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Decoding Everything (Substack)

Decoding Everything (Substack) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): David Chen, Matt Goldberg.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
Take Me Home (2026) David Chen Take Me Home is relentless in its depiction of what taking care of someone with a disability entails–the exhaustion, the constant decision-making, the non-negotiables, and the things you barely let slide.
Posted Feb 03, 2026  Edit critic review
One in a Million (2026) David Chen Filmed over the course of a decade, One in a Million is an incredible document of the life of a refugee.
Posted Feb 03, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/5
Lady (2026) Matt Goldberg A thoughtful look at how the personal collides with the political in Lagos.
Posted Feb 01, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/5
Hanging by a Wire (2026) Matt Goldberg A thrilling rescue mission made more intense by the incredible footage captured by both the imperiled and their rescuers.
Posted Feb 01, 2026  Edit critic review
4/5
Extra Geography (2026) Matt Goldberg One of the best coming-of-age movies of the past decade.
Posted Feb 01, 2026  Edit critic review
2.5/5
Public Access (2026) Matt Goldberg Despite the interesting subject matter, the documentary feels pulled in too many direction to be thematically cohesive.
Posted Feb 01, 2026  Edit critic review
4/5
American Doctor (2026) Matt Goldberg A film that's devastating and inspiring in equal measure, and a call to action against the destruction of Gaza.
Posted Feb 01, 2026  Edit critic review
3/5
Seized (2026) Matt Goldberg A useful exploration of the 2023 raid on the Marion County Record, but also a look at the hard, unrewarding work of journalism.
Posted Jan 30, 2026  Edit critic review
3/5
Run Amok (2026) Matt Goldberg A film as a messy as the lingering aftermath of school shootings, and worthwhile attempt to explore the complex emotions that remain.
Posted Jan 30, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/5
Josephine (2026) Matt Goldberg The terrific performances from the three leads make for a powerful drama of parents trying to protect their young daughter from an unspeakable act she witnessed.
Posted Jan 30, 2026  Edit critic review
1.5/5
The Musical (2026) Matt Goldberg This dark comedy is never as edgy or funny as it seeks to be, and instead drowns the audience in its weak protagonist's resentments.
Posted Jan 30, 2026  Edit critic review
4/5
The Incomer (2026) Matt Goldberg A folk-horror premise quickly gives way to a funny and oddly heartwarming Scottish comedy thanks to its endearing leads and screenplay.
Posted Jan 30, 2026  Edit critic review
4/5
Send Help (2026) Matt Goldberg Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien are outstanding in Sam Raimi's welcome return to horror-comedy.
Posted Jan 28, 2026  Edit critic review
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) David Chen I've seen 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and I'm pleased to say, this film rips.
Posted Jan 18, 2026  Edit critic review
4/5
Marty Supreme (2025) Matt Goldberg Josh Safdie takes the urgency of his 'Uncut Gems' and refashions it into an American sports drama for the ages.
Posted Dec 02, 2025  Edit critic review
2/5
Wicked: For Good (2025) Matt Goldberg There are still moments where the story pops, but 'For Good' struggles to recreate the magic of the first movie.
Posted Nov 19, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/5
The Running Man (2025) Matt Goldberg Never has director Edgar Wright made a film that felt so anonymous and ill-suited to his gifts.
Posted Nov 13, 2025  Edit critic review
Bugonia (2025) David Chen What Bugonia does so effectively is capture this specific moment of American unravelling.
Posted Nov 02, 2025  Edit critic review
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) David Chen [T]he film makes a few massive missteps. Its biggest one is telling these events from three different perspectives.
Posted Nov 02, 2025  Edit critic review
3/5
TRON: Ares (2025) Matt Goldberg 'TRON: Ares' straps us to the back of a rocket, and we go along for the ride.
Posted Oct 07, 2025  Edit critic review
The Long Walk (2025) David Chen "The script also has a wonderful economy to it; we only get glimpses of the outside world but it’s enough to understand what the rules are and what the stakes are for each participant."
Posted Sep 20, 2025  Edit critic review
HIM (2025) David Chen [W]hile the movie starts in a relatively grounded place, it eventually goes completely off the rails to the point of being laughable.
Posted Sep 20, 2025  Edit critic review
3/5
Caught Stealing (2025) Matt Goldberg Within the context of Aronofsky’s filmography, it makes for an interesting retrospective.
Posted Aug 29, 2025  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Weapons (2025) Matt Goldberg Cregger wonders how much trauma we’re willing to inflict on the young rather than protecting them as adults should.
Posted Aug 10, 2025  Edit critic review
Eddington (2025) David Chen To me, making a movie like this in which all sides are bad actors and in which the only character given any interiority whatsoever is the protagonist who’s violently anti-science is not only irresponsible, it’s morally reprehensible.
Posted Jul 22, 2025  Edit critic review
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) David Chen In addition to kickstarting Phase Six of the MCU, the film also tries to introduce us to a version of these iconic comic book characters that doesn’t suck. It largely succeeds at both.
Posted Jul 22, 2025  Edit critic review
Superman (2025) David Chen The biggest accomplishment of Gunn’s Superman is that it restores the heart and humanity to one of our most beloved and iconic superheroes.
Posted Jul 08, 2025  Edit critic review
F1 The Movie (2025) David Chen I don’t know how to describe it other than that it’s one of the most impressive IMAX experiences I’ve ever had.
Posted Jun 27, 2025  Edit critic review
The Life of Chuck (2024) David Chen 'Chuck' affirms the importance of living life to the fullest and asks us to contemplate our place in the universe.
Posted Jun 17, 2025  Edit critic review
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) David Chen There are a handful of ways that the new film improves on (or at least offers a different take on) what the original film was trying to do. In particular, everything involving dragons in this movie looks incredible.
Posted Jun 17, 2025  Edit critic review
Karate Kid: Legends (2025) David Chen [T]he proceedings are so rushed that neither of its two storylines are given any room to breathe or mesh with each other. The result is something unwieldy and unmemorable — a real missed opportunity.
Posted Jun 04, 2025  Edit critic review
Ballerina (2025) David Chen Simply put, Ballerina has some of the most audacious, inventive, and thrilling action scenes you are likely to see in a film this year.
Posted Jun 04, 2025  Edit critic review
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) David Chen [W]hen the action finally kicks in during the second half, the results are spectacular. There are several major set pieces in this film that not only qualify as the best in the franchise; they may be among the best ever put to film.
Posted May 14, 2025  Edit critic review
A Minecraft Movie (2025) David Chen [T]he movie has a frenetic energy that feels like it can’t pause to let any moment or plot development breathe, lest the audience get bored.
Posted Apr 29, 2025  Edit critic review
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) David Chen Brave New World feels like the latest entry in a universe that’s rapidly running out of steam, and not the inauguration of a new era (even a dystopian one!) that its title might imply.
Posted Feb 12, 2025  Edit critic review
The Perfect Neighbor (2025) David Chen Made up almost entirely of police bodycam footage, The Perfect Neighbor is a strikingly effective and thoroughly engrossing documentary about what happens when neighbors seem set on a collision course against each other.
Posted Feb 12, 2025  Edit critic review
Zodiac Killer Project (2025) David Chen [W]hat it lacks in production value in makes up for with some trenchant commentary on the tropes that True Crime shows/films use, and how much of what we see on screen is manufactured to manipulate us.
Posted Feb 12, 2025  Edit critic review
Predators (2025) David Chen What was it about Chris Hansen’s To Catch a Predator that transfixed America? David Osit’s Predators attempts to explore these challenging questions while turning the camera on himself.
Posted Feb 12, 2025  Edit critic review
Den of Thieves: Pantera (2025) David Chen If you’re looking for a sequel that’s similar in tone to Den of Thieves, I think you’ll leave Pantera sorely disappointed. Pantera is much more laid back and it’s all about the European vibes — a follow-up akin to Ocean’s 12.
Posted Jan 12, 2025  Edit critic review
Gladiator II (2024) David Chen Every fight has some kind of interesting twist on it that makes it feel fresh and inventive. I wish I could say the same thing about the script, which is mostly a remix of the first film but somehow feels edited to shreds in the final cut.
Posted Nov 11, 2024  Edit critic review
Rebel Moon - Part One: Director's Cut (2024) David Chen "The movie has just begun but it’s already clear what these new director’s cuts represent: They are bloodier, meaner, nastier, longer, and deeper versions of the Rebel Moon films that have already been released."
Posted Sep 01, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
Alien: Romulus (2024) David Chen Romulus brings the Alien franchise back to its roots: There’s a scary thing on a spaceship and it’s slowly killing everyone on board
Posted Aug 16, 2024  Edit critic review
B
Trap (2024) David Chen Hartnett is a revelation. Every single line, every mannerism, every micro-expression is perfectly calibrated.
Posted Aug 04, 2024  Edit critic review
A-
Dìdi (2024) David Chen Didi puts you in the mindset of a protagonist who’s struggling to figure out how to make friends and be “normal” and it’s not always as easy as it seems, especially as an Asian-American male.
Posted Jul 24, 2024  Edit critic review
B
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) David Chen [Deadpool & Wolverine is] a biting love letter to all the films that brought us to the point we are today.
Posted Jul 23, 2024  Edit critic review
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