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10/10
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Predator
(1987)
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Mike Massie
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This superior blend of firepower, machismo, bloodshed, and one of the most exhilarating showdowns in cinema is often imitated but rarely equaled.
Posted Oct 31, 2025
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6/10
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Bugonia
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
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It’s the kind of genre-blending thriller, peppered with uncomfortable laughs as it may be, that is more interesting in its commentary on modern society than it is regularly entertaining.
Posted Oct 28, 2025
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4/10
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Foxy Brown
(1974)
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Mike Massie
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It can’t live up to the excitement and hipness generated by its predecessor, though it would go on to be incredibly influential and successful for the genre.
Posted Oct 27, 2025
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8/10
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Coffy
(1973)
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Mike Massie
|
The tone is serious, the harshness entertaining, the deserts grandly just (the finale is surprisingly well-written and supremely satisfying), and the star perfectly cast.
Posted Oct 27, 2025
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3/10
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Naked Warriors
(1973)
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Mike Massie
|
A hint of tension surfaces during an escape attempt, but the complexity of the plot is too nominal to maintain much excitement; it’s also rather predictable, going through the routines of arena showdowns as opposed to spicing them up with creativity.
Posted Oct 27, 2025
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3/10
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Game of Death
(1979)
|
Mike Massie
|
Though it barely works as a movie, a handful of fight scenes are undeniably entertaining, including a warehouse brawl with motorcycles and a showdown at the Red Pepper Restaurant.
Posted Oct 27, 2025
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4/10
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Web of Seduction
(1999)
|
Mike Massie
|
It may be pitiful as a traditional narrative, but it’s quite effective as visual titillation.
Posted Oct 27, 2025
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|
7/10
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Good Fortune
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
Despite some structural shortcomings, it's surprisingly heartwarming.
Posted Oct 15, 2025
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5/10
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After the Hunt
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
It may be timely and relevant (its closing scenes are exceptionally somber in the context of 2025), but it’s far from satisfying or singular or indelible.
Posted Oct 14, 2025
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6/10
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TRON: Ares
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
The story is a collection of absolute absurdities, but the look of the picture is oozing with slick style and exhilarating sci-fi structures.
Posted Oct 07, 2025
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5/10
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The Smashing Machine
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
In the end, it’s a small story with limited scope and appeal, undoubtedly begging the question as to why it wasn’t centered around Kerr’s best friend Mark Coleman instead.
Posted Oct 02, 2025
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6/10
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Kiss of the Spider Woman
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
The acting is once again the highlight; the cast turns in impressive performances, even if the plot can’t offer up any surprises.
Posted Sep 30, 2025
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6/10
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Eyes Wide Shut
(1999)
|
Mike Massie
|
Even with its superb sense of unease and the idea that it’s steadily crafting a galvanizing conspiracy, it wanders off on tangents.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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Lolita
(1962)
|
Mike Massie
|
It steadily becomes aggravating and disquieting as every role grows more erratic, distrustful, deceitful, selfish, predatory, and corrupt; every life involved is twisted and destroyed.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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5/10
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Barry Lyndon
(1975)
|
Mike Massie
|
The melancholic, nearly unenthusiastic way in which the film’s major points are handled, as well as the interminable length, deprive it of much hope for lasting poignancy.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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Evil Ed
(1995)
|
Mike Massie
|
There aren’t really heroes or villains – just random personas crossing paths with the maniacal Edward for the sake of further fodder for butchering.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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2/10
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Screwballs
(1983)
|
Mike Massie
|
The bulk of the film is incredibly low-energy; no one puts much effort or enthusiasm into the sexual shenanigans (songs by Johnny Dee Fury are about the only rollicking component).
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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8/10
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Advise and Consent
(1962)
|
Mike Massie
|
A scathing indictment of politics through and through; it’s one of the most cynical movies ever made.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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5/10
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Monkey Business
(1952)
|
Mike Massie
|
The story just isn’t assembled cleverly enough to enable the whole to be as satisfying as the parts.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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5/10
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The Deep
(1977)
|
Mike Massie
|
It never quite balances the adventure with the drama, but it’s far from unwatchable.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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10/10
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The Conversation
(1974)
|
Mike Massie
|
This is nearly a one-man show, with Hackman giving an extraordinary performance as a conflicted soul whose personal beliefs, business ethic, and moral compass begin to unravel as he steadily uncovers clues about a mysterious, recorded conversation.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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The Paradine Case
(1947)
|
Mike Massie
|
This is, bizarrely, a rather uneventful legal thriller, even with a combative exchange or two.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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As Young as You Feel
(1951)
|
Mike Massie
|
The whole ordeal never rises to madcap intensity; it’s peppered with light comedy and curious personas, but it regularly fizzles, allowing the tenser interactions to unwind almost blandly.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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Alligator II: The Mutation
(1991)
|
Mike Massie
|
Either the ambition is way too low, or the resources are practically nonexistent.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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Dead Space
(1991)
|
Mike Massie
|
At least the climax is hilarious in a chaotic, bloodthirsty way.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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Battle Beyond the Stars
(1980)
|
Mike Massie
|
The heroes aren’t terribly heroic, nor are they crafted with much originality or enjoyable idiosyncrasies; they mostly appear as if leftover or rejected forms from old sci-fi television series episodes.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(1992)
|
Mike Massie
|
The story isn’t particularly original, since plenty of fantasy films before it have utilized a grizzled elder training a skeptical, naive pupil to do extraordinary feats.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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2/10
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Elektra
(2005)
|
Mike Massie
|
No doubt exists as to whether or not she’ll win out in the end; nothing is really at stake.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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Daredevil
(2003)
|
Mike Massie
|
Worst of all is the finale, which features a protracted duel with villain Bullseye, utilizing copious amounts of bad CG that cheapens the choreography and any potential for a satisfying demise.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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Replicant
(2001)
|
Mike Massie
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The finale, drawn out and exceptionally bloodthirsty, is moderately satisfying – even if terribly unrealistic, which matches the nonsensical parting shots.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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Death Warrant
(1990)
|
Mike Massie
|
The simplicity of the good cop struggling to survive on the inside, outnumbered and outgunned by bad cops and anarchists, establishes a few decent duels, while the sizable collection of antagonists line up for notable demises.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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6/10
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Almost Famous
(2000)
|
Mike Massie
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It’s more of a sweet, satirical take on an extraordinary childhood, concerned with careful character development far more than unforgettable misadventures on the road.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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6/10
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Hard Target
(1993)
|
Mike Massie
|
Dedicated primarily to bloodshed and excitement, this is the kind of movie in which anything shot at tends to explode in conspicuously cinematic fireballs, while limited ammo rarely affects those unleashing countless rounds from easily-obtained guns.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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2/10
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Street Fighter
(1994)
|
Mike Massie
|
The flimsy sets and props, the aimless fighting (the finale is a nonsensically protracted collection of nemesis throw-downs, concluding, unbelievably, with a silly chuckle), and the nonexistent storytelling acumen are just too much to overcome.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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7/10
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Sinners
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
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The makeup and gore are well done, while the music remains key (it’s essentially a character of its own), transcending storytelling and its cohesion.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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Silent Hill: Revelation
(2012)
|
Mike Massie
|
For anyone who is not already familiar with the Silent Hill franchise, this follow-up will surely pose a comparable inscrutableness to its theatrical predecessor.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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4/10
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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
(2014)
|
Mike Massie
|
Even with a satisfying finale and director Kenneth Branagh serving doubly as the severe main antagonist, this Tom Clancy-based actioner is exceptionally generic.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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5/10
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The Sum of All Fears
(2002)
|
Mike Massie
|
The acts of snooping and slinking about in darkness are rather engaging, even if the obvious components of the plot drag along with little concern for swift pacing.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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3/10
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The Stuff
(1985)
|
Mike Massie
|
Gory sequences do finally arise at the climax – a nonsensical showdown of sorts – but it doesn’t offset the unnecessary humor and the pervasive lack of sincerity.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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7/10
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Sudden Death
(1995)
|
Mike Massie
|
Features a hilariously surprising payoff in its ludicrously over-the-top finale – so excessive, in fact, that it singlehandedly ups the ante on the overall entertainment value.
Posted Sep 25, 2025
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6/10
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One Battle After Another
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
This is a production that boasts both wildly entertaining political thrills and extremely head-scratching digressions.
Posted Sep 17, 2025
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6/10
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The Long Walk
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
A well-paced, frightful little thriller that is as unnerving as it is intentional.
Posted Sep 04, 2025
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4/10
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Caught Stealing
(2025)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s obvious what Aronofsky wishes to achieve, chiefly with the crime/comedy meld, but the morbidness of key components invalidates the humor; it’s just not much fun when the cruelty is so consequential.
Posted Aug 27, 2025
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6/10
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Grave of the Fireflies
(1988)
|
Mike Massie
|
It’s a dark, depressing, occasionally beautiful experiment in telling an important story, but it doesn’t do so in an indelible manner; it’s historic, tragic, and sad, yet far from unforgettable.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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7/10
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Threads
(1984)
|
Mike Massie
|
Though it’s far from an engaging film (it’s ghastly and soul-crushing, however), it ought to be required viewing.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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6/10
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Pure Luck
(1991)
|
Mike Massie
|
By the end, it opts to conclude on another airy joke rather than a sensible solution – though it’s a satisfying choice.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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3/10
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Virtuosity
(1995)
|
Mike Massie
|
Washington gives it his all, remaining convincing as a tormented yet heroic policeman, while Crowe hams it up, enjoying the role but ultimately appearing just plain annoying.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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5/10
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Double Impact
(1991)
|
Mike Massie
|
Although it meanders and goes on for entirely too long, the finale does boast some long-awaited duels and confrontations – and unusually cathartic violence against a slew of deserving brutes.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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1/10
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She
(1985)
|
Mike Massie
|
As if scriptless and made up on the spot, following along with nothing, the plot merely meanders, moving between locations and enemies, often breaking out into fights.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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2/10
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Guns
(1990)
|
Mike Massie
|
It does have a lot of guns and girls; the ingredients are all present but the recipe is still a disaster.
Posted Aug 23, 2025
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