The Iron Giant (1999)::rating::4::rating::4::rating::4

A s an obvious riff on E.T., The Iron Giant owes an enormous emotional and spiritual debt to Steven Spielberg. You also don't have to look hard for nods to steampunk, pulp novels, and Saturday morning serials. But for all his mixing and matching, writer-director Brad Bird actually works a small miracle with this film: Over…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 19, 20230Comments

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The Negotiator (1998)::rating::3.5

T he Negotiator is a well-acted, well-staged action flick, but its greatest accomplishment is disguising just how preposterous it is. Ninety-nine times of a hundred, nothing about this plot works, and Samuel L. Jackson’s protagonist ends up either locked in the pokey or deader than sweet disco. If you can accept that this is that one-percent…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 13, 20230Comments

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Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023)::rating::3

G uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 makes it hard to believe this franchise once kicked off with a funky, funny, freewheeling romp. That first film, with its cute pop culture riffs and geeky 70s mixtapes, was the sorbet comic book cinema desperately needed. Now, hither comes movie no. 3, which has the look and…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 12, 20230Comments

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Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023)::rating::4.5

S ome coming-of-age dramedies draw humor from the cringiness of pre-teendom, when our bodies change faster than our brains can process. Others focus on the frustration of living in that emotional and spiritual thicket between being a child and an adult. Finally, a few aim to satisfy our appetite for gooey nostalgia, with a loving…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 7, 20230Comments

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)::rating::3

L et me kick off this review with a mild dose of good news: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a full notch better than The Crystal Skull, the bland, indulgent misfire that preceded it. That means a more compelling MacGuffin, snappier dialogue, and a more satisfying sendoff to one of cinema’s coolest action…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 1, 20230Comments

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21 Grams (2003)::rating::3.5

F or all the acting, writing, and directing superpower behind it, 21 Grams will be forever distinguished by its nonlinear design. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu (who shares story credit with Guillermo Arriaga) takes the scenes of his searing psychological drama and shuffles them like a deck of cards. Alas, this gamble only yields a partial payoff:…

ByTodd WoffordJune 26, 20230Comments

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The Flash (2023)::rating::3

B y now, we’ve established that the standalone DCEU films are middling at best, and all-out sucky at worst. Their world-building also can’t be trusted, as Zack Snyder raced through the Justice League setup like George Costanza with a Glamour magazine. So, The Flash eschews all that, in favor of a chambong filled with fizzy, headache-inducing nostalgia.…

ByTodd WoffordJune 25, 20230Comments

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Conan the Barbarian (1982)::rating::3

C onan the Barbarian is a spiritual descendent of those loincloth B-movies from Classic Hollywood, merged with expensive talent and an 80s taste for bawdiness. The result is an eccentric, fascinating mishmash that works in fits and starts. It launched Arnold as an above-the-title attraction, and will forever remain a curiosity for that reason alone. How…

ByTodd WoffordJune 14, 20230Comments

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Fast X (2023)::rating::2

S ometime during the previous Fast movie, a revelation dawned on me: These movies defy criticism. They flip a giddy middle finger to any intelligent analysis. After all, that installment had Luda and Tyrese launching into space aboard a rocket-mounted Pinto. The franchise didn't just jump the shark. It soared above all the sharks on the…

ByTodd WoffordJune 11, 20230Comments

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Rambo III (1988)::rating::3

F or the space of this review, you and I will venture back to a different place and time--America, in the 1980s. At this point, pop culture was a fever dream, fueled by Columbian coca plants and cheap hairspray. This was an era of plastic patriotism and dumb action movies, both of which hit their…

ByTodd WoffordJune 8, 20230Comments