Katie Rife

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IGN, IndieWire, Polygon, RogerEbert.com, The A.V. Club, TheWrap
For 545 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 60% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 36% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 0.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Katie Rife's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 66
Highest review score: 100 Little Women
Lowest review score: 0 The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 363 out of 545
  2. Mixed: 160 out of 545
  3. Negative: 22 out of 545
545 movie reviews
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    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Obsession
    Obsession’s biggest blind spot is its inability to reckon with the sexual and psychological violence being inflicted on Nikki during her possession: By telling the story from the perspective of someone who sees her more as a prize to be won than a full human being, the film itself risks sidelining her ordeal. Navarrette’s powerhouse performance helps mitigate this by puncturing Nikki’s bipolar outbursts with moments of heartbreaking clarity, reminding us of the human being trapped inside of this misogynistic caricature.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 63 Katie Rife
    Affection
    As a metaphor for the soft coercion of traditional gender roles, it works, although the theme is secondary to the twists in writer-director BT Meza’s sci-fi/horror hybrid.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 85 Katie Rife
    The Friend's House Is Here
    Although this is a story about innocence lost, the overwhelming impression left by “The Friend’s House is Here” is one of sweetness and hope.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Dead Lover
    Dead Lover is daring you to take it seriously, or perhaps distracting you with a goofy dance while it quietly queers the “Frankenstein” myth.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 67 Katie Rife
    Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
    Grabinski’s writing style is goofy and (obviously) reference-heavy, and the jokes spray indiscriminately like so many bullets from an automatic weapon. The constant wisecracks get tiresome after a while, but not before introducing some clever gags and quotable quips.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 83 Katie Rife
    Hokum
    McCarthy loses focus after this symphony of tightly controlled terror midway through the second act, adding a little too much backstory and a few too many scenes to the film’s denouement. Still, when Hokum works, it really works.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    undertone
    As a theatrical experience, it’s lots of fun, making clever use of proven techniques that build tension before releasing it with exploding light bulbs and ghostly figures appearing in the corner of the frame.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 83 Katie Rife
    Pillion
    Pillion is a film about self-knowledge, and about asserting one’s needs and boundaries without shame.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
    Kikuchi’s strong, singular presence immerses the viewer in her character’s whimsical imagination and confusing emotions. She makes Haru a character worth rooting for — even, or perhaps especially, when she’s making all the wrong decisions.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Union County
    Union County doesn’t completely bypass addiction-drama clichés. But its detailed, humanistic approach successfully creates a realistic world that supports its muted storytelling
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Mother of Flies
    The result is occult horror as potent as the snake venom in one of Selveig’s dreadful “cures.”
    • 61 Metascore
    • 67 Katie Rife
    We Bury the Dead
    For a movie about stinking, bloated corpses, on the whole, this one is surprisingly fresh.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 88 Katie Rife
    Mistress Dispeller
    Mistress Dispeller” isn’t really about Wang, or her methods...It’s about the mysteries of the human heart. Its exploration of these subtle depths is sensitive, as are its conclusions.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Dracula
    The overall effect is as if you fed a book of bawdy medieval verse to ChatGPT, which is perfectly in line with the film’s most provocative aspect.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 67 Katie Rife
    Black Phone 2
    A complaint that’s also common to contemporary horror films nags at The Black Phone 2, in that all of the best things about this movie come from other movies, whether they be the creative team’s previous efforts or iconic titles from decades past.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Mile End Kicks
    Ferreira is a believable and sympathetic protagonist, bringing a vulnerability to Grace that makes the viewer root for her even as she blows up her life for reasons even she doesn’t seem to understand.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Frankenstein
    Del Toro’s love for the grotesque and the abject is sincere and passionate, and there are scenes in Frankenstein that play like thesis statements for the director’s entire career.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
    Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is so affable, so good-natured, so modest—just so gosh-darned charming—that it’s difficult not to crack at least a little bit of a smile while watching it.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 67 Katie Rife
    Normal
    Like a firecracker with a long fuse, Normal builds up, burns fast, makes a big noise, and then it’s gone.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 83 Katie Rife
    Erupcja
    Pete Ohs’ best film yet.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 67 Katie Rife
    Dead Man's Wire
    One does not hire Bill Skarsgård unless one is looking for a lanky, off-putting weirdo. But Skarsgård does a good job of making his character’s frustration and rising panic grounded and relatable. This helps immensely when we get to the finale, which complicates the us-vs-them narrative.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Harvest
    Saying that it makes these concepts “fun” or “accessible” is an overstatement, as “Harvest” can feel interminable even when a viewer is engaged with its ideas. But it does bring them to vivid, even bawdy, life.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    Dead Mail
    Dead Mail’s quirkiness never grows tiresome, which is impressive.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 67 Katie Rife
    Ash
    Trying to fight this film’s sensations, as unpleasant as they may be at times, will bring nothing but misery. So just give in, vibe out, and take solace in the fact that “Ash” is way more accessible than Flying Lotus’ first film.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Katie Rife
    Drop
    Drop is a tightly plotted and unpretentious thrill ride.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Katie Rife
    Friendship
    Tim Robinson’s first movie-star role is like an extended I Think You Should Leave sketch with fancier camera work and a guest appearance by Paul Rudd.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 70 Katie Rife
    Another Simple Favor
    Another Simple Favor takes its tongue-in-cheek momcore satire to new visual heights by moving the action to coastal Italy. All the best parts of the original are also present here, including Lively and Kendrick’s sparkling chemistry and killer costume design. Not every attempt to expand on the concept is successful, but as a piece of escapist entertainment it’s more clever than most.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Katie Rife
    On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
    Nyoni’s direction is brilliant, contrasting the chaos of Uncle Fred’s multi-day funeral with the stillness and solace Shula finds in her cousins’ company.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 63 Katie Rife
    The Rule of Jenny Pen
    It could hit harder, however, were its impact not diluted by the overly long runtime and uneven tone. For a movie that undercuts itself for its own amusement, however, intermittently successful is pretty good.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 75 Katie Rife
    The Monkey
    The Monkey is at its weakest when it tries too hard to explain what’s happening, either on a plot or on a thematic level. (The narration can be especially detrimental in this way.) And it’s strongest when it abandons its search for meaning and does a silly dance in the face of Death itself. A dry, mocking one though it might be, The Monkey is ultimately just a laugh.
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