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B-
|
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
(2023)
|
Catherine Gonzales
|
Robots. Action. Saving the world. Cheesy lines. Ahh, a simple good time!
Posted Jun 07, 2023
|
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C-
|
The Flash
(2023)
|
Catherine Gonzales
|
Seeing Keaton’s Batman was fun alongside all the other surprise cameos but one can’t help but feel like it’s more empty spectacle than substance.
Posted Jun 06, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
(2023)
|
Sophia Ciminello
|
In its truest essence, Spider-Man is about love, death, family, grief, and how all of these pieces of life intersect when we’re too young to have it all figured out yet.
Posted May 31, 2023
|
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B-
|
Elemental
(2023)
|
Luke Hearfield
|
Elemental burns bright with Pixar’s signature blend of vibrant revolutionary animation and imagination.
Posted May 30, 2023
|
|
B
|
Anatomy of a Fall
(2023)
|
Savina Petkova
|
Justine Triet is not afraid to risk it and invite more darkness and even darker moral ambiguity in her films, which may be the signs of further cinematographic maturity for an already acknowledged French director.
Posted May 27, 2023
|
|
A-
|
La Chimera
(2023)
|
Savina Petkova
|
La Chimera shows [Alice Rohrwacher] at her best: the most liberated, most intuitive film thus far, with an even more promising future to come.
Posted May 26, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Last Summer
(2023)
|
Ali Benzekri
|
Léa Drucker is staggering in this daring role, where her feelings blend to create a fascinating case study that only Breillat can draw from its development.
Posted May 26, 2023
|
|
B-
|
The Passion of Dodin Bouffant
(2023)
|
Savina Petkova
|
Tràn Anh Hùng’s approach to recreating the process of cooking is obviously true to that of his protagonists. Because of the relationship between Dodin and Eugénie—which is one of heightened eroticism and trust—no recipe is just a name.
Posted May 25, 2023
|
|
A
|
Asteroid City
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Realised in glorious wide-screen Kodak film and boxy black-and-white by veteran cinematographer Robert Yeoman, Asteroid City is a film of beauty in all of its luxurious vividness.
Posted May 23, 2023
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|
C-
|
Firebrand
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
It’s a shame because it’s clear to see Aïnouz’s intent, but his story’s bold revisionist qualities hide behind a safe costume drama.
Posted May 23, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Club Zero
(2023)
|
Ali Benzekri
|
Hausner isn’t interested in conversing about major themes she elicits, as an alternative, her mission is to number them; the more the merrier in carefree fashion.
Posted May 22, 2023
|
|
A-
|
May December
(2023)
|
Ali Benzekri
|
Haynes drops all our preconceived ideas on how he would tackle a project like this and goes for other ways by reinventing himself as a filmmaker.
Posted May 22, 2023
|
|
A
|
Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023)
|
Ali Benzekri
|
Lily Gladstone gets her golden ticket with this role, playing her with a tough internal force to go with an evident physical control; and in turn, Scorsese gets one of the best female performances in his own career.
Posted May 22, 2023
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|
B+
|
How to Have Sex
(2023)
|
Nick Ruhrkraut
|
How to Have Sex is an overwhelmingly funny romp that is engaging and heartfelt from beginning to end.
Posted May 22, 2023
|
|
C+
|
The Little Mermaid
(2023)
|
Sophia Ciminello
|
Halle Bailey’s rich performance makes the film worth watching; she was born to play Ariel.
Posted May 22, 2023
|
|
A
|
The Sweet East
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Talia Ryder is an exceptional talent, delivering the best, most unique performance seen at Cannes this year.
Posted May 20, 2023
|
|
A-
|
The Zone of Interest
(2023)
|
Savina Petkova
|
Glazer’s film does not represent the unrepresentable—for that would go against the conviction of Holocaust cinema—but offers a new, specifically cinematic way to refuse representation and pay respects.
Posted May 20, 2023
|
|
B
|
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Harrison Ford finds a fitting end to one of cinema’s greatest action heroes, and one of the most iconic roles of his career, with this film. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a thrilling, action-packed swan song for the iconic character.
Posted May 19, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Occupied City
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Perhaps, with this documentary, more will become aware of the Dutch capital’s tragic history, it’s just a shame the film isn’t streamlined and inventive with its storytelling.
Posted May 19, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Monster
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Kore-eda delivers a nuanced tale of humanity told from many differing perspectives.
Posted May 18, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Fast X
(2023)
|
Zachary Laws
|
[The Fast & Furious franchise] was built on fast cars going “vroom vroom,” explosions going “boom boom,” and fists going “pow pow,” which Fast X delivers with aplomb.
Posted May 17, 2023
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|
C+
|
Book Club: The Next Chapter
(2023)
|
Sophia Ciminello
|
Still, it’s difficult not to enjoy spending time with these charming actresses who remind you why they’ve been icons in the film industry for decades.
Posted May 08, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
|
Nicole Ackman
|
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is, in some ways, the strongest of its trilogy, but it suffers from being too much.
Posted Apr 28, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Peter Pan & Wendy
(2023)
|
Catherine Gonzales
|
The updates to the cast and story are very much welcome without feeling forced or overbearing.
Posted Apr 28, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Sisu
(2022)
|
Catherine Gonzales
|
SISU never lags, keeps an engaging pace and sticks an impressive and satisfying landing.
Posted Apr 24, 2023
|
|
B
|
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
(2023)
|
Catherine Gonzales
|
The thoughtfulness of the tone is felt throughout the film and it all starts with Margaret herself played by the charming Fortson who breathes in so much of the preteen angst, confusion and innocence with her character
Posted Apr 20, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Renfield
(2023)
|
Daniel Bayer
|
Whenever [Cage is] on screen Renfield is a deranged delight, but whenever he’s not, it mostly sags.
Posted Apr 12, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Beau Is Afraid
(2023)
|
Sophia Ciminello
|
Beau Is Afraid is unlike anything Aster has created. It’s a mammoth miracle of a movie that he could only make after the success of his first two films.
Posted Apr 11, 2023
|
|
C+
|
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(2023)
|
Dan Bayer
|
While the bright, colorful animation is almost ludicrously over-detailed, the script as a whole feels underdone, with no real character arcs and no more than a few chuckles here and there.
Posted Apr 04, 2023
|
|
B+
|
National Anthem
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
There is a mesmerizing quality to how this film is shot, carefully focused on its characters’ facial expressions and contrasting those with the grandeur of their desert setting.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
|
|
B+
|
I Used to be Funny
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Sennott has already proven her comedic wit and her power to make audiences laugh, and here she shows that she’s exceptionally capable of bottling up the humor and not even leaning it on as a coping mechanism.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Air
(2023)
|
Ryan McQuade
|
Air proves itself to be a thunderous slam dunk and an absolute winner.
Posted Mar 19, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Joy Ride
(2023)
|
Kevin L. Lee
|
It is every vulgar, nasty, boundary-pushing R-rated comedy you’ve ever seen, except it is put together on the screen with honesty, heart, and Asian pride. The result is one big Joy Fuck Club.
Posted Mar 18, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Wild Life
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Vasarhelyi and Chin guide another exhilarating and emphatic look at the world around us and the way in which one set of individuals is choosing to make a difference.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Tetris
(2023)
|
Kevin L. Lee
|
[Tetris is] silly enough to embrace the absurdity in the story but is also mature enough to respect and acknowledge the real danger at the time.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Upon Entry
(2022)
|
Kevin L. Lee
|
Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez present Upon Entry not so much as a damning condemnation of the U.S. immigration system as much as it is a deep exploration of psychology, authority, and how easily people in positions of power can abuse it.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Boston Strangler
(2023)
|
Nicole Ackman
|
[Keira] Knightley, [Carrie] Coon, and [Chris] Cooper are a formidable cast, and it’s exciting to see another addition to the small canon of films about female journalists.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
|
|
B
|
Evil Dead Rise
(2023)
|
Ryan McQuade
|
Evil Dead Rise gives us plenty of thrills and kills to make us all squirm and gleefully cheer in our seats.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
|
|
A
|
John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
|
Jacob Throneberry
|
Even at a lengthy 169 minutes, Chapter 4 never feels slow and never lets up as this is easily the biggest and most ambitious [Chad] Stahelski has been in his decade of making these.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
|
|
B+
|
Cora Bora
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
Stalter dials up every thing about her to make her a captivating wrecking ball.
Posted Mar 15, 2023
|
|
B+
|
If You Were the Last
(2023)
|
Abe Friedtanzer
|
It’s a blast to watch Chao and Mackie as they engage in friendly banter and gently pick at each other’s soft spots.
Posted Mar 14, 2023
|
|
A-
|
Problemista
(2023)
|
Ryan McQuade
|
In a year with strong, exceptional directorial debuts to premiere at film festivals or released in theaters, Julio Torres’s ranks as one of the best so far.
Posted Mar 14, 2023
|
|
C+
|
Self Reliance
(2023)
|
Kevin L. Lee
|
Johnson may not be the most precise in his messaging, but his sincerity in wanting to say all those things together in his movie is undeniably felt that by the time we arrived at the film’s ending, it put a smile on my face.
Posted Mar 14, 2023
|
|
A
|
Bottoms
(2023)
|
Ryan McQuade
|
Bottoms is the movie equivalent of being shot out of a cannon, and once you are done with it, and recover from the shocking amount of ambition put on the screen, you can’t wait to see it again.
Posted Mar 13, 2023
|
|
B-
|
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023)
|
Ryan McQuade
|
[Rege-Jean] Page’s deadpan delivery matches [Chris] Pine in every measure, making his scenes stand out as the funniest in the film.
Posted Mar 12, 2023
|
|
A
|
Suzume
(2022)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Suzume is a rip-roaring fantasy epic that is emotionally engrossing and riveting from start to end.
Posted Feb 26, 2023
|
|
A
|
Afire
(2023)
|
Ben Rolph
|
Petzold never loses sight of his film’s underlying levity, despite having fun with this chamber piece.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
C-
|
In Water
(2023)
|
Savina Petkova
|
In Water aims to be a prick in the fabric of both film history and Hong’s filmography, but even in the hour-long duration, the blurriness does not fully hold up to its experimental potential.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
B
|
Reality
(2023)
|
Savina Petkova
|
Sydney Sweeney is marvelous and dedicated to an empathetic portrayal of a woman who was not lauded as a whistleblower of the same proportion as other male counterparts have been.
Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
B
|
Cocaine Bear
(2023)
|
Daniel Bayer
|
It really only has one joke, and it’s right there in the title.
Posted Feb 23, 2023
|
