david.reviews: Movies!

david.reviews: "Hackers"

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: On its surface, it's sort of a doofy movie. The typing scenes are overwrought and there's an undercurrent of casual misogyny that probably fit right into 90 hacker culture. I didn't really get it at first (and my early reviews reflect that).

At the same time, it's just so earnest. It takes its characters at their word, no matter how silly they're being. It paints them almost as jocks, never talking down to or belittling them. The costuming and roller blading is so over the top, yet utterly charming and cool. The villain is the same, but you just love to hate him. A truly masterful performance. The hardware is so 90s and overall vibe is just impeccable. I've really come around to the film as a chaotic, energetic expression of computer-focused joy. It holds a special place in my heart.

HACK THE PLANET

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david.reviews: "Thunderball"

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: I think it's got the worst treatment of its female characters of the Bonds so far, but everything else kind of rocks. The underwater scenes are cool and the plot felt like it had real stakes while advancing the world of Bond. The climax maybe went on a little long, but some of those stunts are cool even today. It was a fun one.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Manages to stand on its own as a touching action movie, but also cash in on nearly 20 years of Spider-Men in film. It's just such a delight. A crushing, emotional delight.

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david.reviews: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: As an unapologetic lover of the Pirates movies, this one is always a bit of a letdown. It's got its moments and a top tier cast (as usual) but it's a little too cheeky. It treads on winks to the series rather than serious character work. It does some passable work expanding the world of the Golden Age of Piracy, but it's mostly limited to a couple of lines. It's also pretty crowded - a LOT of factions show up to the climax. There are good bones in there and it's not a total loss, but there are better outings.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: "The Parent Trap"

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Perfectly paced. Great performances all around. Lots of cute moments. Some truly dangerous pranks. Where are the adults at the camp??

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david.reviews: "Goldfinger"

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Still a little goofy in that way 60s movies were, but has a pretty straightforward plot and some fun action. Good humor too, he's cheeky. The series is really starting to come together!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: "Enola Holmes 3"

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Returned to the frenetic pace of the first one, which I like. It dipped a bit, especially with so many flashback clips. But the story was good and it was a light, exciting watch.

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david.reviews: "Jurassic Park"

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: RIP Sam Neill. Great movie though, per usual. So many fun details. And wild how it just established what a T-Rex sounds like. Everyone just agrees now.

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david.reviews: "Her"

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Sort of a slow, fascinating movie. Wish I had seen it years ago so I could watch it again now, with current context.

I admired its tiny cast, but never felt myself connecting with the protagonist. It's just sort of a story that happened, but not one that got much of an emotional rise from me. It's near-future sci-fi setting was neat though, as was its beautiful cinematography. And it ended in an interesting place. I can't say that it really succeeds as as an enjoyable movie though (other than it's prescience, which makes it worth watching).

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david.reviews: "From Russia with Love"

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Certainly has its charms. Feels like we're starting to inch closer to the modern Bond experience. There's a great spy vs spy scene and then a bunch of goody nonsense stuff too. Interesting to see that's it's regarded by as many as a favorite- it was fun, but not especially memorable for me.

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david.reviews: "A League of Their Own"

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: An excellent blend of sports and family drama. Many movies make you care about the protagonists, but it's a special movie that makes you care about everyone. All time classic

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david.reviews: "Theater Camp"

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: This felt like they made Fame, but well. Everyone is earnest and over the top. You know where it's going, but the dry humor and unstoppable theater kid energy make it a delight.

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david.reviews: "Holes"

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Got to be one of the best book adaptations ever. Immaculately cast, covers its heavy bits well, and everything comes together nicely. Great watch in the TX summer.

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david.reviews: "Pizza Movie"

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: I don't usually enjoy drug trip movies, but this was excellent. It felt like a cross between 21 Jump Street and Community, dialed up to 11. The segments of ludicity provided some nice character moments while the drug portions could be as goofy as they wanted. I loved the densely interwoven storylines- everything is set up and paid off with aplomb. Is totally absurd while still having real stakes. It all comes together swimmingly. It could have used a better title, but if that's my biggest complaint, I think that's a promising sign.

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david.reviews: "The Iron Giant"

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Silly, touching, and beautiful. Paints a charming picture of 50s America and the characters really pull their weight.

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david.reviews: "Small Time Crooks"

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Sort of charming little humorous character drama. Tracy Ullman steals the show. I might have liked a little more plot but it wraps up nicely.

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david.reviews: "The Princess Bride"

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Truly the best. A classic for a reason!

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david.reviews: "Rat Race"

Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: A comedy of errors with a little more error than comedy. All of the scenes are funny, but some land better than others. At some point it's hard to root for anyone as they all reveal themselves to be pretty heartless. It works out in the end though and there are a couple of truly funny scenes in there. Great ensemble, too.

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david.reviews: "Taylor Tomlinson: Prodigal Daughter"

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Gets a little preachy towards the end (ironically) but stays fun and funny throughout.

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david.reviews: "Dr. No"

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: A pretty chill classic spy movie that does what it sets out to do. Establishes a lot of classic Bond things unironically, which is charming. Plus, it's way less problematic than you might expect the first Bond movie would be. Not spotless, but pleasant.

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david.reviews: "Wicked: For Good"

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Much less fun than part one. The added songs are duds, unfortunately. The direction and staging/costumes are great though, and the cast certainly pulls their weight. It just leaves a ton of time for dark emotional adventure while, even at its darkest, the musical is still a broadway musical (with the expected level of fun). The movie lacked some of that charm, instead feeling more like a moody fantasy drama with some songs. Good songs, but still.

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david.reviews: "Merrily We Roll Along"

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A touching story of lifelong friendships. Sort of odd, musically, but charming in its own way. The actual filming was odd- lots of super zoomed shots that you wouldn't get on the stage. It's not bad, just a different emotional experience. Great that more people get to see it though.

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david.reviews: "Project Hail Mary"

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Did an admirable job adapting a dense, hard-science book into a very approachable movie. I thought it zoomed through some plot moments to save time for wordless visuals, which is not the choice I would have made. The visuals (both in and out of the ship) were superb though, so it makes sense they'd want to really feature them.

They nailed the core relationship between the main characters, but provided little explanation for everything they worked through. I didn't expect the full book's worth of detail (the movie felt long as it was) but the film had a remarkable dearth of figuring things out. They seemed to solve everything immediately and always use their first intuition. It hit the core emotional beats, but tread more on vibes than explanation. This is maybe as technical of an adaptation as you could get without losing the core audience, but I wonder if non book-readers could follow everything.

But it does a lot right and is worth seeing on the big screen. There are a lot of little details to enjoy, and Gosling is great, per usual.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: "Tangled"

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Visually striking. Moves along at a brisk pace. There's a lot of character in these characters and a ton of small animation touches. Cute music too!

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david.reviews: "A Mighty Wind"

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Some funny parody, but it felt slow and light on actual plot. His writing just may not be for me. The music sounded great though and the cast is unreal. And boy did I not care for Eugene Levy's character. He played it well, but he was just uncomfortable to watch

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david.reviews: "Hercules"

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Holds up so so well. Songs are bops, it's dense with jokes, and it the animation is beautiful. Gospel music has no place working as well as it does for a Greek mythology movie, but it hits!

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david.reviews: "The Muppet Show"

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: A pleasant reunion, but it feels like they need a little time to get their sea legs. Nonetheless, it's fun to see them back at it!

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david.reviews: "Palm Springs"

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: It feels like all time loop movies, this included, have an undercurrent of psychological horror. Nonetheless, it does a lovely job exploring the actual rules and mechanics behind the loop. It's also darkly funny and gives a lot of minutes to the emotional effect the loop has had on its participants. It's a fun, if introspective outing though, and Samberg does a pleasantly surprising amount of acting.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: "Shakespeare in Love"

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Beautiful costuming and some delightful performances make this a great watch. The story is sweet, too. The leads are cute together.

I liked the framing with the production of Romeo & Juliet. While seeing Shakespeare write one of his play has been done a lot of ways, this one is moving and bittersweet.

I love movies about love, and this does a great job playing with its different forms. It also takes a narrative stand with its ending that impressed me.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: "The Five-Year Engagement"

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Is more of a "problem play" than any other genre, really. It's a romcom, but there's a lot of turbulence along the way. Blisteringly funny though, and full of bit parts for actors that were (or would go on to be) big deals. Also obviously it's a big plus for me that so much of it is set around Ann Arbor. Worst thing is that its second act drags, but there's a great payoff.

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david.reviews: "Black Bag"

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Just as good the second time! Such dense dialogue and performances.

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david.reviews: "Trainwreck"

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Funny enough, but tonally inconsistent and it's comedy did a disservice to its drama. Needed more LeBron.

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david.reviews: "Groundhog Day"

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Hadn't seen it in ages. Walks the line between charming comedy and existential horror well. It never occurred to me, but before this movie people wouldn't have described time loops as Groundhog Day experiences, which is something I've always just taken for granted.

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david.reviews: "Joy Ride"

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: It's sort of wild how this movie mixes a spectacularly raunchy comedy with a truly touching story about family and friendship. I'm not convinced it wouldn't be improved by focusing in on one or the other, but both of its disparate halves are excellent. There's just a bit of whiplash swapping between them.

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david.reviews: "School of Rock"

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A feel-good classic. Though, and maybe I'm just getting old, it's sort of crazy how irresponsible everyone in this movie is and how it all gets waved away because of how good their concert is. Unreal casting though, especially with the kids.

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david.reviews: "Now You See Me: Now You Don't"

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Leans heavy on the cheese and is a little crowded, character wise, but felt more coherent than the last movie. Definitely sticks with the theme of "makes sense until you think about it too much" but I enjoyed it for what it was. The little heists were fun and everything was beautiful and smooth in motion.

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david.reviews: "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Absolutely rocks. Strikes the perfect balance between self-aware and genuinely fun plot. They make a great team.

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david.reviews: "Now You See Me 2"

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: Gets a little too caught up being clever about its structure and not enough time on magic and character development that makes sense. It's a fun ride when you want to relax though. Has a couple of super memorable moments, especially the nutty vault scene. Also markedly less of a "wealth distribution" theme than the first one, which is a shame.

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david.reviews: "Now You See Me"

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: All flash and little bang. It remains a fun watch, you just can't think about the plot points too much. Instead, sit back and enjoy the ride for what it is, not what it could be.

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david.reviews: "New Year's Eve"

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: Murderers row of a cast, but the storylines were underbaked to fit everyone. I like Garry Marshall schlock, but even this was a little heavy handed.

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david.reviews: "No Sleep 'Til Christmas"

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Doofy premise, but honestly a cute time. Performances are great for a budget this size. Not especially Christmas-y though

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david.reviews: "My Secret Santa"

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Has pleasant farce elements, pretty good actors, and a fun Christmas message. Funny concept, too. Pleasant all around!

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david.reviews: "Storks"

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Cheesy, but cute. Lots of funny little lines that remind me of Lord and Miller gags. The wolves steal the show

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david.reviews: "Spirited"

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: The music is catchy and the dancers are great, but the thing that clicks with me the most is how you see how much behind the scenes for the haunt. It's the same thing I like about the game Portal. Just fun worldbuilding.

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david.reviews: "Red One"

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: Not terrible, but is a little too cheesy for its action movie positioning. Huge budget well spent though. Doesn't forget what it's there for and has some decent jokes. Fairly forgettable overall, but a good time.

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david.reviews: "The Court Jester"

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A sharp farce with amble wordplay, swashbuckling, and a standout performance from Kaye. A holiday tradition!

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david.reviews: "A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong"

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: An irreverent take on a classic story. I've always loved how naturally they make everything go wrong while being in perfect control. The ending is a little less focused than most of their work, but lands on a very cute note. I just love this theater company.

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david.reviews: "Trading Places"

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Great watch that balances plot with laughs effortlessly. The leads all kill it and there's a satisfying ending to cap it off. Another Christmas classic!

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david.reviews: "The Family Holiday"

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: A lackluster outing overall, but amazing performances out of both kids. Plot was exactly what you'd expect and doesn't end up being all that fun.

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david.reviews: "Home Alone"

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Everyone (rightfully) remembers this movie for its trap-laden climax, but most of the runtime is actually a touching family comedy with relatively few hijinks. The cast is great and though Kevin's line deliveries are pretty stilted, it's such an iconic cadence that it's hard to really mind them. Really does earn its spot as a Christmas great. Some good messages about forgiveness in there too. Honestly feels like two movies in one.

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