A.A. Dowd

Writer/editor for hire. Formerly: The A.V. Club, Chron, Time Out Chicago.

Favorite films

  • Sans Soleil
  • Le Cercle Rouge
  • Cooley High
  • Zodiac

Recent activity

All
  • Malevolent

    ★★

  • Monsters

    ★★

  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

    ★★★★

  • Godzilla

    ★★★★

Recent reviews

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  • The Creator

    The Creator

    ★★★½

    Full IGN review. Soft sci-fi, incredible filmmaking. If I was a Hollywood executive, I'd be trying to attach Edwards to every big-canvas blockbuster I had.

  • Strays

    Strays

    ★★½

    Full IGN review. Even R-rated talking-dog comedies are not immune to Hollywood's obsession with self-help platitudes.

Popular reviews

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  • Barbie

    Barbie

    ★★★

    Spirited, inherently hopeless effort to reconcile all the competing imperatives of making a live-action Barbie movie in the year 2023. It's knowing prefab camp that both revels in and loudly interrogates the retro appeal of Barbie. It's representationally inclusive while gently acknowledging that Mattel's forays into diversifying Barbie were, of course, financially motivated. It bites the hand that feeds (plays?) by pointing out the gender disparity within a company with a predominately female consumer base, while also covering for that…

  • ParaNorman

    ParaNorman

    ★★★★

    "What do you think you're doing firing on civilians? That's for the police to do!"

Following

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