>
Michael Dequina
Tomatometer-approved critic
Southern California (the LBC)
http://themoviereport.com
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
A Jazzman's Blues (2022) |
One cannot deny that Perry ultimately elicits an earnest emotional response. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Sep 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
Queen of Glory (2021) |
Mensah's charisma, dry wit, and flawed but warm heart make for an appealing and relatable screen heroine. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Aug 06, 2022
|
|
|
|
BEAUTY (2022) |
Ironically, for a story revolving around identity, there is not a solid one in evidence here. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Aug 06, 2022
|
|
|
|
Alone Together (2022) |
Reheated romantic dramedy tropes with the pandemic serving as mere window dressing. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Aug 06, 2022
|
|
|
|
Spencer (2021) |
Stewart's presence and emotional authenticity lends gravitas to this otherwise fairly slight look at the Princess of Wales. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2021
|
|
|
|
Tomorrowland (2015) |
The ultimately simple charms of the film are more impressive and memorable than its more state-of-the-art trappings. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2021
|
|
|
|
San Andreas (2015) |
One can't exactly hate a film that delivers all the empty sound-and-fury stimuli it promises, but no matter the expense and excess, it still all adds up to just a glut of expensive... emptiness. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2021
|
|
|
|
Bombay Velvet (2015) |
All the outsize dramatics that end up taking over the film feel less a product of conviction than commercial concession. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Souvenir Part II (2021) |
Intellectually engaging, but not quite emotionally so, keeping the audience locked out on the outside looking in on whatever catharsis Julie and Hogg experience from their creative processes. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2021
|
|
|
|
A Mouthful of Air (2021) |
One gets the sense by the conclusion that a film version of the story can only skim the surface of the emotional depths that Koppelman expressed and explored in pages of printed prose. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) |
The [sappy] tagline, 'It's all about loving your parents,' hardly does Johar's skillful, delicate balancing act any justice. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
Waiting for Superman (2010) |
For all the solid information and convincing arguments presented throughout the run time, it's the genuine emotional connection to those families that make the film so powerful. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
Crutch (2020) |
Just as much as it is a document of its subject's life, work, and personality, it also serves as a rare and necessary mirror to the able-bodied viewer's deeply ingrained subconscious perceptions of the disabled. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Nov 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
Premature (2019) |
The beats may be familiar here, but the music, so to speak, is fresh and engrossing. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
De lo mio (2019) |
The low key vibe, observational style, and purposely thin plotting add up to a lack of drive and urgency, and a muted connection to the film. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
(undefined) |
What begins as a promising reset ultimately settles into a too much of a retread, however watchable it may be. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
Listen Up Philip (2014) |
Jason Schwartzman's off-kilter, idiosyncratic screen presence and line delivery can be just as much of a hindrance as an asset. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Guest (2014) |
The excess, even ridiculousness, could be a deal breaker for many, but the performances sell it all with conviction and infectious energy. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
Two Distant Strangers (2020) |
Inspired, insightful, and uniquely impactful in making its provocative -- and most necessary -- point. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) |
What really matters here is the style, the thrills, the suspense, and Sheridan keeps the pace swift and the dramatic stakes high. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Gemini (2017) |
The overall tedium gives one plenty of time to imagine and wish for this trio in a far more worthy vehicle. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Mortal Kombat (2021) |
Reserving the title event for sequels that are not guaranteed is a guarantee for the film to overall feel anticlimactic and kind of a waste. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Flora and Ulysses (2020) |
Goes down easy with audiences of all ages, even if only the youngest of the lot is likely to remember it for long. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Weekend (2018) |
Zamata is not only deadly with her precision-timed one-liners but piercing in the more dramatic beats. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Clemency (2019) |
Chukwu knows that the most effective manner of delivering [her] message is through the connection forged by the humanity of her characters. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Wander Darkly (2020) |
As the film spins its wheels on the question of what is real and isn't, that gimmicky mystery overwhelms whatever interest Miller generates in her character's plight. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Shadow in the Cloud (2020) |
If one just throws all need for logic and rational explanation out the window, it's one hell of a ride. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Crisis (2021) |
Jarecki ably juggles the narrative concerns in a carefully balanced manner that takes time to flesh out detailed concerns specific to each perspective while making sure all are given their due, equal weight. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 19, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Decalogue (1989) |
Not only ranks as one of the most ambitious and challenging film works ever attempted, but one of the most rewarding and unforgettable. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted May 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
(undefined) |
Kieslowski's sure direction and the flawless performances make this compelling viewing. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted May 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
(undefined) |
The soapy plot is elevated by smart writing, perceptive direction, and heartbreaking performances. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted May 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
(undefined) |
While the final installment of the cycle is the most lightly amusing, it is also the most disposable. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted May 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
Face (2002) |
- TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Mar 09, 2021
|
|
|
|
(undefined) |
From the first scene, the six actors display a palpable chemistry and perfect sense of rhythm together, one that they have amazingly managed to maintain until this day. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Mar 27, 2019
|
|
|
|
Aquaman (2018) |
One indeed comes away from Aquaman interested in what further aquatic adventures may yet be in store, with or without any of his Justice League teammates by his side. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Feb 22, 2019
|
|
|
|
(undefined) |
- TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Oct 20, 2018
|
|
|
|
Class Rank (2017) |
The genuine heart behind the film from beginning to end earns the turn from the silly to sentimental, and elicits genuine feeling to go with all the fun. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted May 10, 2018
|
|
|
|
Paris Can Wait (2016) |
Once the travelogue novelty of the posh locations and fine cuisine wears off--which is quickly, if not almost immediately--this slog feels like it is unfolding in real, interminable time. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Feb 01, 2018
|
|
|
|
Where's Daddy? (2018) |
An important and necessary look at a sensitive subject from an angle that too few care to pay attention to, let alone address. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2018
|
|
|
|
All Mistakes Buried (2015) |
Sam Trammell is fascinating and fearless, stripped clean--or, more accurately, filthy--of anything approaching actorly vanity. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2016
|
|
|
|
White Rabbit (2013) |
The emotional authenticity makes what could have easily been just another in a long line of similarly-minded dramas feel like a singular human story. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Feb 14, 2015
|
|
|
|
Taken 3 (2014) |
It is time for Mills to finally settle into a quiet retirement while Neeson moves on to better, heretofore untaken (in every sense) action showcases. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Jan 19, 2015
|
|
|
|
Unbroken (2014) |
Glossily polished to an old school Hollywood sheen in every respect, from the honey-golden cinematography to, unfortunately, a programmatic and ultimately unconvincing slathered-on sentimentality. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Jan 04, 2015
|
|
|
|
Cake (2014) |
Aniston's solidly done departure probably would have organically received its due (and possibly even more credit) had it been a genuine discovery in a film released and sold as the modest, blip-on-the-radar non-event indie that it is. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2015
|
|
|
|
A Most Violent Year (2014) |
Oscar Isaac does terrifically layered and involving work as Abel's armor of seemingly unflappable confidence is consistently, increasingly under attack. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Dec 30, 2014
|
|
|
|
Second Coming (2014) |
However willfully obscured the narrative may be, the emotional truth of every moment, in the moment is always piercingly clear and punishingly accessible. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Dec 30, 2014
|
|
|
|
Selma (2014) |
The true brilliance of David Oyelowo's work--and that of Ava DuVernay, for that matter--lies in the delicate balance between duly respecting King as a historical icon and incisively studying King as a man. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Dec 29, 2014
|
|
|
|
God Help the Girl (2014) |
Two hours whose every restless minute is felt, no matter how fetchingly and frequently the stunning Emily Browning croons directly to the camera. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Dec 27, 2014
|
|
|
|
Top Five (2014) |
Chris Rock has made an entertainment that is not only a wild and rich study of his lead character but the character of the filmmaker himself. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Dec 25, 2014
|
|
|
|
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) |
Liam Neeson reminds that he can be just as captivating to watch creating a complex character as he is beating bad guys up. - TheMovieReport.com
Read More
| Posted Dec 25, 2014
|