Movie reviews of Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen

Branagh captures a spooky atmosphere with his camerawork, his horror elements, and his authentic location, and, honestly, I think the only major thing holding it back is its uneven pacing. Review

I do think there is a way to take the delicate issues and problematic story and handle it all in a way that feels appropriate, and I think there is a way to handle the balancing act better while still pairing the excellent music with the kind of visuals the music merits and making it a successful musical. Review

The Nun II is a bloated mixed bag. It is spookier than the first film and includes some well-set-up scares, but it is also unevenly paced and tends to cut away from the horrific payoffs too quickly. Review

I thought it was a deeply fascinating film that manages to be in deep conversation with stuff like The White Lotus and the surging eat-the-rich cinematic trend but does so in violent and uncensored ways that won’t be accessible to everyone. Review

At its best, it reminded me of David Fincher’s Gone Girl and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and Cassandra Naud’s magnetic performance especially pulls you in. It’s well-shot, well-acted, and well-written — this could be one of the better surprise finds of the year. Review

It just isn’t as funny as the first one. The film bets on you as an audience member really enjoying the characters of the first film, which I did, but it isn’t enough to make the largely unfunny Vacation Friends 2 anything more than a clear step down from the relatively enjoyable first film. Review

It’s not a tasty treat, but it also isn’t so disposable that it deserves to be left alongside the millions of unmentionable dog poop bags at the bottom of a trash can. Rather, it is exactly what you think it is, which can both be a good and a bad thing. Review

It’s just a really well-designed horror-comedy that has its characters weaponize the kind of expressions that a particular generation has become partly defined by — due to its awareness of injustices and its willingness to speak up — and pokes fun at it, in a way that I — who was born in the early-to-mid nineties — thought was really amusing. Review

The action is so exceptional that I find myself wanting to praise this film as one of the most entertaining films that Netflix has put out. But the thing is that whenever the film slows down and the writing or the characters take center stage, I am pulled in the opposite direction, as its bland and trite script feels stuck in the past... Review

Hlynur Pálmason’s sure-to-become iconic Nordic epic Vanskabte Land is a jaw-dropping visual feast that examines power dynamics, religion, nature, what (or who) does or doesn’t get to be documented for posterity, and colonial stubbornness through its patient approach to a clash of cultures that here refuse to communicate in a meaningful way in spite of what they have in common. Review

I do have mixed feelings about the ending, but, on the whole, this is a promising and assured debut from Katrine Brocks. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Review

Though it oozes style and coolness, everything until the last half hour is too slowly paced for a reveal that isn’t really all that surprising, and then the final half hour is too fast-paced to really have its core ideas settle in. Review

This is the kind of haunting masterwork that succeeds in transporting you into the headspace of its main character, which means that it gradually fills you with existential dread. Review

This is an undeniably (sometimes overwhelmingly) sugary sweet but scathing social satire from an auteur in top form. Review

A relatively unremarkable sequel that doesn’t do enough to justify its own existence beyond trying to turn this into a franchise. Review

It features breathtaking stunts, as well as action set-pieces that are genuine franchise highlights. It is a high-tier Mission: Impossible movie (and is arguably the most comedic of these films), but it doesn’t quite reach the high bar set by Mission: Impossible – Fallout... Review

Insidious: The Red Door is arguably the best Insidious sequel. Patrick Wilson got the job done with a solid horror flick that isn’t afraid of being sentimental. Review

It isn’t timeless. It isn’t life-changing. But it is a good time. This is a good Indiana Jones movie, but it falls just short of greatness due to some of its set-pieces, which are unfortunately merely middle-of-the-road. Review

Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a tale of two halves with some underappreciated high highs but also frustratingly low lows. Review

The Last Crusade features action and puzzles that are every bit as well-executed as the ones in the original film, but I would argue that this film as a whole is better-paced than the other films in the series. Review

The writing is definitely more problematic. And yet, even though Spielberg has basically disavowed it, it still feels pretty true to the original aim of the franchise. Review

In spite of minor quibbles, Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark remains a timeless action-adventure classic thanks to iconic music, several outstanding action set-pieces, and how real it all feels. Review

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a serious step down in quality. It’s a shoddily-written family-oriented superhero flick that fails to recapture the magic of the first film. Review

Kore-eda’s Broker is an affecting and tender-hearted reflection on family, abandonment, giving someone up, forgiveness, acceptance, and love. I thought it was beautiful, and I would gladly revisit it. Review