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Critics list

Alise Chaffins

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Alise (she/her) is a film critic out of Morgantown, WV. Alise loves highlighting movies from women and/or queer directors.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Mercy (2026) 23% 2/5 EDIT “There’s a potentially interesting idea in Mercy (but) it is abandoned for innumerable plot conveniences, an overabundance of CGI screens, and an AI judge that seems to think the guy she’s trying to execute is actually pretty swell deep down.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 26, 2026 Full Review Signing Tony Raymond (2025) 82% 3.5/5 EDIT “Signing Tony Raymond is a sweet, caring film that highlights some of the issues surrounding college football recruitment while also casting a light on how that impacts families.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 23, 2026 Full Review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 93% 4/5 EDIT “...in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Nia DaCosta takes the directing reins and steers the franchise in a way that somehow feels both nihilistic and hopeful at the same time.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 20, 2026 Full Review The Life of Chuck (2024) 80% 4.5/5 EDIT “This film is a magical, uplifting story that urges us to find joy and connection in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 19, 2026 Full Review Primate (2025) 79% 4/5 EDIT “Primate, from director Johannes Roberts, is a tense and gory creature feature short on story, but filled with thrills.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 13, 2026 Full Review People We Meet on Vacation (2026) 75% 2.5/5 EDIT “People We Meet on Vacation...is an overlong, flat romance that will no doubt have its fans, but is not interesting enough to be anything more than background entertainment.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 12, 2026 Full Review The Plague (2025) 97% 4/5 EDIT “This psychological thriller about the pain of isolation due to bullying is one of the most poignant and horrifying films I’ve ever seen on the subject.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 6, 2026 Full Review Homegrown (2024) 4/5 EDIT “There have been a number of documentaries that have pulled footage from (January 6), but director Michael Premo and his crew were there to film one of the participants in his documentary Homegrown.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 4, 2026 Full Review Song Sung Blue (2025) 78% 4/5 EDIT “Yes, this is a melodramatic, cheesy movie. But there is something more under all of the goofiness. ...this film is a heartwarming tale about sharing a dream with another person.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 30, 2025 Full Review 31 Candles (2025) 100% 3.5/5 EDIT “Part Christmas movie, part coming-of-age, part reconnecting with your religious roots, part rom-com, 31 Candles is a lovely movie.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 30, 2025 Full Review Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) 92% 5/5 EDIT “Discussions of Christian Nationalism have been rising for the past few years...Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man tackles this topic with humor and thoughtfulness and a pretty decent locked-door mystery. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 29, 2025 Full Review Is This Thing On? (2025) 86% 4/5 EDIT “Is This Thing On? works because of the incredible performances of Arnett and Dern. In a film where a couple is struggling, we are often forced to choose sides, but these two allow us to feel empathy for both without denigrating the other.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 23, 2025 Full Review Tapawingo (2023) 80% 3.5/5 EDIT “...this movie is an off-beat, hilarious, silly story that is bright and incredibly watchable.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 22, 2025 Full Review Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2006) 100% 4/5 EDIT “If you have only watched the Kill Bill movies on your television like me, or it has been a long time since you’ve seen them on the big screen, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is worth a (long) trip to the cinema. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 17, 2025 Full Review Jay Kelly (2025) 75% 3.5/5 EDIT “Noah Baumbach gets close to nailing the formula in his new film, Jay Kelly, streaming on Netflix, but even with some incredible casting and some genuinely heartfelt moments, the film felt like it was missing something.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 15, 2025 Full Review Dust Bunny (2025) 85% 3.5/5 EDIT “...there was a time when we allowed movies for kids to be truly scary. Bryan Fuller remembers and brings us an enchanting, beautiful, and yes, frightening film with Dust Bunny.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 11, 2025 Full Review Serious People (2025) 69% 3.5 EDIT “While the movie takes a minute to really settle into the story, once it does, this comedy of errors is absolutely hilarious.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 9, 2025 Full Review Eternity (2025) 77% 3.5/5 EDIT “A beautiful and funny film, filled with exceptional performances across the board, the ending felt like it wanted to explore every outcome, but instead, it was afraid to commit to something real.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 8, 2025 Full Review The Thing with Feathers (2025) 46% 2.5/5 EDIT “Even with some wonderful acting and some powerful moments of grief, The Thing with Feathers is just too disjointed to make it a truly entertaining or emotionally moving watch.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 4, 2025 Full Review Luv Ya, Bum! (2025) 100% 3.5/5 EDIT “Luv Ya, Bum! is, by all accounts, a standard documentary, including footage of the Oilers back then and copious interviews with people who knew him...that made me want to put down my Terrible Towel and pick up a powder blue pom pom. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 2, 2025 Full Review Wicked: For Good (2025) 66% 4/5 EDIT “I went to Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good...and found it to be yet another delightful trip to Oz, if not quite as strong as part one.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Train Dreams (2025) 95% 5/5 EDIT “This is a beautiful film, both visually and thematically, and choosing to engage with it completely is a worthwhile endeavor.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Nov 24, 2025 Full Review The Running Man (2025) 62% 3.5/5 EDIT “Based on the novel by the same name, this movie manages to disguise a very direct message about propaganda and wealth inequality as a popcorn blockbuster with varying degrees of success.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Nov 18, 2025 Full Review Frankenstein (2025) 85% 4.5/5 EDIT “The theme of finding humanity in that which many find monstrous is one that del Toro seems drawn to, so watching him tackle Frankenstein is quite thrilling, and he does it masterfully.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Nov 17, 2025 Full Review Christy (2025) 67% 3/5 EDIT “More than anything, Christy feels safe...What Martin has overcome is astounding, and as a West Virginian, I’m thrilled that she is having it told on the big screen. I only wish this movie could have been as bold as she is.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Nov 11, 2025 Full Review
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