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Critic's Notebook

Critic's Notebook is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Martin Tsai, Robert Levin, Sarah Manvel.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
Chasing Summer (2026) Martin Tsai "Chasing Summer" is frequently hilarious, but it is also attuned to the emotional logic beneath self-sabotage.
Posted Jan 27, 2026  Edit critic review
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026) Martin Tsai A sitcom-bright spoof of Americana that filters "The Wizard of Oz" through celebrity culture, the film is at once junk-drawer eclectic and curiously sincere about the small, stubborn dreams of its heroine.
Posted Jan 26, 2026  Edit critic review
Scarlet (2025) Martin Tsai Hosoda employs traditional hand-drawn style for the characters but places them against immersive photo-realistic C.G.I. backdrops. While this is nothing new, his particular art style creates interesting contrast and juxtaposition.
Posted Sep 04, 2025  Edit critic review
In the Hand of Dante (2025) Martin Tsai Roman Vasyanov’s cinematography feels too precious, unable to convey the grittiness and dark humor in Tosches’s work.
Posted Sep 03, 2025  Edit critic review
Dead Man's Wire (2025) Martin Tsai Indeed, he nails precisely what makes the film so resonant with those who have been wronged by powerful entities and the sense of helplessness carved deep into their psyches.
Posted Sep 02, 2025  Edit critic review
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) Martin Tsai “A House of Dynamite,” is, for the most part, one of those end-of-days Armageddon movies, except it never actually culminates in special effects-laden spectacles of total obliteration.
Posted Sep 02, 2025  Edit critic review
The Smashing Machine (2025) Martin Tsai There’s an existing, well-worn trope of underdog stories in sports. Mr. Safdie resists a lot of that low-hanging fruit.
Posted Sep 01, 2025  Edit critic review
After the Hunt (2025) Martin Tsai The script’s ambiguities regarding the perpetrator and the victim are very nuanced, and Mr. Guadagnino seemingly backs away, possibly due to the optics of victim blaming.
Posted Aug 31, 2025  Edit critic review
Frankenstein (2025) Martin Tsai There’s no horror or suspense whatsoever, just magical dismemberments under golden hues and glittering harps on the soundtrack. It’s all kind of perverse, and I’m not sure if Mr. del Toro really meant it that way.
Posted Aug 30, 2025  Edit critic review
No Other Choice (2025) Martin Tsai Unlike Costa-Gavras, Mr. Park frames the protagonist as more blue-collar. He also cast Mr. Lee, excellent as a villain in “Squid Game,” over someone amiable like José Garcia of “Le couperet.”
Posted Aug 29, 2025  Edit critic review
Jay Kelly (2025) Martin Tsai The perennially debonair leading man brings with him substantial baggage from his own time in the limelight, which immediately resonates with those who’ve borne witness to his career.
Posted Aug 29, 2025  Edit critic review
Bugonia (2025) Martin Tsai The film challenges the superhero genre narrative that is so deeply ingrained in us and the latent sexist feelings toward successful woman go-getters, all while reenforcing and reaffirming these tropes.
Posted Aug 28, 2025  Edit critic review
La Grazia (2025) Martin Tsai “La grazia” is the antithesis of “Il divo” and “Loro,” his previous features centering on political leaders.
Posted Aug 27, 2025  Edit critic review
A Little Prayer (2023) Martin Tsai With the abortion ban now a done deal, this now feels like a relic inside a time capsule even though that’s no fault of Mr. MacLachlan’s.
Posted Aug 27, 2025  Edit critic review
Honey Don't! (2025) Martin Tsai Juvenile is the best way to characterize them, that they tee-hee over dykes the way Beavis and Butt-Head might.
Posted Aug 21, 2025  Edit critic review
Highest 2 Lowest (2025) Martin Tsai It’s evident that “Highest 2 Lowest” is more concerned with fan service than basic storytelling.
Posted Aug 14, 2025  Edit critic review
Gonzo Girl (2023) Sarah Manvel “Gonzo Girl” is worth seeing for Mr. Dafoe’s performance, but it won’t otherwise set the world alight. Let’s hope Ms. Arquette gets another chance to direct, though.
Posted Jul 04, 2025  Edit critic review
Nobu (2024) Martin Tsai The use of A.I. for dialogue enhancement, as indicated by end credits, does not help blunt the corporate video charges.
Posted Jun 16, 2025  Edit critic review
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Martin Tsai Overlooking the mismatching accents and dialects, the art direction and production designs seem thoughtful. But the most impressive parts of the film have to be the action sequences of Toothless performing various air-show aerobatics.
Posted Jun 10, 2025  Edit critic review
Materialists (2025) Martin Tsai Spoiler alert: Celine Song always chooses the white dude.
Posted Jun 09, 2025  Edit critic review
Sentimental Value (2025) Martin Tsai Though “Sentimental Value” doesn’t center on a romantic relationship as its predecessor did, it nevertheless rehashes some of the same dynamics and feelings of guilt and regret.
Posted Jun 03, 2025  Edit critic review
It Was Just an Accident (2025) Martin Tsai It’s especially timely to us in the West, as our political climates grow more tenuous.
Posted May 31, 2025  Edit critic review
Broke (2025) Sarah Manvel In every way Mr. Russell’s movie, and he handles it all with ease. It’s a pleasure to see someone understand their character down into their bones.
Posted May 26, 2025  Edit critic review
Alpha (2025) Martin Tsai Though elements of body horror seen in “Titane” and “Raw” are still very much present, the new film better qualifies as a ghost story and a coming-of-age tale set in the Twilight Zone.
Posted May 20, 2025  Edit critic review
The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Martin Tsai While Mr. Anderson’s rigorous mise en scène is always to be admired, telling a tale like this in the techbro oligarchy era is a choice.
Posted May 18, 2025  Edit critic review
Nouvelle Vague (2025) Martin Tsai Though it doesn’t lecture, the film does elucidate the principles of French New Wave for those uninitiated.
Posted May 17, 2025  Edit critic review
Miroirs No. 3 (2025) Martin Tsai Mr. Petzold has been known for political allegories, but it’s truly exciting to see him applying his sensibility to a family drama.
Posted May 17, 2025  Edit critic review
Eddington (2025) Martin Tsai While the film is indeed politically charged, Mr. Aster doesn’t take a side or spare anyone.
Posted May 16, 2025  Edit critic review
Left-Handed Girl (2025) Martin Tsai With [Sean] Baker as its editor, “Left-Handed Girl” definitely shares the hyperkinetic energy emblematic of his work.
Posted May 15, 2025  Edit critic review
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) Martin Tsai It’s fine that the plot is nonsense, because the main attractions of these films are ultimately the daredevil stunts Mr. Cruise performs.
Posted May 14, 2025  Edit critic review
Leave One Day (2025) Martin Tsai For a plot with two ticking clocks – the restaurant’s opening and Gérard’s declining health – “Leave One Day” inexplicably lacks any real sense of urgency.
Posted May 13, 2025  Edit critic review
The Luckiest Man in America (2024) Sarah Manvel What is the point of watching a movie where all that can be said for all the people involved is that they deserve each other?
Posted Apr 01, 2025  Edit critic review
The Three Musketeers (2011) Martin Tsai Paul W. S. Anderson’s take on the Dumas classic is almost like the cinematic equivalent of CliffsNotes.
Posted Dec 20, 2024  Edit critic review
Wolfs (2024) Martin Tsai This film and the recent Palme d’or winner “Anora” are essentially companion pieces cut from the same cloth.
Posted Sep 16, 2024  Edit critic review
Broken Rage (2024) Sarah Manvel “Broken Rage” obeys two important showbiz adages: always leave them laughing; and always leave them wanting more.
Posted Sep 13, 2024  Edit critic review
I'll Be Your Mirror (2022) Martin Tsai Yes, there's the obligatory "lock 'n' loll" joke - because do you expect a white writer-director to pass up such low-hanging fruit?
Posted Jul 16, 2024  Edit critic review
Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara (2024) Sarah Manvel While it’s a pleasant change to allow the work to speak for itself, the documentary’s worldwide appeal is limited to those who are already keen students of the global metal scene.
Posted Jun 21, 2024  Edit critic review
Eternal Playground (2024) Sarah Manvel Writers-directors Pablo Cotton and Joseph Rozé are exploring how our childhoods shape the adults we become, and how our early and largely forgotten friendships help – or hinder – us into growing into our best selves.
Posted Jun 20, 2024  Edit critic review
Sacramento (2024) Martin Tsai Mr. Angarano at least appears to be sincere, so you’d hate to disparage someone for making a genuine effort in addressing this malady.
Posted Jun 18, 2024  Edit critic review
Crossing (2024) Martin Tsai Mr. Akin uses these plot points from “Central Station” as shorthand without meaningfully escalating them into powerful crescendos as Mr. Salles did.
Posted Jun 08, 2024  Edit critic review
Winter Spring Summer or Fall (2024) Martin Tsai It’s a movie made by and for people with extremely limited real-world experiences.
Posted Jun 08, 2024  Edit critic review
Kinds of Kindness (2024) Martin Tsai Though a lot in this movie is intentionally off-putting, there’s still much to like.
Posted May 17, 2024  Edit critic review
Megalopolis (2024) Martin Tsai Every minute and every second of this folly is felt, excruciatingly, by the audience.
Posted May 16, 2024  Edit critic review
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) Martin Tsai Despite the excellent world-building, it’s essentially a series of action sequences ham-handedly strung together by a barely-there plot.
Posted May 16, 2024  Edit critic review
The Second Act (2024) Martin Tsai The fact that Mr. Dupieux misses such low-hanging fruit lets you know he’s not that serious about satire.
Posted May 14, 2024  Edit critic review
Nowhere Special (2020) Sarah Manvel It’s the quiet sadness of “Nowhere Special” that gives that exceptional love its full power, especially as, for a movie about death and dying, it makes the unusual choice to be utterly focused on the future.
Posted Apr 25, 2024  Edit critic review
Seize Them! (2024) Sarah Manvel If this had been less mean-spirited and more focused on the tactics women use to jockey for power and control it would have been a much stronger story. Unfortunately, by attempting to be all things to all people, this movie truly works for no one at all.
Posted Apr 25, 2024  Edit critic review
If Only I Could Hibernate (2023) Sarah Manvel Writer-director Zoljargal Purevdash somehow made a fraught subject feel hopeful, as if there are better opportunities waiting just around the corner.
Posted Apr 18, 2024  Edit critic review
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024) Sarah Manvel This is not one of those movies a person is meant to take seriously. We're meant to admire the pretty stars and have a great time knowing the nation is safe in their hands. It's a delight.
Posted Apr 13, 2024  Edit critic review
The People's Joker (2022) Sarah Manvel To say it is one of the most important recent American movies is an understatement.
Posted Apr 07, 2024  Edit critic review
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