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Scott Phillips
Tomatometer-approved critic
Scott Phillips holds a degree in print journalism from the University of Georgia. His first film review was published in 1988. Scott has been the Executive Editor and Senior Writer for The Movie Isle since its inception in November 2017. In September 2019, Scott joined the WRBL News Team (a CBS affiliate in Georgia) and currently hosts The Screen Scene at WRBL.com.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Oppenheimer (2023) |
If Dunkirk, [Christopher Nolan's] 2017 film about the historic World War II battle, was his bid to prove that he’s a “serious filmmaker”, then Oppenheimer proves that he should be considered one of the modern masters of cinema. - Forbes
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| Posted Aug 03, 2023
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Fast X (2023) |
the wheels on the muscle cars keep turning even if they look worse than the Chrysler LeBaron driven by John Candy and Steve Martin in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). They are spectacles with no stakes, and even the spectacles are computer fakery. - Forbes
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| Posted Jul 05, 2023
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Sisu (2022) |
Where the John Wick films are elegant in their choreography and steeped in genteel concepts of violence like duels with pistols at dawn, Sisu is gritty and brutal like a rabbit punch to the kidney. - Forbes
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| Posted Jul 05, 2023
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Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One (2023) |
Thanks to Tom Cruise’s daredevil spirit and director Chris McQuarrie’s impeccable staging and filming, this seventh installment delivers everything audiences are hoping for. - Forbes
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| Posted Jul 05, 2023
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Showing Up (2022) |
Reichardt’s avoidance of standard filmmaking tropes makes her films so compelling and authentic. Nothing ... occurs because it “needs” to happen to set up a future event. The standard set up and pay-off from mainstream cinema is nowhere to be found. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 24, 2023
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How to Have an American Baby (2023) |
How to Have an American Baby is a solid piece of film journalism. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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The Stroll (2023) |
The Stroll is powerful filmmaking that asks an important question: What if you had to fight every day for the right to simply be yourself? - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Art Talent Show (2022) |
Bojar and Komrzy have been blessed with an eccentric cast of faculty members who are fascinating and often hilarious. Spending time with them is a pleasure. I hated to see this one end. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Bobi Wine: The People's President (2022) |
The film is a moving portrait of an inspiring young man and a reminder of the tenuous contract between a government and its citizens if democracy is going to prevail. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Renfield (2023) |
Cage’s performance is in a perfectly-modulated groove. If this is his dream role (as has often been reported), it certainly shows in the finished product. His commitment to the performance is palpable. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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We Kill for Love (2023) |
The documentary explores so many facets of the erotic thriller genre that it never lags. It’s not simply an interesting history of a sub-genre of cinema. It’s also a fascinating sociological and cultural history of 1990’s America. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Talk to Me (2023) |
The film rockets along at a lean 95 minutes, avoiding the repetition and lulls that often plague horror films. This film doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. The spirits of the dead on the other hand ... - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Monolith (2023) |
Monolith is a cinematic magic trick. It’s film in its purest form: a superior screenplay from Lucy Campbell brought to life by an excellent cast (including the many voice actors who serve as our podcaster’s interview subjects). - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Late Night With the Devil (2023) |
a well-crafted exercise in suspense and dread that leads to a satisfying conclusion. (I’m being intentionally vague because I don’t want to spoil the fun.) - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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Accused (2023) |
Accused is a solid mistaken identity thriller as well as an illustration of the tendency for social media to form a virtual lynch mob with little or no proof on which to base its prosecutions. - Forbes
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| Posted Apr 14, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
The Pale Blue Eye is far from perfect, but it’s still worth a watch if you’re a fan of crime procedurals. It’ll pass the time pleasantly enough until something better comes along. - Forbes
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| Posted Jan 03, 2023
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Emily the Criminal (2022) |
It’s difficult to comprehend this is a debut feature from writer-director John Patton Ford. The filmmaking is so assured. The narrative is so tight. It feels like the work of a seasoned pro. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
As the movie star system gives way to the IP era, don’t ever forget one thing: Tom Cruise is still a major movie star. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Fire of Love (2022) |
It’s also a beautiful love story about two people who shared a passion for exploring and for each other. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Holy Spider (2022) |
Writer-director Ali Abassi brings gritty authenticity to this film and examines a society where women are treated as little more than property. The final scene may be the most chilling moment in film this year. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
It's the most original film of the year - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Decision to Leave (2022) |
Decision to Leave is all the more impressive because it’s a film of restraint and nuance. It combines the suspense of classic Hitchcock with the longing of a Wong Kar-Wai love story, making it a cinematic dream come true. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Women Talking (2022) |
The only downside to the film is each of these talented actresses will likely cancel out the other when it comes to awards nominations. Then again, maybe that’s a good problem to have if you’re a filmmaker. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) |
Banshees is a darkly funny look at mid-life crisis, mortality and our need to remain vital throughout our lives. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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After Yang (2021) |
After Yang is visually gorgeous with some of the best production design of the year. Its near-future universe is rendered with subtle perfection by its director, Kogonada. - Forbes
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| Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (2020) |
Choi Min-sik is the not-so-secret weapon that successfully grounds the film. Heaven: To the Land of Happiness is worth watching for his performance alone. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Glorious (2022) |
Those who can’t do, teach. Well, someone forgot to tell Dr. Rebekah McKendry ... she knows what she’s doing when she steps behind a camera. Her talent is evident in Glorious. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Bullet Train (2022) |
The cast is top-notch. It’s fun to see Pitt playing somewhat against type with all his moments of self-doubt and angst over being pressed into fighting and killing instead of “talking it out”. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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Prey (2022) |
The fight choreography is expertly staged and shot. No blurry camera pans and choppy editing that leaves you wondering what just happened. It’s top-notch, theater-quality action piped into your living room. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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Next Sohee (2022) |
Next Sohee ... (is) powerful film-making. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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Next Exit (2022) |
Writer-director Mali Elfman should thank her lucky stars that she found Katie Parker and Rahul Kohli to play her protagonists with such nuance and care, and the two actors should be equally grateful for Elfman’s beautifully-written screenplay. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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Missing (2021) |
Missing is never what you expect it to be, and that originality makes it one of the standout films from Fantasia 2022. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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The Killer (2022) |
The action choreography in The Killer belies its modest budget and makes a believable action star out of Jang Hyuk who perfectly treads the line between sociopathic assassin and husband with a heart of gold. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Aug 15, 2022
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Riders of Justice (2020) |
Riders of Justice is not to be missed. Now we need to find Mikkelsen some English language leading roles. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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The Forever Purge (2021) |
In a world of countless entertainment options, feel free to skip this one. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Black Widow (2021) |
I tend to judge each new MCU installment by one simple criteria: was it entertaining? When it comes to Black Widow, my answer is Yes. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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There's Someone Inside Your House (2021) |
It’s like eating a cookie that’s just a little bit stale. It’s hard to complain. It’s still a cookie. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Halloween Kills (2021) |
With such a strong premise for the first film of a reboot trilogy, it’s unfortunate that Halloween Kills is such a slog. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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The French Dispatch (2021) |
The French Dispatch is 2/3 of a great movie with a long slog in its middle - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Antlers (2021) |
Antlers left me wondering if Native Americans have only one myth because this story has been filmed many times before. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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The Batman (2022) |
Writer-director Matt Reeves knows how to write a blockbuster with brains, and he knows how to film one with visual flare. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) |
Marvel business as usual - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Men (2022) |
"it conveys its themes with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face" - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Nope (2022) |
Some segments of the horror crowd responded with It’s not very scary. If so, then why does a bloody chimpanzee named Gordy still haunt my dreams? - Forbes
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| Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) |
the film becomes yet another generic horror film that is more gory than scary. Even the star power of Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson as Rock's father can't kick-start this lackluster story to life. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted May 20, 2021
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Wrath of Man (2021) |
Wrath of Man may not be a crime classic, but it's a cut way above the average VOD crime thrillers that hit streaming services every Friday. It has big ambitions, and it fulfills many of them. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted May 20, 2021
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Tom Clancy's Without Remorse (2021) |
After the last round is fired and the last car explodes, Without Remorse proves itself to be "good enough." That's not exactly a rave review, but the film isn't worthy of high praise. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted May 06, 2021
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On the Count of Three (2021) |
It all works seamlessly. The film isn't worried about genre labels. It's a unique blend of hardcore crime film and buddy comedy. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Apr 29, 2021
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Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021) |
I can watch "weird" all day long if it's interesting or intriguing or breaks new ground. Unfortunately, Prisoners of the Ghostland is none of those things. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Apr 29, 2021
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Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) |
it's hard to believe that FIVE writers couldn't come up with a better story. The bottom line is simple: they know the IP is the true star of the film. - The Screen Scene
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| Posted Apr 29, 2021
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