Category: GENRE
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Horse Girl [2020] ★½
“Horse Girl” is yet another Netflix movie that tries to juggle a lot of themes at once, only to end up falling flat on its face. Alison Brie co-wrote the script and stars as a socially isolated woman who becomes convinced that she is the cloned version of her grandmother. A series of increasingly lucid…
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Scoob! [2020] ★★
As someone who grew up with classic Scooby Doo episodes when they used to air on Cartoon Network back in the 90’s, I was kind of looking forward to a modern revival, mainly because it was advertised as an “origin” story. As it turns out, I enjoyed seeing the old gang back together, but I…
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The Decline [2020] ★★
Netflix’s survival thriller “The Decline” had me going for a while, mostly because it relates to the world we live in right now. A bunch of strangers travel to a remote survivalist training camp in order to prepare for the next epidemic/economic crash (how ironic). Then an accident happens halfway through (no spoilers here since…
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The Wrong Missy [2020] ★
Wow. Where do I begin? I may have just witnessed the worst movie of the decade so far (“Like A Boss”, you’re off the hook). This lazy, painfully unfunny comedy starring David Spade and Lauren Lapkus will have you cringing for 90 minutes (if you can make it to the finish line). Spade plays a…
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Capone [2020] ★★
It sounds like Oscar bait: Tom Hardy starring in this fact-based story about notorious gangster Al Capone, who spent his final year suffering from dementia and constant paranoia, before his death at the age of 48. It’s a juicy role for Hardy, the kind awards were created for. Except it’s not, at least not in…
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In The Shadow Of The Moon [2019] ★★
In the era of Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve, a science-fiction thriller like Netflix’s “In The Shadow Of The Moon” may seem underwhelming, and understandably so. We’ve been spoiled over and over again with mind-bending movies that kept us talking for weeks (think “Inception”, “Interstellar” and “Arrival”, to name a few). On the other hand,…
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Coffee & Kareem [2020] ★
Netflix’s “Coffee & Kareem” is only 88 minutes long (including the credits). So why on earth does it feel like an endurance test? It has none of the qualities of a decent comedy, and it’s a long way from Ed Helms’ “The Hangover”. He plays a police officer who teams up with the loudest kid…
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Secret Obsession [2019] ★
Yet another preposterous Netflix thriller about a young woman who returns home following an accident that almost ended her life. She can’t remember who she was or how she ended up here, so it’s up to her husband to reintroduce her to her life. If you can’t figure out where this movie is going from…
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Dolemite Is My Name [2019] ★★★
Simply put, “Dolemite is my Name” is one of Netflix’s finest movies. It gives Eddie Murphy the role of a lifetime, playing Rudy Ray Moore, the underground comedian who rose to fame in the 1970’s and inspired a generation of artists. This is Murphy’s territory, and he lets it bleed, giving a comeback performance that impressed…
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Rattlesnake [2019] ★½
The thing about Netflix’s “Rattlesnake” is that it has an intriguing premise (hence the extra half star): a single mother (Carmen Ejogo) seeks help from a mysterious stranger when her daughter is bitten by a rattlesnake. The price? Take another soul before sundown or her daughter dies. Like I said, this sounds like a set-up…
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Fractured [2019] ★★½
Movies like “Fractured” have been around since…well…forever. Want more proof? Check out Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 superior film “The Lady Vanishes” or its 2005 rip-off “Flightplan” starring Jodie Foster as a mother whose daughter goes missing on a flight from Berlin to America. Netflix’s “Fractured” falls somewhere in between. It’s not great, not by a long…
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The Laundromat [2019] ★★
Steven Soderbergh is a director that I’ve greatly admire over the years, which is why it’s difficult for me to admit that I couldn’t entirely enjoy his latest satire “The Laundromat”, streaming on Netflix. It has an all-star cast (including Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, David Schwimmer and James Cromwell!)…
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6 Underground [2019] ★
Michael Bay directs this disastrous action movie, now streaming on Netflix. If this isn’t enough to turn you off, then I’ll go on. Not since the last “Transformers” clusterfuck have I felt the need to shout at the screen in anger. “I want my money back!”. Luckily for us, this never received a theatrical release,…
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The King [2019] ★★★
It’s not a classic in the making, but Netflix’s “The King” has an interesting history lesson to tell, and a great ensemble cast to bring it to life. I do not know how the real Henry V talked or acted, but I do know that Timothée Chalamet makes a believable young King, who was crowned…
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The Occupant [2020] ★★½
The synopsis for this Spanish thriller doesn’t do it justice, at least the one being shared online. When I found it streaming on Netflix, I had to see for myself. As a result, this wasn’t half bad. In fact, if you enjoy films that move at a deliberately slow pace with twists and turns that…
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Lost Girls [2020] ★★½
Amy Ryan is sensational and the main reason to see Netflix’s crime drama “Lost Girls”, which is based on a real, unsolved case. The movie itself is intriguing and well-made, but it remains earthbound while its leading lady delivers an unforgettable performance. When her daughter disappears, Ryan’s Mari Gilbert would stop at nothing to get…
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Miracle In Cell No. 7 [2020] ★★½
“Miracle in Cell No. 7” is a difficult movie for me to review. On one hand, it celebrates the bond between father and daughter in a sweet and uplifting way. On the other hand, it didn’t affect me the way I was hoping it would (I could also say it was manipulative and shamelessly sentimental…
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Extraction [2020] ★★½
It’s a damn shame that this movie will never get a theatrical release. It may be dumb and derivative, but it has some pulse-pounding action scenes worth experiencing on the biggest screen possible. No matter. “Extraction”, written by Avenger’s Joe Russo and directed by Sam Hargrave, is now streaming on Netflix, which means you can…
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Spenser Confidential [2020] ★★
Mark Walhberg can make any movie worth seeing, even mediocre ones like “Spenser Confidential”. Think of every buddy cop movie you’ve seen, add to it Walhberg’s energetic persona and you get Netflix’s latest action/comedy. It’s not bad, but you’ve seen it all before, and better. Walhberg plays an ex-cop who served time for beating up…
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The Platform [2019] ★★
I may be swimming against the current here, but I didn’t fully appreciate Netflix’s surreal film “The Platform”. It’s ambitious and has some memorable passages, but I still could’t enjoy it. At least I can start on a positive note: the story is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Two inmates wake up in a mysterious…
