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3/5
|
The Matrix Resurrections
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
This is a Matrix film with a sense of humor, as well as a self-awareness.
Posted Dec 23, 2021
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1/5
|
Dear Evan Hansen
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
If Dear Evan Hansen is meant to be received as sincere-and everything about it seems to suggest that all parties involved are playing it straight-then it's a bizarre and ghoulish atrocity.
Posted Sep 25, 2021
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4.5/5
|
Nine Days
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Edson Oda's fantastic "Nine Days" is simultaneously familiar and evocative, inspiring and disequilibrating.
Posted Jul 06, 2021
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3/5
|
God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"God Exists, Her Name is Petruyna" is an ambitious and provocative film which demonstrates that the spirit of patriarchy still needs to be exorcised.
Posted Jun 28, 2021
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|
3.5/5
|
Undine
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Undine is a fairytale for a secular age.
Posted Jun 04, 2021
|
|
2/5
|
Army Of The Dead
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Bloated, bleak, and bleary, "Army of the Dead" takes an entertaining action zombie film premise and sucks the life right out of it.
Posted May 24, 2021
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|
2/5
|
Wrath of Man
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
For all of its promise in the reunion of Ritchie and Statham, "Wrath of Man" is ultimately soulless.
Posted May 07, 2021
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|
3/5
|
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
This Phil Lord and Chris Miller-produced animated film is a madcap movie-celebrating meta-commentary amusement ride.
Posted May 03, 2021
|
|
2.5/5
|
A Week Away
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"A Week Away" won't make any new converts, but it will make its intended audience smile, or even sing along.
Posted Mar 26, 2021
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|
4/5
|
Minari
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
By showing us the particular rituals and rhythms of this singular family in this specific time and place in America, "Minari" elevates a down-to-earth narrative to the level of mythology.
Posted Feb 10, 2021
|
|
4/5
|
Little Fish
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
In our present era where the experience of loss is always on the horizon, "Little Fish" is a powerfully poignant cinematic balm for the soul.
Posted Feb 04, 2021
|
|
3/5
|
The Dig
(2021)
|
Joel Mayward
|
What elevates "The Dig" beyond its scattered narrative misgivings are the understated, affecting performances from Fiennes and Mulligan, as well as the lush cinematography of Mike Eley.
Posted Jan 31, 2021
|
|
2.5/5
|
Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
WW84 shines brightest when Gadot and Pine are on-screen together.
Posted Dec 23, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
Tenet
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"Tenet" succeeds in somehow transcending the audience's basic understanding of time and narrative while nevertheless keeping them engaged and entertained for the film's entirety.
Posted Dec 23, 2020
|
|
3.5/5
|
Promising Young Woman
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Writer/director Emerald Fennell's "Promising Young Woman" is bold, brilliant, and blistering in its evisceration of our male-dominated culture, while Carey Mulligan's daring performance is a career-best.
Posted Dec 22, 2020
|
|
3.5/5
|
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It is arguably [Boseman's] strongest on-screen performance, and were he to be honored with a posthumous Oscar, it would certainly be earned.
Posted Dec 19, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
Wolfwalkers
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
In a cinematic age where CGI reigns supreme, Wolfwalkers' defiant aesthetic in its messy hand-drawn style is at once nostalgic and forward-looking, a beautiful simplicity on the far side of complexity.
Posted Dec 16, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
Time
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
...the lyrical formal approach Bradley adopts with 'Time' elevates an already-compelling story into the realms of transcendence.
Posted Dec 16, 2020
|
|
4.5/5
|
Sound of Metal
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Sound of Metal is a film with perfect narrative rhythm; the cinematic story makes interesting, poignant decisions for the entirety of its runtime.
Posted Dec 13, 2020
|
|
2.5/5
|
Mank
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
I'm sad to report that 'Mank' might be the least interesting thing David Fincher has ever directed.
Posted Dec 07, 2020
|
|
5/5
|
Nomadland
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It is an achingly moving work of transcendent cinematic art which is, paradoxically, humble and confident, fanciful and true, a film of realist authenticity and formalist wonders.
Posted Dec 02, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
Palm Springs
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"Palm Springs" brings both levity and poignancy...by reminding us of the gift of presence.
Posted Dec 02, 2020
|
|
1/5
|
Hillbilly Elegy
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
I will pull no punches: Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy is simply awful.
Posted Nov 26, 2020
|
|
4.5/5
|
First Cow
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Like the oily cakes Cookie and King-Lu create, the film's ingredients are simple, but the results are richly delectable and well worth coming back for seconds.
Posted Oct 31, 2020
|
|
1.5/5
|
Rebecca
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
The 2020 Netflix version of Rebecca is a romantic psychological thriller entirely devoid of genuine romance, psychological depth, or thrills.
Posted Oct 23, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
David Byrne's American Utopia
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It's a percussionist's paradise which demonstrates a perfect rhythm between effervescent joy and no-nonsense political urgency.
Posted Oct 19, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
S...house
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Those who dismiss the film based on its title alone may miss out on a deeply affecting and profound portrayal of late adolescence which pays tribute to the coming-of-age tradition even as it forges new emotional pathways.
Posted Oct 12, 2020
|
|
5/5
|
Dick Johnson Is Dead
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Kirsten Johnson has crafted a memento mori imbued with both sincere love and aesthetic depth. This is a film I want to revisit and contemplate, a film I feel compelled to write articles or entire books about.
Posted Oct 03, 2020
|
|
3.5/5
|
Possessor: Uncut
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"Mind-bending" takes on multiple meanings when the human psyche is depicted as neon-lit melting faces and other visceral body-dissolving abominations seen under strobe-effect.
Posted Oct 01, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
The Social Dilemma
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
There is both an urgency and a helplessness to the prophetic message of The Social Dilemma: we must change how social media functions, but we may not have the will power or attention span to do so.
Posted Sep 16, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
Cuties
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Doucouré's attentive, empathetic, and daring coming-of-age film reminds us of the urgent need for empathy and critical thinking in a social media era.
Posted Sep 12, 2020
|
|
2/5
|
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It's a maudlin, misanthropic mess which revels in its own opacity, a puzzle film which intentionally hides the pieces.
Posted Sep 10, 2020
|
|
2/5
|
Tesla
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
For all its electrifying potential, I found little to keep my attention, less still to ponder afterwards in terms of What It All Means.
Posted Aug 19, 2020
|
|
3.5/5
|
Yes, God, Yes
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Yes, God, Yes is far less about teens trying to get laid and more about a genuine search for the truth in all of its existential, metaphysical, and erotic glory.
Posted Jul 28, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
She Dies Tomorrow
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"She Dies Tomorrow" is Albert Camus meets David Lynch, a darkly absurdist fable about our fear of mortality and its unsettling capacity to spread.
Posted Jul 25, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
Shirley
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
"Shirley" is powerfully perturbing, anchored by the superb lead performances from Moss and Stuhlbarg.
Posted Jun 04, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
Dads
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
When it's not being a How-To-Dad film, it is a kaleidoscopic celebration of genuinely good fathers, at-once affecting and affirming.
Posted May 09, 2020
|
|
3.5/5
|
Bacurau
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Visceral and incendiary, Bacurau is a political punch to the gut and a mental machete to the head.
Posted Mar 25, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
Onward
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
For a film about magic, I wish Onward had more...well...magic. [...] Despite its conventionality and corporate feel, Onward is nevertheless an enjoyable and affecting romp.
Posted Mar 01, 2020
|
|
3/5
|
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana
(2020)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It's a well-crafted work which reveals only as much as the camera-aware Swift chooses to reveal.
Posted Mar 01, 2020
|
|
2.5/5
|
Bombshell
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Bombshell fails to be either smart satire or incisive political drama, which makes it just offensively banal.
Posted Jan 10, 2020
|
|
4/5
|
Little Women
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It's a warm hug of a film, comforting and life-giving in its graciousness.
Posted Dec 29, 2019
|
|
3/5
|
1917
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
...an ambitious and thrilling war film, a filmic formal exercise with gumption.
Posted Dec 26, 2019
|
|
2/5
|
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
I find its lack of faith-in its audience, in its predecessors, in itself-disturbing.
Posted Dec 19, 2019
|
|
3.5/5
|
The Two Popes
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
I still found myself converted by Hopkins and Pryce skillfully portraying this divine bromance.
Posted Dec 19, 2019
|
|
0/5
|
6 Underground
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
By being exceedingly stupid, morally depraved, and dreadfully dull, "6 Underground" pulls off a hat-trick of Very Bad Filmmaking.
Posted Dec 14, 2019
|
|
4/5
|
Marriage Story
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Though it does get ugly, it's also paradoxically beautiful in its raw sincerity.
Posted Dec 08, 2019
|
|
4.5/5
|
The Irishman
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
A cinematic memento mori, "The Irishman" (aka "I Heard You Paint Houses") is one of Martin Scorsese's all-time greatest films.
Posted Dec 06, 2019
|
|
1.5/5
|
Jojo Rabbit
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Rather than laughter or tears, "JoJo Rabbit" elicits only cringes, groans, and yawns.
Posted Dec 06, 2019
|
|
3.5/5
|
Knives Out
(2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Sharp and cutting in its not-so-subtle critique of class warfare and ideologies, even as it serves it all up in a rambunctious caper, a hilarious whodunit (or whodonut).
Posted Dec 01, 2019
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