>
Matthew Passantino
Tomatometer-approved critic
I have been a film writer for eight years and have been with BigPictureBigSound.com for three years, writing over 100 reviews and articles in that time.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Oppenheimer (2023) |
Nolan and his entire crafts team have made something extraordinary. If the question is can a movie about a historical event be thrilling and suspenseful, Oppenheimer makes the answer a resounding "yes." - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Aug 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) |
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" doesn't have the punch that the first movie did, but how could it? Sequels rarely do. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Good Nurse (2022) |
While "The Good Nurse" can be uneven, it's not without deeply effective moments. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Ticket to Paradise (2022) |
In some ways, "Ticket to Paradise" feels dated, but it's a great thing that it exists.
- Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) |
"The Banshees of Inisherin" is a movie that could only come from the mind of Martin McDonagh. The writer-director remains a singular talent, whose dialogue jumps off the screen and becomes the star of the show. His latest is no different.
- Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Tár (2022) |
Simply put, "TÁR" is magnificent, as all Field's films have been. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Halloween Ends (2022) |
Perhaps the fatigue of the series is finally rearing its ugly head at the (alleged) finish line? - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022) |
Farrelly's screenplays present characters as surface-level and Efron doesn't have the dramatic range to try and create a character out of an archetype. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Don't Worry Darling (2022) |
"Don't Worry Darling" has many imperfections, but it shows that Wilde can do more than indie comedies, and that she is willing to take on daunting projects. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Blonde (2022) |
The cruelty seems to be the point of "Blonde," which makes a meandering three-hour movie a tough sell.
- Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Barbarian (2022) |
Horror movies are often undone with a PG-13 rating, so it can find a larger audience. For that reason alone, the R-rated "Barbarian" is something to relish.
- Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Me Time (2022) |
Hijinks ensue and well-worn scenarios are slapped on screen, but never produce any laughs. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Mack & Rita (2022) |
"Mack & Rita" is the third directorial outing from actress Katie Aselton, who showed a sharp eye for tension with her 2012 thriller "Black Rock," but can't quite give new life to a body swap comedy. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Nope (2022) |
It's a good movie, but perhaps it's time to take some of our bloated expectations off Peele as a filmmaker. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) |
The movie captures how instantaneously something can catch fire on the internet, but "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" is deeper than a profile in viral fame. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Black Phone (2021) |
Derrickson is comfortable navigating dark and demented worlds, so it's frustrating when "The Black Phone" doesn't come together in a successful way. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Lightyear (2022) |
"Lightyear" is frantic and colorful and the one hour and 40 minute runtime zips by, but it's confounding who exactly the movie is intended for. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Acidman (2022) |
Agron and Church are both strong but the performances work best together, which is the sign of a successful two-hander film. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jun 20, 2022
|
|
|
|
Hustle (2022) |
Familiarity is okay, it just depends what you do with it - but "Hustle" chooses to follow the rulebook a bit too much.
- Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
The effects - second to Cruise - are the star of the show, but "Top Gun: Maverick" surprises in its quieter moments. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) |
As hollow as "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" can ring, it offers enough grandiose spectacle to get lost in. Being able to get lost in its story as well might have made for a more compelling film.
- Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Memory (2022) |
When it comes to his thriller outings, autopilot is the only speed he [Neeson] has. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Bubble (2022) |
It certainly strains for its pandemic-era laughs, mostly missing the mark by always feeling out of date. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
|
|
Expired (2022) |
What's a filmmaker to do when he has more ideas than one movie could possibly handle? - Inverse
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Lost City (2022) |
Flaws be damned: Aaron Nee and Adam Nee's "The Lost City" is the perfect blend of silly-stupid with wide appeal that a weary movie-going audience needs right now. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Outfit (2022) |
Rylance's even-handed performance guides the whole film, and the actor delivers his best performance since winning the Oscar for 2015's "Bridge of Spies." - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
Deep Water (2022) |
"Deep Water" is a tepid version of what Lyne was once a master of doing. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Adam Project (2022) |
There's fun to be had with "The Adam Project" and its spectacle is entertaining (minus some terribly distracting de-aging technology), but the story trips over itself in the final act to a distracting degree. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Batman (2022) |
"The Batman" offers several great action pieces, but the movie does begin to crumble under its own weight, both in terms of the near-three-hour runtime and its own self-importance. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
Dog (2022) |
Most of "Dog" feels surface-level but Tatum and Lulu find ways to spark an odd couple rapport, which keeps this lighthearted movie engaging. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
Marry Me (2022) |
It's weird to be living in a time where a movie like "Marry Me" doesn't warrant a recommendation but you desperately want it to succeed. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
Blacklight (2022) |
Neeson once pledged to put down his gun, and four movies after that declaration, he still hasn't. It's time. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
|
|
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) |
...but after two films he Raiff has shown that no matter what he continues to do, it will be filled with warmth and a natural urge to connect to a character on a human level. What more could an audience ask for? - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Feb 02, 2022
|
|
|
|
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) |
Thompson and McCormack have such a lovely, fine-tuned chemistry as two people who are in such different places in their lives but have more common ground than you would expect. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Feb 02, 2022
|
|
|
|
Watcher (2022) |
The movie draws you into its 1970s-style slow burn thriller intensity with such ease and precision, you won't feel it sneaking up on you right away. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Feb 02, 2022
|
|
|
|
Fresh (2022) |
The screenplay (which was written by Lauryn Kahn) successfully navigates genre changes, making "Fresh" a thrilling, exciting, and completely twisted ride to go on. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jan 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
When You Finish Saving the World (2022) |
Individual moments or lines in "When You Finish Saving the World" pop with a glimmer of Eisenberg's wry humor, but the movie feels like a skeleton. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jan 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
The 355 (2022) |
"The 355" requires a filmmaker with an eye for choreography and urgency, which is lacking in almost every frame in his latest. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jan 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) |
"Spider-Man: No Way From Home" is the best example of what superhero movies can be. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Jan 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
West Side Story (2021) |
"West Side Story" is the most alive one of his [Spielberg] films has felt on screen in a long time. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
House of Gucci (2021) |
"House of Gucci" is one of the big letdowns of the year. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
Don't Look Up (2021) |
A movie about an apocalyptic event that spurs a culture war might sound exasperating right now, and that's completely understandable. We live in maddening times. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
Alpha Rift (2021) |
It's a good-natured film that sometimes lacks real substance, but it offers just enough innocent escapism to supersede the script's flaws. - Inverse
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
Spencer (2021) |
To call "Spencer" a biopic would be to misunderstand the term because the movie is more of an interpretation of Diana, not her life story. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Beta Test (2021) |
"The Beta Test" is about unpleasant people and their unpleasant truths, but it's told with a ferocity that's hard to turn away from. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
Belfast (2021) |
Branagh's screenplay has a lot going on, while also feeling a bit aimless at times. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021) |
Regardless of any quibbles, "Tick, Tick...Boom!" is entertaining to watch, largely due to Garfield's sensational performance as Larson. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
|
|
Dune (2021) |
Some who love this story will be invested in the characters and their journey, but "Dune" will start and stop at the technical scale for most. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
Antlers (2021) |
"Antlers" is one of those horror movies that carries itself with a certain level of faux-prestige. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
Last Night in Soho (2021) |
Wright's screenplay has a third act problem, where the revealing of the whats-and-hows aren't as interesting being lost in the whys. - Big Picture Big Sound
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|