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Dan Lybarger
Tomatometer-approved critic
Dan Lybarger has contributed film articles to the Kansas City Star, Nitrate Online, The Lawrence (KS) Journal-World, and PitchWeekly. He has an M.A. in Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a B.A. in English from Ottawa University.
Favorite filmmakers are: Billy Wilder, Akira Kurosawa, Agnieszka Holland, Buster Keaton (I attend a Keaton Festival every year in Iola, KS. This festival takes place seven miles from Keaton's birthplace in Picquay), Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese, Peter Weir, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Woody Allen, David Lean, Charlie Chaplin. Favorite Movies: The Apartment, Europa Europa, Life Lessons.
Kansas City
http://www.efilmcritic.com
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Dandelion (2024) |
Exceptional because it gets both the technical and emotional details right. - Film Threat
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| Posted Jul 30, 2024
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Kinds of Kindness (2024) |
The creativity and daring are abundantly evident, but there is a sense that he’s overlooking his characters as if they are ants, torching them with a magnifying glass and asking us to delight in their misfortunes. - Film Threat
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| Posted Jul 08, 2024
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Bound (2023) |
New York has been filmed a lot over the last century and a half, but if Bound is any indication, the city that never sleeps has more promising tales to come. - Film Threat
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| Posted Feb 12, 2024
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Citizen Weiner (2024) |
Robbins and Weiner may be playing for the camera rather than for a seat at the legislative table, but at least they resoundingly prove that politics can be anything but soul-crushing and dull. - Film Threat
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| Posted Jan 22, 2024
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Haunted Mansion (2023) |
The new Haunted Mansion still feels unsatisfying because it's hard to tell which audience Disney was trying to reach. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 28, 2023
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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) |
It's almost as if DreamWorks themselves are admitting they can do better. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 30, 2023
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023) |
Fremon Craig works well with her young cast and the grownups who accompany them. She also takes potentially heavy subject matter and delivers it in an entertaining and touching manner. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Apr 28, 2023
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) |
The makers of How to Blow Up a Pipeline have an agenda. They've also managed to make a gripping movie while bellowing from their soapbox. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Apr 21, 2023
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Cocaine Bear (2023) |
The humans are interesting enough we care about whether they end up as an ursine lunch. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Living (2022) |
While Nighy may be following in the challenging footsteps of Takashi Shimura's performance, he manages to claim the role for himself. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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Virtually Heroes (2013) |
Found plenty of clever ways to poke fun at the conventions of video games. - Film Threat
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| Posted Jan 30, 2023
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A Man Called Otto (2022) |
While it is a pleasure to see Hanks and Trevino bring their voices to the material, A Man Called Otto plays like a good cover band replicating a hit. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 13, 2023
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Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) |
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has more dynamic and interesting characters than most live action films have. Screenwriters Tommy Swerdlow and Paul Fisher make the fearless feline more engaging by taking something away from him. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 30, 2022
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Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022) |
Because of the cold, rote storytelling, we end up missing Houston's voice instead of the story about her. Maybe it would be better to stream her old songs on Vevo and break out the headphones. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 27, 2022
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Memories of My Father (2020) |
With "Memories of My Father," Trueba achieves a formidable balancing act by balancing Quiquin's sweet memories with the political tension that dominates his hometown. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 10, 2022
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Strange World (2022) |
Strange World is clearly intended as an eco fable, but its eagerness to make viewers care about the world outside of the theater doesn't excuse it from neglecting basic storytelling. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 29, 2022
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She Said (2022) |
Director Maria Schrader and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz follow closely in the footsteps of All the President's Men and Spotlight and thankfully understand why those movies worked. Having a worthwhile story to recount doesn't hurt, either. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 19, 2022
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My Policeman (2022) |
Because the conclusion is obvious, watching My Policeman seems like staring into a crystal ball. At least, the figures inside are worth our attention. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 11, 2022
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Ticket to Paradise (2022) |
It was fun to watch Julia Roberts trying to ruin somebody else's nuptials in 1997's My Best Friend's Wedding, but this time around she doesn't have the clever, creative script or even a good reason to spoil a ceremony. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) |
It's often been said that if you must steal a storyline, it's wise to burgle the best. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile almost disproves that assertion. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 07, 2022
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Bros (2022) |
Romantic comedies need a heart to go with the funny bone, and Bros thankfully gets that right, too. Stoller makes no effort to hide his attempts to pull on a viewer's heartstrings, but there's no good reason to ask him to stop, either. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Sep 30, 2022
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Don't Worry Darling (2022) |
Silberman and Wilde have learned some of the right lessons from The Stepford Wives and The Truman Show, but their revelations for some of the anachronisms in the story seems sloppy and underdeveloped. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Sep 23, 2022
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The Woman King (2022) |
With The Woman King, director Gina Prince-Bythewood explores a neglected corner of history and has a ball doing it. Thanks to her quick pacing and impeccable staging of battle sequences, her enthusiasm is contagious. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Sep 16, 2022
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Maya and the Wave (2022) |
Maya and the Wave is so graceful and elegant that you can almost forget the Herculean struggle that made it possible. - Film Threat
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| Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Thirteen Lives (2022) |
Howard and crew achieve a nearly ideal balance between exposition and story with this film. They seem to have a radar for how to make esoteric information accessible. As with Apollo 13, the technical information is never dumbed down. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 12, 2022
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Easter Sunday (2022) |
Director Jay Chandrasekhar is best known for the raunchy Super Troopers movies he has made as part of the Broken Lizard troupe. The humor is more restrained this time, and the end result is strangely more fun this time around. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 05, 2022
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Back to the Drive-In (2022) |
Wright’s love of drive-in cinemas is contagious throughout Back to the Drive-in. - Film Threat
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| Posted Jul 19, 2022
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Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) |
Even little yellow guys with funny voices aren’t that amusing when they’re going through the motions. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 01, 2022
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Lightyear (2022) |
Woody and Mr. Potato Head aren't around this time, but the warm spirit from those tales is. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 17, 2022
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Jurassic World Dominion (2022) |
Watching Jurassic World Dominion is like watching small children flit between all the objects in their toy boxes. If there's an order or reason for what they're doing, it's never obvious or coherent. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 10, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
The actor's daredevil persona is still intact, and he has just enough charm to keep the routine from getting old. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted May 27, 2022
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Fanny: The Right to Rock (2021) |
Fanny has endured a lot in making their albums, but thanks to [Bobbi Jo] Hart, we won't have to work as hard as Joe Elliott did to appreciate them. - Film Threat
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| Posted May 27, 2022
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Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) |
Much of the charm of Downton Abbey: A New Era is there's nothing new about it. Director Simon Curtis and series creator-screenwriter Julian Fellowes know better than to needlessly tinker with content that, at its best, is more addictive than a narcotic. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted May 20, 2022
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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
The Daniels also manage to create believable people to put in these outrageous circumstances, so the film gets by on more than simply shock value. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Apr 22, 2022
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The Bad Guys (2022) |
Perifel is a veteran animator, but his feature directing debut barely comes to life. The Bad Guys isn't bad, but it's not that great, either. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Apr 22, 2022
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Father Stu (2022) |
Stuart's life proves that miracles aren't a thing of the past. Father Stu isn't as persuasive. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Apr 15, 2022
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The King's Daughter (2022) |
Perhaps if director Sean McNamara, who's best known for Soul Surfer, had a more subtle and assured hand, the tale would have seemed more magical than mechanical. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 21, 2022
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A Journal for Jordan (2021) |
I still give A Journal for Jordan an honorable discharge, but I wish a drill instructor like 1st Sgt. King were pushing the movie to its formidable promise. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 31, 2021
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West Side Story (2021) |
People often go to musicals to escape the miseries of the real world, but Sondheim and now Spielberg bring real world issues into the art form. That's certainly worth breaking into song. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 10, 2021
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National Champions (2021) |
A sports movie that has something valid to say about the state of college football and of the nation. It's too bad that neither screenwriter Adam Mervis nor director Ric Roman Waugh can open their mouths without tripping over their own tongues. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 10, 2021
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Encanto (2021) |
If the story arc gets frustrating, the images and sounds more than compensate. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 28, 2021
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Gimme Shelter (1970) |
Because of the warped chronology, Gimme Shelter makes for absorbing viewing. It's also a chilling lesson in humility. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 20, 2021
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) |
They could have devoted more time to developing their own tale instead of reminding viewers how the 1984 movie was more enjoyable. Having ghouls gone wild in a Walmart is a nice touch, but the inspiration ends there. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 20, 2021
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Belfast (2021) |
The questions posed inBelfastaren't always the most profound, but they don't have to be. - Film Threat
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| Posted Nov 15, 2021
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A Mouthful of Air (2021) |
Freshman screenwriter-director Amy Koppelman ably captures that uniquely terrifying situation when the most dangerous nemesis you can encounter is the one living in your own skin. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 05, 2021
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Eternals (2021) |
Running almost long enough for a pair of films, Zhao flits between her characters and only occasionally gives them room to shine. If she cut her team down to the size of a basketball squad, there would be more room for chemistry and character development. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 05, 2021
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The Last Duel (2021) |
If Affleck or Damon ever feel their roles are getting lousy, they should definitely keep writing ones for themselves. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 16, 2021
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The Card Counter (2020) |
Like a lot of Schrader's other protagonists, Bill is walking a dangerous line, but when he and his creator are at their peaks, it's hard to look away from the high wire act. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Sep 18, 2021
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Respect (2021) |
Franklin's recordings are groundbreaking and timeless. Perhaps it's unreasonable to expect that there are filmmakers who are just as gifted on set ready to tell her story. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 20, 2021
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Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021) |
While the stunt work in Snake Eyes is impressive, Schwentke does his actors and their doubles a disservice with disorienting, rapid cutting. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 30, 2021
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