Robert Roten
Tomatometer-approved critic
After graduating from the University of Oregon with a journalism degree, I wrote for several newspapers in Oregon, Michigan and Wyoming, writing news stories, columns, editorials and movie reviews. I started my movie review web page in 1996. I retired from newspapers in 2000, but continue to write reviews online. I was elected president of the Laramie Film Society in 2000 and continue to serve in that capacity. I am also the webmaster for the Laramie Astronomical Society and Space Observers (LASSO: www.lariat.org/LASSO/index.html).
Favorite Movies: Lawrence of Arabia, Casablanca, Dr. Strangelove, Tootsie, Groundhod Day, Citizen Kane
Laramie, Wyoming
http://www.lariat.org/AtTheMovies/index.html
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) |
There is plenty of humor, along with a bit of romance, some cliffhangers, some pathos and a lot of action in this fast-paced story. It is a good example of why Marvel movies are so popular. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted May 12, 2023
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Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023) |
The action scenes are well-staged, and there is plenty of suspense in the rescue scenes, too. Gyllenhaal, one of the best actors of his generation, shines in this role. He plays a man more haunted than idealistic. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Apr 30, 2023
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) |
The main reason this story is compelling is that the characters are complex and captivating. Edgin and Simon, in particular, are flawed, and are not naturally heroic. They just stubbornly keep trying to succeed and to be better. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Apr 05, 2023
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John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) |
Aside from spectacular fights, it really doesn't have much else to recommend it. There is little character development, and the story is kind of loopy. But you know what you are going to get with this kind of film, and it does deliver what it promises. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Mar 31, 2023
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) |
While this movie is not as good as the original 2019 film, it is still entertaining in terms of action, humor and spectacle. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Mar 27, 2023
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Leave No Trace (2018) |
The writing and direction by Debra Granik is sharp and sure. This has the lean, spare look of a low-budget independent film, but it is emotionally rich and powerful. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Mar 21, 2023
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Creed III (2023) |
Despite the well-worn path this story travels, it is very well acted and directed. As usual in this series, the fight scenes are expertly staged, but it isn't all about blood, violence, anger and hatred. It is also about love, friendship and respect. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Mar 16, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023) |
As far as superhero action movies go, this one works well enough. There is plenty of action and plenty of imaginative eye candy. The acting is good. The soundtrack is also solid. It should prove to be a popular addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Feb 22, 2023
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The Tale (2018) |
Laura Dern, Common, Isabelle Nélisse, Burstyn, Debicki and Ritter all give strong, convincing, performances in this film, creating these strong relationships between these diverse characters. This is a powerful drama, well written, directed and acted. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Feb 18, 2023
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Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) |
The perfectly matched comic pair of Harold and Kumar's reactions to the adventures they share during the course of the movie powers this story and provides the basis for this very funny stoner road trip comedy. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Feb 09, 2023
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Triangle of Sadness (2022) |
Best projectile vomiting of 2022. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Feb 01, 2023
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Blonde (2022) |
It's an O.K. movie, despite its faults, but I think I would have rather seen more of the real Norma Jeane and less of the sad, exploited victim. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Feb 01, 2023
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My Policeman (2022) |
There are some holes in the plot. It seems unlikely this drama would have continued for so many years without confrontations. The actors are all very good and very convincing, and that helps make up for the shortfall in the story. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Feb 01, 2023
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Pleasure (2021) |
As you would expect, this film features a lot of nudity and depicts various sex acts. It is rated R, but if I was rating it, it would be NC-17, adults only. You would expect it to rise up at least a little bit over its subject matter, but it doesn't. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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Beba (2021) |
I think that time will tell if the old “life is unfair” perspective is a good enough explanation for airing petty grievances in a movie. This all depends on who Beba is and what she makes of her life and her art. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018) |
Veteran actor Sam Elliot gives a strong performance as Calvin Barr, a man haunted by his past as an assassin. The end of the film is puzzling, but we do get a good sense of who Calvin is. He reminds me of one that Elliot played in the "The Hero" (2017). - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 29, 2023
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Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) |
Dreams, reality, animation, historical video, here, it all blends together. Did Stanley see the first steps on the moon? Did he sleep through this historic moment? Did he step onto the moon himself? All of this seems real -- quite a trick. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 28, 2023
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Emergency (2022) |
The story, while encompassing the basic elements of a stoner comedy, also has real dramatic power. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 28, 2023
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Causeway (2022) |
Lawrence gives a great performance in this film as a flawed character. Brian Tyree Henry gives an equally good performance as another flawed character. Their chemistry in the many scenes they play together is very strong. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 28, 2023
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Aftersun (2022) |
It combines the worst elements of a slow-moving art film and a found footage film. While there is clever camera work in the film, especially in the last scene, I found the visual elements of the film to be too repetitive and not illuminating enough. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Broker (2022) |
While the overly busy and improbable plot didn't make much sense to me, the characters are compelling and the main actors are quite appealing. The actors are quite convincing in forming these unlikely, complex, feel-good relationships with each other. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Nanny (2022) |
This film is both too positive and not horrible enough for most fans of horror movies, but that is precisely why I like it so much. Instead, it is subtle, iconoclastic and exquisitely crafted. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Wildcat (2022) |
Filmmakers Trevor Frost and Melissa Lesh have captured both a compelling human story and a wildlife story. The jungle is a scary place, with many dangers, but even darker dangers lie deep within the human soul, and both are explored in this film. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) |
Some say this movie is a series of senseless scenes, but I think there is a lot of truth in it, and a lot of those scenes are very impressive and imaginative. This is a well-acted, thought-provoking movie about the nature of human existence. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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The Territory (2022) |
This movie, directed by Alex Pritz, effectively shows both the efforts of those to save the rain forests, and those who are trying to carve out farms from the rain forest by cutting and burning the land. Both sides have their dreams. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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RRR (2022) |
This big epic action movie reminds me of some of those Fast and Furious movies because of the really outlandish action sequences, but this film has the added attraction of Bollywood style musical numbers and a showy dance off. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Crimes of the Future (2022) |
As far as comparisons to the two other Cronenberg films I think are similar, "Crash" and "eXistenZ," I think this is inferior in terms of quality and budget. The budgetary issues show up mostly in terms of low-rent sets and other production compromises. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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EO (2022) |
How you choose to treat animals, and how you choose to portray animals in movies says more about you than it does the animals. This movie is no exception to the rule. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Decision to Leave (2022) |
The ending of this crazy star-crossed love story is even crazier than the rest of the plot, and that's very hard to do. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 23, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
Top notch acting is overcome by an unbelievable, somber plot and overly dark visuals. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 23, 2023
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) |
Case solved and justice dispensed in bizarre, spectacular, and unconvincing ways. It is an entertaining and amusing movie, but a step down from its immediate predecessor. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 23, 2023
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All That Breathes (2022) |
The cinematography in this film is amazing (by Ben Bernhard, Riju Das and Saumyananda Sahi). The cameras seem to capture every bit of life in the city, from the smallest spider, to the horses, monkeys, camels, pigs, goats and cows that roam the streets. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 22, 2023
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No Bears (2022) |
The story keeps adding more twists and more layers in this movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie. It is almost like standing between two mirrors and seeing multiple reflections of yourself. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 22, 2023
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Navalny (2022) |
This is not only a moving portrait of a brave opposition leader, but an inside look at the work of effective investigative journalists. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 22, 2023
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The Whale (2022) |
This movie further bolsters director Darren Aranofsky's reputation as one of America's premier directors. Like a play, the movie takes place almost entirely in one room, confining and concentrating the drama of Charlie's loneliness and sadness. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 18, 2023
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The Swimmers (2022) |
Obviously, this is an inspiring story, well presented by director Sally El Hosaini (she also co-wrote the story with Jack Thorne). The actors are also convincing. Production values are top notch, too. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 11, 2023
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A Man Called Otto (2022) |
Tom Hanks and Mariana Treviño both give amazing performances in this film in demanding roles. It is not easy to make these characters work in this story, but they manage to do it. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 11, 2023
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Catherine Called Birdy (2022) |
This story seems to me to be like a cross between 'Tom Jones' (1963) and the Jane Austen story, 'Emma.' Comedy is hard, but writer-director Lena Dunham has the knack. The screenplay she wrote is very clever, with a lot of unexpected plot twists. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 11, 2023
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Three Minutes - A Lengthening (2021) |
This very unusual documentary gives the viewer a haunting glimpse into a world just before its destruction. It is like seeing video of Pompeii just before the eruption. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 06, 2023
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She Said (2022) |
What this movie shows is how difficult investigative journalism is, and how expensive it is to investigate a story like this. It takes vast resources and top notch talent and expertise in a variety of fields to accomplish what the New York Times did. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 06, 2023
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Slumberland (2022) |
What the actors, music and visual creative teams have here done is create a magical world that relates to the real world as well. It goes beyond the coming of age genre, dealing with parenthood and retaining the wonder of childhood as an adult. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 06, 2023
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The Quiet Girl (2022) |
This is a very quiet movie with emotions that run deep below the surface. Like Cait and Sean, this movie doesn't use more words than it needs to, but it gets its message across loud and clear. The acting by the whole cast is excellent. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 05, 2023
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Argentina, 1985 (2022) |
It doesn't get bogged down as a static courtroom drama, or as a police procedural, either. The story hits a variety of elements without overextending any of them, and it moves along nicely. There is humor in it too. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 05, 2023
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Emancipation (2022) |
Will Smith is persona non grata in Hollywood because he attacked Chris Rock at the Academy Awards earlier this year. Does that have anything to do with this movie? No. This is a good movie and Will Smith gives a fine performance in it. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 05, 2023
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Good Night Oppy (2022) |
This movie isn't just about the science, it is about the relationships between people and robots. It is about people who work for years toward a common goal, and who finally see their hopes and dreams come alive. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 04, 2023
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Emily the Criminal (2022) |
Aubrey Plaza is just incredible in the lead performance. She's just a skinny little thing, but she really makes you believe that she can hold her ground with bigger, tougher guys. She also makes you believe that she has real steel inside her. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 04, 2023
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The Fabelmans (2022) |
Just when you think you know these characters in this film, they surprise you. A minor character that seems unimportant, suddenly becomes very important. Judd Hirsch gives a great performance in this film, maybe his best ever in a very long career. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Jan 04, 2023
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Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) |
This year, there have not been many top quality animated films, unlike 2021, when there were more excellent animated films. This movie is one the top five best animated films of 2022, and it should get an Academy Award nomination. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Wendell & Wild (2022) |
There is only one character in all this mess I could relate to, and that is Kat, and she has disdain for everyone except her parents. This ugly, stop-motion animated film fails to establish its other characters, or give them believable motivations. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Dec 28, 2022
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Saint Omer (2022) |
Defense attorney Maître Vaudenay (Aurelia Petit) does give a spellbinding summation speech in Coly's defense that also serves as lesson in genetics and motherhood. This is easily the highlight of the trial. - Laramie Movie Scope
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| Posted Dec 28, 2022
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