesis about the innate wholesomeness of making people laugh. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jun 11, 2019
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Rocketman (2019) |
Taron Egerton embodies Elton with his pitch-perfect singing and captivating natural presence. With this performance and the overall film, it's hard to imagine a better tribute to such a singular icon. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jun 03, 2019
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Aladdin (2019) |
Aladdin is the rare remake that actually gives us a whole new world. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted May 28, 2019
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Pet Sematary (2019) |
There was no good reason to resurrect this property. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Apr 08, 2019
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Hotel Mumbai (2018) |
Hotel Mumbai may not be a perfect example of its genre, but its restraint from ideological grandstanding and a top-notch technical control of tone make it worthy of a watch. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Apr 01, 2019
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Dumbo (2019) |
The 2019 Dumbo unwisely pushes its titular hero into the background in favor of human characters who lack depth, and an action-heavy script that runs out of steam barely after the first act is over. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Apr 01, 2019
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Gloria Bell (2018) |
[Sebastián Lelio] wisely taps into an older American audience looking to see representation they don't get much from their cinema, especially the kind that doesn't condescend or patronize. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Mar 29, 2019
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Captive State (2019) |
It's a shame that its studio didn't more heavily market Captive State. Smart, layered, tense, well-executed sci-fi like this should be nurtured in movie theaters. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Mar 18, 2019
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Wonder Park (2019) |
As far as Wonder Park goes, it's basic, but not condescending. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Mar 13, 2019
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How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) |
The Hidden World has its flaws. Yet these are just small nitpicks for such a solid conclusion to such an endearing franchise. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Feb 25, 2019
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Fighting With My Family (2019) |
[Stephen] Merchant's experience of balancing comedy and drama as Ricky Gervais' partner for almost two decades otherwise pays off to create a genial mix of irreverent humor and positive reinforcement. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Feb 25, 2019
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Alita: Battle Angel (2019) |
Considering the talent involved, it's not surprising that the finished product is a frequently fun and kinetic, visually pleasing sci-fi/actioner, albeit one that doesn't have a single new or fresh part embedded in it. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Feb 19, 2019
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Serenity (2019) |
Every so often, along comes something like Serenity, a hypnotically bizarre, bug-eyed nuts, deliciously stupid, endlessly entertaining cluster of a schlockfest that you might just hate. Or love. Or simply be confused by. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 29, 2019
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The Kid Who Would Be King (2019) |
The Kid Who Would Be Kid hits the family classic trifecta: Spectacular fun for kids and adults, full of important themes, and a rebellious attitude in regard to the wide range of things grownups are messing up. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 23, 2019
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Hendi & Hormoz (Hendi Va Hormoz) (1970) |
Hendi & Hormoz works best when the camera is the proverbial fly on the wall, flatly showing the audience Hormoz's struggle to find employment and Hendi's yearning to finish school despite everyone around her decrying the uselessness of her education. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 23, 2019
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I Want To Dance (Delam Mikhad) (2018) |
It's a bit languidly paced for a comedy, but I Want to Dance oozes with charm and humanity. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 23, 2019
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Sheeple (2018) |
Even though the melancholic score sometimes undermines its in-your-face energy, Sheeple is bound to be a genre staple for Iran down the line. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 22, 2019
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Sly (2018) |
This energetic, "sly," yet uneven political satire is a confusing choice to bring to American film lovers who might not be privy to the ins and outs of Iranian political history. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 22, 2019
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Pig (2018) |
Pig is perfect fodder for those who have an image of Iranian cinema as nothing more than melodramatic art-house borefests. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 22, 2019
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The Upside (2017) |
The Upside is fairly superficial, but warm enough for the studio dumping ground known as January. One could do a lot worse. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 14, 2019
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Holmes & Watson (2018) |
Why shell out ticket money for a movie that was deemed too terrible for a home streaming platform that greenlit The Ridiculous Six? - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 04, 2019
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The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) |
There aren't any surprises here as far as the narrative is concerned, but Alvarez, aided by a solid performance by Foy, again elevates what could otherwise be flat genre material into something that keeps the audience glued to the screen. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Jan 04, 2019
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Bumblebee (2018) |
Paramount actually made a Transformers movie that's a lovely, exciting and wholly engaging gem of a sci-fi adventure for teenagers. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Dec 26, 2018
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Tito and the Birds (2018) |
The themes of the film are timeless and universal enough that such a direct comparison to the contemporary world isn't particularly necessary. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Nov 27, 2018
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Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) |
It's basically Walk Hard without the parody or the jokes. It takes a particular set of balls to non-ironically string together the same exact formula more than ten years after Jake Kasdan's underrated comedy classic skewered it. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Nov 02, 2018
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The Hate U Give (2018) |
Casting Amandla Stenberg to carry the project was an inspirational choice: She's luminous and always captivating in the part, delivering a natural performance that allows easy access to Starr's soul. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Oct 29, 2018
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Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018) |
These films are stuck 30 years in the past. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Oct 12, 2018
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Venom (2018) |
Venom may not be completely terrible, but it's definitely not very good. I suppose Venom can go and stand in line with the Fantastic Four, awaiting a decent Marvel adaptation. - Paste Magazine
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| Posted Oct 05, 2018
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