Movies & Streaming Reviews

The latest movies & streaming reviews from Jim Schembri, professional film reviewer since 1980.

‘Mickey Hardaway’ a solid hard-luck story; Ramshackle charm in ‘Everything Will Be Fine in the End’; ‘Inspector Sun’, a beautifully animated mystery lark with an old-style look, a busy plot and loads of gags

Hard-luck story: Samuel Cofield, Jr and Rashad Hunter in ‘Mickey Hardaway’. These are reviews of some good independent American films ...
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REVIEWS: Martin Scorsese’s slow-moving ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is more akin to a two-part TV film rather than a great cinematic event; Nifty French mystery with ‘The Origin of Evil’; ‘The Conference’ delivers a fun Swedish slasher; ‘Oink’, a family film preoccupied with pig poop; ‘Disconnect Me’, a quirky local doc about smartphone addiction

Grim face: Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON **1/2 (206 minutes) M We ...
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‘The Eras Tour’: Taylor Swift brings it in a dazzling concert film celebrating her music, giant screen technology and industrial hydraulics

Angel in a glittery bodysuit: Taylor Swift in ‘The Eras Tour’ concert film. TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR **** (165 ...
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‘The Cost’, a terrific, tense Australian thriller; dud Oz comedy ‘Scant’ is all over the place; Australian satirical series C*A*U*G*H*T is C*R*U*D

Payback problems: Jordan Fraser-Trumble and Damon Hunter in ‘The Cost’. THE COST **** (111 minutes) MA Two angry men on ...
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‘Shayda’, a moving, if muted immigrant drama set in Australian suburbia

Mother love: Zar Amir-Ebrahimi and Selina Zahednia in ‘Shayda’. SHAYDA **1/2 (117 minutes) M There are many moments of high ...
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There’s double the trouble in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’, a fun, well-done horror piece timed for the Halloween season

BFFs: Lidya Jewett and Olivia O’Neill in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’. THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER *** (108 minutes) MA It’s double trouble ...
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Outstanding, inventive and unexpected, ‘Saw X’ is an apotheosis of the horror series; Visually beautiful and very derivative, ‘The Creator’ offers a scenic tour of the future

Too tight?: A victim gets into the deadly gameplay of ‘Saw X’. SAW X **** (118 minutes) MA Oh, wow ...
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Brace yourselves for a shock: Liam Neeson’s latest action movie ‘Retribution’ is actually quite good; Holiday fun for kids and adults in ‘PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie’

Busy signal: Liam Neeson in the action-thriller ‘Retribution’. RETRIBUTION *** (90 minutes) M How joyful it is to be sitting ...
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REVIEWS: Compelling drama in ‘Painkiller’; ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’ a passably pleasant rom com; Wonderfully weird sci-fi comedy with ‘Biosphere’; Plenty of fun in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’; Dud horror with ‘The Nun II’

He’s here to help: Matthew Broderick as drug company boss Richard Sackler in ‘Painkiller’. PAINKILLER ***1/2 (six episodes; 289 minutes) ...
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‘Equalizer 3’ hits its mark; ‘Ego’ serves up an excellent bio-doc of music giant Michael Gudinski; ‘Haunted Mansion’ is another Disney misfire

Don’t mess: Denzel Washington returns in ‘The Equalizer 3’. THE EQUALIZER 3 *** (109 minutes) MA Gosh, the mob is ...
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