Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes
Publications list

Dayton CityPaper

Dayton CityPaper is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): tt stern-enzi.

Prev Next
Rating Title | Year Author Quote
B+
Juliet, Naked (2018) tt stern-enzi Byrne and O'Dowd prove to be reliable as ever, managing the delicate balance between the laughs-both at and with their characters-and the dramatic elements that have a sneakily relatable power.
Posted Sep 12, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Searching (2018) tt stern-enzi David is achingly human, eager and desperate, then driven to explosiveness, before bottoming out in his guilt. It is through David that we understand just how little we know the people we are supposedly close to.
Posted Aug 29, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Leave No Trace (2018) tt stern-enzi The film captures the universal dynamic between teens and their parents, but the stakes are unfamiliar. Yet, Foster and McKenzie present a level of humanity that is timelessly authentic.
Posted Aug 22, 2018  Edit critic review
A
BlacKkKlansman (2018) tt stern-enzi Lee refuses to let us close our eyes or fake blindness. Even more so, he's using the period setting as an obvious reflection on the current state of race relations, which is not all that different today than it was in the 1970s.
Posted Aug 15, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Three Identical Strangers (2018) tt stern-enzi The easy cliché states that bad things happen to good people, but usually those bad things occur, as if from the unseen hands of fate.
Posted Aug 07, 2018  Edit critic review
A-
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) tt stern-enzi I would argue that as this current version of Ethan Hunt, Cruise maintains that strong sense of right and wrong, but his aging fallibility matters far more.
Posted Aug 01, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Hearts Beat Loud (2018) tt stern-enzi As parents, our souls live in those moments, and what a wonderful thing it is that Haley, Offerman, and Clemons have been able to bring that to life onscreen. That's real magic.
Posted Jul 31, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Sorry to Bother You (2018) tt stern-enzi We find ourselves wanting to call out the outlandish bullshit, but the more crazy and frazzled the story becomes, the more it feels like a sad and all-too accurate reflection of our current reality.
Posted Jul 25, 2018  Edit critic review
B+
Whitney (2018) tt stern-enzi Here, in this revelation, is a possible explanation for a lifetime of confusion and drug use that shaped this great voice and led to the untimely snuffing out of an eternal flame.
Posted Jul 10, 2018  Edit critic review
A
First Reformed (2017) tt stern-enzi "First Reformed," is the face of Hawke, which miraculously never gets consumed by the hellfire all around.
Posted Jun 21, 2018  Edit critic review
B
Incredibles 2 (2018) tt stern-enzi Despite essentially being a carbon copy, the sequel cranks out more than a few surprises involving the Parrs.
Posted Jun 15, 2018  Edit critic review
B
Ocean's 8 (2018) tt stern-enzi It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Posted Jun 15, 2018  Edit critic review
C+
Adrift (2018) tt stern-enzi Woodley held my sympathy during much of the aimlessness.
Posted Jun 15, 2018  Edit critic review
Pope Francis -- A Man of His Word (2018) tt stern-enzi By refusing to judge, Pope Francis takes us all by the hand and leads us towards a vision of humanity that earns and deserves our pride. This could be the first meaningful step towards what we might dream we could be.
Posted Jun 14, 2018  Edit critic review
B
Life of the Party (2018) tt stern-enzi No matter how outrageous the circumstances get, McCarthy always works best when her natural love and goodwill leads the way. She's a comedic mama bear at heart.
Posted Jun 14, 2018  Edit critic review
C
Breaking In (2018) tt stern-enzi Union proves that she's a fighter and a survivor above all else, and that she can look damned good while doing it. She can save the motherly stuff for another time.
Posted Jun 14, 2018  Edit critic review
C
Tully (2018) tt stern-enzi The real twist would have been if we had been able to watch and appreciate how Marlo had to actually earn her ever-after the old-fashioned way.
Posted May 11, 2018  Edit critic review
B-
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) tt stern-enzi Almost 20 movies in, maybe someone should have realized that it wasn't going to be possible to continue topping the previous installments.
Posted May 03, 2018  Edit critic review
B+
I Feel Pretty (2018) tt stern-enzi Thankfully, Kohn and Silverstein know that they've got Williams as an ace in the hole here, guaranteeing that I Feel Pretty has a real shot at winding up a winning hand.
Posted Apr 26, 2018  Edit critic review
A-
A Quiet Place (2018) tt stern-enzi What happens on the screen isn't as important as what goes on in the hearts, minds, and ears of those of us who surrender to the powerful allure of this not so quiet place. Listen to the lesson.
Posted Apr 10, 2018  Edit critic review
F
Acrimony (2018) tt stern-enzi A little less Acrimony and a lot more time away from Perry might do us all a world of good.
Posted Apr 05, 2018  Edit critic review
A
The Death of Stalin (2017) tt stern-enzi The Death of Stalin manages to capture and contain a multitude of perspectives and players, both large and small, in its frames, while never losing sight of the very serious historic notes.
Posted Mar 27, 2018  Edit critic review
B
Tomb Raider (2018) tt stern-enzi Vikander holds the center quite nicely, maintaining an even flow between the outrageous action sequences and the personal interplay Lara has with a host of characters. And every performer displays just the right lived-in quality when paired with her.
Posted Mar 20, 2018  Edit critic review
A
A Fantastic Woman (2017) tt stern-enzi All of us deal with this very existential crisis, but in Marina's case, it is obviously compounded by social mores, which varying degrees of privilege allow most of us to ignore.
Posted Mar 13, 2018  Edit critic review
B
The Party (2017) tt stern-enzi Potter lets her talented cast cut loose in this chamber affair where wine and whining (in equal measure) spotlights every single microscopic fissure in the delicate façade these characters believe they have constructed.
Posted Mar 07, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Argo (2012) tt stern-enzi Affleck...takes on what amounts to a historic period thriller with humorous elements and a hero in Mendez, and he does so like he's the second coming of Robert Redford and George Clooney.
Posted Feb 27, 2018  Edit critic review
A
Black Panther (2018) tt stern-enzi This version of Black Panther weaves a seemingly disparate set of strands together rather seamlessly, presenting more than enough comic book acrobatics and mayhem to satisfy the core fan base while also speaking a necessary degree of truth to power.
Posted Feb 22, 2018  Edit critic review
D
Fifty Shades Freed (2018) tt stern-enzi Just know your rules and their limits and stick to them. That's better than any half-hearted compromise or tepid sex play. Now that's what it means to be "Freed."
Posted Feb 15, 2018  Edit critic review
B
Hostiles (2017) tt stern-enzi What truly results, in a meaningful way, is an understanding that neither side can claim to be morally absolute. There is no right or wrong, no sense of things being purely black or white.
Posted Feb 01, 2018  Edit critic review
B-
Den of Thieves (2018) tt stern-enzi I suppose Gudegast seeks to give credence to the notion that there's no honor among thieves, but if that's truly the case and point he wants to make, he could have done so with a bit more efficiency.
Posted Jan 25, 2018  Edit critic review
B+
Insidious: The Last Key (2018) tt stern-enzi The Last Key is not actively seeking to venture into political territory. The movie simply functions this way due to the accident of its release during this particular moment, but this reading affords the film a strong second life for curious audiences.
Posted Jan 11, 2018  Edit critic review
B+
Molly's Game (2017) tt stern-enzi You've got Chastain, Elba, and Sorkin betting on themselves and each other. A big win is always a game changer.
Posted Jan 04, 2018  Edit critic review
The Founder (2016) tt stern-enzi Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as Dick and Mac McDonald never stood a chance, and it could be argued that, despite Keaton's cunning performance, neither did the movie.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
Gold (2016) tt stern-enzi But "Gold" proves that you need more than a thinning hairline and a bulging waistline.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
A
Jackie (2016) tt stern-enzi "Jackie" shows us how Kennedy gave birth to the legend of the modern-day Camelot, but it also captures the ongoing evolution of a star, right before our eyes.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
B
My Cousin Rachel (2017) tt stern-enzi As long as the focus is on Weisz, "My Cousin Rachel" is real and satisfying curiosity on today's film landscape, a performance-fueled work anchored by a strong female lead who knows and remains true to herself.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
D-
Everything, Everything (2017) tt stern-enzi "Everything, Everything" doesn't even set up a bar for Maddy and Olly to overcome, instead insisting on the idea that we should just make believe like mindless children.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
B
Colossal (2016) tt stern-enzi But "Colossal" succeeds because [Anne] Hathaway provides a solid and engaging emotional anchor.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
B
The Dinner (2017) tt stern-enzi "The Dinner" sets up a long and winding road that, at times, twists unnecessarily back on itself, seeking to create complexity while forcing us to question our own moral compasses.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) tt stern-enzi Rather than merely retreading the well-worn and bloody path of the first film, "Chapter 2" opens with a mythos, showcasing an international realm of intrigue.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
D+
Before I Fall (2017) tt stern-enzi There's much to ponder in the premise, but films rise and fall on the rapport we have with either the characters or the performers, and with "Before I Fall," try as I might, I never fell under the sway of Samantha or Deutch.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
B+
The Belko Experiment (2016) tt stern-enzi Whenever choices become binary-black or white, kill or be killed-that's the sign of the apocalypse, and "The Belko Experiment" captures just one instance in what probably feels like a worldwide tournament of murderous madness.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
B
Their Finest (2016) tt stern-enzi It is a simple tale of war and love, with teasing strands of feminism and sexual orientation woven into the mix, writ in small human terms.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
B-
The Last Word (2017) tt stern-enzi Rather than spend undue attention on these elements, Pellington works his magic by tapping into the talents of his leads. Both MacLaine and Seyfried use their eyes and the act of watching to reveal who these women truly are.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
A
Kedi (2016) tt stern-enzi Focusing on the seemingly unknowable perspectives of the cats, [Ceyda Torun] makes a case for the innate goodness of the human spirit.
Posted Dec 20, 2017  Edit critic review
C-
Downsizing (2017) tt stern-enzi Downsizing becomes yet another story about a white male protagonist who gets redeemed through his interactions with a person of color who guides him along the way, opening his eyes to the real world. Oh, please.
Posted Dec 19, 2017  Edit critic review
A
The Disaster Artist (2017) tt stern-enzi Franco leaves flattery behind and finds the authenticity of this man, pointing the way to a real shot at critical redemption for Wiseau and The Room.
Posted Dec 12, 2017  Edit critic review
B
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) tt stern-enzi Stevens, in The Man Who Invented Christmas, is cementing another monumental stepping stone in his path, bridging the divide between characters and audiences. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving.
Posted Dec 07, 2017  Edit critic review
A
Mudbound (2017) tt stern-enzi What this film says about race cannot be confined to one character or perspective. It seems to adhere to a novelistic approach, speaking through a collection of voices gleaned from two families' viewpoints in a larger diagram.
Posted Nov 22, 2017  Edit critic review
A
Loving Vincent (2017) tt stern-enzi Loving Vincent" is an emotional and spiritual mystery of sorts, an existential examination into a life and the art that sprang from a truly tragic figure.
Posted Nov 16, 2017  Edit critic review
Prev Next