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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023)
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Erik Kain
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It’s written by people who clearly love D&D. The spirit and humor and silliness and adventure that a good session of tabletop gaming consist of all carry over into this film in the best possible way.
Posted Mar 20, 2023
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6.5/10
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Erik Kain
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nt-Man 3 is a fun if predictable superhero movie that gets a few big things wrong, but bounces back on the strength of its leads, with both Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors knocking it out of the park.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Mark Hughes
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[A] good, entertaining, visually splendid sci-fantasy movie willing to take its premise and leads in a new direction.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
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4/6
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M3GAN
(2022)
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Erik Kain
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M3GAN leans hard into the genre tropes, often to great success. It’s a movie where half its gags are the titular doll’s facial expressions... No wonder, then, that this is a movie that’s constantly winking at us.
Posted Jan 10, 2023
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The Pale Blue Eye
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Jan 03, 2023
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Emily the Criminal
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Fire of Love
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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It’s also a beautiful love story about two people who shared a passion for exploring and for each other.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Holy Spider
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Everything Everywhere All at Once
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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It's the most original film of the year
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Decision to Leave
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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Women Talking
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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Banshees is a darkly funny look at mid-life crisis, mortality and our need to remain vital throughout our lives.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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After Yang
(2021)
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Scott Phillips
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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.
Posted Dec 29, 2022
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3/6
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Erik Kain
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It’s predictable, shallow and bombastic. This is a low-brow action movie dressed in the glitzy trappings of a high-brow sci-fi flick. Once you take off the 3D glasses, or the rose-tinted ones, the illusion is shattered.
Posted Dec 19, 2022
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Avatar: The Way of Water
(2022)
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Mark Hughes
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[A]n embodiment of the power of film to transport us to entirely new worlds, transcendent and astonishing in its ambition and its ability to make us believe. Cameron has accomplished what many deemed impossible. Again.
Posted Dec 15, 2022
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Disenchanted
(2022)
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Erik Kain
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Disenchanted ends up feeling like the kind of movie that’s been stuck in development hell for a decade-and-a-half: Messy, half-baked despite such a long gestation period, and lackluster compared to the original.
Posted Nov 18, 2022
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
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Mark Hughes
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It will break your heart, but it will also fill your heart with hope again and leave you cheering as the torch is passed to a new generation who surely make their fallen King proud.
Posted Nov 11, 2022
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Black Adam
(2022)
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Erik Kain
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Tepid. Lukewarm. Mediocre. Bland. Sluggish. Perfunctory. Dull. Anemic.
Posted Oct 21, 2022
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4/10
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Hellraiser
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Because it’s essentially a glorified Hellraiser part 1 version 2.0, it feels restrained in storytelling and visual imagery.
Posted Oct 19, 2022
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6/10
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Halloween Ends
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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'Halloween Ends' thrives as a grounded, slice-of-life character drama before eventually becoming a Michael Myers sequel.
Posted Oct 19, 2022
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6/10
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Black Adam
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Dwayne Johnson's gleefully violent and unapologetically silly IMAX-friendly superhero smash-up doesn't need Superman to, uh, change the hierarchy of power in the DC Films universe.
Posted Oct 18, 2022
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8/10
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Amsterdam
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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A rollicking character comedy and an almost subtle retelling of a forgotten 'past is prologue' chapter of American history. 'Amsterdam' is an acting treat and David O. Russell's best movie since 'Three Kings.'
Posted Oct 04, 2022
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5/10
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Smile
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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'Smile' is too thin to run as long as it does, but it offers some fun scares and gross-out images amid a subtext-becomes-text riff on trauma-focused horror movies.
Posted Sep 29, 2022
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2/10
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Hocus Pocus 2
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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The current streaming war has turned films and shows that previously would have been direct-to-video (or straight-to-television) irrelevancies into critical pieces in an industry-wide chess match.
Posted Sep 29, 2022
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6/10
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Blonde
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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'Blonde' uses the oft-told tale of Norma Jeane Mortenson/Marilyn Monroe to offer a broad swipe at how women are viewed and treated in Hollywood.
Posted Sep 16, 2022
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4/10
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Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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'Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva' resembles a checklist of every mistake Hollywood made over the last decade trying to replicate the success of Marvel's 'The Avengers.'
Posted Sep 09, 2022
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6/10
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Don't Worry Darling
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Olivia Wilde directs the hell out of this visually polished and gleefully cinematic Florence Pugh-led variation on an oft-told fable.
Posted Sep 08, 2022
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Bullet Train
(2022)
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Jeff Ewing
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A lot of fun to watch, while the talented cast fully leans into the colorful cast of characters they’re given to work with. It’s outlandish, a little hard to believe at times, and over-the-top in a way that never falls into full blown camp.
Posted Sep 06, 2022
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Prey
(2022)
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Jeff Ewing
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Prey just works. Cinematic scale, strong performances, beautiful attention to detail, top-notch action sequences... it’s a solid outing that deserves the largest screen possible.
Posted Sep 06, 2022
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They/Them
(2022)
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Jeff Ewing
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It boasts some wonderfully written scenes with a number of very talented performers, but the thematic issues, a few major plot and structure issues, and an ending that is inexplicably bad undercut what is otherwise a promising film.
Posted Sep 06, 2022
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Beast
(2022)
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Jeff Ewing
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It breezes by, keeps you engaged, and grounds you in the family. It isn’t a film with layers, elaborate plot shenanigans, or thematic complexity, it’s about survival plain and simple, and it puts you on the family’s train to danger.
Posted Sep 06, 2022
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Prey
(2022)
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Mark Hughes
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Predator at its best, in an exceptional survival tale reflecting a people’s myths & legends seemingly confirmed by the arrival of the inexplicable. ... [A] deeper, definitive experience.
Posted Aug 15, 2022
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4/10
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The Gray Man
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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How is Netflix still so bad at this?!
Posted Aug 04, 2022
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7/10
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Prey
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Amber Midthunder makes a spectacular action hero in this compelling survival story that just happens to be a 'Predator' prequel.
Posted Aug 04, 2022
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6/10
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Bullet Train
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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'Bullet Train' is undisciplined, but the action scenes are thrilling in their skewed 'real people frantically fighting each other' plausibility.
Posted Aug 04, 2022
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The Princess
(2022)
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Jeff Ewing
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Its plot is a little thin, there’s little in its runtime that isn’t action, but if it’s an action-heavy trope remixer you’re looking for (and it should be) this is exactly the film you need. It’s a grand time.
Posted Aug 02, 2022
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Nope
(2022)
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Scott Phillips
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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?
Posted Jul 21, 2022
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6/10
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Nope
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Jordan Peele's latest prioritizes iconography and subtext over in-the-moment narrative. It's still absolutely worth seeing on a huge screen.
Posted Jul 20, 2022
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Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
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Erik Kain
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If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted action rom-com with a likable lead and plenty of laughs, Thor vs Gorr with a side of Korg is an enjoyable two-hour diversion. Nothing more, nothing less.
Posted Jul 11, 2022
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5/10
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Thor: Love and Thunder
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Bale and Thompson are great, but everyone else (including the director) looks and feels like they're just going through the motions out of commercial obligation.
Posted Jul 05, 2022
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7/10
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The Princess
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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'The Princess' delivers on its promises in spades, becoming the best 'Die Hard' knock-off since 'White House Down.'
Posted Jul 01, 2022
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7/10
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Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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One of Disney+'s best original features, this Lonely Island flick walks the line between inside baseball showbiz spoof, nostalgic throwback and compelling crime comedy.
Posted Jun 28, 2022
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6/10
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Crimes of the Future
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Kristen Stewart's against-type turn elevates David Cronenberg's otherwise conventional (but compelling) return to body horror.
Posted Jun 28, 2022
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7/10
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The Black Phone
(2021)
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Scott Mendelson
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'The Black Phone' is the best Hollywood horror flick since 'Malignant.'
Posted Jun 28, 2022
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5/10
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Minions: The Rise of Gru
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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The need to create a prequel to 'Despicable Me' does a disservice to a potentially amusing 'Minions' sequel in this visually dazzling and kid-friendly animated comedy.
Posted Jun 28, 2022
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7/10
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Elvis
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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An artistic milestone retold as a uniquely American tragedy.
Posted Jun 22, 2022
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6/10
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Lightyear
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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Pixar's 'Lightyear' is just good enough to justify its artistic experience despite obviously crass commercial motivations.
Posted Jun 13, 2022
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6/10
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Jurassic World Dominion
(2022)
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Scott Mendelson
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It spends too little time on the "dinos among us" hook, but 'Jurassic World: Dominion' is a refreshingly overstuffed movie that feels like a miracle in terms of scope, scale and geographic variety considering how and when it was made.
Posted Jun 08, 2022
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Men
(2022)
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Simon Thompson
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As uncomfortable and disorientating as it can be to watch, it’s a horror show that captivates and is almost impossible to look away from.
Posted May 16, 2022
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