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Mike McGranaghan
Tomatometer-approved critic
I started doing movie reviews in 1986, when I joined the staff of my high school newspaper and won several Keystone awards (the Keystone award is the highest honor given to high school journalists in Pennsylvania). That was all the encouragement I needed to continue. While still in college, I became the film critic for two central Pennsylvania newspapers: The Selinsgrove Times-Tribune and The Middleburg Post. I stayed with those papers for five years. In 1995, I became film critic of Gamut! - an online magazine devoted to entertainment. My website (www.aisleseat.com) is an off-shoot of that magazine. Additionally, I am the on-air film critic for Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation, which operates three central PA radio stations. My reviews run weekly.
Favorite Films - The Brothers McMullen, JFK, Fletch, Do the Right Thing, Chasing Amy, Fargo, The Blair Witch Project
Favorite Directors - Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Edward Burns, Kevin Smith, Steven Soderbergh, the Farrelly Brothers, the Coen Brothers, John Waters, Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Best of All Time: Schindler's List
Worst of All Time: Caligula
Central Pennsylvania
http://www.aisleseat.com/
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Well (2023) |
Carve out 91 minutes to discover this twisted little gem. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 12, 2024
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In Our Blood (2024) |
A movie that compassionately explores themes of addiction and parent/child strife while still managing to deliver the goods when it comes to horror. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 10, 2024
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Girl You Know It's True (2023) |
What we get is a truthful, yet shallow accounting of the Milli Vanilli saga without much commentary on what it all means. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 09, 2024
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Borderlands (2024) |
Borderlands is perfect viewing for people who thought the Venom pictures were too artsy-fartsy. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 09, 2024
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Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024) |
One of the most entertainingly hyperkinetic action movies I’ve seen in a while. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 07, 2024
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Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024) |
It is an offense to the young viewers at which it’s aimed. It is an offense to their parents. Heck, it’s even an offense to the screens it’s projected onto. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 05, 2024
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Black Eyed Susan (2024) |
The movie’s dialogue is graphic, its sexuality explicit, and its power undeniable. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 04, 2024
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Trap (2024) |
If you can buy into the premise - and I totally did - the film delivers big-time entertainment. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 02, 2024
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Cuckoo (2024) |
The problem with Cuckoo is that it never satisfactorily ties together all the good stuff it introduces. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Aug 02, 2024
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Kneecap (2024) |
Kneecap instantly joins 8 Mile, Hustle & Flow, and Straight Outta Compton as one of the great movies about rap music. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 31, 2024
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#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead (2024) |
There’s some decent stuff in here, just not enough to elevate the film into anything particularly noteworthy. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 31, 2024
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Missing from Fire Trail Road (2024) |
A harrowing, vital documentary. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 31, 2024
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Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) |
Deadpool & Wolverine is the Airplane! of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 29, 2024
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The Dead Thing (2024) |
A captivating psychosexual thriller that will chill you if you’re single and make you feel relief if you’re not. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 28, 2024
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Chainsaws Were Singing (2024) |
This would be a killer comedy at 75 minutes. At 118, I found it to be an endurance test, albeit an occasionally riotous one. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 25, 2024
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The Beast Within (2024) |
A psychological horror film that offers rewards for viewers who are willing to be patient with the slow-and-steady pace. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 25, 2024
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The Abandon (2022) |
What begins as a tense thriller evolves into something with unexpected emotional substance. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 19, 2024
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Twisters (2024) |
The degree to which the movie commits to insane tornadic action is impressive. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 18, 2024
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Oddity (2024) |
You wouldn’t want a horror movie called Oddity to be routine, right? Thankfully, this Irish chiller more than lives up to its title. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 18, 2024
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Before Dawn (2024) |
It feels like the work of someone who has watched a lot of movies about war but doesn’t really know much about the subject. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 16, 2024
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Longlegs (2024) |
Longlegs is part serial killer story, part satanic horror film. The most interesting thing about it – and there are many interesting things – is how writer/director Osgood Perkins ties those two types together without betraying the fundamentals of either. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 12, 2024
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Lumina (2024) |
Lumina stands alongside The Room, Birdemic, and Manos: The Hand of Fate as one of the most jaw-droppingly awful motion pictures ever unleashed upon the public. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 12, 2024
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Touch (2024) |
Romantic in a deep, human way that you can feel in your soul. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 11, 2024
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Sorry/Not Sorry (2023) |
A documentary that speaks meaningfully to our fame-obsessed time. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 11, 2024
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The Inheritance (2024) |
Siskel and Ebert once coined the phrase “idiot plot,” meant to denote a movie whose plot can only advance if all the characters behave like idiots. The Abernathys are idiots. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 10, 2024
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Despicable Me 4 (2024) |
You know what you’re getting when you walk in, and as long as that’s all you want, the film will make you (pun intended) happy. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 08, 2024
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MaXXXine (2024) |
MaXXXine proves to be a fine finale to a series that has consistently delivered intelligent frights. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 05, 2024
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Kalki 2898 AD (2024) |
Kalki 2898 AD has a single goal, which is to achieve the status of Freakin’ awesome! for its entire running time. Overstuffed plot aside, it meets that goal. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 05, 2024
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Kill (2023) |
Action fans looking for a lightning-fast dose of hardcore, take-no-prisoners mayhem are going to lose their minds. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 05, 2024
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Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) |
This sequel isn’t a banana in your tailpipe, it’s the real deal. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jul 02, 2024
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The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout (2023) |
This haunting documentary captures an important intersection of cinema history and the unintended perils of America ingenuity. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 29, 2024
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A Family Affair (2024) |
The kind of movie that’s perfect for those nights where you want a few good laughs without having to tax your brain too much. - Aisle Seat
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| Posted Jun 28, 2024
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A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) |
It’s kind of a miracle that A Quiet Place: Day One is as good as it is. - Aisle Seat
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| Posted Jun 28, 2024
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The Vourdalak (2023) |
One seriously cool horror movie. - Aisle Seat
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| Posted Jun 27, 2024
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Daddio (2023) |
What Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn work up together is magical. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 27, 2024
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Blue Lock the Movie -Episode Nagi- (2024) |
BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- is beautifully animated, using the format to capture the fast pace and exciting nature of soccer. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 26, 2024
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Something to Stand For with Mike Rowe (2024) |
The format of Something to Stand For isn’t developed enough to warrant a 96-minute running time. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 26, 2024
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The Bikeriders (2023) |
A fundamentally human story that hooks you as much with the interpersonal relationships as with the gang fights and ever-lurking threat of violence. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 21, 2024
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Cora Bora (2023) |
Cora Bora is a fresh, funny, and smart LGBT-themed anti-rom-com that deserves to find a big audience. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 21, 2024
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Thelma (2024) |
Aside from being hilarious, Thelma speaks meaningfully to the concept of not letting old age prevent you from living. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 20, 2024
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The Exorcism (2024) |
Limp horror, clunky dialogue, and a funereal pace all conspire to sink The Exorcism. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 20, 2024
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Hacking Hate (2024) |
This is an urgent documentary that makes you realize how much power there can be in a single tweet or Facebook post. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 15, 2024
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Tiger Stripes (2023) |
A horror movie with purpose. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2024
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Inside Out 2 (2024) |
Inside Out 2 is a sequel that makes sense. Puberty brings with it a whole new set of emotions, so this follow-up is able to stay true to the spirit of the original while also moving naturally in a fresh direction. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 14, 2024
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Latency (2024) |
Latency doesn’t know what story it wants to tell, so it tries to tell multiple stories simultaneously. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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Griffin in Summer (2024) |
A story that starts off cute and funny gradually reveals layers of depth. It’s an all-around winner. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 11, 2024
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Brats (2024) |
Hearing the stars discuss the pros and cons of their particular type of success is like catnip for anyone who grew up in the ‘80s. Brats could have been three times as long without ever growing dull. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 11, 2024
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Restless (2024) |
It’s the kind of thriller that feels 100% plausible, which makes it creepy on a whole other level. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 11, 2024
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The Watchers (2024) |
If the characters had as much appeal as the concept’s execution, this would have been a first-rate chiller. But they don’t. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 10, 2024
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The Weekend (2024) |
Admirably creepy and difficult to shake off. - Aisle Seat
Read More
| Posted Jun 10, 2024
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