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6/10
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The Patriot
(2000)
|
Mike Massie
|
The climax is a substantial spectacle, saving the best (or worst) of the bloodletting and destruction for last.
Posted Jul 21, 2024
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|
5/10
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Stargate
(1994)
|
Mike Massie
|
Not enough of the plot was designed well enough to stand out from the pack of other ’90s sci-fi flicks; creative complications are simply far too few.
Posted Jul 21, 2024
|
|
7/10
|
Life Stinks
(1991)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s difficult to dismiss the simplicity and sweetness of the ludicrously rich discovering a new perspective on impoverishment - no matter how unlikely and caricaturized it is here.
Posted Jul 21, 2024
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|
6/10
|
Sleeping With the Enemy
(1991)
|
Mike Massie
|
One of the great cautionary tales in cinema, boasting an excellent performance by Roberts and a satisfying (if protracted) finale.
Posted Jul 21, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
The Wraith
(1986)
|
Mike Massie
|
Most of it is simply far too predictable and inconsequential, working from the flimsiest of premises.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
5/10
|
History of the World: Part I
(1981)
|
Mike Massie
|
As with many of the writer/director/producer’s works, not every gag lands (a couple actually fall quite flat), with a few portions meandering a touch, but several definitely stand out, sure to endure.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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|
5/10
|
The Twelve Chairs
(1970)
|
Mike Massie
|
Undoubtedly represents a steppingstone for Brooks, who would hone his filmmaking approach in his spoofs to come.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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|
7/10
|
Fame
(1980)
|
Mike Massie
|
A lively, momentous demonstration of craft.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
Silent Movie
(1976)
|
Mike Massie
|
It all goes on for too long – never losing steam because it struggled to gain it in the first place.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
Private Lessons
(1981)
|
Mike Massie
|
The coming-of-age sex-comedy elements never quite become comical; instead, much of it is just awkward.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
Highlander
(1986)
|
Mike Massie
|
As the climax approaches, this sci-fi/fantasy blend tends to bore, struggling to turn sword-fighting and an inevitable showdown for an undefined “prize” into excitement.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
7/10
|
The Mission
(1986)
|
Mike Massie
|
Even with lulls, it’s impossible to disregard the music, which is not only a factor of communication between the disparate peoples (and a point of humanization), but also a stirring, striking link between major components of the story.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
2/10
|
Frogs
(1972)
|
Mike Massie
|
An unfortunately unstimulating exercise in a stale idea with pitiful execution on a paltry budget.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
8/10
|
The Pit and the Pendulum
(1961)
|
Mike Massie
|
The scares and ghoulishness here are ahead of their time, with the titular pendulum proving a perfectly nightmarish set piece.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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|
7/10
|
How the West Was Won
(1962)
|
Mike Massie
|
Despite the amusement of the vast collection of stars and the whirlwind of Western adventure, it will surely be the score that persists beyond the other individual elements of this grandiose endeavor.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
2/10
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The Angry Red Planet
(1959)
|
Mike Massie
|
The film isn’t able to disguise its Z-grade budget, which carries over into the use of rinky-dink sets and props and costumes.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
6/10
|
Rashomon
(1950)
|
Mike Massie
|
Thoroughly unique, crafting a recognizable template for future films that opt to distort their narratives through the eyes of multiple storytellers and unreliable presentations of facts.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
2/10
|
Madame Web
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s so poorly, laughably designed and implemented that it’s as if it were a student film, and not some colossally-budgeted Hollywood epic.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
4/10
|
Shin Godzilla
(2016)
|
Mike Massie
|
Though a notable experiment in furthering the legacy of this famous movie monster, it’s very far from solid entertainment.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
4/10
|
Beyond the Forest
(1949)
|
Mike Massie
|
Though Davis delivers a fine performance, her role is so one-note – a note of moral bankruptcy – that it’s difficult to follow her for too long without losing interest.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
9/10
|
Johnny Belinda
(1948)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s handled well by all of its principle cast, managing a feeling of genuineness, even though a few details aren’t entirely authentic; the characters are believable and everyone approaches their roles with sincerity.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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|
6/10
|
Meet John Doe
(1941)
|
Mike Massie
|
Cooper and Stanwyck are entirely watchable, even if the plot grows artistically flagrant and thematically hollow, culminating in a final media ruse that is thoroughly farfetched.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
4/10
|
With a Song in My Heart
(1952)
|
Mike Massie
|
A chronicle of her life doesn’t ever really rise to the occasion of movie-worthy; her specific misfortune seems utterly negligible in the realm of theatrical adversities.
Posted Jul 20, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
Twisters
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s definitely not a positive quality for this film's mediocrity to encourage viewers to root for the storms to win, as if the preternatural killer in slasher franchises.
Posted Jul 17, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
Despicable Me 4
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
The cinematic epitome of beating a dead Minion.
Posted Jul 02, 2024
|
|
6/10
|
A Quiet Place: Day One
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It doesn’t really add much to the world of noise-sensitive world-conquerors, but the two leads are thoroughly entertaining to watch.
Posted Jun 27, 2024
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|
7/10
|
Inside Out 2
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
A sweetly entertaining followup, even if its necessity is undoubtedly in question.
Posted Jun 12, 2024
|
|
5/10
|
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
Its exceptionally generic qualities are strangely comforting; this is exactly what audiences will expect from a sequel.
Posted Jun 04, 2024
|
|
5/10
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It may be amusing to revisit the Mad Max universe, but little has changed.
Posted May 17, 2024
|
|
8/10
|
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
Exceptionally well-designed, consistently engaging, and quite the adventure – a wonderful feat for a project whose top three billings are for apes (certainly a first of its kind!).
Posted May 08, 2024
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|
6/10
|
The Fall Guy
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
The routine romantic stuff becomes the most undeniably enjoyable aspect, which is strange for a film that is clearly a love letter to the unsung art of movie stunts.
Posted May 01, 2024
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|
6/10
|
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s entertaining to see the good guys succeed so gracefully, navigating every hiccup with ease – a done-before formula that is frequently amusing but rarely captivating.
Posted Apr 17, 2024
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|
7/10
|
Civil War
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
The white-knuckle suspense is so high that audiences are likely to forgive or overlook the missteps in intermittently unoriginal ideas or cliche relationships.
Posted Apr 09, 2024
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|
5/10
|
Monkey Man
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It manages to get the revenge part right, even if the artistic distortions grow so hallucinatory and distracting at times that it feels as if watching the film while being waterboarded.
Posted Apr 04, 2024
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|
3/10
|
Sting
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
As with many of these kinds of low-budget horror flicks, the humans are so uninspired, unintelligent, and unlikeable that audiences will surely just be rooting for the monster.
Posted Apr 01, 2024
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|
4/10
|
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
Relying primarily on infrastructure decimation for the fifth time around in this Hollywood franchise simply isn’t helping it to stand out.
Posted Mar 28, 2024
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|
6/10
|
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s still somewhat amusing to see the old cast yet again (perhaps more so for anyone who has forgotten the previous film, which did the exact same thing).
Posted Mar 20, 2024
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|
6/10
|
Kung Fu Panda 4
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
This breezy, swift sequel is exceptionally lighthearted and easygoing.
Posted Mar 06, 2024
|
|
3/10
|
Love Lies Bleeding
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
As it tries much too hard to be edgy and weird, its overwrought efforts merely cause it to feel routine and uncreative – and with a notably inconsistent entertainment value.
Posted Mar 05, 2024
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|
6/10
|
Dune: Part Two
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s difficult not to get wrapped up in the visuals; the way in which the Dune novel’s many signature characters and adventures are realized are simply stunning.
Posted Feb 21, 2024
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|
3/10
|
Drive-Away Dolls
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It tries so frantically to come across as quirky and witty that it only amplifies the effort, not any fleeting success; it utterly reeks of desperation.
Posted Feb 21, 2024
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|
2/10
|
Argylle
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
Just when it seems as if it can’t get any stupider, it absolutely does.
Posted Jan 31, 2024
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|
6/10
|
I.S.S.
(2023)
|
Mike Massie
|
The conclusion is a touch too generic, but at least the overall journey is swift and stimulating.
Posted Jan 18, 2024
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|
6/10
|
The Beekeeper
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s simple and stupid yet mostly entertaining, fueled by Statham’s comfort in roles that dole out merciless executions upon hordes of special forces soldiers.
Posted Jan 10, 2024
|
|
7/10
|
Mean Girls
(2024)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s not better as a standalone production, but this update is a somewhat sharper, more refined, retrofitted undertaking that offers up a generous serving of entertainment value.
Posted Jan 10, 2024
|
|
7/10
|
Wonka
(2023)
|
Mike Massie
|
This Wonka origin story boasts likable characters, inventive sets, and some genuinely funny ideas.
Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
7/10
|
The Color Purple
(1985)
|
Mike Massie
|
Celie’s journey, though wrought with hardships, is thought-provoking, educational, nerve-wracking and, finally, wholesome and triumphant.
Posted Jan 01, 2024
|
|
8/10
|
Past Lives
(2023)
|
Mike Massie
|
The realism is encouraging, astounding, and inspirational, demonstrating just how unusually entertaining a wholesome, unadorned premise about ordinary people can be.
Posted Dec 27, 2023
|
|
2/10
|
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
(2023)
|
Mike Massie
|
The entire affair is so painfully formulaic, predictable, and unoriginal that it feels as if a “Fast and Furious” film staged underwater.
Posted Dec 21, 2023
|
|
6/10
|
The Color Purple
(2023)
|
Mike Massie
|
The dramatic sequences are so striking that one must wonder – particularly during the last act, when the singing dies off, never really being missed – whether it was time for another straightforward adaptation of the book, rather than a musical.
Posted Dec 19, 2023
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