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Dan Bayer

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Daniel Bayer has been in love with movies all his life, in love with the theater since he could sit still, and in love with tap dance since seeing Singin’ in the Rain at nine years old. A nationally-ranked dancer in his teens, his theater credits are many and varied, both behind and on the stage. He now spends his days as a non-profit database manager and the rest of his time seeing, writing about, and talking about movies and theater. He is a proud member of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. You can find him on the AwardsWatch and Next Best Picture podcasts, and on Twitter @dancindanonfilm.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Mercy (2026) 24% 4/10 EDIT “Unlike an ideal justice system, "Mercy" doesn’t delve deeper than the surface, a discredit to both the people who made it, who are capable of better, and the audience, who deserve better.” – Next Best Picture Jan 21, 2026 Full Review Primate (2025) 79% 6/10 EDIT “Sure, the characters are paper-thin and do many things that defy all logic and common sense, but that’s part of the fun. "Primate" is bad in many of the ways you’d expect, but it’s better in many ways you won’t. It’s the best kind of January surprise.” – Next Best Picture Jan 8, 2026 Full Review The Housemaid (2025) 74% 4/10 EDIT “The so-bad-it’s-good last act may be fun enough to convince you that "The Housemaid" is a good time on the whole, and yeah, it kind of is. But that doesn’t make it good.” – Next Best Picture Dec 16, 2025 Full Review Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) 66% 8/10 EDIT “We may not know the full extent of this story’s success until we get those next installments, but for now, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, even if it mostly works.” – Next Best Picture Dec 16, 2025 Full Review Fackham Hall (2025) 74% 8/10 EDIT “Carr, alongside Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers (Andrew and Steve Dawson and Tim Inman), has constructed the screenplay as a near-perpetual joke machine, with something hilarious in practically every shot.” – Next Best Picture Dec 4, 2025 Full Review Zootopia 2 (2025) 91% 8/10 EDIT “"Zootopia 2" is a marvel of modern animated storytelling, a family film that really will have everyone in the family laughing, singing (in the case of the earworm "Zoo," sung by Shakira’s Zootopian pop star Gazelle), and perhaps even crying together.” – Next Best Picture Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025) 60% 7/10 EDIT “Yes, it’s ridiculous. No, it doesn’t make perfect sense. But, damn, if it isn’t a hoot and a half to watch.” – Next Best Picture Nov 11, 2025 Full Review Belén (2025) 95% 7/10 EDIT “Fonzi and her collaborators rise to the challenge, though, filling this true-life legal drama with a vitality that makes it feel all the more urgent, even if you know how the story ends.” – Next Best Picture Nov 6, 2025 Full Review Black Phone 2 (2025) 72% 6/10 EDIT “It’s easy to wish “Black Phone 2“ came together better, but you can’t deny that all the film’s individual elements are quite strong. It will chill you to the bone while watching, but it won’t haunt you for too long afterward.” – Next Best Picture Oct 15, 2025 Full Review Bouchra (2025) 7/10 EDIT “Between the animation style and the decidedly adult content, the film’s ultimate sweetness is completely disarming. It doesn’t come out of nowhere, though, as it’s rooted in the same emotional honesty that marks all of the film’s dialogue.” – Next Best Picture Oct 7, 2025 Full Review Anemone (2025) 53% 8/10 EDIT “On every level, “Anemone” defies expectations, announcing Ronan Day-Lewis as a visual force that can match his father’s high-performance level.” – Next Best Picture Sep 28, 2025 Full Review Good Boy (2025) 90% 7/10 EDIT “Since every artistic choice is so closely tied to the film’s unique perspective, even the elements that don’t work have a creative charge to them that carries the film through its weaker points.” – Next Best Picture Sep 25, 2025 Full Review Mārama (2025) 100% 8/10 EDIT “Stappard’s control over the film’s tone ensures that the audience never loses sight of the painfully real history that inspired this piece of entertainment.” – Next Best Picture Sep 15, 2025 Full Review Two Pianos (2025) 6/10 EDIT “Not every narrative has to tie everything up neatly in a nice little bow, but the way Desplechin tosses out new thematic content with abandon every few scenes leads to the film feeling unfocused and messy.” – Next Best Picture Sep 12, 2025 Full Review Eternal Return (2025) 6/10 EDIT “Raz has erred on the side of putting more personality into the filmmaking style than the screenplay.” – Next Best Picture Sep 11, 2025 Full Review The Captive (2025) 71% 7/10 EDIT “As both a story about the magic of telling stories and a morality play about national identity and religious persecution, it’s a handsomely made, compulsively watchable film.” – Next Best Picture Sep 10, 2025 Full Review Dust Bunny (2025) 85% 8/10 EDIT “There’s nothing else like it, and in a world of soulless IP extensions and hackily formulaic originals that might as well be soulless IP extensions, a film as unique as “Dust Bunny” feels extra special.” – Next Best Picture Sep 9, 2025 Full Review Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) 92% 8/10 EDIT “ “Wake Up Dead Man” proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that when it comes to cinematic murder mysteries, nobody does it better.” – Next Best Picture Sep 7, 2025 Full Review Christy (2025) 67% 6/10 EDIT “The film’s powerful message will resonate strongly with audiences, and while its conventional nature holds it back from true greatness, it makes the most of its strongest elements.” – Next Best Picture Sep 7, 2025 Full Review Maddie's Secret (2025) 88% 8/10 EDIT “John Early's unique sensibility bursts onto the big screen with huge laughs in this loving recreation of '80s-'90s Lifetime movies that's just as heartfelt as it is hilarious.” – Next Best Picture Sep 6, 2025 Full Review YOU HAD TO BE THERE: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution... (2025) 100% 6/10 EDIT “The boastful title promises a lot, and while the access Davis got will make musical theater fans salivate, the film doesn’t quite live up to it. Instead, it’s a modest, playful slice of nostalgia, with slight delusions of grandeur.” – Next Best Picture Sep 6, 2025 Full Review Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) 91% 8/10 EDIT “With an assist from returning director Simon Curtis, who knows how to keep things moving while still feeling stately, Fellowes has managed to bring his most significant creation to a most satisfying conclusion.” – Next Best Picture Sep 3, 2025 Full Review The Roses (2025) 64% 7/10 EDIT “While one could wish for some more visual flair, it’s hard not to enjoy what Roach gives us, as “The Roses” still offers plenty of bang for your buck with its smart, side-splitting screenplay and magnificent central performances.” – Next Best Picture Aug 25, 2025 Full Review Freakier Friday (2025) 73% 7/10 EDIT “In “Freakier Friday,“ the appeal doesn’t just stem from watching stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprise their roles after two decades, but also from witnessing the younger actresses working alongside them find their footing.” – Next Best Picture Aug 5, 2025 Full Review The Naked Gun (2025) 87% 7/10 EDIT “The tight scripting and short running time of “The Naked Gun” give you more bang for your buck than any superhero spectacular. Cinematic comedy has never been so back.” – Next Best Picture Jul 30, 2025 Full Review
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