>
JD Duran
JD Duran's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
JD Duran is the founder of InSession Film, and the host of the InSession Film Podcast. Find JD at @RealJDDuran & @InSessionFilm
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Kinds of Kindness (2024) |
A part of me wants to love Kinds of Kindness as its ideas of control - funneled through corporate, marital and religious lenses - are pretty gripping, but there isn't enough time to fully realize everything its aiming for. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jul 10, 2024
|
|
|
|
Inside Out 2 (2024) |
The line from Joy about feeling less joy as you get older (and more anxious) is a poignant one, however, Riley calling for Joy in those final scenes…to simply play hockey with her friends slayed me. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jul 02, 2024
|
|
|
|
Tuesday (2023) |
Tuesday is a deeply weird, but funny movie about not just confronting death but creating a relationship with it. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jul 02, 2024
|
|
|
|
The Bikeriders (2023) |
All of the masculinity here could simply be chalked up to the movies they saw on TV and they just wanted to emulate that. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jul 02, 2024
|
|
|
|
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) |
Adil & Bilall perfectly find a balance between showing reverence to Michael Bay while making it completely their own thing. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jun 17, 2024
|
|
|
|
Evil Does Not Exist (2023) |
Hamaguchi mostly operates with this entrancing, redolent realism, yet at the same time it plays out like a fable, all the way down to Hana invoking the likes of LIttle Red Riding Hood as she frolics through the forest alone. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jun 17, 2024
|
|
|
|
Babes (2024) |
The way (BABES) speaks to the dichotomy of parenthood is astoundingly relatable. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jun 07, 2024
|
|
|
|
Hit Man (2023) |
HIT MAN begins to blur fantasy and reality for Gary in these really fascinating ways where he is slowly dissolving into a hybrid of Gary and Ron as the story unfolds. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jun 07, 2024
|
|
|
|
I Saw the TV Glow (2024) |
I SAW THE TV GLOW is deeply poignant and stirring as a trans meditation on the role art plays as both a tool for discovery, but also a prison that can leave one trapped. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 29, 2024
|
|
|
|
The Fall Guy (2024) |
The action itself may not be inventive or Tom Cruise level of crazy, and I empathize with why that could be disappointing since this is a love letter to the stunt community, but the film finds a middle ground between its stunt work and comedic ethos. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 09, 2024
|
|
|
|
Civil War (2024) |
Poaching the extreme divisiveness of American politics to examine societal collapse through the cypher of photojournalism is a bit misguided because the film isn't really about the war (or those dividing components). - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 08, 2024
|
|
|
|
Wicked Little Letters (2023) |
WICKED LITTLE LETTERS is hysterical. The way Olivia Colman reacts to the vulgar things being said about her in those early scenes is worth the price of admission alone. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 08, 2024
|
|
|
|
Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver (2024) |
Somehow this film is even more dull and uninspired than the first one. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 08, 2024
|
|
|
|
Sasquatch Sunset (2024) |
Honestly one of my favorite surprises of the year. I felt nearly every emotion, many of them I did not anticipate at all. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 08, 2024
|
|
|
|
Late Night with the Devil (2023) |
Some of the writing doesn't work, but the film's 70 aesthetics are great and David Dastmalchian gives one of the best performances of the year. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted May 08, 2024
|
|
|
|
The First Omen (2024) |
I loved the ambition and vigor of THE FIRST OMEN. There are moments here that make it hard to believe this is a studio film. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2024
|
|
|
|
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) |
I'm at a point where I'm completely apathetic with this franchise. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2024
|
|
|
|
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) |
Two hours of Kong eating dinner at sunset, dealing with toothaches and just hanging out would be my jam. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2024
|
|
|
|
Road House (2024) |
Between re-writing Dalton's backstory to ground him in some sort of familiar, modern-day realism and inventing a new fight choreography to enhance that "realism" - the film rejects the nucleus of what made Road House (1989) so incredibly fun. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2024
|
|
|
|
Monkey Man (2024) |
There's an unabashed passion and conviction to Dev Patel's direction that is undeniable. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2024
|
|
|
|
Immaculate (2024) |
The filmmaking is conspicuous and stale, and bogged down in tepid jumpscares that often feel hollow. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Mar 28, 2024
|
|
|
|
The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024) |
An-Li Bogan steals the film. She's extremely charming and funny. Really hope to see more of her in the near future.
- InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Mar 25, 2024
|
|
|
|
Love Lies Bleeding (2024) |
One of the most fascinating qualities about Love Lies Bleeding is how it demonstrates love as a superpower. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Mar 25, 2024
|
|
|
|
Drive-Away Dolls (2024) |
Drive-Away Dolls is *not* an imitation of a Coen brothers movie. It's just clearly *half* a Coen brothers movie. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Mar 05, 2024
|
|
|
|
Argylle (2024) |
It's sadly the worst of Matthew Vaughn's career. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Feb 19, 2024
|
|
|
|
Orion and the Dark (2024) |
Already a contender for one of the best surprises of the year. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Feb 19, 2024
|
|
|
|
Four Daughters (2023) |
Four Daughters is the best documentary of 2023. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Feb 07, 2024
|
|
|
|
Afire (2023) |
Leon is without a doubt one of the most obnoxious characters you've ever seen, something Thomas Schubert plays to perfection. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Feb 07, 2024
|
|
|
|
The Color Purple (2023) |
THE COLOR PURPLE is as diverting and uplifting as it is poignant and stirring. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 16, 2024
|
|
|
|
The Iron Claw (2023) |
Zac Efron should be considered for an Oscar. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 16, 2024
|
|
|
|
Society of the Snow (2023) |
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW is grisly and harrowing, but Bayona treats it with tender diligence and emotional nuance. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 16, 2024
|
|
|
|
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) |
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM isn't great, but it's still a better offering than most DCEU films lately. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
Ferrari (2023) |
FERRARI is about the duality of control and Enzo having to grapple with its volatility, especially with death and how it seemed to follow him. At work and at home. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
The Zone of Interest (2023) |
THE ZONE OF INTEREST one of the best, and most harrowing, films of the year. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
Maestro (2023) |
Bradley Cooper, the director, has a strong conviction that makes his vision arresting cinematically, but Bradley Cooper, the writer, leaves something to be desired. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
All of Us Strangers (2023) |
ALL OF US STRANGERS is without question one of the best films of the year. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
Godzilla Minus One (2023) |
GODZILLA MINUS ONE quintessentially demonstrates how modern blockbusters can be a giant epic with mesmerizing characters and themes. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
Monster (2023) |
Hirokazu Kore-eda lives to break hearts and does so once again with MONSTER, but in a new, invigorating way this time around. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Jan 03, 2024
|
|
|
|
Dream Scenario (2023) |
DREAM SCENARIO features a compelling concept that at times is really intriguing, but sadly it's often at odds with the film's commentary on pop culture fads. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 14, 2023
|
|
|
|
Wonka (2023) |
WONKA is utterly delightful and the playfulness of this cast is just remarkable. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 14, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Boy and the Heron (2023) |
THE BOY AND THE HERON is Hayao Miyazaki at his most surreal and his most existential. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
May December (2023) |
Todd Haynes expertly weaves melodrama like nobody else and this is the hottest gas he's ever cooked with. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Napoleon (2023) |
I don't want to assume anything yet, but you can't help but wonder given the editing here that this might be another KINGDOM OF HEAVEN situation. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Poor Things (2023) |
POOR THINGS is without question one of the best films of the year. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Saltburn (2023) |
I admired SALTBURN's boldness, but as a dramatic and thematic exercise, it leaves a lot to be desired. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Rustin (2023) |
The storytelling is perhaps too broad for nuance to register, but Colman Domingo's performance is electrifying. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Holdovers (2023) |
The way Paul Giamatti tip toes between teacher, paternal figure, friend and even combatant is nothing short of sublime. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) |
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES is an incredible extension of the series, both in terms of structure and theme. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Dec 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Priscilla (2023) |
PRISCILLA is a quiet and methodical movie, but its depiction of manipulation is anything but muted. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Nov 15, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Marvels (2023) |
Iman Vellani is a star and is absolutely captivating. - InSession Film
Read More
| Posted Nov 15, 2023
|