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Allyson Johnson
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Sayonara, Girls. (2022) |
Sayonara Girls has exciting elements that promise a more refined and moving final project. However, it’s hindered by a weak, meandering script and direction choices that distract from the story’s heart. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Aug 02, 2024
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Twisters (2024) |
Twisters’ separates itself from its predecessor and adopts its own charming, modernist spin. But it’s best when it allows its stars – Powell and the tornados – to pull us through their gravitational force. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted Jul 20, 2024
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Look Back (2024) |
Look Back understands the vulnerability of creation and the ever-moving line that determines our success and cuts you to the core. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jul 16, 2024
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Fancy Dance (2023) |
Fancy Dance succeeds through its introspection and the soulful performance by Lily Gladstone. If we weren’t already convinced that Gladstone is a star, Fancy Dance makes sure of it.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jul 03, 2024
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Robot Dreams (2023) |
Robot Dreams excels due to its ability to marry magical realism with a grounded emotional core. The story of Dog and Robot is impossibly poignant as we yearn for the two to reunite, their happiness infectious.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle (2024) |
Directed with dexterous grace that amplifies the game’s adrenaline, Haikyu The Dumpster Battle is an undeniable triumph.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted May 24, 2024
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The People's Joker (2022) |
Wildly independent and brimming with Drew’s hyper-aware commentary and potential, it’s a must-watch for those looking for a film that refuses to bend to the will of mainstream media. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted May 08, 2024
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Evil Does Not Exist (2023) |
Evil Does Not Exist might not be Hamaguchi’s best film, but it’s a startling entry into his already prominent filmography. With greater anger than we’ve seen in his scripts, the filmmaker weaves a mournful plea by giving nature a voice... - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted May 07, 2024
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La Chimera (2023) |
Anchored by a strong, enigmatic performance by Josh O’Connor, La Chimera is another striking film from Alice Rohrwacher. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Mar 29, 2024
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Perfect Days (2023) |
Perfect Days, with its good-natured protagonist and empathetic gaze, is sublime. With all of its quiet contemplations, the film demonstrates a keen understanding of what it means to value all that life offers us.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Feb 12, 2024
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The Monk and the Gun (2023) |
The Monk And The Gun delivers a biting satire. Overwhelmed with the lush, overgrown beauty of the country, the film marries its visual, quiet grandeur with witty, comical insight. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Feb 06, 2024
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Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (2023) |
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell is a mesmerizing debut from Phạm Thiên An. With its abundance of greens, the film delivers a confident examination of death and its impact on the living.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jan 26, 2024
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Good Grief (2023) |
Good Grief isn’t a bad film; there’s no denying Levy’s talent and clear vision. But it needed more — more heart, more emotion, more mess, anything. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jan 05, 2024
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) |
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King asks us to reckon with death and then heals that emotional wound by reminding us that death isn’t a tragedy but the final passage of life. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Dec 18, 2023
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American Fiction (2023) |
Despite minor highlights and individual stand out scenes, American Fiction fails to enliven this worthwhile story.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Dec 14, 2023
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The Boy and the Heron (2023) |
A staggering work of expressionism driven by fever dream imagery. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Dec 08, 2023
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Merry Little Batman (2023) |
Merry Little Batman takes familiar DC characters and funnels them through the family-friendly Christmas machine. Despite its sanded-down edges — this Batman is in full dad mode...
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Dec 08, 2023
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Monster (2023) |
Hirokazu Kore-eda delivers an aching portrait that examines how little we know about one another — even those we love — in the emotionally staggering Monster. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Dec 01, 2023
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May December (2023) |
Twinged with dark comedy that, combined with the trauma of these characters, manifests in a camp-infused drama, the balance of tone and atmosphere is superb. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Nov 17, 2023
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Flora and Son (2023) |
Flora and Son might get lost admits the story it’s trying to tell, but Hewson is always captivating. It’s a shame then that the songs written for the film or the film itself couldn’t keep up with its star’s radiance. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Sep 30, 2023
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Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (2022) |
Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia beautifully builds on the 2012 film with intricate detail, artistry, and character development. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Sep 12, 2023
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2022) |
Shot with a deliberate delicacy that highlights the strain of self-discovery that swallows us whole as teenagers, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a tender-hearted coming-of-age story. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Sep 04, 2023
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Eye of the Storm (2023) |
Eye of the Storm is stylish and focuses on undoubtedly gripping material. That said, despite the inherent intrigue and stress that comes with watching it, the film is hollow and vacant.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Aug 22, 2023
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Passages (2023) |
The film’s driven by Tomas’ unapologetically self-indulgent behavior and the way characters bob in and out of each another’s lives, sometimes for better, but mostly for worse. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted Aug 18, 2023
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Love in Taipei (2023) |
Love in Taipei exceeds expectations due to the loving amount of care put into bringing Taipei to life through the abundance of cultural touchstones and artistry. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Aug 12, 2023
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Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) |
While there’s definite enthusiasm that charges the production, none of it manifests in a way that’s visually engaging. They adapted the outline, rather than the story - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Aug 10, 2023
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Mami Wata (2023) |
Mami Wata is gorgeous. The distinctive visuals and craftsmanship behind the scenes build a picture that’s captivating, creating something bold, dreamlike, and mythical, as it tackles topics of realism and fable to transform the old into the new. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jul 23, 2023
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Barbie (2023) |
Greta Gerwig’s latest feature film might be her boldest, but it’s also, unfortunately, her messiest. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jul 18, 2023
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The Hole in the Fence (2021) |
Director Joaquín del Paso delivers a disturbing story told with mounting dread in The Hole in the Fence. This horror, fable-like film, shot with urgency and inescapable sensation of foreboding, excels in direction but falters with a script.... - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jun 21, 2023
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You Hurt My Feelings (2023) |
With acerbic wit and understated warmth, ‘You Hurt My Feelings’ is Holofcener’s best work yet. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jun 16, 2023
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Nimona (2023) |
From Moretz’s gleeful voice performance to the animator’s palpable joy shining through in the animation of Nimona’s facial expressions alone, the character electrifies the entire film with her personality and presence. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jun 16, 2023
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Blue Jean (2022) |
Blue Jean is an assured debut feature film from Georgia Oakley that is anchored by a star-making performance from Rosy McEwen.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Jun 11, 2023
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) |
Across the Spider-Verse proves that animation can be a liberating, fantasy-deepening medium that live-action can’t touch. It’s one of the best summer blockbuster to hit screens in years. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted Jun 09, 2023
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Past Lives (2023) |
Song’s grace in the film is found through her empathic understanding of how even the briefest relationship can take up space in a person’s heart for decades. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted Jun 09, 2023
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Rye Lane (2023) |
Charming and relentlessly vibrant, the film is both an ode to the rom-com genre while offering a revitalized take that looks to modernize while also honoring the iconic films that have come before it. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted May 31, 2023
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023) |
The result is something quietly profound, a film that understands that the world at 11 is impossibly endless. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted May 04, 2023
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Plan 75 (2022) |
While those in the film may see the elderly characters as statistics, the filmmakers don’t. The result is a tender, melancholy, and breathtaking piece of fiction that captures the essence of finding joy in blink-and-miss moments while hollowing you out. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Apr 23, 2023
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Carmen (2022) |
The talent involved in making this film is strong, and there’s a certain need for more movies to swing as far as one like Carmen does, but the execution fails to deliver on the promise it had. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Apr 19, 2023
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) |
It’s an invigorating, teeth-grinding endurance test of a film that manages to both plead its message while never succumbing to preachiness. It’s a stressful viewing, but anything less so would be disingenuous. - But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Apr 07, 2023
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The Magician's Elephant (2023) |
From a script that lacks any warmth or spark, a meandering narrative, and animation that is distracting, rather than engaging, The Magician’s Elephant doesn’t succeed in capturing the imagination.
- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
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| Posted Mar 17, 2023
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Return to Seoul (2022) |
Charged with the intensity of its leading performer, whose taut physicality and intense gaze could move mountains, Return to Seoul is a staggering achievement by filmmaker Davy Chou. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Feb 19, 2023
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The Starling Girl (2023) |
Weaving together a story of gentle compassion and resilience that grapples with what it means to know and own your self-worth, 'The Starling Girl' is a dynamic coming-of-age film. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) |
Poitras masterfully depicts decades with seamless transitions and deft editing. It’s a startling, evocative work that will leave audiences informed and wanting to learn more. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted Jan 26, 2023
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Polite Society (2023) |
Possessing so much personality that it threatens to spill over, the plot revels in its gleeful absurdism and refuses to slow down to allow viewers time to adjust. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jan 26, 2023
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Fair Play (2023) |
A no-nonsense story that takes a scalpel to harsh work environments and the character’s toxic need for control, Fair Play reaches its final destination with grit and grime. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jan 24, 2023
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Cassandro (2023) |
Bernal’s magnetism is boundless - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jan 23, 2023
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Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023) |
'Sometimes I Think About Dying,' unfortunately, fails to make us care. There’s too much precision and fine lines – a clinical study of a depressed young woman that lacks any warmth. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jan 22, 2023
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Broker (2022) |
Koreeda and the cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo bottle the road trip energy of this found family in clear, wide shots that piece together every character’s part of the puzzle. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Jan 09, 2023
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Please Baby Please (2022) |
Amanda Kramer’s Please Baby Please nearly buries itself in eccentricities. It stays afloat due to the commitment of its performers, a clear-eyed vision and a playful atmosphere that imbues the screen with rich colors and dizzying vibrancy. - Cambridge Day
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| Posted Dec 09, 2022
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Bones and All (2022) |
A vacant, vapid, hollowed-out shell of a film dressed up as arthouse prestige, Guadagnino once again cements himself as a clinical storyteller. - InBetweenDrafts
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| Posted Dec 04, 2022
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