|
1.5/4
|
I Know What You Did Last Summer
(2025)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
The movie dwells in some kind of weird purgatory of wanting to honor the original (characters never miss an opportunity to reference the year 1997), while trying to be its own modern film
Posted Jul 23, 2025
|
|
3/4
|
28 Years Later
(2025)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
...Boyle does breathe new life into the undead.
Posted Jul 23, 2025
|
|
2.5/4
|
Materialists
(2025)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Materialists" swims in territory "Past Lives" explored but does so in the shallow end of the pool.
Posted Jun 17, 2025
|
|
3/4
|
The Travel Companion
(2025)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"The Travel Companion" is one of the most observant movies about friendship.
Posted Jun 17, 2025
|
|
4.5/5
|
Oppenheimer
(2023)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Nolan and his entire crafts team have made something extraordinary. If the question is can a movie about a historical event be thrilling and suspenseful, Oppenheimer makes the answer a resounding "yes."
Posted Aug 03, 2023
|
|
2.5/4
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" doesn't have the punch that the first movie did, but how could it? Sequels rarely do.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3/4
|
The Good Nurse
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
While "The Good Nurse" can be uneven, it's not without deeply effective moments.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3/4
|
Ticket to Paradise
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
In some ways, "Ticket to Paradise" feels dated, but it's a great thing that it exists.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3.5/4
|
The Banshees of Inisherin
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"The Banshees of Inisherin" is a movie that could only come from the mind of Martin McDonagh. The writer-director remains a singular talent, whose dialogue jumps off the screen and becomes the star of the show. His latest is no different.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
4/4
|
Tár
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Simply put, "TÁR" is magnificent, as all Field's films have been.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
2/4
|
Halloween Ends
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Perhaps the fatigue of the series is finally rearing its ugly head at the (alleged) finish line?
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
1.5/4
|
The Greatest Beer Run Ever
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Farrelly's screenplays present characters as surface-level and Efron doesn't have the dramatic range to try and create a character out of an archetype.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3/4
|
Don't Worry Darling
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Don't Worry Darling" has many imperfections, but it shows that Wilde can do more than indie comedies, and that she is willing to take on daunting projects.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
2/4
|
Blonde
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
The cruelty seems to be the point of "Blonde," which makes a meandering three-hour movie a tough sell.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3/4
|
Barbarian
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Horror movies are often undone with a PG-13 rating, so it can find a larger audience. For that reason alone, the R-rated "Barbarian" is something to relish.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
1.5/4
|
Me Time
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Hijinks ensue and well-worn scenarios are slapped on screen, but never produce any laughs.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
1.5/4
|
Mack & Rita
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Mack & Rita" is the third directorial outing from actress Katie Aselton, who showed a sharp eye for tension with her 2012 thriller "Black Rock," but can't quite give new life to a body swap comedy.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
2.5/4
|
Nope
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
It's a good movie, but perhaps it's time to take some of our bloated expectations off Peele as a filmmaker.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3.5/4
|
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
The movie captures how instantaneously something can catch fire on the internet, but "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" is deeper than a profile in viral fame.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
2/4
|
The Black Phone
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Derrickson is comfortable navigating dark and demented worlds, so it's frustrating when "The Black Phone" doesn't come together in a successful way.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
2/4
|
Lightyear
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Lightyear" is frantic and colorful and the one hour and 40 minute runtime zips by, but it's confounding who exactly the movie is intended for.
Posted Jul 16, 2023
|
|
3/4
|
Acidman
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Agron and Church are both strong but the performances work best together, which is the sign of a successful two-hander film.
Posted Jun 20, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
Hustle
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Familiarity is okay, it just depends what you do with it - but "Hustle" chooses to follow the rulebook a bit too much.
Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
Top Gun: Maverick
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
The effects - second to Cruise - are the star of the show, but "Top Gun: Maverick" surprises in its quieter moments.
Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
As hollow as "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" can ring, it offers enough grandiose spectacle to get lost in. Being able to get lost in its story as well might have made for a more compelling film.
Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
Memory
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
When it comes to his thriller outings, autopilot is the only speed he [Neeson] has.
Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
1/4
|
The Bubble
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
It certainly strains for its pandemic-era laughs, mostly missing the mark by always feeling out of date.
Posted Jun 14, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
The Lost City
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Flaws be damned: Aaron Nee and Adam Nee's "The Lost City" is the perfect blend of silly-stupid with wide appeal that a weary movie-going audience needs right now.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
The Outfit
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Rylance's even-handed performance guides the whole film, and the actor delivers his best performance since winning the Oscar for 2015's "Bridge of Spies."
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
Deep Water
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Deep Water" is a tepid version of what Lyne was once a master of doing.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
The Adam Project
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
There's fun to be had with "The Adam Project" and its spectacle is entertaining (minus some terribly distracting de-aging technology), but the story trips over itself in the final act to a distracting degree.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
The Batman
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"The Batman" offers several great action pieces, but the movie does begin to crumble under its own weight, both in terms of the near-three-hour runtime and its own self-importance.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
2.5/4
|
Dog
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Most of "Dog" feels surface-level but Tatum and Lulu find ways to spark an odd couple rapport, which keeps this lighthearted movie engaging.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
Marry Me
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
It's weird to be living in a time where a movie like "Marry Me" doesn't warrant a recommendation but you desperately want it to succeed.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
Blacklight
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Neeson once pledged to put down his gun, and four movies after that declaration, he still hasn't. It's time.
Posted Mar 31, 2022
|
|
3.5/4
|
Cha Cha Real Smooth
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
...but after two films he Raiff has shown that no matter what he continues to do, it will be filled with warmth and a natural urge to connect to a character on a human level. What more could an audience ask for?
Posted Feb 02, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Thompson and McCormack have such a lovely, fine-tuned chemistry as two people who are in such different places in their lives but have more common ground than you would expect.
Posted Feb 02, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
Watcher
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
The movie draws you into its 1970s-style slow burn thriller intensity with such ease and precision, you won't feel it sneaking up on you right away.
Posted Feb 02, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
Fresh
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
The screenplay (which was written by Lauryn Kahn) successfully navigates genre changes, making "Fresh" a thrilling, exciting, and completely twisted ride to go on.
Posted Jan 22, 2022
|
|
1.5/4
|
When You Finish Saving the World
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Individual moments or lines in "When You Finish Saving the World" pop with a glimmer of Eisenberg's wry humor, but the movie feels like a skeleton.
Posted Jan 22, 2022
|
|
2/4
|
The 355
(2022)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"The 355" requires a filmmaker with an eye for choreography and urgency, which is lacking in almost every frame in his latest.
Posted Jan 21, 2022
|
|
3.5/4
|
Spider-Man: No Way Home
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"Spider-Man: No Way From Home" is the best example of what superhero movies can be.
Posted Jan 21, 2022
|
|
3/4
|
West Side Story
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"West Side Story" is the most alive one of his [Spielberg] films has felt on screen in a long time.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
2/4
|
House of Gucci
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"House of Gucci" is one of the big letdowns of the year.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
Don't Look Up
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
A movie about an apocalyptic event that spurs a culture war might sound exasperating right now, and that's completely understandable. We live in maddening times.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
3.5/4
|
Spencer
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
To call "Spencer" a biopic would be to misunderstand the term because the movie is more of an interpretation of Diana, not her life story.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
The Beta Test
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
"The Beta Test" is about unpleasant people and their unpleasant truths, but it's told with a ferocity that's hard to turn away from.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
2.5/4
|
Belfast
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Branagh's screenplay has a lot going on, while also feeling a bit aimless at times.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
3/4
|
Tick, Tick... Boom!
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Regardless of any quibbles, "Tick, Tick...Boom!" is entertaining to watch, largely due to Garfield's sensational performance as Larson.
Posted Dec 15, 2021
|
|
2/4
|
Dune
(2021)
|
Matthew Passantino
|
Some who love this story will be invested in the characters and their journey, but "Dune" will start and stop at the technical scale for most.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
|