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The Whale (2022)::rating::3.5
  M any times during The Whale, the same question popped into my head:  What exactly would this movie be without Brendan Fraser?  Judged strictly on its own merit, this is an exhausting, dour experience that builds to a muddled and unforgivably mawkish conclusion.   My opinion of The Whale is much lower than this star rating suggests.…
Women Talking (2022)::rating::3
  O f all the films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar this year, Women Talking confounded me the most.  On one hand, writer-director Sarah Polley tells a powerful story, pulled from real events.  A top-notch cast works with unflinching passion.  Still, I admired the pieces of Women Talking more than I actually liked the final product.  This…
Smile (2022)::rating::3.5
M uch like Taken, the 90s horror flick with Denzel Washington, Smile presents the most terrifying killer imaginable:  A virulent, incorporeal monster, traveling invisibly on the breeze.  It randomly lights on a victim, cursing them until they either end their life or murder someone else.  In their final moments, the afflicted wears the wide, unconvincing smile of…
Aftersun (2022)::rating::4
A s with the best coming-of-age dramas, Aftersun makes the correct decision to simply step back and let life wash over its characters.  There’s very little screenwriting artifice on display here, almost every scene feels carved from reality.  Yes, we see flash-forwards, but those only appear in micro-doses.  In truth, this is a character study that examines…
M3GAN (2022)::rating::3.5
M 3GAN might not set the world on fire as a horror flick, but it burns bright and kinda brilliant as a whacked-out social satire.  Look long enough into its shenanigans and you'll find riffs on the increasing encroachment of artificial intelligence, and how parents use gadgetry to distract unruly children. (Count me guilty of the…

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