The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)::rating::4.5::rating::4.5::rating::4.5

W ith every rewatch, my thoughts on Return of the King grow a little more complex. On one hand, this is most thrilling film in the trilogy. It pays off the emotional and action beats of the previous two films with absolute perfection. The franchise’s cinematic legacy couldn’t exist without the awe-inspiring grandeur…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 12, 20250Comments

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Anora (2024)::rating::4.5

A nora is a throwback to the great American character studies of the 1970s. Many emotions and filmmaking genres meld into an impressively coherent story. By turns, this is a searing drama, a sly comedy, and a subtle piece of social commentary. It's heartbreaking, redemptive, frustrating, and magnificent. Writer-editor-director Sean Baker delivers showy cinematic flourishes next…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 8, 20250Comments

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)::rating::5

W ith this middle chapter, Peter Jackson's epic trilogy hits its stride. The Two Towers is darker, more suspenseful, and more richly textured than its predecessor. It's also more focused and dramatically satisfying than Return of the King. (These critiques come with the caveat that all three films are top-tier cinema.) Much like The Empire Strikes…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 5, 20250Comments

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Emilia Pérez (2024)::rating::4

D espite its accolades, Emilia Pérez has also amassed a stunning swell of controversy. Members of the trans community have stated the film is not an accurate depiction of their lives. Similarly, Mexicans have expressed frustration at what they feel is a stereotypical and one-dimensional portrayal of their country. To further complicate matters, controversial tweets…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 4, 20250Comments

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)::rating::4.5

P erhaps the biggest triumph of this movie is that it even exists at all. Tolkien's behemoth novels were so sweeping and ambitious, many readers swore they could never be filmed. The special effects would be too intensive and expensive, and the books' fractured storytelling would make any traditional three-act movie feel rushed and incoherent.…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 26, 20250Comments

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Total Recall (1990)::rating::3.5

T otal Recall marries some truly audacious sci-fi concepts to a traditional Arnold Schwarzenegger action epic. It's an unholy union, to say the least: A man's shaky grasp of his own shifting reality occupies the same movie as oily bad guys getting their arms ripped off and an endless barrage of cheeseball one-liners. (Of course,…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 19, 20250Comments

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)::rating::4.5

I can't properly define my love for The Wrath of Khan without also describing how much I despise the film that preceded it. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was ponderous and hokey, like a bad episode of the original series stretched out with an Ambien and four gin and tonics. The proto-CGI was bad, but the…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 12, 20250Comments

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The Substance (2024)::rating::3.5

T he Substance bundles several movies into one ungainly package: Midnight-black comedy mingles with more spraying blood than a GWAR binge on Youtube. Stinging social satire flows through flourishes of The Twilight Zone and Death Becomes Her. The result is alternately funny, heartbreaking, visceral, and irritating. And nothing about any of it is subtle. This…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 10, 20250Comments

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Blade Runner – Final Cut (1982)::rating::5

B lade Runner is a beautiful nightmare, bathed in flickering neon and dirty rainwater. Director Ridley Scott feasts upon our fears of the future, wherein humanity's technological reach has finally exceeded its grasp and we are reduced to a miserable, shivering rabble, lost in the sprawl of our own ambition. A sense of hopelessness radiates from…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 5, 20250Comments

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Alien (1979)::rating::4.5

Jaws in space." -- The original studio pitch for Alien. T hat's a catchy hook for a sci-fi horror flick, and no doubt it helped get Alien bankrolled at 20th Century Fox. It also undersells the uniqueness and uncommon quality of Ridley Scott's finished product. This is no cheap, rickety derivative, destined to expire as soon as it…

ByTodd WoffordJanuary 16, 20250Comments