Popular reviews

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  Review by Karsten ★★★★ 12

  There’s a scene in a car in here that is AS GOOD as THAT car scene in Children of Men. Like it’s a scene that’s waaay better than it has to be. But it’s so good. Great movie??

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  Review by SilentDawn ★★★★ 5

  72

  First clever, then uproarious, and then, without a designated shift or tonal development, terrifying. Pushes its farce and satirical elements past the far side of the moon and into the great beyond, one of paranoia and mistrust. Also has an incredible car chase? Truly an original.

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  Review by ava adore ★★★★½ 5

  1. i have a gross crush on matt johnson and i don't like it also owen looks like idubbbz in this movie
  2. imagine making two movies so close in quality and both being so fantastic in such a short period of time matt johnson is a god
  3. i love space!
  4. i can't believe my ass wasn't taken to sundance last year because i would've screamed and cried and thrown at least seven temper tantrums until i saw this
  5. the dirties>this solely based on personal preference and my fondness of any movie that explores school shootings
  6. really really cute more subtle love letter to movies and it made me want to cry out of how pure and passionate this movie is i want to care about stuff this much

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  Review by adambolt ★★★★½

  the moon landing was fake because wallace and gromit weren't there

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  Review by PopcornIdeology ★★★★ 1

  At around the 30 minute mark, I thought to myself “wow this could be a lot funnier.” Then around 30 minutes later I realized it’s much more than a mockumentary and I feel stupid for prematurely categorizing it as such.
  
  Operation Avalanche explores paranoia, but in two very distinct ways. One in the traditional sense with its leading characters, and another in a far more subtle way. Matt Johnson perfectly weaponizes the human propensity to believe in conspiracy in order to make a immersive and highly entertaining film, one that also if you think about it is a deeply satirical portrait of the narratives people are willing to believe. Also, Operation Avalanche has one of the best car chase scenes…

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  Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★ 8

  Probably the best 2016 dramedy release that I've seen aside from the great Toni Erdmann; I want to become best buddies with Matt Johnson (and man, do his films always get real as fuck toward the end of their runtimes).

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  Review by Jaxi ★★★★★

  this goes from a goofy comedy to a heart pounding thriller so seamlessly that you don't notice the shift until you realize your face has been tucked into your shirt for the last ten minutes

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  Review by matt lynch ★★★ 1

  This is neat but it's pretty clear Johnson has no interest in any actual project here beyond his own cleverness. I can do that too: his stolen access improv thriller allegedly about the reliability of images is packed with CIA agents that uniformly sport heavy Canadian accents and call each other "dude" all the time.

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  Review by Joel Haver ★★★★

  While the commitment to period accuracy prevents it from being as groundbreaking as Matt Johnson’s later work on Nirvanna The Band The Show, it’s still a sight to behold. No one comes close to Matt’s ability to somehow make work lovingly indebted to the past while simulataneously breaking new ground for the future.

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  Review by pd187 ★★½ 15

  like the (alleged) landing itself, this is an impressive technical achievement that doesnt actually accomplish anything of benefit or substance. shot-on-16mm (??) footage looks great and they didnt throw in too many anachronistic details but it def needed another pass in the writers room to be more than just a clever premise - the bitchy, passive-aggressive yet still likable & heroic CIA agents occasionally make this feel like a retro episode of "the office" (why are americans saying "sorey"?) and the corny scene where they come up with "one small step for man" feels like forrest gump or one of the "easter eggs" from a marvel movie ("hey, i know that!"). the whole thing plays into the ironic/aesthetic conspiracy mode right…

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  Review by nick ★★★★

  Matt Johnson is a genius for inserting himself into one of the biggest conspiracy theories in human history in the most sense-making way possible. The result is an effective mockumentary/comedy thriller that doubles as a sincere ode to the power of cinema.

  In his usual goofy white guy mode, Johnson turned himself into a CIA employee who infiltrated NASA by pretending as a filmmaker to locate a Soviet mole. The comedy tropes become extra endearing when Johnson unabashedly showcases his cinephile identity on screen, adding nodding references and inside jokes to the mix. But when the story slowly takes on a darker turn, that's when the real strength of Operation Avalanche shows. The accurate retro visuals are another highlight of this delicate production.

  Operating with enough indie spirits and improvisational excellence (the final chase scene stands out), Operation Avalanche is a compelling demonstration of Matt Johnson as a smart, unique and underrated new voice. Recommended.

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  Review by Matthew Saponar ★★★★½ 1

  "...owen?"

  holy shit. this is sososososo fun and just absolutely exhilarating. a true testament to the insanity of filmmaking in general. that reveal in the garage will fuck me up for the rest of the year.