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4/5
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the rare sequel that improves on the Oscar-winning original in every aspect. A dazzling mix of CGI and 2D animation accompany a rocking soundtrack and heartfelt script with great humor.
Posted May 31, 2023
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2.5/5
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The Boogeyman
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
The Boogeyman's menacing cinematography and clever editing sets the stage for atmospheric scares. But the terror fizzles badly with rote and predictable genre tropes.
Posted May 31, 2023
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3/5
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About My Father
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
About My Father pokes good fun at Sebastian Maniscalco's Sicilian roots and immigrant father's stern but lovable guidance. He and Robert De Niro get big laughs as a heavily perfumed, working-class famiglia trying to impress prospective wealthy in-laws.
Posted May 25, 2023
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3.5/5
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Kandahar
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Kandahar strikes at the heart of geopolitical and human rights issues embroiling the Middle East. Slick action scenes, especially a spectacular nighttime helicopter chase, rescue the narrative from lulls.
Posted May 25, 2023
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3.5/5
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The Little Mermaid
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
The Little Mermaid captures the enchanting musical fantasy of the animated classic. Audiences will swoon as a beautiful mermaid falls in love with a dashing prince. Halle Bailey's soaring vocals and radiant energy illuminates the underwater depths.
Posted May 22, 2023
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2.5/5
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Come Out Fighting
(2021)
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Julian Roman
|
Come Out Fighting has good intentions but struggles to be rousing and cinematic. Moments of genuine camaraderie are muddied by low-budget visual effects, questionable editing, and poorly defined, generic Nazi antagonists.
Posted May 19, 2023
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2.5/5
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Dotty & Soul
(2022)
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Julian Roman
|
Dotty & Soul has heart and merit but broadcasts its intentions like an afterschool special. Thinly plotted characters spend the entire film proselytizing. It's loaded with humorous zingers but lacks substantive exposition.
Posted May 19, 2023
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2/5
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Fast X
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Fast X races to the franchise finish line as an overblown popcorn cinema spectacle. The film sticks to form as familiar characters engage in a violent CGI melee of bumper car explosions, gunplay, and savage brawls.
Posted May 17, 2023
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3.5/5
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Sanctuary
(2022)
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Julian Roman
|
Sanctuary ropes your attention with fascinating power dynamics that titillate and tease sinister developments. Slick filmmaking and beguiling performances sell a potent narrative.
Posted May 17, 2023
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3/5
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Land of Gold
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
Land of Gold is a touching film that haunts in the wake of a melancholic finale. The winner of the Tribeca Film Festival's 2021 Untold Stories grand prize takes an unvarnished view of the immigrant experience in America.
Posted May 15, 2023
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3/5
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Rally Road Racers
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Rally Road Racers slick animation and groovy tunes bolsters a simple script. It's meant for the toddler to 10-year-old crowd. They'll get a kick out of the screwball races and goofy shenanigans.
Posted May 11, 2023
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2/5
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Fool's Paradise
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Fool's Paradise mercilessly mocks every rung in the filmmaking ladder to fame and fortune. Charlie Day gets points for being clever, but the comedy shtick runs out of steam. Laughter dissipates as a promising first act goes nowhere.
Posted May 11, 2023
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3/5
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Hypnotic
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Hypnotic often feels like a greatest hits compilation of sci-fi brain-teasers. That's forgivable as the plot gets progressively better and more interesting.
Posted May 11, 2023
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3.5/5
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BlackBerry
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
BlackBerry is both an innovative triumph and cautionary tale of blinding arrogance. It comically reminds that greatness is never guaranteed to last.
Posted May 09, 2023
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1/5
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Johnny & Clyde
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Johnny & Clyde dulls the senses with a mindless stream of bloody violence and cartoonish execution. It's all style and zero substance in a woefully fractured narrative. Megan Fox gets minor chuckles as a ruthless control freak.
Posted May 04, 2023
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2.5/5
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Double Life
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Double Life vacillates from soap opera to tawdry pulp thriller. It surprises with charismatic leads who work well together. Women who should hate each other find a common purpose through grief.
Posted May 03, 2023
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3.5/5
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has clever laughs, the requisite groovy soundtrack, and astounding action scenes, but a powerfully dramatic story arc goes to ugly places that wrench the soul. James Gunn exits the franchise on a visceral high note.
Posted Apr 28, 2023
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3/5
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Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Big George Foreman overcame every obstacle with incredible resolve. A star-making lead performance from Khris Davis shows how a misunderstood man continually picked himself up from the bottom.
Posted Apr 28, 2023
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3/5
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Carmen
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
Carmen reimagines Bizet's classic opera as a surreal journey of musical drama and dance. It doesn't always work, but the sheer creativity on display is remarkable to behold. The talented leads light up the screen with electric chemistry.
Posted Apr 26, 2023
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2.5/5
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Quasi
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Broken Lizard gets medieval in the raunchy and hilarious Quasi. The film slyly skewers classism, sexism, and religion with clever dialogue and heart.
Posted Apr 24, 2023
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2/5
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Ghosted
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Ghosted can't figure out how to make its individually likable leads work as a couple. Opposites attract and love blooms while bullets fly. Sounds good on paper, but there needs to be a tangible connection tying the mismatched pair together.
Posted Apr 24, 2023
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3.5/5
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Guy Ritchie's The Covenant
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim are superb in a visceral display of brotherhood on the battlefield. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant leaves no man behind.
Posted Apr 19, 2023
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3.5/5
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Chevalier
(2022)
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Julian Roman
|
Chevalier is an exquisite and well-acted period drama. It brings to light the brilliance of an extraordinary man purposely forgotten by history.
Posted Apr 18, 2023
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3/5
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Rare Objects
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Rare Objects shows the long and difficult process sexual assault survivors face to reclaim any semblance of normalcy. Katie Holmes continues to grow as a filmmaker and actress in a moving narrative.
Posted Apr 14, 2023
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2/5
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Mafia Mamma
(2023)
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Julian Roman
|
Mafia Mamma never finds its footing by swinging wildly through jumbled themes. You cheer for female empowerment, gag at the unexpectedly bloody carnage, and chuckle slightly at borderline offensive stereotypes.
Posted Apr 13, 2023
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2.5/5
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Paint
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Paint's powder dry delivery, goofy costumes, and sexually charged storyline had me laughing out loud. But admittedly, the subtle humor isn't for everyone.
Posted Apr 07, 2023
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3/5
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
How to Blow Up a Pipeline argues that pacifism has failed the environment and doomed humanity. The film follows a disparate group radicalized under a common cause. Their journey is both riveting and deeply unsettling.
Posted Apr 05, 2023
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3/5
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a rollicking CGI adventure that hilariously incorporates Nintendo's most popular characters. Childhood favorites run, jump, kick, and go-kart race through colorful, eye-popping worlds.
Posted Apr 05, 2023
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3.5/5
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Air
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon deliver their best film since the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting. Air tells the incredible true story of Nike's fateful decision to put their entire basketball operation on the shoulders of a talented young athlete.
Posted Apr 04, 2023
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3/5
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Tetris
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Tetris succeeds at showing Communism's iron grip of oppression, brutal tactics, and rampant corruption. The cloak-and-dagger plotting works in the first two acts before taking a hyperbolic turn.
Posted Mar 31, 2023
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3.5/5
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Rye Lane
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Rye Lane enchants with imaginative filmmaking, dynamic settings, and hilarious lead actors. Director Raine Allen-Miller astounds in her feature debut, crafting a whimsical journey where polar opposites discover an undeniable magnetic attraction.
Posted Mar 30, 2023
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3/5
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Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham adapts DC's Elseworlds comic book series into a twisted animated tale. The dots aren't smoothly connected but lead to a shocking climax with an unexpected twist.
Posted Mar 29, 2023
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3/5
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Stalker
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
Stalker is an ultra-lean thriller that ebbs and flows with palpable tension. It realizes the frightening scenario of being trapped in a confined space with a creepy stranger.
Posted Mar 29, 2023
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3.5/5
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves gives fans of the beloved role-playing game a superb adaption. And not to worry neophytes, you'll be laughing and cheering along with the die-hard cosplay crowd.
Posted Mar 28, 2023
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3.5/5
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Tori and Lokita
(2022)
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Julian Roman
|
Tori and Lokita shows the unvarnished dangers and sexual predation faced by minors seeking legal status. Those on the fringe of society are susceptible to criminals who feed on desperation. They toil in the shadows with no recourse for justice.
Posted Mar 27, 2023
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3.5/5
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The Lost King
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
Sally Hawkins shines in the incredible true story of an indomitable woman who achieved an extraordinary feat. The Lost King reminds experts aren't infallible. A regular person with guts, intellect, and willpower can prove them wrong.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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2/5
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Last Sentinel
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Last Sentinel attempts thoughtful discourse on climate change, humanity's destructive nature, and paranoid xenophobia in a desolate setting. The mystery that drives the narrative lingers for too long into a banal finale.
Posted Mar 23, 2023
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3/5
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A Good Person
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
A Good Person will have audiences crying buckets. Fleeting moments of levity somewhat alleviates heavy themes, but the characters' crushing sadness takes an emotional toll during a long runtime.
Posted Mar 22, 2023
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2.5/5
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The Tutor
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
The Tutor suffers from major logic flaws. It keeps you hooked to a pulpy climax with a devilish turn. The big reveal is improbable and unrealistic, but fun villainy to watch.
Posted Mar 22, 2023
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3/5
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Full River Red
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Zhang Yimou keeps you guessing with a convoluted period murder mystery. Full River Red blends dark humor, suspense, and Machiavellian deceptions in a labyrinthine whodunit. There's enough backstabbing here to warrant an extra order of knives.
Posted Mar 20, 2023
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2.5/5
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Therapy Dogs
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
Therapy Dogs gets style points for creativity but weakly addresses serious themes. It can best be described as a ninety-minute TikTok video of partying, drugs, petty vandalism, and infantile behavior.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
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3.5/5
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Rodeo
(2022)
|
Julian Roman
|
Rodeo immerses you in a world of robbery, burnt tires, and exhaust. Director Lola Quivoron crafts a fiery protagonist. She captures the grease of chopping bikes in a confined space and the exhilaration of open road theatrics.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
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3/5
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Shazam! Fury of the Gods brings a much-needed levity, humor, and heart infusion to a comic book genre that's been dour and depressing. The fun sequel improves on the original by taking the characters to the next logical phase of their development.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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3.5/5
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All the World Is Sleeping
(2021)
|
Julian Roman
|
Melissa Barrera stuns as a desperate young mother struggling with opiates addiction and generational instability. All the World is Sleeping gives no easy answers in a powerfully dramatic film with heavy themes.
Posted Mar 15, 2023
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1.5/5
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The Ritual Killer
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
The Ritual Killer carves hapless innocents in a disjointed narrative with poorly connected subplots. Former NFL star Vernon Davis is the only high point as a scarred and merciless villain.
Posted Mar 13, 2023
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2/5
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Scream VI
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Scream VI tries to straddle the line between mocking horror tropes and paying homage to the established narrative. The attempt at cleverness fails when ostensibly smart characters do the same inane things to put their lives in jeopardy.
Posted Mar 09, 2023
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2.5/5
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Champions
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Champions has heart but gets downright raunchy and vulgar. The characters spend an inordinate amount of time discussing dirty deeds in colorful ways. This focus felt out of place, overdone, and adds an obscene aspect that wasn't needed.
Posted Mar 07, 2023
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2.5/5
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Transfusion
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Transfusion blends a deep character drama with murder and theft in the criminal underworld. The film is uneven in this regard but manages to stay afloat with sound performances.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
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2/5
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The Donor Party
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
The Donor Party takes a raunchy look at female sexuality in modern times. The idea of random unprotected encounters takes shape - all baby, no daddy. I confess to a few chuckles in the cringeworthy plot, but was left disgusted.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
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3.5/5
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Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
(2023)
|
Julian Roman
|
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre gives a talented cast latitude to shine. Guy Ritchie never allows one performance to overshadow the others. He orchestrates ensemble success in a fun storyline that's action-packed.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
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