Movie Reviews and Ratings
Civil War
Distributed by A24 and in IMAX, “Civil War” is a union of arthouse and popcorn, one that won’t fully satisfy the distinct needs of either audience but comes pretty darn close most of the time.
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🍿 DVDizzy Top Stories
- The Oscars are Sunday! Read up on the nominated films: Oppenheimer, Barbie, The Holdovers, Saltburn, Across the Spider-Verse.
- Now in theaters: Dune: Part Two, Lisa Frankenstein, Argylle, Drive-Away Dolls, Wonka.
- Now on home video, #1 movie of 2023: Barbie 4K reviewed.
Monkey Man
Seasoned young actor Dev Patel undergoes a baptism by fire here, making his writing, producing, and directing debuts with a well-stretched $10 million budget and seemingly infinite amounts of ambition.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
In quality, tone, and composition, Frozen Empire is extremely similar to its immediate predecessor, Afterlife. Without the emotion and nostalgia of a direct legacy sequel, though, it doesn’t hit as hard.
Dune: Part Two
This is legit, rewarding, high-octane mainstream cinema, the kind that Steven Spielberg used to make and that only Christopher Nolan now seems capable of delivering on a regular basis.
Drive-Away Dolls
Despite an intermittently witty original screenplay, Ethan Coen’s latest solo comedy lacks the narrative cohesion, aesthetic allure, and cinematic formalism of the offbeat triumphs he’s made with his brother.
Lisa Frankenstein
In this messy but entertaining horror romance comedy, first-time director Zelda Williams and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody take great pains to make something that looks and feels like it truly hails from 1989.
Argylle
What begins like a better version of Sandra Bullock’s hit 2022 adventure comedy “The Lost City” continues to get worse at every turn.
Mean Girls (2024)
Though it may be superfluous, 2024’s “Mean Girls” remains plenty entertaining as a new take for a new generation, specifically musical theatre nerds.
Foe
Redirected straight to streaming, “Foe” is a strange hybrid of artsy character study and high-concept sci-fi.
The Boys in the Boat
This old-fashioned dramatization of an Olympic rowing team is not just George Clooney’s least edgy directorial effort; The Boys in the Boat might just be the least edgy live-action movie of 2023.
Wonka
“Wonka” may not quite reach the lofty heights of the director’s “Paddington” movies, but it nonetheless delivers an winning abundance of wit and whimsy.
Merry Little Batman
“Merry Little Batman” never finds the right approach to distinguish itself or entertain you in the process.
2024 Golden Globe Awards Predictions
With a new network, new ownership, and newly for-profit status, the Golden Globes march on, this year with a new category and an extra nominee in all the returning ones. Continue reading our 2024 Golden Globe Awards predictions and analysis of all fifteen film categories whose nominees will be announced on Monday morning, December 11th.
Candy Cane Lane
Chock-full of familiar family film tropes, “Candy Cane Lane” runs at least a half-hour longer than you’ll want it to.
Wish
“Wish” leans heavily on Disney’s time-tested traditions with ample artistry and a moderate amount of success. Keep reading DVDizzy’s Disney Wish movie review.
Napoleon
A mix of history and human interest material, Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” holds your attention more with the latter.
Saltburn
Meticulously well-crafted and creatively challenging, “Saltburn” is a thought-provoking, genre-defying character study strictly for adults who are not easily offended.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
The look may be similar and many of the key personnel are back, but this “Hunger Games” prequel does not feel like it’s part of some big cultural movement.
Trolls Band Together
DreamWorks’ threequel subjects us to an endless string of boy band puns and no shortage of medleys comprised of new covers of familiar pop songs.
Next Goal Wins
This mediocre standard team sports comedy marks a big step back for its Oscar-winning writer-director Taika Waititi.
The Holdovers
“The Holdovers” is the kind of movie that sweeps you up in its world, holds you captive, and remains in your thoughts for weeks to come.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
There isn’t much issue to take with this okay kid-friendly thriller, whose reactions will be shaped as much by the video games as what’s onscreen.
Barbie
The average person would reasonably expect a Barbie movie to be superficial escapism, but that is absolutely not the kind of comedy that interests indie-seasoned writer-director Greta Gerwig and her partner/co-writer Noah Baumbach.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese’s latest requires patience, a formidable bladder, a substantial attention span, an eye for detail, and the ability to think critically. If you can supply those, you will greatly appreciate the best film to have been released this nearly half-done decade.
