Movie Reviews and Ratings
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.
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🍿 DVDizzy Top Stories
- Now in theaters: Wicked, Moana 2, A Real Pain, Interstellar, Nightbitch.
- New Blu-ray review: Conclave.
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.
The Burial
“The Burial” is a crowd-pleaser in which you’re proud to be part of the crowd.
Totally Killer
Time travel is one of fiction’s great devices and has inspired so many creative and entertaining movies. This isn’t one of them.
The Exorcist: Believer
With a handful of jump scares and an assortment of body horror, The Exorcist: Believer doesn’t unearth anything wholly new or revolutionary, but it should still manage to satisfy if not impress all but the most jaded of horror junkies.
Flora and Son
The latest music-filled tale from Ireland’s John Carney (“Once”, “Sing Street”) might very well be his best film yet.
Dumb Money
Dumb Money has enough substance and style to make it impossible to ignore, but also difficult to love.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Despite clunky expositions and a cast shaking off rust, this threequel maintains a refreshing and unexpected amount of charm in lieu of palpable demand.
Gran Turismo
It’s only formulaic and familiar if you’ve seen a lot of inspirational sports dramas.
Landscape with Insivible Hand
“Landscape” is full of timely ideas and social commentary, but the dystopian science fiction makes for a fairly miserable experience.
Strays
It remains to be seen how much the audiences for gross-out comedy and talking dogs overlap, but “Strays” provides a decent amount of laughs with the right expectations.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
“Mutant Mayhem” wants “Super Mario‘s” returns and “Spider-Verse‘s” respect, but it deserves neither.
Theater Camp
Instead of aiming for mass appeal, “Theater Camp” digs deep into its subject matter, ending up with a film that its target audience will absolutely love but is unlikely to impress anyone without some kind of stage or backstage experience.
Haunted Mansion (2023)
The laughs outnumber the thrills, but that’s in line with the Disney ride and in 2023 it’s simply nice to encounter characters and a story you don’t already know from a better animated movie made decades ago.
