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3.5/4
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John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
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Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Few series of this type have maintained this level of quality and ingenuity over four installments without growing stale.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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2/4
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A Good Person
(2023)
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Sara Michelle Fetters
|
A Good Person adds schmaltz where it does not belong, and instead of observational distance that could further humanize the events Allison and the others are confronting, Braff forces ghastly treacle down the viewer’s throat.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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4/4
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Dragonslayer
(1981)
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Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Dragonslayer has withstood the test of time beautifully.
Posted Mar 22, 2023
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3/4
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Everyone who got a kick out of the low stakes, self-contained storytelling and goofily juvenile antics on display in 2019’s Shazam! will likely be equally satisfied with its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Posted Mar 21, 2023
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2.5/4
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Inside
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Inside is a perplexing descent into the unknown, and whether or not this madness is art (or the art is madness) is purely in the eye of the beholder.
Posted Mar 21, 2023
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3/4
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Scream VI
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Scream VI shows there’s still life in this series, and now that a new generation has been given control of the story, I’m curious to see where things go next.
Posted Mar 13, 2023
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3/4
|
Creed III
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Majors dominates, prowling through each scene as if he were a sly, observationally carnivorous velociraptor craftily stalking its prey. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
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3.5/4
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The Park
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
The Park is an unexpected gem.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
|
|
1.5/4
|
Children of the Corn
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
The only emotional response this Children of the Corn scares up is boredom.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
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2.5/4
|
Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Operation Fortune is a heck of a lot more fun than it has any right to be, and based on how much I despised the first act, I’m as flabbergasted about this as anyone.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
|
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3/4
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Cocaine Bear
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Cocaine Bear does not try to sell itself as something it is not. There is a bear. It is addicted to cocaine. It proceeds to kill several people. Gory, whacked-out weirdness transpires over an economical 95 minutes. That’s it. That’s the movie.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
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4/4
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Matinee
(1993)
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Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Love. Laugh. Shriek. Cry. Make every second count. Most of all, live. The life lessons Dante was imparting 30 years ago are as vital now as they ever were then, making Matinee a modern classic ripe for rediscovery.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
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2.5/4
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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
(2012)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
While steps in the right direction are made with this conclusion to the series, it’s much too little and far too late, and this saga of undead romance is as laughably soapy now as it was when Meyer’s first book initially hit the bestseller list.
Posted Feb 20, 2023
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|
2.5/4
|
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Ant-Man’s return is notable for the villain and not a lot more, meaning this sequel shrinks into the back of the memory rather quickly, disappearing into the multiversal content void almost as if it never existed in the first place.
Posted Feb 18, 2023
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|
3.5/4
|
Of an Age
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Anton and Green are outstanding, and their chemistry is infectious.
Posted Feb 18, 2023
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|
3.5/4
|
Huesera: The Bone Woman
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Huesera: The Bone Woman is not for the faint of heart.
Posted Feb 14, 2023
|
|
2/4
|
Knock at the Cabin
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
I’m starting to think Knock at the Cabin was one cinematic rap on the door I should have left unanswered.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
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3/4
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80 for Brady
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
80 for Brady marches down the field, throwing passes composed of happiness, running between the tackles with a ball made out of amity.
Posted Feb 02, 2023
|
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4/4
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My Life in Pink
(1997)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Like Ludovic, I marvel at the wonderful, magical mystery that is life. All these years later, Ma Vie en Rose remains a rapturous miracle.
Posted Jan 30, 2023
|
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1.5/4
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Kids vs. Aliens
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
[Much] like with “Slumber Party Alien Abduction,” there is a nifty idea sitting at the center of Kids vs. Aliens. Too bad Eisner and his talented team don’t end up doing anything equally nifty with it.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
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3/4
|
Missing
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Not so much a sequel to 2018’s Searching as it is another tale of online moxie and resolve set in the same universe, Missing is a tensely enjoyable roller-coaster ride that had my eyes glued to the screen.
Posted Jan 20, 2023
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|
2.5/4
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Plane
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Plane achieves liftoff, and for old-school action fanatics, even if it doesn’t stick the landing, watching it skid wildly off the runway into a ditch with such raucous aplomb is as ridiculous as it is wonderful.
Posted Jan 17, 2023
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3/4
|
M3GAN
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
I’m pretty positive this film and I will be friends to the end.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
|
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3/4
|
The Old Way
(2023)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
The Old Way is a cold, uncompromising Western that tracks down suspense and tension by moseying down a conventional narrative trail.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
|
|
2.5/4
|
A Man Called Otto
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
While far from the near-brilliance of Backman’s novel, A Man Called Otto is a nice adaptation with strong performances that kept me pleasantly entertained for most of its running time.
Posted Jan 06, 2023
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4/4
|
The Eternal Daughter
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
An extraordinarily moving drama of celebration, regret, creation, loss, and family, this latest feature by writer-director Joanna Hogg grabbed my heart in an icily intimate embrace and then refused to let go.
Posted Jan 01, 2023
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2/4
|
Babylon
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
While the director is a consummate craftsman who stages several staggering scenes of razzle-dazzle, it’s all pugnaciously heartless. To put it even more bluntly: I couldn’t have cared less.
Posted Dec 23, 2022
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3.5/4
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Women Talking
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Insightfully complex, for a film where almost every meaningful minute takes place in the dusty hayloft of a creaky old barn, this is as tense and as suspenseful a thriller as anything I’ve seen in 2022.
Posted Dec 23, 2022
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2/4
|
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Whitney Houston was a singular talent, and she deserves an equally unique motion picture chronicling her life. But this isn’t it, and that’s downright heartbreaking.
Posted Dec 23, 2022
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4/4
|
Miracle on 34th Street
(1947)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Miracle on 34th Street is the gift that keeps on giving.
Posted Dec 21, 2022
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3/4
|
The Harbinger
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
This one slips its claws under the skin and then refuses to retract, latching on in such a way that this vicious chiller leaves a lasting scar.
Posted Dec 19, 2022
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|
2.5/4
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Empire of Light
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
There is nothing subtle about writer-director Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light.
Posted Dec 16, 2022
|
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3.5/4
|
Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
The unrelenting kinetic ferocity of this last act is undeniable, and while nothing that happened came as a surprise, my eyes still remained glued to the screen.
Posted Dec 15, 2022
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3/4
|
Christmas Bloody Christmas
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
This is a gruesome slice of holiday cruelty that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else, and that’s exactly as it should be.
Posted Dec 12, 2022
|
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3/4
|
Spoiler Alert
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Spoiler Alert is a delightfully effective melodrama, one that pulls few punches and isn’t afraid of wearing a plethora of emotions out in the open for all to see.
Posted Dec 12, 2022
|
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2.5/4
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Bedtime for Bonzo
(1951)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Bedtime for Bonzo is funny enough, and as dated as elements of the film may be, overall it’s pretty harmless.
Posted Dec 05, 2022
|
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3/4
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Violent Night
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Violent Night does exactly what it sets out to do, and does so with panache, frivolity, and style.
Posted Dec 04, 2022
|
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4/4
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Near Dark
(1987)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
As a kid, I was spellbound. As an adult, each revisit brings me new pleasures as I discover layers to Bigelow’s chilling horror masterwork I hadn’t noticed before.
Posted Dec 01, 2022
|
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4/4
|
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
While different in tone and structure from the previous film, this one is even more rapturously entertaining than its predecessor. It is also quite a bit funnier.
Posted Nov 24, 2022
|
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3/4
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Strange World
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
It’s Disney riffing in ways that are reminiscent of The Emperor’s New Groove and Lilo & Stich, making this Journey to the Center of the Earth-style adventure a visually imaginative treat the whole family is certain to enjoy.
Posted Nov 24, 2022
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3.5/4
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The Menu
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
The line between serf and nobleman slowly disappears with the delivery of each course to a guest’s table, which only augments how dazzlingly unhinged this madness proves to be.
Posted Nov 22, 2022
|
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3/4
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She Said
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
She Said is as enthralling as it is infuriating.
Posted Nov 22, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
I find I respect Coogler’s sequel more than I actually enjoyed it, and that’s as disappointing a turn of events as any I could have imagined.
Posted Nov 14, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
Enola Holmes 2
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
While not quite rising to the heights of its 2020 predecessor, this gonzo sequel still manages to effortlessly entertain.
Posted Nov 14, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
Falling for Christmas
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Falling for Christmas is Netflix’s latest slice of holiday season romantic schmaltz and it is notable for precisely one reason – the return of Lohan as a bona fide comedic star.
Posted Nov 14, 2022
|
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4/4
|
The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
McDonagh, Farrell, and Gleeson deliver something special, The Banshees of Inisherin unquestionably one of the year’s best films.
Posted Oct 31, 2022
|
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4/4
|
The Last of the Mohicans
(1992)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
The inhumanity of war blurs the line between sanity and insanity, while making the ultimate sacrifice for love has disastrous consequences impossible to foresee.
Posted Oct 26, 2022
|
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2.5/4
|
Ticket to Paradise
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Ticket to Paradise is more staycation than vacation, and as such it is equally as memorable.
Posted Oct 24, 2022
|
|
1.5/4
|
Black Adam
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Black Adam is nothing more than a splashy two-hour coming attractions reel for future motion pictures.
Posted Oct 24, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
The School for Good and Evil
(2022)
|
Sara Michelle Fetters
|
Feig’s film is nowhere near as fully realized or as creatively satisfying as I kept hoping it was going to be, making The School for Good and Evil a mixed bag of magic tricks.
Posted Oct 19, 2022
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