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Valerie Complex
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge (2024) |
A celebration of life that captures the designer’s ongoing journey of self-discovery and reinforces her belief that there is always more to accomplish. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jul 01, 2024
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Jazzy (2024) |
Maltz excels in capturing the small, seemingly insignificant moments that make childhood so magical - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jul 01, 2024
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Brats (2024) |
"Brats" is a heartfelt memoir and a reflection on the power of words and perception. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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Sacramento (2024) |
Sacramento is an examination of strained friendships, the fear of inadequacy in impending fatherhood, and the importance of mental health conversations are handled with a good balance of care and humor. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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The Wasp (2024) |
"The Wasp" is an intense film that showcases the talents of its cast and director. It’s a journey into the dark recesses of the human psyche, and leaves a lasting impression. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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Group Therapy (2024) |
Group Therapy is a testament to the power of humor in healing and a call to recognize and address mental health issues openly. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jun 13, 2024
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Motel Destino (2024) |
However, despite its gripping start and lush cinematography, the film ultimately loses its way, bogged down by a sluggish middle act and narrative inconsistencies.
- Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted May 25, 2024
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Atlas (2024) |
Atlas often feels like a missed opportunity, hampered by sluggish pacing and a lack of depth in character development for everyone else except the main character. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted May 25, 2024
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Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (2024) |
Ernest Cole, Lost and Found is a necessary tribute that ensures Ernest’s contributions are recognized and remembered for generations. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted May 20, 2024
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Babes (2024) |
It presents a series of vignettes on motherhood and female friendship that are at times touching and hilarious but often feel disjointed and unrealistic. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted May 17, 2024
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The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) |
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is everything WRONG with the horror genre. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted May 16, 2024
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IF (2024) |
IF wasn’t enough to keep my attention, how will it keep the attention of a child for 104 minutes?? - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted May 15, 2024
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Challengers (2024) |
Challengers ambitiously weaves complex threads through the metaphor of tennis, and explores themes of love, rivalry and personal growth. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Apr 19, 2024
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Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver (2024) |
Zack Snyder’s "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" descends further into a black hole of nothingness. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Apr 19, 2024
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The Greatest Hits (2024) |
Benson’s script, inspired by Oliver Sacks’ Musicophilia, brings together themes of love, loss and the healing power of music, presenting a story that is both magically real and deeply human. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Mar 25, 2024
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Civil War (2024) |
The film’s execution, hampered by thin characterization, a lackluster narrative, and an overreliance on spectacle over substance, left me disengaged. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Mar 15, 2024
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Immaculate (2024) |
The biggest flaw lies within the film’s narrative structure and character development, particularly in how Sister Cecilia interacts with the unfolding horror. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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The Fall Guy (2024) |
The Fall Guy stands as a hilarious and thoughtful tribute to the stunt community, blending action with a poignant exploration of the sacrifices made by these unsung heroes. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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Monkey Man (2024) |
Patel's blend of folklore and socio-political critique into an engaging action-packed experience showcases a side of Indian cinema (outside of the Hollywood machine) that often goes underappreciated internationally. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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Arcadian (2024) |
The characters’ decision-making and motivations strain credibility, undermining the film’s attempt to portray a realistic struggle for survival. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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My Dead Friend Zoe (2024) |
The film's focus on characters of color and the community that forms around those most affected by trauma are the script's most powerful assets. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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Y2K (2024) |
Y2K captures the spirit of a bygone era with affection, offering a compelling reflection on our relationship with technology and with each other. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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Road House (2024) |
By today’s standards, that isn’t enough because we now live in an era when good action films blend kinetic spectacle with rich storytelling, - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Mar 14, 2024
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Another End (2024) |
"Another End" stumbles due to its own narrative indecision. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Feb 17, 2024
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Madame Web (2024) |
Madame Web embodies the pitfalls of mainstream superhero cinema: films not driven by story and character but seemingly by studio mandates, and franchise considerations. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Feb 13, 2024
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Lisa Frankenstein (2024) |
The inconsistency in pacing, though reflective of the film’s ambition to blend genres and tones, will detract from the cohesiveness of the narrative. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Feb 07, 2024
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The Queen of My Dreams (2023) |
The film explores the complexities between then and now, a tussle many diaspora families are all too familiar with. What sets this movie apart is its refusal to stick to the beaten path. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Feb 07, 2024
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Black Box Diaries (2024) |
With unflinching access, we trail Ito as she covertly records conversations, desperately chasing leads before the truth can be buried for good. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Luther: Never Too Much (2024) |
Porter’s narrative portrays Vandross as a man of deep passion and craftsmanship who was a master at controlling his world. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Sugarcane (2024) |
This powerful documentary operates from a place of pure and total empathy. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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Daughters (2024) |
While not shying from the isolation and self-protection learned when authorities disrupt family units, "Daughters" insists on forging community around all parties involved. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jan 31, 2024
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A Different Man (2024) |
Uneven pacing results in drawn-out scenes that lose momentum, while the tonal shifts between psychological drama and thriller-y suspense undermine emotional investment. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Love Lies Bleeding (2024) |
Love Lies Bleeding is just Saint Maud with Lesbians and muscles. Honestly, I want more of that. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Exhibiting Forgiveness (2024) |
"Exhibiting Forgiveness" proves you do not need other people’s acknowledgement or approval to find forgiveness within yourself. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Handling the Undead (2024) |
The film’s strength lies in its narrative, seamlessly connecting three distinct family dynamics linked by the common thread of loss. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Presence (2024) |
While certain reveals land surprise, others strain credulity regarding the presence’s motivations. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Between the Temples (2024) |
Funny yet philosophical, Between The Temples will speak to any viewer who has felt stuck chasing someone else’s expectations. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Love Me (2024) |
"Love Me" falters in maintaining a cohesive and focused narrative, deviating into less compelling territory. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Freaky Tales (2024) |
For all its slick style, the film lacks narrative substance to match. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Stress Positions (2024) |
This film made me wonder if this is what Brooklyn has turned into? Transplants from Larchmont, NY moving to NYC with their microaggressions, swearing their pain and suffering is more intense than everyone else? - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 25, 2024
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Mean Girls (2024) |
The 2004 Mean Girls film has cemented its place in cinema and pop culture, while the 2024 version is likely to be forgotten. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Jan 10, 2024
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) |
The first Aquaman film maintains a balance of seriousness and fantasy, The Lost Kingdom veers into cartoonish territory. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Dec 22, 2023
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Anyone But You (2023) |
Without the charm and wit of actors like Dermont Mulroney and GaTa, Sweeny and Powell’s performances would fail to carry the film’s comedic timing. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Dec 22, 2023
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Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire (2023) |
Another Zack Snyder movie, that deals with the same old issues. Quality production values with scatterbrained, incoherent storytelling. I feel like a broken record. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Dec 15, 2023
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) |
"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is a film of contrasts — visually stunning yet narratively uneven, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the origins of Panem, but not without stumbling over its own ambitious intentions. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Dec 01, 2023
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The Marvels (2023) |
In an era where the Marvel Cinematic Universe frequently shuttles between multiverse escapades and interplanetary conflicts, Nia DaCosta‘s "The Marvels" emerges as a breath of fresh air. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Nov 08, 2023
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Foe (2023) |
"Foe" is a film drowned in under-delivered aspirations and aggressive narrative ennui. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
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| Posted Oct 01, 2023
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No One Will Save You (2023) |
This nearly dialogue-less feat is entirely carried by Dever’s performance. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Sep 28, 2023
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Haunted Mansion (2023) |
Disney’s Haunted Mansion is a fair enough choice for a family night in, experienced from the comfort of your couch, where the flaws are less glaring and the price of admission for Disney+ is cheaper. - Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Sep 16, 2023
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Origin (2023) |
Ava DuVernay continues to establish herself as one of the most vital voices in contemporary cinema.
- Deadline Hollywood Daily
Read More
| Posted Sep 16, 2023
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