Movie Reviews
Culture Editor Murjani Rawls shares his thoughts on all the latest movie and TV releases.
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‘The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster’ takes Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ and flips it with an informative bit of social commentary
Writer-director Bomani J. Story challenges the monster and mad scientist characters within the Black experience.
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‘Flamin’ Hot’ review: The tasty snack origin tale gives us something to cheer for until it loses confidence in its recollection
Richard Montañez’s rise from Frito Lay janitor to marketing guru has substance, but the style takes away from the impact.
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‘The Wrath of Becky’ review: Hell hath no fury than a pissed-off teenager with weapons galore at her disposal
The sequel to 2020’s Becky switches up the tone entirely looking towards dark humor as a north star.
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‘Past Lives’ review: Director Celine Song’s debut beautifully scans the resonance of lingering love and impediment of fate
Equality captivating and contemplative; Greta Lee and Teo Yoo play two old friends that reconnect after many years.
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‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ review: What’s better than one great Spider-animated film? – two of them
The sequel to 2018’s ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ expands the scope of the universe without losing the greatest and heart of the original.
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‘The Boogeyman’ review: Effective bumps in the night run into the short story adaptation conundrum
The latest Stephen King short story adaptation has some effective scares to it’s credit with an all too familiar story basis.
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‘Fast X’ review: You can’t have summer blockbuster absurdity without family and Jason Momoa
There’s Vin Diesel, a big returning cast of characters, an eccentric villain, and cars—lots of car explosions.
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‘The Little Mermaid’ review: Disney’s latest adaptation does just enough for you to want to be part of that world
Halle Bailey portrayal of Ariel is a key highlight to Disney’s latest story adaptation attempt.
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‘You Hurt My Feelings’ review: Marriage dramedy asks if well-intentioned positivity and truthfulness can co-exist
Tobias Menzies and Julia Louis-Dreyfus play a long-standing couple who weigh if bluntness is the best recipe.
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‘Monica’ review: Precisely painted story pairs trans acceptance and maternal reconnection together
Trace Lysette stars as a trans woman that returns home to care for her ailing mother that kicked her out almost a decade ago.
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‘White Men Can’t Jump’ review: Serviceable remake predicates new premise on regaining hoop dreams
Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow star in a remake of the 1992 original that tries to outwork the dated premise.
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‘McGregor Forever’ walks the line between redemption story and crossroads parallel
The Netflix four-part documentary catches up with the UFC star in 2018 as he moves through wins, losses, and personal change.
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‘Love To Love You, Donna Summer’ is a documentary that serves as a better personal overlay of a side few got to see
The HBO documentary gives a better insight into the inner workings of "The Queen of Disco," but perhaps understands how vast Summer’s legacy is.
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‘Sanctuary’ review: Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott play erotically tinged cat-and-mouse game
An almost hotel empire heir engages in an erotic and witty battle of the minds within a hotel room.
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‘Hypnotic’ review: Robert Rodriguez’s latest has sci-fi templates a plenty that are all up in your mind
Ben Affleck plays a detective in the search for his abducted daughter in a feature pieced together by earlier films that had a better time to convey their ideas.
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‘Blackberry’ review: Matt Johnson’s retelling of the once beloved and fallen handheld device wins in balance
Long before iPhones and Androids, the Blackberry had a massive market share. A film peers into the rise and fall.
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‘The Starling Girl’ review: Desire and religious devotion are raging inside me
Eliza Scanlen plays 17-year-old Jem Starling, who starts questioning her place within a fundamentalist community in Kentucky.
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‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ review: Beautifully illustrated, brave, and engaging
The retired actor and activist lays his burdens down about his Parkinson’s fight and retains his optimism through it all.
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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ proves a trilogy finale doesn’t need a main character death to be effective
The Marvel Cinematic Universe had it’s fair share of sadness in Phase Four, but the conclusion of the Guardians trilogy helps us see the light.
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‘Return To Seoul’ review: Engrossing adoption drama notes a woman’s journey caught in the middle of two worlds
Writer/director Davy Chou’s exploratory drama sees a woman figure out her identity within a trip to Korea.
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‘Big George Foreman’ review: Biopic tells the story of boxing legend with standard, safe paintbrush
Director George Tillman’s Jr. description of the two-time Heavyweight Champion of the World seems most interested in the man’s second act.
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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ review: Come and get your love, goodbyes, and good times
Writer/director James Gunn’s Marvel swan song goes for big swings, a notable soundtrack, and an enjoyable goodbye for all your Guardian favorites.
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‘Chevalier’ review: Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s portrayal of the Black French virtuoso is rousing enough to unearth this needed story
Director Stephen Williams tells the story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, in an informative biopic of a Black pioneer.
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‘Polite Society’ review: Two sisters are the fire and the fury of Nida Manzoor’s upbeat action-comedy
Writer/director Nida Manzoor’s coming-of-age feature smashes the patriarchy with style, homages, and flair.
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‘Clock’ review: What to expect when you don’t want to be expecting
Dianna Agron stars as a successful woman pressured on many fronts to have a child in a primarily effective psychological horror film.
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‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’ review: The originator of Rock and Roll gets his just due
The architect gets a worthy monument that discusses Richard’s impact coupled with the struggles of his sexuality.
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‘Ghosted’ review: Chris Evans and Ana de Armas’ rom-com meets spy flick doesn’t match their star power
He’s a farmer and she’s a spy. Can I make it any more obvious?
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‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ review: A book adaptation fit for immense applause
Don’t worry, the beloved novel written by Judy Blume gets an enjoyable translation.
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‘Beau Is Afraid’ review: Ari Aster lays his protagonist’s sins bare in an weaponization of parental guilt expose
In what seems like a simple tale of a son going to home to see his mother, the ‘Midsommar’ director gives us a lot more to chew on.
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‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ review: Salvation comes in the form of a priest riding a Vespa
Russell Crowe has a ball playing the wise-cracking Father Gabriele Amorth, but the film plays the "omg, they are possessed" hits.
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‘Renfield’ review: The modern tyranny of Dracula’s reign might give you justifiable reasoning to quiet quit
Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Hoult make for some funny moments as a toxic master and familiar relationship as some of the story elements impede on each other.
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‘Paint’ review: What if Bob Ross had existential personal and relationship crises, but also painted?
Owen Wilson channels the essence of a not-so-subtle homage to the famous painter’s spirit, but loses a lot in the wash.