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Black Widow
(2021)
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David Poland
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If you don't want to have a good time at the movies, don't see Black Widow.
Posted Jul 10, 2021
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Crisis
(2021)
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David Poland
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A lot of acting fire power and too many storylines keep an idea that suits the moment from being more powerful.
Posted Mar 12, 2021
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Cherry
(2021)
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David Poland
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Posted Feb 18, 2021
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John and the Hole
(2020)
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David Poland
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For me, the film is an exploration of the mind and soul of a young adolescent male who has not had the good fortune of having natural pleasurable distractions.
Posted Feb 04, 2021
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Malcolm & Marie
(2021)
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David Poland
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This is a "Fresh" review of a failed movie. To call it "Rotten" would be to extreme. But this review explains why it doesn't really work to the level of its ambition.
Posted Jan 24, 2021
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9/10
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Promising Young Woman
(2020)
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David Poland
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Posted Jan 19, 2021
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Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
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David Poland
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What is the message of all this mess? Being with a man makes you weak? Wanting a man makes you murderous?
Posted Dec 29, 2020
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Mulan
(2020)
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David Poland
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There is something about the reality of Mulan being a real-life teenage girl that changes the dynamic of the whole experience. Director Niki Caro never mocks... never goes for the easy gag.... never forgets that her Mulan is a real life young woman.
Posted Sep 04, 2020
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War Story
(2014)
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Kim Voynar
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With War Story, I think it's safe to say Jackson's found the storytelling niche of a rising auteur, and he plans to stay there.
Posted Jun 26, 2020
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Irresistible
(2020)
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David Poland
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In Irresistible, it often feels like Carell is just grinding it out. When the moments come where Stewart is going to make a commitment one way or the other, he tends to punt.
Posted Jun 25, 2020
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Without
(2011)
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Kim Voynar
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Jackson shows a lot of promise as a director, based on this debut.
Posted Jun 11, 2020
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On the Record
(2020)
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David Poland
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This film speaks to the culture, as much as the act of rape. How did these women see themselves? How much were they willing to withstand?
Posted Jun 09, 2020
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The King of Staten Island
(2020)
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David Poland
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There is a dark charm to this film and to Davidson that is winning in an unexpected way. Apatow has become masterful at bringing out the very specific personalities of comics
Posted Jun 09, 2020
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AKA Jane Roe
(2020)
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David Poland
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McCorvey is, somehow, both Forrest Gump and all the famous people he meets and all the pain that never quite seems to register in him, all in one.
Posted Jun 09, 2020
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Onward
(2020)
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David Poland
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I felt, from start to finish, like I was watching a skillfully made film that wasn't magic. Can't throw a rotten tomato... but not a fan.
Posted Mar 05, 2020
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The Invisible Man
(2020)
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David Poland
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This is post-feminist movie feminism. F*** the guy. He is the a**hole bad guy. He doesn't deserve the screen time. All we need to know is how she feels.
Posted Feb 26, 2020
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Cats
(2019)
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David Poland
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I am going to recommend Cats on Rotten Tomatoes because if you like Cats: The Show you are going to like or love Cats The Motion Picture.
Posted Dec 20, 2019
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
(2019)
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David Poland
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What made me crazy was three-fold. 1st, the obnoxiously relentless fan servicing. 2nd, the unnecessary complication of EVERYTHING. And 3rd, killing drama with cheap gags.
Posted Dec 18, 2019
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Little Women
(2019)
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David Poland
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I was happy to be in the room with this family. I was happy to be bathed in their familial intimacies. I felt my heart break with their heartbreaks.
Posted Nov 25, 2019
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Frozen II
(2019)
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David Poland
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A sequel is almost always a lowering of the stakes. It is a very hard hump to get over. Frozen 2 needed some new stakes. Still, the movie is... okay.
Posted Nov 20, 2019
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The Good Liar
(2019)
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David Poland
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The Good Liar is the kind of movie for which I have great fondness. Old fashioned in almost every way...
Posted Nov 17, 2019
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Marriage Story
(2019)
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David Poland
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After seeing Marriage Story twice & pushing away some of its problems, I still feel like there is a giant hole in the middle of this work. Why is this couple getting divorced?
Posted Nov 08, 2019
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Motherless Brooklyn
(2019)
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David Poland
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For me, Motherless Brooklyn is the most frustrating kind of movie. So well made, but missing something. (But "rotten" seems too harsh.)
Posted Oct 29, 2019
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Gemini Man
(2019)
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David Poland
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The pursuit of 120 frames per second and a viable CG 3rd lead character overwhelms any attempt to tell a story well.
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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Joker
(2019)
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David Poland
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Watching Joaquin dance and evolve is enough to make this movie worth the time. Unfortunately, the third act that reaches beyond the character is not as successful.
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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Parasite
(2019)
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David Poland
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Bong Joon Ho shifts style from one genre to the next throughout the film, but always finds the universal humanity that brings the audience in for more than just laughs and thrills.
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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The Lighthouse
(2019)
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David Poland
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You willl feel like you are living with two men in a giant phallus in a solitary spot in the middle of the sea. Who's Afraid of Spongebob Squarepants?
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood
(2019)
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David Poland
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this is the most complex cinematic experience of the year-to-date from a major studio.
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
(2019)
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David Poland
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A movie trying to do so much that it does nothing.
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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Zombieland: Double Tap
(2019)
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David Poland
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Amusing, fun, but it feels like it could have been so much better.
Posted Oct 25, 2019
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The Devil We Know
(2018)
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Kim Voynar
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Soechtig again expertly weaves together all the complicated pieces and science to present a compelling case within a documentary structured like a suspense film.
Posted Aug 06, 2018
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Night Comes On
(2018)
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Kim Voynar
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Newcomer Tatum Marilyn Hall...makes a startling, powerful debut turn.
Posted Aug 03, 2018
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
(2017)
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David Poland
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Have we ever had a relaunch followed immediately by a reboot?
Posted Dec 12, 2017
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Blade Runner 2049
(2017)
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David Poland
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I don't want to ruin a single surprise in this remarkable film.
Posted Oct 02, 2017
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The Dark Tower
(2017)
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David Poland
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This movie just made every wrong decision about what it wanted to be when it grew up.
Posted Aug 03, 2017
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Detroit
(2017)
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David Poland
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With the BANG of a starter's pistol, a hot snowball of rage and fear starts rolling downhill, gathering speed as all struggle to get out of the way.
Posted Jul 24, 2017
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Dunkirk
(2017)
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David Poland
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I wanted to walk out of Dunkirk with my heart beating. And I walked out with my brain humming.
Posted Jul 19, 2017
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Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
(2017)
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David Poland
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A 2 hour-plus non-stop all-downhill rollercoaster ride.
Posted Jul 11, 2017
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The House
(2017)
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David Poland
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The House would have been quite a good mean-as-hell comedy if they had a third act that worked. That is where the movie really stalls.
Posted Jul 03, 2017
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Spider-Man: Homecoming
(2017)
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David Poland
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Sony, who had something to gain from allowing Spider-Man to be part of the MCU Universe, just allowed Marvel to make their superstar into a supporting player.
Posted Jun 29, 2017
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Rough Night
(2017)
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David Poland
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As I sat in the theater, I wondered to myself, "Is this the female identification movie that women want to see and I just don't get it?"
Posted Jun 15, 2017
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The Mummy
(2017)
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David Poland
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The Mummy is, in so many ways, everything that is wrong with the IP era of film. So much so, that it is a shocking experience.
Posted Jun 07, 2017
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Wonder Woman
(2017)
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David Poland
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Wonder Woman is a very likable movie. But it was also a very likable movie when Marvel made its kissing cousin, Captain America: The First Avenger.
Posted Jun 03, 2017
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Baywatch
(2017)
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David Poland
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Baywatch is taken down by an undertow of overthinking, over-raunching, and generally a complete miss of what made this series so absurdly popular for so long.
Posted May 23, 2017
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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
(2017)
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David Poland
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I won't bury the lede. This movie SUCKS. King Awful!
Posted May 11, 2017
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Snatched
(2017)
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David Poland
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So much of the movie feels clear and familiar, only to be sidetracked by someone trying really hard to be funny instead of trusting the storytelling.
Posted May 10, 2017
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Alien: Covenant
(2017)
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David Poland
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There is so much right about Alien Covenant that what is wrong at the third act is an incredible frustration.
Posted May 07, 2017
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
(2017)
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David Poland
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This film is the epitome of a sequel to a somewhat unexpected smash hit.
Posted Apr 25, 2017
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Beauty and the Beast
(2017)
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David Poland
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Beauty & The Beast is a true pleasure. In some ways, new material is better than the familiar bits.
Posted Mar 21, 2017
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The Innocents
(2016)
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Ray Pride
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The world is transformed by being in it, by being alive to it, Fontaine demonstrates.
Posted Aug 29, 2016
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