Bill Bria

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Slashfilm
For 37 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 97% higher than the average critic
  • 0% same as the average critic
  • 3% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 12.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Bill Bria's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 78
Highest review score: 100 Avatar: Fire and Ash
Lowest review score: 40 Borderlands
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
37 movie reviews
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    • 47 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Mortal Kombat II
    It's easily one of the biggest surprises of this year. While it doesn't yet settle the debate about where video game movies will go from here, it proves the subgenre is evolving. Video game movies, especially "Mortal Kombat" movies, don't have to be radical reinventions, nor do they need to be relegated to fan service slop. They can be more.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Bill Bria
    Mother Mary
    Mother Mary is an emotionally distant, confounding, and ultimately unsatisfying work of art. Though its visual ambition and lead performances are commendable, it never gives enough of itself to let the rest of us in.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    The Drama
    The Drama is a cinematic Trojan horse: it's a breezy farce that feels uncomfortably ominous, and it's also a star-studded romance movie which could set off a discourse bomb.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 65 Bill Bria
    They Will Kill You
    Although much of the pleasures of They Will Kill You come with the caveat that the movie doesn't quite lead anywhere memorable, one aspect that is fully fantastic and very memorable is Zazie Beetz.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 70 Bill Bria
    How to Make a Killing
    How to Make a Killing is a movie that sneaks up on you, and like Becket himself, doesn't simply stab you in the chest or punch you in the gut. Instead, it slowly poisons you, leaving you bewildered by the end as to how sick you and the country you live in has become.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 70 Bill Bria
    The Moment
    Love it or hate it, believe it to be honest or self-indulgent, "The Moment" is a movie that refuses to pander, and for that, I appreciate it. We may never know who the real Charli XCX is, but unlike the fictional Charli, she seems to be putting herself out there on her own terms.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 100 Bill Bria
    Avatar: Fire and Ash
    Avatar: Fire and Ash is a triumph of genre filmmaking, proof that sci-fi/action can be both deliriously daring and thoroughly thrilling. At this point, I can't wait to go back to Pandora.
    • 39 Metascore
    • 70 Bill Bria
    Ella McCay
    There is a bittersweetness to be seen in "Ella McCay," as the movie openly wonders whether hope in our political system is as outdated as everything else. This theme may be fully intentional or it may be coincidental, yet it feels heartfelt in either case.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Keeper
    Despite its beasties, "Keeper" is not a monster movie, but is instead a scathing look at an idea inherent in human relationships, particularly romantic ones.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    The Smashing Machine
    For audiences curious to know the ins and outs of the early days of MMA fighting, you'd be better served by watching the 2002 documentary. If, however, you're more curious about the people involved, and if you're someone who feels like either a winner or a loser (or, more to the point, both at once) in life's big match, then The Smashing Machine is for you.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 70 Bill Bria
    Eenie Meanie
    The star of Eenie Meanie and the reason to see it — other than those car crashes and flips, that is — is Weaving, and she absolutely is the most valuable player in the film.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Eddington
    It's a film that never feels neutered or held back, and as such it lingers in the mind for days afterward.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 90 Bill Bria
    Materialists
    There's a bit of quiet courageousness to the movie in its commitment to depth over trying to nakedly appeal to others, and that's a quality which makes any person — and any film — more desirable. So, I'll follow the film's bravery by admitting, right here and now, that I'm in love with it.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 90 Bill Bria
    The Life of Chuck
    Instead, The Life of Chuck is one of the most insightful and moving philosophical films ever made, a movie that's as much Kierkegaard as it is King.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 75 Bill Bria
    Honey Don't!
    What the movie lacks in laughs it more than makes up for with a hip savviness that pervades every frame.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    The Phoenician Scheme
    The film belongs to Del Toro and Threapleton, each of whom steal the film in disparate ways.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Until Dawn
    The filmmakers have made a movie which, while not being particularly deep, manages to be fresh, engaging, creepy and fun. For a mainstream horror flick adapted from a game, that's a feat in and of itself, but what gives "Until Dawn" extra heft is its meta, existentialist twist on the monster mash, making the film not the best, but the most horror movie of the year.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Bill Bria
    Hell of a Summer
    While there may be a few folks out there for whom Hell of a Summer gives them a chill, the majority of horror fans probably won't find themselves too fearful. What Bryk and Wolfhard have here instead is one of the coziest horror movies in recent memory, one which instantly feels charming from the start.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Novocaine
    Novocaine is a delightful and surprisingly relatable hoot. If too many over-stylized, gleefully immature action movies have been a particular pain in your ass lately, then consider Novocaine your analgesic.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 65 Bill Bria
    Opus
    Ultimately, how you feel about "Opus" depends on what kind of movie lover you are — if you're the type who, like me, loves to go over films again and again with a fine-tooth comb to mine the layers of theme and subtext, then the movie could be surprisingly rewarding. If you're looking for a purely visceral and emotionally engaging experience, then "Opus" is unquestionably a letdown.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    The Wedding Banquet
    The Wedding Banquet may be the feel-good movie of the year, but that's not to call it a frivolity. It's a film that, once again, demonstrates how all of us, no matter from what background, can relate to each other, and in the era we're currently suffering through, that's a message we could all use more of.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Together
    Shanks can clearly blend horror and comedy, keeping things hilarious while never letting the tension diminish, and it's a technique that allows him to play an audience like a fiddle.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Bill Bria
    Rabbit Trap
    The film is a haunting curiosity, a movie that exists on the cusp of both folk horror and cosmic horror without resolving that tension.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 90 Bill Bria
    Kiss of the Spider Woman
    Kiss of the Spider Woman is a big kiss of a movie, one so genuinely loving that it's hard not to swoon.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 85 Bill Bria
    Never Let Go
    If you meet the film halfway, "Never Let Go" becomes enjoyably compelling and eerie. Yes, there are a good amount of scares to be had here, as Aja has only perfected his sense of jumpscare timing as well as his knack for finding collaborators who can conjure up some truly unsettling demonic zombie creatures.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    The Front Room
    This is very likely going to be a crowd pleasing movie, one to hoot and holler about. Beneath all that hooting and hollering, though, lies a psychologically rich tale that I believe will reward multiple viewings.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Joker: Folie à Deux
    It feels remarkably honest and true to itself, demonstrating again that taking such a popular character seriously is nothing to laugh at.
    • 26 Metascore
    • 40 Bill Bria
    Borderlands
    Borderlands makes a point of not being different enough to upset the fanbase, but it's also not unique enough to win over new audiences, either. It's a movie for everyone and no one, a film so unwilling to make a splash that it barely makes a peep.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 100 Bill Bria
    Longlegs
    After it's over, you won't soon forget what you've seen and heard. Even if you try, it'll come back — whether in your fantasies, your nightmares, or both.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 80 Bill Bria
    Bad Boys: Ride or Die
    Smith, Lawrence, Adil & Bilall keep Mike and Marcus winningly human. They're adult men who suffer from heart attacks and panic attacks as much as they leap over cars and make impossible shots with their pistols. That special, magic mixture of grounded heart with over-the-top action and comedy is what makes a "Bad Boys" film, and make no mistake: "Ride or Die" is not only a great "Bad Boys" film, it's also a top-tier action comedy.
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