Behind The Curtain

Concise Reviews for Movie Addicts Who Don't Have Time to Waste

Movies to Skip

Recent Reviews

Still of Amy Adams in ‘The Woman in the Window’ (2021)

The Woman in the Window (2021)

Let this be a lesson to filmmakers trying to emulate a masterwork like ‘Rear Window’: Less is more

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Still of John Ashton, Eddie Murphy, and Judge Reinhold in ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ (2023)

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Eddie Murphy does his ad-libbing best to animate ‘Axel F,’ but only the soundtrack reminds us of past magic

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Still of Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in ‘Napolean’ (2023)

Napoleon (2023)

Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby are adrift in a meandering narrative that leaves us as uninformed as we began

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Still of Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth in ‘Pokerface’ (2022)

Poker Face (2022)

A mess of a movie that's almost worth watching to appreciate how bad it really is

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Photo of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Passengers’ (2016)

Passengers (2016)

Sadly, the distasteful cliche they chose is worse than the cliches they avoided

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Photo of Judi Dench and Ali Fazal in ‘Victoria and Abdul’ (2017)

Victoria and Abdul (2017)

Judi Dench is the only beacon of light in this dark and joyless tale

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Photo of Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in "The Lobster" (2015)

The Lobster (2015)

Fine performances by Farrell and Weisz can't make you overlook the relentless dreariness

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Photo of Jesse Eisenberg and Kisten Stewart in Cafe Society (2016)

Cafe Society (2016)

Despite a few surprises, ‘Cafe Society’ is more of a bland snack than a satisfying meal

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Photo of Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington in The Magnificent Seven (2013)

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt at their most engaging. And still you couldn't care less

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Photo of Matt Damon in Jason Bourne (2016)

Jason Bourne (2016)

Like relentless action scenes? If that's all you want, that's all you get

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Still of Goosebumps (2015)

Goosebumps (2015)

Jack Black can't work enough magic to give ‘Goosebumps’ some chills

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Photo of Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone in Aloha (2015)

Aloha (2015)

Fast-forward to the final scene with Danielle Rose Russell, then say goodbye to ‘Aloha’

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Recent Quick Takes

Land of Bad (2024)

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Yet another "things go sideways" rescue mission. Rousing gun fights. Lots of explosions. Capture and torture

Ruthless (2023)

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Dermot Mulroney goes bare knuckles against sex traffickers, but can't punch his way out of this mediocre script

A Special Lady (2017)

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A twisty plot, Godfather-reminiscent set pieces, and a gutsy heroine can't make up for the exploitive brutality

Night in Paradise (2020)

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Gangster gets sold out, with bloody results. But Jeon Yeo-been shines as a terminal case with a deadly aim

Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

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It’s not as bad as you’d think. So while it’s a waste of time, it’s your time to waste

Christmas in Scotland (2023)

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A vacationing New York installation designer overcomes cliches to transform her Scottish hometown

A Furry Little Christmas (2021)

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Yet another independent, successful woman is coerced into returning to her hometown for a ‘nice guy’

Grace of Monaco (2014)

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Try as she might, even audaciously talented Nicole Kidman can't breath any life into this wooden script

The Back-Up Plan (2010)

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Spinster Jennifer Lopez's plan to invent a new life is sidetracked by a series of ever-more ridiculous coincidences