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FlickFilosopher.com

film criticism by maryann johanson | handcrafted since 1997

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Idris Elba

Plane movie review: ‘Sully,’ but make it badass

Sun, Jan 29, 2023
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Entertainingly ridiculous? Or ridiculously entertaining? The slick of wild nonsense slapped over an uninspired undercoat is enjoyable enough while you’re onboard, and then it’s instantly forgettable.

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Shin Godzilla poster

weekend watchlist: an all man-(and woman)-versus-beast(s), all both-sides-of-the-pond special

Tue, Oct 04, 2022
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In honor of the silly glory that is Idris Elba punching a lion in Beast. (First published September 4th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)

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Beast (2022) movie review: he fights the lion

Thu, Sep 01, 2022
5 comments

Idris Elba fights a lion. This is what we are promised and this is what we get. The purity is sort of beautiful. But is it a failure of the movie, or a success, that it treats such nonsense earnestly?

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The Suicide Squad movie review: primrose psychopaths

Tue, Aug 03, 2021
5 comments

Spanks the 2016 film and sends it off to the corner to think about what it did. This one is the definite article: Gory, grim, bleakly funny. Full of feverish, anarchic energy and exhausting cynicism.

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Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw movie review: everything wrong with the world today

Thu, Aug 08, 2019
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A stew of “hilarious” toxic masculinity and nonstop violence as the solution to all problems. Sexist, stupid nonsense, tediously familiar and wholly predictable. Even the cartoonish action falls flat.

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I’m on BBC World Service’s “The Arts Hour” again today, Saturday, January 12th

Sat, Jan 12, 2019
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We’ll be talking about Keira Knightley’s new film Colette; everything Idris Elba; Justin Hurwitz’s amazing score for First Man; and a lot more.

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Molly’s Game movie review: absolutely aces

Fri, Dec 29, 2017
8 comments

Bold, tough, hugely entertaining. Like a new GoodFellas, except about a woman caught up in her own impudence and daring. Jessica Chastain is badass.

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Star Trek Beyond movie review: future positive (but it won’t come easily)

Thu, Jul 21, 2016
18 comments

Intense action; smart, funny nods to its roots while moving in a new direction; and explicit confrontation of a problem always at the heart of Star Trek.

| 18 Comments

Bastille Day (aka The Take) movie review: French toast

Thu, Apr 21, 2016
1 comment

A fake movie busted out into reality! But this not-even would-be jokey riff on Hollywood doesn’t know how to fill the air between car chases and punchups.

| 1 Comment

The Jungle Book movie review: welcome to the jungle

Thu, Apr 14, 2016
4 comments

Goes right up to the bleeding edge of cinema to tell a story that is strapping yet simple, and hugely appealing. Disney found a good reason to redo an old film.

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