Owner of www.unaffiliatedcritic.com, co-host of The Unenthusiastic Critic podcast.
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West Side Story 2021
I mean, not terrible. Not a disaster or disgrace. The culturally-appropriate casting is an improvement, obviously. Zegler is a star. DeBose and Faist are good. This Spielberg kid might have some chops. But most of Kushner's screenplay tweaks are painfully ham-fisted, and Elgort's creepy charisma vacuum makes investment in the love story impossible. It never really takes flight, or even answers the inevitable question of "Why?"
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Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021
The writing is terrible. The fight scenes are messy and badly choreographed. It might be the worst looking Marvel movie ever, and that is a low bar to clear. And the whole thing seems to be a series of contrivances designed to pander to nostalgia for things I can't believe anyone is nostalgic for. Have they really succeeded in lowering expectations this far?
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Instant Family 2018
I love stumbling upon something on cable that I would not have paid to see in a million years, and discovering it’s actually good. My expectations for a Marky Mark comedy from the director of Horrible Bosses 2 and That’s My Boy could not have been lower, but this is amazingly solid, authentically heartfelt, and genuinely funny.
No, I can’t quite believe it either. But trust me.
