Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)::rating::3::rating::3::rating::3

N ever before has a more lunkheaded movie been made about the pursuit of knowledge. Here's the strange thing: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure wears its stupidity with pride, like one of those trucker hats with built-in beer bongs. That means a person in my position can either spend 1000 words picking nits about two airheads…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 6, 20220Comments

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Watcher (2022)::rating::3

W atcher wasn't constructed with COVID in mind, but it might as well have been. On one level, this is an atmospheric little thriller that lights a fuse and lets it sizzle for most of the movie. Take a look below that, and you'll find a meditation on loneliness and spiritual frustration--the very demons that descend…

ByTodd WoffordJuly 2, 20220Comments

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Network (1976)::rating::5

B y 1976, television had already gained momentum as a cultural hurricane, churning and demolishing everything in its path. No film predicted the tack that storm would take better than Network. Audiences who once laughed with nervous energy at the lunacy of blood-soaked infotainment now cringe that its satirical apocalypse has been fully realized. Frothing pundits…

ByTodd WoffordJune 28, 20220Comments

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Lightyear (2022)::rating::3

I remember reading a scathing review for one of Paul McCartney's solo albums. From anyone else, the author argued, the new songs would've been just fine. Adequate. But this is the guy who gave us "Hey Jude" and "Eleanor Rigby," and there are no excuses for simply parring the course. Hate to say it,…

ByTodd WoffordJune 27, 20220Comments

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Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)::rating::4

G ood Luck to You, Leo Grande presents an interesting flip on Mike Nichols' The Graduate. In that enduring classic, Dustin Hoffman's wallflower college grad falls for the self-assured charm and sexual awareness of Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a much-older woman. Here, Emma Thompson's Nancy Stokes is a middle-aged widow whose life has been devoid of…

ByTodd WoffordJune 23, 20220Comments

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The Princess Bride (1987)::rating::5

L ong ago, The Princess Bride was borne as a loving spoof of beloved fantasy tales, but somewhere along its three-plus decades, a wonderful thing happened. Viewers latched onto its gentle humor, quotable dialogue, sharp performances, and cheerfully retro aesthetic. It became beloved in its own right. Now, parents pass The Princess Bride down to their kids, who…

ByTodd WoffordJune 22, 20220Comments

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)::rating::3

G iven that it's based on a video game I never played, loaded with SEGA references I'll never get, and populated with characters I only mildly care about, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 works surprisingly well. That's because it stocks just enough 90s nostalgia and pop culture riffs to keep adults busy, while the CGI sound and…

ByTodd WoffordJune 14, 20220Comments

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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)::rating::4

A movie like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent runs the considerable risk of sinking under the unbearable weight of its own pretensions. After all, the film's very premise feels insufferably hip and ironic: Nic Cage plays "Nick Cage," an outsized version of himself. As he struggles with a fragile ego and a faltering…

ByTodd WoffordJune 12, 20220Comments

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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)::rating::3.5

T he first two Fantastic Beasts films captured some of the leftover charm from the Harry Potter series, but none of the dramatic heft. Simply put, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) isn't as compelling a protagonist as Harry Potter, nor is there a Ron or Hermione to add any texture or humanity to him. Also, Newt doesn't have a…

ByTodd WoffordJune 7, 20220Comments

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Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)::rating::3.5

S o much of dating feels like trying on a new wardrobe: You have to sense the awkwardness of someone who doesn't fit correctly to appreciate the magic of someone who does. The characters in Four Weddings and a Funeral spend their time in fidgety frustration, waiting for the person who will add a fairy tale…

ByTodd WoffordJune 6, 20220Comments