Recent reviews

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  Along Came a Spider 1970

  ★★★ Watched 27 Feb 2025

  An intriguing - but flawed - ABC Movie of the Week from the very-early days of that television phenomenon. While the narrative (by Barry Oringer) is quite proficient and mostly engaging, this is one of those unfortunate cases where a superior first half crushes the second half under its own weight, with the story twisting itself into knots trying to be clever, ultimately rendering the final product less than satisfactory. A similar dynamic is at play with the characters: lead…

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  A Real Pain 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 20 Feb 2025

  An emotionally-resonant and relatable slice-of-life drama about two very different siblings who embark on a tour of Poland to rediscover the legacy of their late grandmother, a legacy that includes a tour of the concentration camps. This was quite a pleasant surprise, exuding a charm that is quite unexpected. Kieran Culkin is very effective in his role as fun-loving, fuck-all brother Benji, even though he's basically playing a poor version of his character in Succession, but it works; it's not…

Popular reviews

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  Infinity Pool 2023

  ★★★★★ Watched 28 Jan 2023

  Ladies and gentlemen, we have the first bona fide cinematic masterwork of 2023 on our hands. Every well-informed cinephile is likely already familiar with the story that occurred leading up to the theatrical release of this film, but for those who missed it: the finished product was reportedly so graphic that the MPAA slapped it with an NC-17 rating, which ultimately forced director Brandon Cronenberg to make cuts in order for an R-rated version to be approved. This rather-unusual incident…

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  The Batman 2022

  ★★★★½ Rewatched 31 Mar 2024

  This puts just about every Marvel/DC movie to shame. Atmosphere off the charts, and a Batman who is actually true to the detective-based roots of the character. A bit too long, but otherwise outstanding in every respect. Pretty awesome; check it out.

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