recent product reviews
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)
Same Mission: Impossible formula: intrigue and deception, characters outsmart each other with ingenuity and outcool each other with dialogue, all of the high-stakes global drama wrapped with flashy effects and action set pieces. The formula is definitely getting tired, but this installment pulls it off. Just enough story to build…
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Superman (2025)
Another DC reboot? Why? Like so many films in the DC universe, this one is spectacle over substance. It’s big, loud, and visual, more Roland Emmerich than Richard Donner. Corenswet manages to pull it off, barely. The character is retooled for modern audiences with sarcastic quips and self-aware smirks, but…
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John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
A love letter to John Candy. Dan Aykroyd’s opening eulogy is beautifully written and full of genuine affection. From there, the film assembles an impressive lineup of family, friends, collaborators, and admirers, all sharing deeply personal stories and memories. It’s a portrait built on love and admiration, and the sheer…
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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Finally, I get it. From the moment Marlon Brando enters the frame, his raw, unfiltered masculinity is undeniable. There’s a loose, visceral energy in the way he moves, speaks, and simply is. His delivery is fluid, natural, even crude at times. He’s physical, animalistic, his ripped physique constantly on display…
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For Sama (2019)
A powerful companion piece to 20 Days in Mariupol, both harrowing first-person accounts of war, both featuring Russian-driven brutality, and both centered on the courage of frontline journalists. But For Sama is more personal, more intimate. Waad Al-Kateab captures her life in Aleppo with remarkable bravery. The footage she assembled…
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Seaspiracy (2021)
An eye-opening expose, blowing the lid off of an industry in true Michael Moore fashion. Makes me rethink the wonder and glory of the world’s oceans as shown in David Attenborough’s documentaries. Maddening and painful, but everyone should see this. I can’t imagine anyone walking away from this unchanged, especially…
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Sketch (2024)
Great concept, the story of children’s drawings of monsters coming to life finally gets told. But it needed a star actor to anchor this thing. Tony Hale’s exasperation and overwhelm grows old quickly, and the kids painfully struggle through their dialogue. But it still works. One of the best horribly…
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Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Nice to see the passion, precision, and reverence that go into Jiro’s craft, but there’s not much to this story that’s particularly dramatic or engaging. Interesting to see so much reverence for a character like Jiro. A similar character here in the US would be ripped to shreds by critics,…
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Pride & Prejudice (2005)
One of literature’s great standards, lovingly brought to life by sophomore director Joe Wright. A thoughtful exploration of character and circumstance. Everyone feels real, and the coming-of-age arcs and the slow-burning romantic tension between Elizabeth and Darcy unfold with grace. It’s not just a drama of love and social intrigue,…
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Apocalypto (2006)
Apocalypto is an ambitious project. Visually stunning, intense, and steeped in mystery. Mel Gibson has made another historical epic. The ending is great, with its haunting implication that a much bigger story, one we already know, is about to begin. While not as polished or dramatic as Braveheart, it’s every…
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I'm a photographer, web developer, travel enthusiast, and movie buff living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.In the summer of 1993, I started writing reviews for every movie I saw and haven't looked back. I'm up to 2,375 reviews now. This makes me cool or a complete dork, depending on your perspective.
Some of these reviews contain spoilers, so if that bothers you, don't read!
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