>
Rafer Guzman
Tomatometer-approved critic
http://www.newsday.com
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story (2023) |
A pastiche of sports-movie cliches, but the revved-up racing scenes will keep you hooked. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 25, 2023
|
|
|
|
Haunted Mansion (2023) |
Despite a lively cast and a promising director, this Disney comedy barely has a pulse. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 28, 2023
|
|
|
|
Barbie (2023) |
Barbie herself never quite emerges as a flesh-and-blood character. That may be the movie’s fatal flaw. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 20, 2023
|
|
|
|
Oppenheimer (2023) |
However you choose to view “Oppenheimer,” it’s the picture of a man who reaped everything he sowed. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 20, 2023
|
|
|
|
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) |
Given its overtones of finality, The Dial of Destiny doesn’t feel like the landmark cultural moment it wants to be. Still, it’s a slick piece of entertainment that earns our goodwill by respecting the Raiders legacy and maintaining a high level of craft. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 28, 2023
|
|
|
|
No Hard Feelings (2023) |
Questions abound -- about sex, class and basic morality -- and an R-rated comedy like this one might seem ill-equipped to handle them. What a pleasant surprise, then, to find that the movie has more going on under its hood. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Flash (2023) |
While it may not be a resounding triumph, it isn’t the DC dud it might have been. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) |
The breathtaking visuals help alleviate the middle-movie doldrums and bode well for this franchise’s final act. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 01, 2023
|
|
|
|
About My Father (2023) |
Transparently formulaic and contrived, drawing its humor from inexplicable behavior and unlikely mishaps rather than real human interaction. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 25, 2023
|
|
|
|
Fast X (2023) |
An overloaded and underwhelming sequel -- and there might be two more chapters to go. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) |
Overall, “Vol. 3” does everything a final film should — if it really is a final film, that is. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted May 05, 2023
|
|
|
|
Air (2023) |
Ben Affleck’s drama excludes Jordan from his own story. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Apr 06, 2023
|
|
|
|
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) |
Nearly three hours of John Wick? You’re gonna need a bigger popcorn. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 28, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Lost King (2022) |
A true story, potentially inspirational but mostly just peculiar. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 28, 2023
|
|
|
|
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) |
Shazam! Fury of the Gods fairly panders to the under-13 set. But Levi still works his chatterbox charm, and the movie maintains an appealingly easy-breezy tone (aside from the occasional impaling). - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 15, 2023
|
|
|
|
Scream VI (2023) |
Returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett seem less inspired than last time, but returning writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick still have a knack for red herrings, subliminal hints and fake-outs. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 10, 2023
|
|
|
|
Champions (2023) |
Harrelson shines as a man learning that there’s more to life than NBA fame, and he has a terrific leading lady in Katilin Olson, as Alex. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Creed III (2023) |
Jordan’s directorial debut starts strong but tires out in the final round. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Mar 02, 2023
|
|
|
|
Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023) |
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” offers the spectacle of perfectly sculpted bodies in motion; why try to justify it? Better to let us — as Mike might say — just sit back and enjoy it. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 09, 2023
|
|
|
|
Knock at the Cabin (2023) |
Shyamalan’s latest works passably as both horror-chiller and allegory for a conspiracy-blinkered world. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
|
|
|
A Man Called Otto (2022) |
It’s sentimentalism by the numbers in this do-over of a 2015 Swedish hit. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jan 05, 2023
|
|
|
|
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022) |
A quick-hit timeline of Houston's life that adds little new information or insight. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 23, 2022
|
|
|
|
Babylon (2022) |
“Babylon” may not be Chazelle’s “Heaven’s Gate,” exactly. But it’s definitely the most maddening movie experience you’ll have this year. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) |
A bright and bubbly whodunit, perfect for holiday-season escapism. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) |
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is fully engrossing, always eye-popping and occasionally touching. Like its predecessor, it’s a movie to admire and enjoy, if not quite love. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Emancipation (2022) |
For all its harrowing moments, “Emancipation” is best judged as a piece of entertainment, and on that point it just about succeeds. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2022
|
|
|
|
Devotion (2022) |
A well-intentioned but underwhelming war drama. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
She Said (2022) |
A solid dramatization of the reporting that launched the #MeToo era and changed workplaces around the world. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 16, 2022
|
|
|
|
Falling for Christmas (2022) |
If you make it to the closing credits, it’ll be a Christmas miracle. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Fabelmans (2022) |
A love letter from director Steven Spielberg to the people and the art form that made him who he is. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) |
Chadwick Boseman is deeply missed in a sequel that still checks all the right boxes for Marvel fans. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 09, 2022
|
|
|
|
My Policeman (2022) |
If anyone is still wondering whether the pop star Harry Styles can act, “My Policeman” should put all doubts to rest. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 03, 2022
|
|
|
|
Armageddon Time (2022) |
Writer-director James Gray tells a personal story about class, race and survival. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Nov 03, 2022
|
|
|
|
Till (2022) |
An engrossing Civil Rights drama that could turn its little-known star into an Oscar winner. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 26, 2022
|
|
|
|
Ticket to Paradise (2022) |
Clooney and Roberts shine in this easy-breezy rom-com. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 20, 2022
|
|
|
|
Black Adam (2022) |
Another low point for the Warner-DC franchise. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Amsterdam (2022) |
It’s part “JFK,” part “The Big Lebowski,” and the mix doesn’t work. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Oct 06, 2022
|
|
|
|
Bros (2022) |
A gay cinematic landmark that also happens to be a very smart and funny rom-com. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 29, 2022
|
|
|
|
Don't Worry Darling (2022) |
An ambitious dystopian thriller that falls short of its ideal. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
See How They Run (2022) |
This snoozy whodunit-spoof doesn’t have a clue. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Moonage Daydream (2022) |
"Moonage Daydream" is a Technicolor pastiche of sound, image, mood and feel — all the things that gave Bowie his near-mythical power. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (2022) |
An uneven but engrossing comedy-drama in a mockumentary format. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Sep 02, 2022
|
|
|
|
Breaking (2022) |
Strong turns from Boyega and Williams anchor a tense, rueful drama. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Aug 25, 2022
|
|
|
|
Thirteen Lives (2022) |
“Thirteen Lives” is a gripping and suspenseful experience. It'll have you holding your breath until the very end. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 29, 2022
|
|
|
|
Nope (2022) |
In his previous films, Peele always seemed to be reaching for something. Here, he seems to be just groping. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) |
A sneakily funny reinvention of a certain comedy classic. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) |
An adorable little film with big life-lessons. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 12, 2022
|
|
|
|
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) |
A solid murder mystery with rich characters and a vivid Southern backdrop. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 12, 2022
|
|
|
|
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) |
Where "Ragnarok" poked irreverent fun at its genre, "Love and Thunder" feels geared toward the faithful, packed with the kind of cutesy asides and knowing winks that tend to exasperate outsiders. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jul 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) |
The Rise of Gru typifies what makes this animated series so successful and so irksome: a calculated combination of high-strung zaniness to wind up the kids and nostalgic pop-culture references to soothe the parents. - Newsday
Read More
| Posted Jun 29, 2022
|