Mike D'Angelo

7/27/21

Nothing is necessarily what it seems in the sneaky whistleblower doc <i>Enemies Of The State</i>

Nothing is necessarily what it seems in the sneaky whistleblower doc Enemies Of The State

Exec-produced by Errol Morris, this deliberately deceptive film weaponizes viewer’s expectations

7/20/21

Be amused, be very amused by the<i> </i>dog-sized housefly of <i>Mandibles</i>

Be amused, be very amused by the dog-sized housefly of Mandibles

The latest oddity from French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux generates frustratingly arbitrary laughs

7/13/21

<i>Pig</i> is so much richer and stranger than the Nicolas Cage revenge thriller it appears to be

Pig is so much richer and stranger than the Nicolas Cage revenge thriller it appears to be

This is much more than a movie where Nic Cage hunts down the men who kidnapped his beloved hog

6/29/21

Desperation pays darkly comic dividends in Steven Soderbergh’s <i>No Sudden Move</i>

Desperation pays darkly comic dividends in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move

Soderbergh returns to his crime-movie wheelhouse with a twisty new caper

6/25/21

It’s Liam Neeson vs. surface tension in Netflix’s passable thriller <i>The Ice Road</i>

It’s Liam Neeson vs. surface tension in Netflix’s passable thriller The Ice Road

The Taken star’s latest adds some unnecessary complications to a suspenseful scenario

6/21/21

Critics were wrong about the Will Smith “adaptation” of <i>I, Robot</i>

Critics were wrong about the Will Smith “adaptation” of I, Robot

It has virtually nothing to do with Isaac Asimov's stories, but honors their spirit all the same

6/15/21

<i>12 Mighty Orphans </i>pulls at least a dozen clichés from the underdog sports movie playbook

12 Mighty Orphans pulls at least a dozen clichés from the underdog sports movie playbook

It's based on a true story, but that doesn't prevent it from feeling manufactured

6/8/21

Gina Rodriguez battles endless insomnia in the Netflix sci-fi snoozer <i>Awake</i>

Gina Rodriguez battles endless insomnia in the Netflix sci-fi snoozer Awake

Prepare for another round of Unexplained Global Happening, or UGH.

6/2/21

War breaks out between two high concepts in Christian Petzold’s <i>Undine</i>

War breaks out between two high concepts in Christian Petzold’s Undine

Nobody likes being dumped, but Undine Wibeau (Paula Beer) takes it harder than most. “If you leave me, I’ll have to…

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<i>The Winslow Boy </i>is a superlative courtroom drama—minus the courtroom

Recommends

The Winslow Boy is a superlative courtroom drama—minus the courtroom

Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just…

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With <i>Gladiator, </i>Joaquin Phoenix forged a bad-boy path all his own

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With Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix forged a bad-boy path all his own

Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just…

Reviews

Potential violence haunts every frame of the superb <i>Killing Of Two Lovers</i>

Reviews

Potential violence haunts every frame of the superb Killing Of Two Lovers

An initial, alarming threat winds up subsumed by the mundane sorrows and frustrations of a fractured family in…

Reviews

It’s complicated for Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish in the awful dementia rom-com <i>Here Today</i>

Reviews

It’s complicated for Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish in the awful dementia rom-com Here Today

A deadly combination of enfeebled comedy and maudlin melodrama, Here Today stars Billy Crystal (who also directed,…

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Music hits the throttle of one of the great New York City thrillers

Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just…

Reviews

Nobody passes go in Iceland’s monopoly drama <i>The County</i>

Reviews

Nobody passes go in Iceland’s monopoly drama The County

Note: The writer of this review watched The County on a digital screener from home. Before making the decision to…

Reviews

Four’s a crowd in Netflix’s involving deep-space survival saga <i>Stowaway</i>

Reviews

Four’s a crowd in Netflix’s involving deep-space survival saga Stowaway

Having already stranded Mads Mikkelsen in the Arctic Circle, director Joe Penna apparently decided that his next…

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In 1986, Dennis Hopper embodied good and evil. The Oscars chose good

Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just…

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Forget the moon landing—<i>Apollo 13</i> proves that botched missions are the ones to dramatize

Recommends

Forget the moon landing—Apollo 13 proves that botched missions are the ones to dramatize

Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just…

Reviews

Blindingly obvious subtext dims the scares of blackout horror movie <i>The Power</i>

Reviews

Blindingly obvious subtext dims the scares of blackout horror movie The Power

Moralism and horror have always gone hand in hand, but the recent trend toward ostensibly scary movies that clonk…

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Mennonites in Mexico struggle with faith and infidelity in the sublime <i>Silent Light</i>

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Mennonites in Mexico struggle with faith and infidelity in the sublime Silent Light

Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just…

Mike D'Angelo's posts

Nothing is necessarily what it seems in the sneaky whistleblower doc Enemies Of The State

Be amused, be very amused by the dog-sized housefly of Mandibles

Pig is so much richer and stranger than the Nicolas Cage revenge thriller it appears to be

Desperation pays darkly comic dividends in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move

It’s Liam Neeson vs. surface tension in Netflix’s passable thriller The Ice Road

Critics were wrong about the Will Smith “adaptation” of I, Robot

12 Mighty Orphans pulls at least a dozen clichés from the underdog sports movie playbook

Gina Rodriguez battles endless insomnia in the Netflix sci-fi snoozer Awake

War breaks out between two high concepts in Christian Petzold’s Undine

The Winslow Boy is a superlative courtroom drama—minus the courtroom

With Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix forged a bad-boy path all his own

Potential violence haunts every frame of the superb Killing Of Two Lovers

It’s complicated for Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish in the awful dementia rom-com Here Today

Music hits the throttle of one of the great New York City thrillers

Nobody passes go in Iceland’s monopoly drama The County

Four’s a crowd in Netflix’s involving deep-space survival saga Stowaway

In 1986, Dennis Hopper embodied good and evil. The Oscars chose good

Forget the moon landing—Apollo 13 proves that botched missions are the ones to dramatize

Blindingly obvious subtext dims the scares of blackout horror movie The Power

Mennonites in Mexico struggle with faith and infidelity in the sublime Silent Light