Category: Review Compilations / Short Reviews

2023 TV Catch-Up / Backlog: The Mixed Bags | Bite-Sized Reviews

(L-R) The Changeling (Apple TV+); Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+), The Crown (Netflix).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, the point of this post is to function as a review compilation, if you will, of some notable 2023 television series that I’ve either caught up with in the last few months or which I never found the time to write about when they were released way back when (i.e. my review notes backlog). For this post, I have specifically highlighted three shows from the past year that didn’t fully work for me, even though I liked a fair bit about them.

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‘Napoleon,’ ‘Beyond Utopia,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise L-R) MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (Roadshow Film Distributors), BEYOND UTOPIA (Roadside Attractions / Fathom Events), NAPOLEON (Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing), TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL (Magnet Releasing), and SHALLOW GRAVE (Rank Film Distributors).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) Mel Gibson’s final appearance as Mad Max, 2) one of last year’s best documentaries, 3) last year’s much-discussed historical epic from Ridley Scott, 4) Danny Boyle’s directorial debut, and 5) a horror comedy cult classic.

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‘The Eras Tour,’ ‘STEVE! (martin),’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise L-R) STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces (APPLE TV+), Der Amerikanische Freund (Filmverlag der Autoren), Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Disney+), Role Play (Prime Video), and Wish (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) a recent two-part documentary that I enjoyed quite a bit, 2) my first Wim Wenders film, 3) one of the biggest event films of last year, 4) a streaming film that didn’t fully work for me, and, finally, 5) a Disney film that is chock-full of references.

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‘Sexy Beast,’ ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise L-R) THIS IS ME… NOW (Prime Video), SOPHIE’S CHOICE (Universal Pictures), SEXY BEAST (Searchlight / FilmFour Distributors), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (Paramount Pictures), and ELEVATOR GAME (AMP International, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, M2 Films, Movie Cloud).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) an iconic film that I struggled with, 2) a strange passion project from a genuine pop star, 3) the debut film of one of Britain’s finest auteurs, 4) one of last year’s best animated films, and, finally, 5) a horror film that didn’t work for me.

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‘Next Goal Wins,’ ‘Wonka,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise from top left): Next Goal Wins (Searchlight Pictures); Wonka (Warner Bros. Pictures); Fingernails (Apple TV+); Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount Pictures); Sleepers (Warner Bros. / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I give you my thoughts on 1) a film about football that underwhelmed me, 2) a prequel that surprised me positively, 3) a so-so Apple TV+ Film, 4) a film starring Robert De Niro and Kevin Bacon, and, finally, 5) a sequel to a film series that has pretty much lost me at this point.

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‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,’ ‘The Burial,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise from top left): The Burial (Amazon Prime Video); Merry Little Batman (Amazon Prime Video); Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford (Disney+); Underverden II (Nordisk Film); The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Republic Pictures).

For this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I have highlighted five films that I saw in the past few months, these include a Danish action-crime sequel, a remake from a filmmaking master, a tribute to a big screen legend, a great animated comic book movie surprise, and, finally, an underseen courtroom drama with some really strong performances from Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.

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‘Talk To Me,’ ‘The Pope’s Exorcist,’ and More | Bite-Sized Reviews

(Clockwise from top left): The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony Pictures Releasing); Talk To Me (A24); The Crow (Miramax); Sympathy for the Devil (RLJE Films); Totally Killer (Amazon Prime Video).

In the next couple of editions of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews (including this one), these review compilations will consist of my thoughts on certain films or shows that I saw in the last year that I, for some reason, never published full reviews for. Often, I see a bunch of stuff that I write notes for or about on Letterboxd, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to post those review thoughts here, as I want to share them with you. For this post, I have specifically highlighted five horror-thrillers, including a modern comic book adaptation classic that I finally saw in the past few months.

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‘Bottoms (2023),’ ‘The Little Mermaid (2023),’ and ‘The Meg 2 (2023),’ | Bite-Sized Reviews

(L-R) Jason Statham in MEG 2: THE TRENCH (Warner Bros. Pictures), Halle Bailey in THE LITTLE MERMAID (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures), and Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri in BOTTOMS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I have had a look at one of the very best and funniest movies of the past year, a live-action remake of an animated classic, and a, for some, much-anticipated summer movie sequel. All of these are 2023 flicks that you may or may not have missed. Click below to learn more about my thoughts on the specific films.

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‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023),’ ‘Red, White, and Royal Blue (2023),’ ‘Haunted Mansion (2023),’ ‘Clerks III (2022),’ and ‘Mainstream (2020)’ | Bite-Sized Reviews

(L-R) Haunted Mansion (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures); Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer); Clerks III (Lionsgate); Mainstream (IFC Films); and Red, White, and Royal Blue (Amazon Prime Video).

In this edition of Additional Bite-Sized Reviews, I take a look at a handful of films that I checked out over the last couple of months. These films were interesting enough for me to have formulated notes about them that never materialized into extensive singular reviews — instead, here they are in bite-sized form. Are any of these worth your time? Well, let’s have a look.

Continue reading “‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023),’ ‘Red, White, and Royal Blue (2023),’ ‘Haunted Mansion (2023),’ ‘Clerks III (2022),’ and ‘Mainstream (2020)’ | Bite-Sized Reviews” →

Bite-Sized Reviews: First Half of 2022 – Must-See TV?

Britt Lower in “Severance,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

In this edition of my recurring movie and television catch-up article series titled ‘Additional Bite-Sized Reviews,’ I take a look back at the first half of the year to discuss some of the new shows that I’ve really enjoyed this year, but that I didn’t have the time to review. I think all of the shows in this article are good, but which of these shows do you absolutely have to put on your watchlist? Well, let’s have a look.

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