1
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2.5/5
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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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WW84 shines brightest when Gadot and Pine are on-screen together.
EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2020
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2
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4/5
|
Tenet (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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"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.
EDIT
Posted Dec 23, 2020
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3
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3.5/5
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Promising Young Woman (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Dec 22, 2020
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4
|
3.5/5
|
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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It is arguably [Boseman's] strongest on-screen performance, and were he to be honored with a posthumous Oscar, it would certainly be earned.
EDIT
Posted Dec 19, 2020
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5
|
4/5
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Wolfwalkers (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Dec 16, 2020
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6
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4/5
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Time (2020)
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Joel Mayward
|
...the lyrical formal approach Bradley adopts with 'Time' elevates an already-compelling story into the realms of transcendence.
EDIT
Posted Dec 16, 2020
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7
|
4.5/5
|
Sound of Metal (2019)
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Joel Mayward
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Sound of Metal is a film with perfect narrative rhythm; the cinematic story makes interesting, poignant decisions for the entirety of its runtime.
EDIT
Posted Dec 13, 2020
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8
|
2.5/5
|
Mank (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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I'm sad to report that 'Mank' might be the least interesting thing David Fincher has ever directed.
EDIT
Posted Dec 7, 2020
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9
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5/5
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Nomadland (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Dec 2, 2020
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10
|
4/5
|
Palm Springs (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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"Palm Springs" brings both levity and poignancy...by reminding us of the gift of presence.
EDIT
Posted Dec 2, 2020
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11
|
1/5
|
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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I will pull no punches: Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy is simply awful.
EDIT
Posted Nov 26, 2020
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12
|
4.5/5
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First Cow (2019)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Oct 31, 2020
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13
|
1.5/5
|
Rebecca (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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The 2020 Netflix version of Rebecca is a romantic psychological thriller entirely devoid of genuine romance, psychological depth, or thrills.
EDIT
Posted Oct 23, 2020
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14
|
4/5
|
David Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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It's a percussionist's paradise which demonstrates a perfect rhythm between effervescent joy and no-nonsense political urgency.
EDIT
Posted Oct 18, 2020
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15
|
4/5
|
Shithouse (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Oct 12, 2020
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16
|
5/5
|
Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Oct 3, 2020
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17
|
3.5/5
|
Possessor: Uncut (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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"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.
EDIT
Posted Oct 1, 2020
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18
|
3/5
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The Social Dilemma (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Sep 16, 2020
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19
|
3/5
|
Cuties (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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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.
EDIT
Posted Sep 12, 2020
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20
|
2/5
|
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
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Joel Mayward
|
It's a maudlin, misanthropic mess which revels in its own opacity, a puzzle film which intentionally hides the pieces.
EDIT
Posted Sep 10, 2020
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21
|
2/5
|
Tesla (2020)
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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.
EDIT
Posted Aug 19, 2020
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22
|
3.5/5
|
Yes, God, Yes (2019)
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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.
EDIT
Posted Jul 28, 2020
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23
|
3/5
|
She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
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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.
EDIT
Posted Jul 24, 2020
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24
|
3/5
|
Shirley (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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"Shirley" is powerfully perturbing, anchored by the superb lead performances from Moss and Stuhlbarg.
EDIT
Posted Jun 4, 2020
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25
|
3/5
|
Dads (2019)
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Joel Mayward
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When it's not being a How-To-Dad film, it is a kaleidoscopic celebration of genuinely good fathers, at-once affecting and affirming.
EDIT
Posted May 9, 2020
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26
|
3.5/5
|
Nighthawk (2019)
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Joel Mayward
|
Visceral and incendiary, Bacurau is a political punch to the gut and a mental machete to the head.
EDIT
Posted Mar 25, 2020
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27
|
3/5
|
Onward (2020)
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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.
EDIT
Posted Mar 1, 2020
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28
|
3/5
|
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana (2020)
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Joel Mayward
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It's a well-crafted work which reveals only as much as the camera-aware Swift chooses to reveal.
EDIT
Posted Mar 1, 2020
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29
|
2.5/5
|
Bombshell (2019)
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Joel Mayward
|
Bombshell fails to be either smart satire or incisive political drama, which makes it just offensively banal.
EDIT
Posted Jan 10, 2020
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30
|
4/5
|
Little Women (2019)
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Joel Mayward
|
It's a warm hug of a film, comforting and life-giving in its graciousness.
EDIT
Posted Dec 29, 2019
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31
|
3/5
|
1917 (2019)
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Joel Mayward
|
...an ambitious and thrilling war film, a filmic formal exercise with gumption.
EDIT
Posted Dec 26, 2019
|
32
|
2/5
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
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Joel Mayward
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I find its lack of faith-in its audience, in its predecessors, in itself-disturbing.
EDIT
Posted Dec 19, 2019
|
33
|
3.5/5
|
The Two Popes (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
I still found myself converted by Hopkins and Pryce skillfully portraying this divine bromance.
EDIT
Posted Dec 19, 2019
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34
|
0/5
|
6 Underground (2019)
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Joel Mayward
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By being exceedingly stupid, morally depraved, and dreadfully dull, "6 Underground" pulls off a hat-trick of Very Bad Filmmaking.
EDIT
Posted Dec 14, 2019
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35
|
4/5
|
Marriage Story (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Though it does get ugly, it's also paradoxically beautiful in its raw sincerity.
EDIT
Posted Dec 8, 2019
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36
|
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.
EDIT
Posted Dec 6, 2019
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37
|
1.5/5
|
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Rather than laughter or tears, "JoJo Rabbit" elicits only cringes, groans, and yawns.
EDIT
Posted Dec 6, 2019
|
38
|
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).
EDIT
Posted Dec 1, 2019
|
39
|
4/5
|
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Like Fred Rogers himself, the film is disarming and subversive in its optimism and hope.
EDIT
Posted Nov 24, 2019
|
40
|
3/5
|
Missing Link (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
An underrated delightful romp, "Missing Link" takes a conventional adventure story and infuses it with a progressive ethos.
EDIT
Posted Nov 17, 2019
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41
|
4.5/5
|
Light From Light (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Paul Harrill's radiant Light from Light dazzles gradually, illuminating our minds and hearts through its quietly affecting aesthetic.
EDIT
Posted Oct 25, 2019
|
42
|
|
Something, Anything (2014)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Quiet piano music accompanies the beautiful, intimate cinematography, eliciting comparisons to Kieslowski's "Three Colors: Blue" in its affecting and melancholy portrayal of a woman walking through a season of grief.
EDIT
Posted Oct 24, 2019
|
43
|
1/5
|
The Laundromat (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Even if you buy into its message, The Laundromat is an embarrassment.
EDIT
Posted Oct 21, 2019
|
44
|
3/5
|
Emanuel (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
A good, if simple, reminder that grace truly is amazing, especially when we've walked in the shadow of death.
EDIT
Posted Oct 16, 2019
|
45
|
2.5/5
|
Joker (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
It's an appropriate film for its eponymous antagonist...repellent in its wanton depravity, it's still maddeningly captivating, and sure to spark strong reactions.
EDIT
Posted Oct 6, 2019
|
46
|
4/5
|
High Life (2018)
|
Joel Mayward
|
High Life is willing to stare into the hopeless void and discern a particle of optimism.
EDIT
Posted Sep 22, 2019
|
47
|
3.5/5
|
Ad Astra (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
We may look to the stars for answers, but Ad Astra suggests that they, too, are only human.
EDIT
Posted Sep 18, 2019
|
48
|
2/5
|
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (2019)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Like much of the Cult of Tarantino that eager audiences worship, "Once Upon a Time" might be meaningful and/or shocking if it weren't so barbaric, predictable, and vapid.
EDIT
Posted Aug 26, 2019
|
49
|
2/5
|
Her Smell (2018)
|
Joel Mayward
|
Like its lead character, Alex Ross Perry's Her Smell is a chaotic, draining mess, an emotional rollercoaster where they forgot to buckle the safety belts.
EDIT
Posted Aug 24, 2019
|
50
|
3.5/5
|
Wild Rose (2018)
|
Joel Mayward
|
With Jessie Buckley's performance in Wild Rose, a star is born.
EDIT
Posted Aug 2, 2019
|