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Tim Brennan
Tomatometer-approved critic
Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Instigators (2024) |
Doug Liman has made a slick, handsome, and zippy crime comedy with virtually no connection to what we understand reality to be. - About Boulder
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| Posted Aug 05, 2024
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Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) |
Director Shawn Levy (and producer Kevin Feige) are keenly aware that the MCU requires some tweaking. The best way to start doing that is to lovingly drag the living hell out of the MCU, and that’s precisely what Levy has done. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 29, 2024
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Fly Me to the Moon (2024) |
Getting mad at this film is like screaming at a Labrador Retriever puppy. All it wants is to be fun, and to entertain you. On that score, it shoots for the moon. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 15, 2024
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MaXXXine (2024) |
MaXXXine seems to be West dipping into Brian De Palma’s erotic thrillers from the 80s. Lots of neon, lots of shadowy and grime-soaked streets, and the hostile contrast between excessive sleaze and excessive moralism. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 09, 2024
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Mickey Hardaway (2023) |
Director Marcellus Cox has made a sharp and perceptive film about abuse, how it accumulates, how it can be overcome in theory, and how it can crush a human being under its psychological weight. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 01, 2024
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The Bikeriders (2023) |
The Bikeriders takes these people seriously, with the good, the bad, and the excruciatingly ugly all on display. It’s a very good film. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jun 24, 2024
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Inside Out 2 (2024) |
What matters is that the filmmakers made a good film following in the footsteps of a great one. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jun 17, 2024
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Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) |
This is a genuinely fun film that has little to say other than “murder is cool if it is the good guys and less cool if it’s the bad guys but it’s still pretty cool honestly. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jun 11, 2024
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The Fall Guy (2024) |
There’s something to be said for a professionally made movie that exists primarily to be fun. The only thing you need to understand about The Fall Guy ahead of time is that it’s unapologetically and joyously fun. - About Boulder
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| Posted May 06, 2024
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Whenever I'm Alone with You (2023) |
Campanacci and Egon utilize the gorgeous landscape, in-camera effects, and glances and smiles from the co-leads in order to create a joyful and chaotic romance. - About Boulder
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| Posted May 01, 2024
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Abigail (2024) |
Abigail whips unholy amounts of ass. It has its flaws, but while I was watching, I was having a great time. Yes, having a great time also included the copious gore, fountains of blood, shootings, stabbings, and frequently disrespectful language. - About Boulder
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| Posted Apr 22, 2024
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Civil War (2024) |
Civil War is necessary filmmaking for the moment. - About Boulder
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| Posted Apr 15, 2024
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Monkey Man (2024) |
Patel’s film shares DNA with classics like I Saw the Devil, Oldboy, The Raid, and The Night Comes for Us. He’s made an undeniable passion project, one with equal parts heart and grit. - About Boulder
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| Posted Apr 08, 2024
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Baghead (2023) |
Baghead isn’t perfect, but when it works, it works like gangbusters. It sets up a creepy and compelling scenario, then adds characters with relatable flaws. - About Boulder
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| Posted Apr 01, 2024
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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) |
Most of you reading this aren’t going to dissect the minutiae of the filmmaking, lore, or legacy. You’re just looking for a pleasant way to spend a few hours that won’t actively insult your intelligence. As blockbusters go, you could do a lot worse. - About Boulder
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| Posted Mar 25, 2024
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Late Night with the Devil (2023) |
For better than eighty percent of the film, the Cairnes commit to the bit hard that what we’re seeing is a lost broadcast where something awful is going to happen. It’s impressive as hell. - About Boulder
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| Posted Mar 18, 2024
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Dune: Part Two (2024) |
Dune: Part Two is a singular vision painted on an enormous cinematic canvas. See it on the biggest screen you can. - About Boulder
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| Posted Mar 11, 2024
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Love Lies Bleeding (2024) |
Glass hasn’t lost a step with Love Lies Bleeding, and her characters are obsessed with power, escape, and control. The film feels grimy, raw, and real when it’s necessary. - About Boulder
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| Posted Mar 04, 2024
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Mad Props (2024) |
Director Juan Pablo Reinoso has made a zippy documentary specifically crafted for cinephiles, film geeks, and movie nerds. - About Boulder
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| Posted Feb 26, 2024
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The Legionnaire (2021) |
It’s hard to be nuanced, and movies are no exception. I value The Legionnaire, as it works hard to show people with different perspectives responding to an impossible situation. It’s a well made movie that flirts with greatness - About Boulder
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| Posted Feb 19, 2024
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Restore Point (2023) |
Until American studios get their act together, smart and efficiently budgeted movies like Restore Point will show them how it’s done. - About Boulder
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| Posted Feb 12, 2024
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Argylle (2024) |
Argylle is too long, sort of dumb, and less clever than it is “clever.” If you treat it as a fleeting Friday night trifle, and if you definitely ignore me on this one, you’ll be happier. - About Boulder
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| Posted Feb 05, 2024
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The Boy and the Heron (2023) |
If The Boy and the Heron is the period on the sentence of Miyazaki’s esteemed career, then he will have ended well. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jan 29, 2024
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Freud's Last Session (2023) |
The script also tells us an enormous amount about these two men, both in what they say and what they don’t. By the conclusion, we have a good idea of what they believe, why they believe it, and how they feel about the other. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jan 22, 2024
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The Zone of Interest (2023) |
When we think about what happened in places like Auschwitz, the endless atrocities and coldblooded efficiency, it’s easier to think of the Nazis as monsters. The Zone of Interest quietly and inexorably disabuses us of that notion. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jan 16, 2024
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American Fiction (2023) |
Jeffrey Wright carries the entire film, and his performance is more proof that he’s one of the best actors alive. His uncompromising focus on character means that we see Monk’s flaws and see him as a fully three-dimensional character. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jan 01, 2024
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The Iron Claw (2023) |
Perhaps the first among equals in the cast is Zac Efron as Kevin. He’s put on a ton of muscle, and in his performance, he uses it to hide. - About Boulder
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| Posted Dec 18, 2023
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Godzilla Minus One (2023) |
Godzilla Minus One is one of the strongest blockbusters of 2023, a movie I could see easily smashing its way onto my best of the year list. - About Boulder
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| Posted Dec 11, 2023
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Napoleon (2023) |
We see the raw power of cannonballs, men and horses plunging into a frozen lake, Moscow aflame and much more. Scott has always been adept at depicting both the chaos and tactics of warfare. - About Boulder
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| Posted Nov 27, 2023
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Poor Things (2023) |
here are moments of wildly disturbing body horror, hilarious comedy, and somber drama, sometimes all in the same scene. It’s frankly astonishing filmmaking, the kind of thing I haven’t seen in quite some time. - About Boulder
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| Posted Nov 20, 2023
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The Marvels (2023) |
To spell things out for the cheap seats, The Marvels is not a cinematic abomination, an affront against almighty God, a blight on childhoods everywhere. In point of fact, it’s pretty good! - About Boulder
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| Posted Nov 13, 2023
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Everything Will Be Fine in the End (2023) |
With a smart combination of editing, shot composition, and music choices, Bartone’s feature debut feels like the kind of thing Hunter S. Thompson or Alex Cox would inject into their veins. - About Boulder
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| Posted Nov 06, 2023
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Night of the Hunted (2023) |
Night of the Hunted is a well-made thriller, but it sure ain’t fun. In fact, it’s a nasty piece of work. Director Franck Khalfoun isn’t interested in glorifying the violence or making a fun night at the movies. - About Boulder
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| Posted Oct 30, 2023
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Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) |
Martin Scorsese, along with his talented crew and cast, has made a masterpiece. To be sure, there will be a cavalcade of idiotic takes on his film. Fifty years from now, only his film will matter. - About Boulder
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| Posted Oct 23, 2023
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Goodbye, Petrushka (2022) |
Rose has made a charming and fun film that balances real heart with a clear vision of her characters. - About Boulder
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| Posted Oct 16, 2023
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The Creator (2023) |
Its reach certainly exceeds its grasp, but the ambition that Edwards, Washington, and the cast and crew had for this project is meaningful. - About Boulder
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| Posted Oct 09, 2023
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No One Will Save You (2023) |
The film doesn’t always work, but when it does and when its thrills are woven together with its themes, it hits heights that bigger blockbusters could only dream of. - About Boulder
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| Posted Oct 03, 2023
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A Haunting in Venice (2023) |
Kenneth Branagh’s possibly final entry has an elegance, a grace in how it balances the thematic darkness with the fun of a cracking good murder mystery. - About Boulder
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| Posted Sep 25, 2023
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Dumb Money (2023) |
Dumb Money might not be about a gang of steely-eyed professionals or a movement that stands up for what’s right. Instead, it’s about a moment where mostly the right things happen to mostly the right people. - About Boulder
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| Posted Sep 18, 2023
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RUB (2023) |
Rub doesn’t quite work, but it’s not for lack of trying. Director Christopher Fox has made a true independent film, one with a small budget and large ambitions. - About Boulder
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| Posted Aug 21, 2023
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The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) |
While it has some flaws, it remains a well constructed horror movie that honors its source material. I imagine Stoker would be pleased. - About Boulder
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| Posted Aug 14, 2023
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LOLA (2022) |
Lola may have been made with modest resources, but its ambition is enormous. Legge, Martini, Appleton, and the rest of the cast and crew have made a fiendishly clever thriller that explodes with ideas. - About Boulder
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| Posted Aug 07, 2023
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Barbie (2023) |
The good news is that Barbie is an excellent film and is possibly the cinematic event of the summer. In leading their team, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig have made a smart and sunny blockbuster with something to say. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 31, 2023
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Oppenheimer (2023) |
Oppenheimer is a film of towering brilliance and fearsome power. It focuses on a man who met the moment, and the same man may have doomed us all. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 24, 2023
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Millie Lies Low (2021) |
Scenes run slightly too long, but too long in the right way. We watch Millie spinning a half truth, then a whole untruth, and by the time she’s gotten to a double untruth, we wonder if the person she’s dealing with believes her. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 17, 2023
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) |
When Ford is a) given the right material and b) challenged by the right director/actors, you remember that he’s something more important than a film icon. He’s a damn good actor. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 10, 2023
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Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) |
McQuarrie doesn’t just throw things at the screen. He’s controlled, and while his setpieces are massive, they function with the precision of a Swiss watch. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jul 05, 2023
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Lola (2019) |
Where Micheli truly excels is as a screenwriter. He focuses on the fraught relationship between Lola and Phillippe, one battered by severe resentment and mistrust. Better yet is that Micheli’s characters are fully formed and fully flawed. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jun 26, 2023
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The Flash (2023) |
When it works, the film moves like a bullet. When it stumbles? Like the greatest characters in comics, and like life, the one enemy The Flash can’t outrun is itself. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jun 19, 2023
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Asteroid City (2023) |
Asteroid City is made with an extraordinary amount of precision. That’s not surprising considering Anderson’s been a filmmaker since the 1990’s. - About Boulder
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| Posted Jun 13, 2023
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