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Critiques With Context
Movie reviews by an experienced movie critic and member of the Critics Choice Association
Drew Moniot
1 day ago0 min read
Review: "Anaconda"
Funnier than many early reviews might lead you to believe thanks to a strong cast and a crazy premise. Worth the price of a ticket!
Drew Moniot
Dec 31, 20253 min read
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"The Friend"
Naomi Watts co-stars with a 150-pound Great Dane in this touchingly sweet story about love and loss and the process of overcoming devastating grief.
Drew Moniot
Apr 10, 20253 min read
Review: "The Amateur"
A suspenseful but slow-moving remake of the 1981 original with the same title.
Drew Moniot
Apr 9, 20254 min read
Review: "I Need You: 53 Years of the Band America"
A well-researched, beautifully nuanced documentary about the band America, screened at CIFF49.
Drew Moniot
Apr 2, 20254 min read
Review: "The Penguin Lessons"
A truly remarkable, deeply touching film, based upon real-life events about a middle-aged British English teacher and a rescued penguin.
Drew Moniot
Mar 28, 20254 min read
Review: "The Alto Knights"
For the first time in his career, Robert De Niro plays two characters -- real-life, crime bosses--in the same movie.
Drew Moniot
Mar 27, 20253 min read
Review: "Snow White"
Disney’s live action remake is shaping up to be the box office disaster that everyone predicted,
Drew Moniot
Mar 25, 20253 min read
Review: "2001: A Space Odyssey in 2025"
A recent screening of "2001: A Space Odyssey" is a testament to the timelessness of this Kubrick classic.
Drew Moniot
Mar 16, 20254 min read
Review: "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie"
Warner Brother’s first ever animated feature fails to be either looney or funny.
Drew Moniot
Mar 16, 20254 min read
Review: "Black Bag"
A very cerebral spy film heavy on characters and dialogue and light on action and thrills.
Drew Moniot
Mar 13, 20253 min read
Review: "Novocaine"
A man incapable of feeling pain and a graphically violent action/comedy not for the squeamish.
Drew Moniot
Mar 11, 20253 min read
Review: "Mickey 17"
Robert Pattinson stars in this mind-bending, sci-fi tale about an “expendable” spaceman in the year 2054.
Drew Moniot
Mar 8, 20253 min read
Review: "Riff Raff"
A dark comedy with a very slow start, a shocker of a final reel and a gratuitous end scene that spoils everything before it.
Drew Moniot
Mar 4, 20253 min read
Review: 'Dog Man'
Former SNL cast members like Pete Davidson add to the zany fun in Peter Hastings’s movie adaptation.
Drew Moniot
Feb 26, 20252 min read
Review: "Love Hurts"
Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting in this Valentine’s Day movie that is big on violence and blood and light on romance.
Drew Moniot
Feb 24, 20253 min read
Review: "Captain America: Brave New World"
A mixed bag with dazzling effects sequences interspersed with lengthy, pace-killing dialog. Fans don’t seem to mind.
Drew Moniot
Feb 20, 20253 min read
Review: "Companion"
A spectacular blend of sci-fi and film noir not to be missed.
Drew Moniot
Feb 15, 20253 min read
Review: "Paddington in Peru"
A fun, family-friendly adventure.
Drew Moniot
Feb 13, 20253 min read
Hannibal Lecter and Me: Revisiting My Role as an Extra in "The Silence of the Lambs"
I was an extra in an Oscar-winning film shot in Pittsburgh!
Drew Moniot
Feb 2, 20253 min read
Review: "Presence"
A contemporary ghost tale that is all about Steven Soderbergh’s gliding Steadicam camera work and less about a satisfying, scary story.
Drew Moniot
Feb 1, 20253 min read
Review: 'Flight Risk'
A bumpy ride at best.
Drew Moniot
Jan 30, 20253 min read
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