2/10
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Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats
(2024)
|
Brooke Knisley
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Rogan simply wants to have his cake and eat it, too.
Posted Aug 09, 2024
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2.3/10
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Borderlands
(2024)
|
Jacob Oller
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Eli Roth’s haphazard direction, terrible script and disastrous ending turns a nondescript sci-fi adventure into a truly awful Borderlands movie.
Posted Aug 09, 2024
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7.5/10
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Cuckoo
(2024)
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Brianna Zigler
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Cuckoo is a twisty, giallo-inspired, semi-body horror mystery that double acts as an impressive lead showcase proving that Schafer is more than just an “it girl.”
Posted Aug 08, 2024
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6.7/10
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War Game
(2024)
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Natalia Keogan
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What might quell the anxiety of some viewers will likely ignite incredulity among others, particularly as the simulation concludes a bit too cleanly for our current moment of extremist rhetoric and action.
Posted Aug 05, 2024
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8.0/10
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Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
(2024)
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Tara Bennett
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Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie is a visually clever, character-redefining film for the strongest of animated smart gals, Sandy Cheeks.
Posted Aug 04, 2024
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4.6/10
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Harold and the Purple Crayon
(2024)
|
Rory Doherty
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Whether it’s Sony execs updating spreadsheets or parents putting something on to distract their kids, Harold is most valuable to people who won’t watch it. Make sure you’re one of them.
Posted Jul 31, 2024
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4.5/10
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Sebastian
(2024)
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Jacob Oller
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Sebastian plays like a rejected article from The Cut, where a tired-eyed twink rejects all self-awareness in pursuit of literary glory.
Posted Jul 31, 2024
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7.9/10
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Only the River Flows
(2023)
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Andy Crump
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[This crime thriller is] a gradual breakdown, complemented by Chengma Zhiyuan’s thoughtful and measured cinematography.
Posted Jul 25, 2024
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7.8/10
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Starve Acre
(2023)
|
Matthew Jackson
|
It will not satisfy every viewer, but those who are able to tune into its particular malevolent hum will find a remarkably atmospheric tapestry of dread
Posted Jul 25, 2024
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5.9/10
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The Fabulous Four
(2024)
|
B.L. Panther
|
The Fabulous Four plays out like an undressed salad paid for by the Key West tourism board
Posted Jul 25, 2024
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5.5/10
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Twisters
(2024)
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Brianna Zigler
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A lot of Twisters is spent, quite frankly, waiting for Glen Powell to come back and make things interesting again.
Posted Jul 18, 2024
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6.6/10
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Oddity
(2024)
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Jesse Hassenger
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Oddity is simultaneously an impressive production and a bizarre lesson in the vagaries of fear: without visibly shifting its tactics, it can be shiver-inducing in a few scenes and tedious in others.
Posted Jul 18, 2024
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6.5/10
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Skywalkers: A Love Story
(2024)
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Natalia Keogan
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While the footage obtained from the duo’s exploits is thrilling and impressively artful, Zimbalist’s own due diligence as a filmmaker isn’t totally exerted.
Posted Jul 17, 2024
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6.7/10
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Dandelion
(2024)
|
Jesse Hassenger
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Its different moods could probably all work together in concert, under the right, delicate circumstances. Instead, Dandelion often feels like it’s running through its different options discretely.
Posted Jul 12, 2024
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9.5/10
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Look Back
(2024)
|
Autumn Wright
|
Look Back is a requiem for art lost to violence, to circumstance, to conformity. It is also an argument to create.
Posted Jul 12, 2024
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5.2/10
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Descendants: The Rise of Red
(2024)
|
Anna Govert
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While the effort is certainly there, it still can’t quite reach the highs of its predecessors, instead offering a fourth installment that is lackluster in both its musical moments and overarching story.
Posted Jul 11, 2024
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5.5/10
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Eno
(2024)
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Natalia Keogan
|
This approach fundamentally misunderstands Eno’s entire creative ethos, which relies on technology to elevate—not replace—the unique human ability to create art, a quality that is sorely remiss here.
Posted Jul 11, 2024
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8.5/10
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Longlegs
(2024)
|
Jacob Oller
|
Precisely crafted and just odd enough to disarm you, allowing its evil to fully seep in, Longlegs is a riveting tale of influence and immersion.
Posted Jul 11, 2024
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8.0/10
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Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
(2024)
|
Brogan Morris
|
Having made Powell and Pressburger legendary, Scorsese with Made in England finally helps to mortalize them.
Posted Jul 10, 2024
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7.0/10
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Family Portrait
(2023)
|
Katarina Docalovich
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Closely choreographed chaos paired with a harsh soundscape... ushers us into an enigmatic story of a family on the brink of unraveling.
Posted Jul 09, 2024
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7.1/10
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Fly Me to the Moon
(2024)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
There’s certainly room for historically backdropped romance that’s more cute than sexy, more respectful than irreverent, more PG than rated R.
Posted Jul 09, 2024
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7.8/10
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Rachel Scanlon: Gay Fantasy
(2024)
|
Clare Martin
|
Scanlon knows her audience well. She’s not trying to be palatable to everyone, instead making every single queer person (and clued-in ally) watching feel like they’re part of the best club ever.
Posted Jul 08, 2024
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9.2/10
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Chronicles of a Wandering Saint
(2023)
|
Andy Crump
|
Certain moments lend Chronicles of a Wandering Saint the feel of Renaissance paintings, pairing vibrant and cool colors with an encompassing emphasis on interplay between light and shadow.
Posted Jul 05, 2024
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6.1/10
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Group Therapy
(2024)
|
Will DiGravio
|
Group Therapy fails to mirror the paradox of the subject at its core, never finding a balance between watchability and actual depth.
Posted Jul 05, 2024
|
5.6/10
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Space Cadet
(2024)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
An astronaut version of Bringing Up Baby never develops, and the mild Legally Blonde fizz doesn’t last, either.
Posted Jul 05, 2024
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7.0/10
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The Imaginary
(2023)
|
Jesse Hassenger
|
Amidst all of its lush 2-D animation and fantastical dreamworld imagery, The Imaginary can also take pride in having absolutely scooped budding auteur John Krasinski.
Posted Jul 04, 2024
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7.8/10
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Chicken for Linda!
(2023)
|
Elijah Gonzalez
|
Chicken for Linda! is a delightful picture that uses splashes of color and frantic turns to immerse us in its quest for poultry.
Posted Jul 03, 2024
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7.0/10
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Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
(2024)
|
Matt Donato
|
If you’re a fan of the wisecracking Beverly Hills Cop series, 2024’s long-awaited entry is a comfortably familiar, stays-in-its-lane continuation.
Posted Jul 02, 2024
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2.0/10
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Despicable Me 4
(2024)
|
Matt Donato
|
There isn’t an ounce of recommendable substance, soulful values or slapstick sincerity within Despicable Me 4.
Posted Jul 02, 2024
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5.0/10
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A Family Affair
(2024)
|
Tara Bennett
|
A Family Affair isn’t bargain basement, Hallmark movie bad. It’s just too many different movies squished into an awkward rom-com wrapper.
Posted Jun 27, 2024
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7.0/10
|
Music
(2023)
|
Natalia Keogan
|
Those unfamiliar with the director’s penchant for narrative opacity might find Music falling on deaf ears. For those up for the challenge, there are splendid moments of visual poise to soak in.
Posted Jun 26, 2024
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7.5/10
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The Devil's Bath
(2024)
|
Kathy Michelle Chacón
|
The Devil’s Bath is not an easy watch, but its discomfort, its unsettlement, its genuine curiosity for the complexities of the human condition all make the film and its raw protagonist worth spending time with.
Posted Jun 26, 2024
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10/10
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First Reformed
(2017)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
First Reformed is the distillation of the scream inside us all—or at least those of us paying attention.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
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10/10
|
Mishima
(1985)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Interrogates living in the world as an artist who feels like words aren’t able to have enough of an immediate impact (if any at all) and direct action’s impact is too fleeting.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
10/10
|
Affliction
(1997)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Affliction hones in on masculinity and the demons that men inherit from one another.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
9.5/10
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Auto Focus
(2002)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
When you get to the final, haunting line of “men gotta have fun,” you know exactly why this is a Paul Schrader picture.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
9.5/10
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The Comfort of Strangers
(1990)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Exquisite is the word for The Comfort of Strangers, as the filmmaker packs this puppy with sensorial splendor: costumes by Armani, Dante Spinotti’s breathtaking cinematography, an entrancing score from Angelo Badalementi.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
9.5/10
|
American Gigolo
(1980)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
A story removed from eroticism—a delightful irony for something about a gorgeous gigolo.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
9/10
|
Hardcore
(1979)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Each scene reveals something new about this world and its inhabitants.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
8.5/10
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Cat People
(1982)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Cat People is Schrader’s most overtly carnal picture, using horror to explore repression, intimacy and desire.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
8/10
|
Patty Hearst
(1988)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Schrader invites us to question why this kidnapped woman becomes nothing more than a symbol for each side. She’s nothing but propaganda for everyone’s cause, be it the system or the revolutionaries, and what Patty Hearst does is restore her voice.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
8/10
|
Master Gardener
(2022)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
What sets Master Gardener apart is its overwhelming tenderness.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
7.5/10
|
Adam Resurrected
(2008)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
The director brilliantly utilizes Goldblum’s mercurial charm and comedic presence to untether us from our preconceptions, while understanding the gravitas of a man wholly succumbing to survivor’s guilt.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
7.5/10
|
Dog Eat Dog
(2016)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Dog Eat Dog overflows with rage but also a sense of fun and experimentation
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
7/10
|
Light of Day
(1987)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Light of Day does thrive in two specific areas: Schrader’s return to the working-class sensibilities of Blue Collar and capturing the daily grind that most musicians go through in pursuing their passion.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
6.5/10
|
Touch
(1997)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Tonally and aesthetically, Touch doesn’t feel at all like a Schrader picture, but it’s nice to see him having fun despite the ill fit.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
6.5/10
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The Walker
(2007)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
What buckles The Walker is languid pacing and too much murder-mystery, which isn’t nearly as noteworthy as the social ramifications of this man stepping out of his lane and changing his stripes—or at least considering it.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
6/10
|
Dying of the Light
(2014)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Compelling ideas on mortality and indoctrination but clearly, disappointingly shifts about a third of the way through into another generic Nicolas Cage DTV action-thriller.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
5/10
|
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist
(2005)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
Schrader’s version still has its issues, but it’s at least more interesting than the DTV-level schlock that was The Beginning.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
|
4.5/10
|
The Canyons
(2013)
|
Mitchell Beaupre
|
There are some compelling ideas here, they just get too often washed out in the muck of navel-gazing nothingness and a truly abominable performance from Deen.
Posted Jun 24, 2024
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