CNN's Scores
- Movies
- TV
For 607 reviews, this publication has graded:
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42% higher than the average critic
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4% same as the average critic
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54% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.9 points lower than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 61
| Highest review score: | Come from Away | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest review score: | Dolittle |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 291 out of 607
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Mixed: 272 out of 607
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Negative: 44 out of 607
607
movie
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
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Reviewed by
Brian Lowry
In the parlance of Olympic diving – a good analogy for blockbuster movie-making – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever faced an inordinate degree of difficulty, addressing the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman. That the movie manages to strike that somber chord and still deliver as Marvel-style entertainment represents a major accomplishment, though the tension created by those two forces grinding in different directions can’t entirely be ignored.- CNN
- Posted Nov 8, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Opening up about her bipolar disorder is surely a service, but the six-year span encompassed by this intimate Apple TV+ presentation labors to flesh out its revelations into a documentary.- CNN
- Posted Nov 4, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story certainly earns its title, operating, appropriately, not as an actual movie biography but an outlandish parody of one, filled with comedy cameos and bizarre flights of fancy.- CNN
- Posted Nov 4, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The game is afoot (again) in Enola Holmes 2, a wonderful showcase for Millie Bobby Brown that this time manages to work the character’s famous brother, Sherlock, more organically into the mix. Throw in fact-based underpinnings about horrid working conditions during the time and you have the makings for a very polished sequel – one that makes the whole thing look elementary, and a whole lot of fun.- CNN
- Posted Nov 3, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Making the most of its extensive access to Giancarlo Granda, the figure at the center of it all, Hulu’s “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty” pulls back the curtain on a salacious tale of sex, lies, hypocrisy, and political intrigue – for streaming purposes, a divine cocktail if there ever was one.- CNN
- Posted Nov 1, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Call Jane is a good example of how a few questionable choices can muddle an otherwise-powerful story, with the recent HBO documentary version of these events, “The Janes,” outshining this fictionalized dramatic account. The portrait of an underground abortion network pre-Roe v. Wade is obviously timely, but its slightly askew focus blunts the overall impact.- CNN
- Posted Oct 27, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Think of Ticket to Paradise like a postcard of beautiful people having fun in a beautiful place and you’ll get along just fine. Giving it much more thought than that won’t help this rom-com vehicle for George Clooney and Julia Roberts, although the “com” part proves a trifle deficient in a movie that’s significantly better when it’s sweet than salty.- CNN
- Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Brian Lowry
A bit slow-moving at first, the history gives way to a thoughtful conversation about how best to remember this history and honor its victims, while simultaneously highlighting the modern science surrounding identifying the ship and, thanks to DNA, potentially linking its captives to their descendants.- CNN
- Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Black Adam features a protagonist of almost unlimited power, which only makes its puny script more conspicuous. Dwayne Johnson is saddled by a very limited range of expression as the ancient mystical being featured in DC’s latest superhero epic, a film that isn’t nearly as cool as its poster, while highlighting the inherent challenge of building stories around antiheroes.- CNN
- Posted Oct 18, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Getting the delicate balance of the story mostly right, “Till” captures how Mamie Till Mobley turned the inconsolable grief over the murder of her son, Emmett, into resolve and activism. Anchored by Danielle Deadwyler’s towering performance, it’s a wrenching portrayal of reluctant heroism under the most horrific of parental circumstances.- CNN
- Posted Oct 14, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Tapping into the twin markets of A) lovers of rom-coms and B) recovering English majors, “Rosaline” promotes a fleetingly mentioned “Romeo and Juliet” character front and center, then builds a very clever and breezy movie around her. The result is a welcome starring showcase for Kaitlyn Dever more likely to prosper in the hamlet of Hulu than it would have fared in the province of theaters.- CNN
- Posted Oct 14, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Forty-four years, 13 movies and innumerable corpses later, it sounds naïve to think “Halloween Ends” will really mark the end of anything, but like the holiday for which it’s named, it’s fun to pretend. The producers do seek to bring finality to this latest trilogy featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, although that turns out to be the only original idea they conjure in an odd, tedious film.- CNN
- Posted Oct 13, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Luckiest Girl Alive falls short of its promise, a reminder that, however ironic the title is intended to be, fortune tends to favor the bold.- CNN
- Posted Oct 7, 2022
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Brian Lowry
As heavy-handed as it might be, Russell’s point is interesting once he finally gets there, but by then, the movie has seemingly exhausted most of its goodwill. Playing it straight – or at least straighter – might have helped, but as is, it’s almost impossible to know.- CNN
- Posted Oct 7, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Hellraiser is obviously operating within fairly well-defined parameters, and leveraging 35 years of screen history, delivers on the most basic level in terms of special effects and gore, without – the “reimagining” claim notwithstanding – bringing much freshness to the formula.- CNN
- Posted Oct 6, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Add Mr. Harrigan’s Phone to the relatively short list of really good Stephen King adaptations, garnishing a coming-of-age story with understated hints of the supernatural and thoughtful rumination about cellphones that finds true horror in their ubiquity. Amid a month of Halloween-tinged offerings, it might be one of the few to share with the kids – at least, before the next time you punish them by taking their phone away.- CNN
- Posted Oct 5, 2022
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Brian Lowry
What makes this Hocus Pocus gel is the nifty mix of old and new, replicating the basic template from the original while introducing a new and more diverse contingent of teens to do battle with the centuries-old witches.- CNN
- Posted Sep 29, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Sidney, a documentary from director Reginald Hudlin produced by Oprah Winfrey, does the actor justice, providing context, depth and considerable warmth in chronicling his remarkable life and trailblazing career.- CNN
- Posted Sep 23, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Given a chance to step up in class, the actor turned director has assembled a topnotch cast, but in a story that teases the buildup a bit too long and doesn’t pay it off very neatly; indeed, the ending becomes what the movie’s driving force speaks of endeavoring to avoid – namely, chaos.- CNN
- Posted Sep 22, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The formula is obviously full of potential, which explains why writers keep returning to it, from “50 First Dates” to the recent Andy Samberg movie “Palm Springs.” Yet the concept is also fraught with peril.- CNN
- Posted Sep 21, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Do Revenge isn’t about stretching conventions but rather simply finding another wrinkle on what has become an established formula. It does that, but for a movie where the characters speak often about their Ivy League aspirations, creatively speaking it lands more in the safety-school category.- CNN
- Posted Sep 16, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Confess, Fletch doesn’t possess a whole lot of heft, but it manages to serve as an old-fashioned and playful star vehicle, carving out a version of the character that’s distinctive from Chase’s broader, more slapstick-oriented take.- CNN
- Posted Sep 16, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Somehow, the film manages to feel like a throwback to the action movies of old while featuring people who were seldom allowed to occupy prominent roles back then. If the finish is a bit too busy to be as rousing as intended, by then, The Woman King has made the most of its formidable arsenal.- CNN
- Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Once you get past admiring de Armas’ immersion into the role, that’s the only itch that Blonde seems to know how to scratch.- CNN
- Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Grappling with middle age, Clerks III turns out to be unexpectedly sentimental and nostalgic, reflecting that writer-director-editor-co-star Kevin Smith inherently recognizes this will likely be the gang’s final visit to Quick Stop Groceries. If so, it’s an uneven if gentle way to hang out the “We’re closed” sign.- CNN
- Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Even taking it as a given that Disney’s animated classics will all receive live-action makeovers eventually, Pinocchio feels like an unnecessary exercise – a movie so flat that it never sparks to life, and barely feels as if it’s making the leap into a different medium.- CNN
- Posted Sep 8, 2022
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Brian Lowry
While “Honk for Jesus” isn’t a perfect movie, give it praise for at least being an interesting one.- CNN
- Posted Sep 2, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Running With the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee suffers from zooming in too close on its subject, leaving a documentary that’s chaotic and exhausting but offers less enlightenment than a more sober approach might have yielded.- CNN
- Posted Aug 26, 2022
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Brian Lowry
An animated, comic-book-inspired opening turns out to be the best part of Samaritan, a very by-the-numbers superhero tale that casts Sylvester Stallone as the long-retired title character, and otherwise feels like and exhibits the production values of a 1990s TV pilot. While tolerable on its own terms, the charitable thing to do critically speaking would probably be to ignore it.- CNN
- Posted Aug 26, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The amount of new information in "The Princess" will likely depend on one's personal Royals-related media consumption, but the packaging of this stark and intimate documentary -- marking the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana's death -- serves as a sobering reminder of how the press hounded her from the moment of her engagement until her tragic death.- CNN
- Posted Aug 13, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Some of the elements in “Secret Headquarters” are mildly pleasant, but the film seems too content to color completely within the lines. The resulting picture might be enough of a diversion for younger kids, but even they won’t be missing much if what’s in the movie stays secret.- CNN
- Posted Aug 12, 2022
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Brian Lowry
It’s the kind of star-driven vehicle that yields obvious benefits to Netflix even if, qualitatively speaking, it doesn’t deserve to see the light of day.- CNN
- Posted Aug 12, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Horror movies are no strangers to social commentary, or the desire to be cathartic in how they use violence. Yet the latest example of those impulses, They/Them, illustrates how tricky that proposition can be, in a story that at various times feels creepy, exploitative and preachy, without becoming particularly tense or scary.- CNN
- Posted Aug 5, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The thrills don’t look cheap, exactly, but the whole thing feels a bit cheaper, as if this were the pilot for an anthology series titled “Tales of the Predator,” charting periodic visits through history.- CNN
- Posted Aug 4, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Bullet Train certainly moves at an appropriately brisk pace, with Brad Pitt heading a sprawling cast. But the breakneck action is offset by a smart-alecky tone that proves both uneven and occasionally too cute for its own good, along with a mashup of styles – from the music to the visuals – that comes across like a Quentin Tarantino wannabe, with a dash of “Deadpool” for good measure.- CNN
- Posted Aug 2, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Not Okay isn’t the kind of movie that’s going to amass a vast audience (hence its debut via Hulu), but it is one of those of-the-moment ideas that makes you take inventory of where we are, and the manipulation that can play into who commands the spotlight.- CNN
- Posted Jul 29, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Who's a good movie? Not "DC League of Super-Pets," a big colorful idea that proves promising in theory -- tailor-made for a two-minute trailer -- but a rather tedious slog as a full-length animated film.- CNN
- Posted Jul 28, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Placing a trans teen at its center adds some heft to material that would in an earlier era would have been presented as an after-school special, but the uplifting and timely messaging can’t completely elevate this earnest but thin Amazon movie.- CNN
- Posted Jul 22, 2022
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Brian Lowry
If “Get Out” refreshed the genre in part by weaving in themes that invited a thoughtful conversation about race and racism, Nope is more modest in its intentions in a way that makes it more enjoyable the less you dwell on the details, ultimately feeling quirky without fully paying off its more intriguing ideas.- CNN
- Posted Jul 21, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Zombies 3 is creatively dead on arrival, reviving the concept at least once too often.- CNN
- Posted Jul 15, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Ultimately, The Gray Man is an unintentionally appropriate title to describe a movie that exists within such a narrow band of the cinematic spectrum. While a step up over the Russos’ last streaming effort, the bleak “Cherry,” it’s the equivalent of an old-time “B” movie with an A-level cast and budget.- CNN
- Posted Jul 15, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Newman’s direction maintains the mystery through the gasps and sneers from the gallery during the trial sequences, leading to the eventual determination of Kya’s fate. It’s a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t overplay its hand.- CNN
- Posted Jul 13, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The impressive mix of tones and styles that director Taika Waititi pulled off in “Thor: Ragnarok” largely fizzles in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which isn’t as funny as it wants to be, as stirring as it needs to be or romantic as it ought to be.- CNN
- Posted Jul 5, 2022
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Brian Lowry
For anyone wondering why "The Princess" is premiering on Hulu in the US, not sister service Disney+, the movie answers that in the first five minutes, when the title character brutally dispatches a pair of guards sent into the tower where she's being held. While the timing seems right for a princess who rescues herself, there's precious little substance to this violent fantasy, featuring Joey King figuratively letting down her hair.- CNN
- Posted Jul 1, 2022
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Brian Lowry
"Minions” certainly has to be evaluated in the modest context of what it’s trying to achieve – like fueling fast-food giveaways and toy sales – but even compared to the earlier movies in the franchise, this one feels particularly limited in its scope and ambitions.- CNN
- Posted Jun 30, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Trevor: The Musical can't help but feel partly encumbered by the "important" label, bringing lessons about self-acceptance to Disney+, whose parent company has been a ripe target for controversy. Yet this filmed version of the off-Broadway show works as a triumph for the young cast and especially the relatable lead, powering past its lesser aspects with infectious energy and a touching message.- CNN
- Posted Jun 24, 2022
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Brian Lowry
"Elvis” has entered the theaters, but in a package that often recalls the excesses associated with his Vegas-residency years: Looking bloated, gaudy and at times bordering on self-parody. Those missteps, courtesy of director Baz Luhrmann and an ill-used Tom Hanks, squander Austin Butler’s brilliant moments in the title role, which deserve a much better movie.- CNN
- Posted Jun 23, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Sure, it’s another throwback intended to wring value out of nostalgia, but one executed with a level of relentless silliness that, like its “stars,” won’t ever be accused of over-thinking things.- CNN
- Posted Jun 23, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Taking place almost entirely inside a hotel room, it’s a movie bathed in poignance and sweetness as well as sex and longing.- CNN
- Posted Jun 17, 2022
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Brian Lowry
This is one of those movies that’s forgotten almost as soon as it ends, and it doesn’t even require any chemical intervention in order to erase the memory.- CNN
- Posted Jun 17, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The most interesting aspect of "Lightyear" is dispensed with in the first 15 seconds, when it's explained how and why you're watching a movie devoted to the action-figure character from "Toy Story." After that, the movie works primarily as a fairly likable action vehicle mixed with a familiar rumination on what defines a life, without rising into that top tier of Pixar fare its predecessors occupied.- CNN
- Posted Jun 13, 2022
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Brian Lowry
There’s something unfortunately symbolic about Jurassic World: Dominion, which combines old and new DNA from the near-three-decade-old franchise and generates a pretty mindless mess … an XL-sized mediocrity out of the gene pool’s shallow end.- CNN
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Brian Lowry
Featuring women involved in an underground network, the HBO presentation is a snapshot that echoes far beyond its specific moment.- CNN
- Posted Jun 7, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Fire Island primarily wants to be fun, not necessarily profound, so it needs to be consumed on those terms. Austen adaptations clearly never go out of style, but this latest variation reminds us that alone doesn't mean they pack enough accessories to completely validate the trip.- CNN
- Posted Jun 3, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Elegant, occasionally adorable and at times quite emotional, series creator Julian Fellowes still knows how to pluck the right strings – upstairs and downstairs – to play a symphony with his sprawling cast.- CNN
- Posted May 20, 2022
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Brian Lowry
A new do-over that can barely generate enough heat to qualify as a thriller.- CNN
- Posted May 13, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Top Gun: Maverick soars higher than it has any right to, constructing a mostly terrific sequel 36 years later (including a Covid release delay), using a good movie, not a great one, as its jumping-off point. That might not be enough to take your breath away, but as brawny summer entertainment goes, it comes shockingly close.- CNN
- Posted May 12, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The sense of violation that this story entails is almost palpable, and "Our Father" certainly conveys that. If only the filmmakers had trusted the audience enough to present it in a more unadorned manner.- CNN
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The film thus operates on multiple levels, playing like an old-fashioned caper as well as a window into history. And like its inspiration, if there are hiccups here and there, when the smoke clears it's hard to consider this delicious "Operation" anything but a rousing success.- CNN
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Part valentine to the theater, part unconventional love story, Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known celebrates the show and its original cast, while also providing a broader look at the issues of teen rebellion and alienation that turned the musical into a sensation.- CNN
- Posted May 6, 2022
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Brian Lowry
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” might be the most insanely Marvel movie ever, for good and ill. Unleashing the infinite possibilities of the multiverse throws open the studio’s toybox, but the anything-goes aspects of that can be alternately thrilling, disorienting and occasionally, a little silly. All told, this sequel proves highly entertaining, if not quite worthy of the pent-up demand for it.- CNN
- Posted May 3, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Watching The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe serves as a reminder, to paraphrase Elton John’s musical tribute, that her candle burned out long before the exploitation of her ever did.- CNN
- Posted Apr 27, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The underlying story is better than the movie in “The Survivor,” but that material is so harrowing as to win on what amounts to a split decision. Timed to Holocaust Remembrance Day, the film isn’t equal to the awards bait HBO has traditionally offered in the TV-movie genre, but it should inspire plenty of googling about the remarkable tale of Harry Haft.- CNN
- Posted Apr 27, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Director/co-writer Robert Eggers ("The Lighthouse") has sought to make the definitive Viking movie, and while the film issues a guttural cry for theatrical viewing, it is built around such a basic revenge plot as to blunt those simple charms.- CNN
- Posted Apr 21, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Like "The Crimes of Grindelwald," "Secrets of Dumbledore" is handsomely done but ultimately too much of a dumble-snore. And somehow, its appealing pieces, old and new, again add up to a less-than-magical movie.- CNN
- Posted Apr 15, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Strange, surreal and unexpectedly sentimental, Everything Everywhere All at Once is genuinely and wildly original -- the kung fu/science fiction/metaphysical action comedy that you didn't know you needed, but just might love.- CNN
- Posted Apr 8, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Apatow serves up some clever lines, but they're mostly lost in the overall noise and manic tone. While it's not necessarily too soon for a funny Covid movie, The Bubble labors to achieve a sought-after level of zaniness right up until the ending.- CNN
- Posted Apr 6, 2022
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Brian Lowry
It's a gauzy indulgence in nostalgia that sweetly captures a very specific time and place, which should broadly speak to Linklater's contemporaries who somehow survived childhood before our society adopted most of the pesky rules designed to ensure that they do.- CNN
- Posted Mar 31, 2022
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Brian Lowry
As Marvel movies go, "Morbius" is more a sip than a gulp, a relatively small-boned Jekyll-and-Hyde tale that moves another Spider-Man villain into the spotlight. Significantly better than "Venom" but still somewhat lacking in bite, this origin story perhaps inevitably grows more pallid toward the end but until then proves just tasty enough to merit the giving it a shot.- CNN
- Posted Mar 31, 2022
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Brian Lowry
How to Survive a Pandemic is a poor title for a mostly fascinating documentary, whose flaws reflect its slightly fragmented nature. Yet at its core this HBO presentation captures the race to produce a vaccine amid political pressures imposed by a president preoccupied with his reelection, offering fly-on-the-wall access to many of the key players.- CNN
- Posted Mar 29, 2022
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Brian Lowry
It's the uninspired writing, more than the general template, that keeps the movie from finding its stride.- CNN
- Posted Mar 25, 2022
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Brian Lowry
While the movie falls apart toward the end, the mystery -- and crackling central performances -- cruises along at a low boil much of the way.- CNN
- Posted Mar 18, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Reuniting star-producer Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy after their winning collaboration on "Free Guy," The Adam Project has the generic feel of a project created by committee, combining action, humor and smart-alecky one-liners in a way that's at best aggressively okay. That's probably enough for Netflix coming off a success with Reynolds in "Red Notice," but like the film's plot, this amounts to rehashing history.- CNN
- Posted Mar 10, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Wherever one sees it, Turning Red delivers an exquisitely animated story that's moving as well as funny -- welcome evidence that creatively speaking, at least, Pixar hasn't lost its golden touch.- CNN
- Posted Mar 7, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Lucy and Desi puts a big heart around Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, not only as the beloved stars of "I Love Lucy" and one of Hollywood's great power couples, but as TV pioneers. Drawing upon personal recordings and home videos, director Amy Poehler has served up a warm valentine that leans into celebrating their lives and away from the tabloid fodder.- CNN
- Posted Mar 4, 2022
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Brian Lowry
In Pattinson, the producers have found a Dark Knight worthy of the hoopla, while creating a Gotham much in need of him. As new chapters go, it's a strong beginning; if only it had known when to end.- CNN
- Posted Feb 28, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Thanks to the cast (which also includes Ben Mendelsohn, near-unrecognizable as the villainous De Guiche), Cyrano is worth seeing, either now or later. But it's a relatively modest addition to the title's storied history, one where the music subtracts at least as much as it adds to the story's inherent poetry.- CNN
- Posted Feb 25, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Uncharted drops toward the wrong end of the chart every time Holland and Wahlberg engage in juvenile bickering, which alas is all too often. The one strange thing is that the funniest insult they exchange appears in the trailer but not the actual movie, and any good dialogue here is too rare to wind up on the cutting-room floor.- CNN
- Posted Feb 23, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Designed to showcase Jennifer Lopez playing a character that could hardly be called a reach, Marry Me trades in the "meet cute" rom-com formula for "meet dumb." Lopez still gets ample opportunities to sing a hummable soundtrack, but even within the genre's parameters, the silly premise deals the movie a blow from which it never entirely recovers.- CNN
- Posted Feb 10, 2022
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Brian Lowry
There's obviously a bit of calculation in introducing more depth to Poirot, making him more interesting for Branagh to play. Yet the filmmakers manage to incorporate that without detracting from the central mystery, and the pace chugs along briskly enough, with plenty of stunning scenery when outside those stuffy cruise rooms.- CNN
- Posted Feb 8, 2022
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Brian Lowry
While some might find it possible to have fun by surrendering to the silliness, this bad moon doesn't quite rise even to the level of a guilty pleasure.- CNN
- Posted Feb 3, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Although it's nice to see the show's creative team afforded one final swing, it's too bad they don't knock it out of the park.- CNN
- Posted Jan 14, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Always meta in its nods to the genre's quirks, the latest "Scream" is so self-referential as to risk swallowing its own tail. Yet this quarter-century-later "requel" (a term specifically explained in the movie) turns out to be a great deal of fun, cleverly wedding familiar faces with new stars in what isn't exactly a remake or reboot but rather plays like a refresh.- CNN
- Posted Jan 12, 2022
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Brian Lowry
Showcasing a thrown-together international team of female spies, "The 355" mostly feels like the pilot for a TV series, just with an inordinately good cast. Any movie in this genre that name-checks James Bond can't be all bad, but in terms of justifying a trip to the theater, nor is it good enough.- CNN
- Posted Jan 6, 2022
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Brian Lowry
The result is a breezy exercise in karaoke for kids, where the soundtrack beats the movie and a lot of stars again lend their voices to the chorus.- CNN
- Posted Dec 22, 2021
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Brian Lowry
While ‘Resurrections’ again offers a choice between the red pill and blue pill, the one thing that won't be necessary -- especially for those choosing the home-viewing option -- is a sleeping pill.- CNN
- Posted Dec 21, 2021
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Brian Lowry
Nightmare Alley spends too long spinning its wheels before getting to the more pertinent twists about the dangers of conning the wrong people, as well as the shadowy motivations of all concerned.- CNN
- Posted Dec 17, 2021
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Brian Lowry
Fun in places, this World War I era story was designed to expand the franchise but appears just as likely to end it.- CNN
- Posted Dec 14, 2021
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Brian Lowry
Briskly balancing a dizzying assortment of parts, Marvel's latest (by way of Sony) looks destined to do what only a spider can -- namely, lure vast numbers of fans into its web.- CNN
- Posted Dec 13, 2021
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Brian Lowry
At its best, National Champions feels calibrated to provoke a conversation about the flawed framework of college sports, which is talked about plenty and still not enough. Then again, TV networks and sports-related media outlets benefit from the existing system, and many fans would rather just hear about wins and losses.- CNN
- Posted Dec 10, 2021
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Brian Lowry
In a grand science fiction tradition, Don't Look Up uses a disaster-movie framework as a metaphor for a reality-based crisis, with a huge comet hurtling toward Earth as a surrogate for indifference to addressing climate change. Yet this star-studded, extremely provocative satire at times veers off course itself, partially undermining its admirable qualities with the broadness of its tone.- CNN
- Posted Dec 7, 2021
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Brian Lowry
No matter how many times you've watched those classic "I Love Lucy" episodes (or not at all), it's likely you'll come away from Being the Ricardos with a greater appreciation for the central couple's talents as well as their personal failings and foibles. In that, Sorkin has delivered a colorful portrait that goes beyond the nostalgia-tinted hues of black and white.- CNN
- Posted Dec 7, 2021
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Brian Lowry
The Forever Prisoner asks the right questions regarding not just Zubaydah but the broader prosecution of the war against terrorism. As the film makes clear, it's the answers that have proven elusive.- CNN
- Posted Dec 6, 2021
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Brian Lowry
The new West Side Story doesn't entirely answer the most obvious question, which is why essentially remake a 60-year-old classic. Director Steven Spielberg nevertheless justifies the effort as a dazzling showcase for this generation's talent, in a film whose ties to lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who died last month, adds to its emotional resonance.- CNN
- Posted Dec 3, 2021
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Brian Lowry
House of Gucci takes a seemingly can't-miss combination of talent and material and produces what feels like the knockoff version of a really grand drama. Lady Gaga and Adam Driver bring buzz to director Ridley Scott's dive into the dysfunctional family behind the fashion empire, but in a movie that doesn't rise to the level of delicious trash, winding up largely defined by its stylish accessories.- CNN
- Posted Nov 23, 2021
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Brian Lowry
Deftly expanding the source material into a movie, the film is anchored by a sensational performance by Andrew Garfield as Larson.- CNN
- Posted Nov 19, 2021
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Brian Lowry
Encanto compensates for the dearth of traditional conflict with a colorful world filled with powers and an abundance of music.- CNN
- Posted Nov 19, 2021
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Brian Lowry
Smith aces the performance, which is the main attribute in elevating the story above the standard sports-movie conventions.- CNN
- Posted Nov 18, 2021
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Brian Lowry
At its best Ghostbusters: Afterlife simply delivers a good time, combining the upgraded special effects with comedy and youthful angst, while taking a little too long to get to the good stuff.- CNN
- Posted Nov 18, 2021
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Brian Lowry
The Power of the Dog is such a delicately constructed movie as to almost defy the ability to review it without saying too much. Keeping the audience off balance, writer-director Jane Campion creates a slow, ominous build around the fine performances toward a satisfying conclusion that nicely pays off on the slow-canter ride.- CNN
- Posted Nov 16, 2021
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