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Cinematic Words of a Chaotic Gemini (Substack)

Cinematic Words of a Chaotic Gemini (Substack) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Matthew St. Clair.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
B-
The Running Man (2025) Matthew St. Clair Even when the film goes off the rails in tone, Powell nails every serious and comical character beat.
Posted Nov 17, 2025  Edit critic review
C-
Die My Love (2025) Matthew St. Clair Rather than the subject matter at hand, it was the meandering story that at times went to unnecessary places that made Die My Love an almost-punishing experience.
Posted Nov 17, 2025  Edit critic review
A
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (2025) Matthew St. Clair Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is not just one of the year's best movies, but one of its most essential ones.
Posted Nov 17, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
Left-Handed Girl (2025) Matthew St. Clair Shih-Yuan Ma is so powerful and dynamic as a disgruntled young woman having to act as both a sister and a mother figure to I-Jing that she makes you forget it's her first acting role.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B
Steve (2025) Matthew St. Clair The acting along with its messaging on the importance of teen mental health and feeling less alone, which especially hits home during the climax, make Steve an affecting-enough drama.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
A
Hamnet (2025) Matthew St. Clair More than one of the year's best films, it is also Chloé Zhao's magnum opus.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
A
One Battle After Another (2025) Matthew St. Clair Funny, poignant, and timely, One Battle After Another is simply one of the year's best movies.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Hedda (2025) Matthew St. Clair Based on the famed play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Hedda is a near-powder keg of a chamber drama with lush production and killer performances.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
The Captive (2025) Matthew St. Clair Along with Julio Peña, it is Alessandro Borghi’s performance that helps give this engaging biographical drama both its soul and simmering erotic charge
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025) Matthew St. Clair Along with delicate writing, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain absorbs the viewer thanks to its stunning otherworldly visuals while boasting a stellar voice performance from Victoria Grobois as Nishio-san.
Posted Sep 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B-
Charlie Harper (2025) Matthew St. Clair Although the film falls into the familiar trap of films with non-linear narratives jumping too hasty from one point in time to another, said narrative structure is still an intriguing decision on the filmmakers’ part.
Posted Sep 30, 2025  Edit critic review
A
It Was Just an Accident (2025) Matthew St. Clair From the minute the main conflict gets set into motion to its final frame, It Was Just An Accident grips you as it demonstrates the cyclical nature of hatred.
Posted Sep 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Hamlet (2025) Matthew St. Clair The amazing Riz Ahmed delivers the Bard's words with fire and brimstone as the titular vengeance-thirsty protagonist.
Posted Sep 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Sentimental Value (2025) Matthew St. Clair While Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and also Elle Fanning in her limited role do amazing work, it’s newcomer Inga Obsdotter Lilleaas who walks away with the entire film.
Posted Sep 30, 2025  Edit critic review
B
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Matthew St. Clair Nurturing yet motherly yet also the glue tenaciously holding the family together, Vanessa Kirby is a force of nature.
Posted Jul 31, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Superman (2025) Matthew St. Clair Idealistic with an intense need to fight for pure goodness in this world, this Superman is one worth rooting for with his humanism and charm played superbly by lead actor David Corenswet.
Posted Jul 31, 2025  Edit critic review
A
Misericordia (2024) Matthew St. Clair Morbidly funny, erotic, and well-acted with a dynamic performance from Félix Kysyl, Misericordia is simply a tense thrill ride that proves how small towns can truly be hell sometimes.
Posted Jun 24, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
Elio (2025) Matthew St. Clair Besides being a visually striking ode to outsiders, Elio serves as a love letter to parental figures as well as parents, reminding them to love their messy days with their children as well as the good ones.
Posted Jun 24, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
28 Years Later (2025) Matthew St. Clair Crazed in its gore, and the most zombie nudity I've ever witnessed on screen, while also being surprisingly poignant, 28 Years Later was well worth the long wait.
Posted Jun 24, 2025  Edit critic review
B-
On Swift Horses (2024) Matthew St. Clair Despite its exuberant look and engaging performances, On Swift Horses having an overly steady pace and some undercooked character development puts it a hare away from greatness.
Posted May 27, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Sister Midnight (2024) Matthew St. Clair Sister Midnight is a bold feature debut from Karan Kandhari that, in its own twisted way, skewers societal pressures of being an ideal wife and woman.
Posted May 14, 2025  Edit critic review
A
Sinners (2025) Matthew St. Clair One of the year's best movies, Sinners is one simply not to be missed.
Posted May 04, 2025  Edit critic review
B-
Eat the Night (2024) Matthew St. Clair An ambitious directorial effort with plenty on its mind and plenty of visual flair, Eat the Night would've benefited more by delving further into fantasy.
Posted May 04, 2025  Edit critic review
B
The Teacher (2023) Matthew St. Clair Similar to his work as a closeted gay man in The Blue Caftan, Saleh Bakri conveys a whirlwind of conflict and despair with just his eyes.
Posted May 04, 2025  Edit critic review
C+
Night Fight (2025) Matthew St. Clair As self-examining as it is extrospective, Night Fight does a well-enough job at continuing the conversation of generational racism even as the film succumbs to an abrupt conclusion and slow pacing.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
Odyssey (2025) Matthew St. Clair Gerard Johnson's Odyssey is an engaging character study that shows what happens when the worst person you know is having the worst week of their life.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
B-
Reeling (2025) Matthew St. Clair Ryan Wuestewald is the guiding force of a thriller about messy family ties that left me wanting a bit more but is powerful enough.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
A-
Clown in a Cornfield (2025) Matthew St. Clair Funny, terrifying, and with some surprising heart, Clown in a Cornfield is a definite treat for horror fans.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Drop (2025) Matthew St. Clair After proving herself a capable scene-stealer on shows like The White Lotus and The Perfect Couple, Meghann Fahy successfully graduates to leading lady status.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
C
Holland (2025) Matthew St. Clair When you add in a painfully underused Rachel Sennott, it makes Holland all the more disappointing.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
B
Another Simple Favor (2025) Matthew St. Clair Although the sequel spices things up by having a more exotic setting and the scene-stealing duo of Elizabeth Perkins and Allison Janney joining the cast, Another Simple Favor does get bogged down by getting too twist-y as the mystery unfolds.
Posted Apr 10, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
I Really Love My Husband (2025) Matthew St. Clair Although I Really Love My Husband could've been a tad longer, its acting and exotic location make watching it feel enough like paradise.
Posted Apr 03, 2025  Edit critic review
B+
Death of a Unicorn (2025) Matthew St. Clair Although it takes a while for the scares and guts to set in motion, the lead-up before then allows us to spend time with the characters the way a good monster movie does so that we know which characters' grisly ends carry the most emotional weight.
Posted Apr 03, 2025  Edit critic review
B
O'Dessa (2025) Matthew St. Clair As much as the final destination is an overdrawn climax, the performances, the visuals, and the eclectic soundtrack in O'Dessa make the journey through Satylite City a memorable one.
Posted Apr 03, 2025  Edit critic review
B
The Dutchman (2025) Matthew St. Clair Holland and Mara are the strong center of a film that still has me on a tightrope between "like" and "love" due to stylistic film-making choices almost being outweighed by writing ones but nevertheless, is a film that still lingers in my head.
Posted Apr 03, 2025  Edit critic review
Nosferatu (2024) Matthew St. Clair A hypnotic and immersive adaptation of the classic vampire tale.
Posted Dec 31, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
The Girl With the Needle (2024) Matthew St. Clair A well-shot odyssey into psychological despair with engaging central performances.
Posted Dec 31, 2024  Edit critic review
B
Bird (2024) Matthew St. Clair Barry Keoghan helps this profound entry in Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age canon soar with his transcendent performance as an overbearing father.
Posted Dec 01, 2024  Edit critic review
A
Dahomey (2024) Matthew St. Clair Mati Diop's sophomore feature establishes her as one of cinema's most singular filmmaking voices working today.
Posted Dec 01, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
The Last Showgirl (2024) Matthew St. Clair Through the craftiness of Gia Coppola's screenplay, it is in Shelley's interactions with those around her where we see how her life both has and could pan out.
Posted Oct 04, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
Anora (2024) Matthew St. Clair Madison successfully graduates to leading lady status with a performance full of razor-sharp wit and vulnerability.
Posted Oct 03, 2024  Edit critic review
B
Presence (2024) Matthew St. Clair A compellingly subversive ghost story from director Steven Soderbergh.
Posted Oct 03, 2024  Edit critic review
B
Sad Jokes (2024) Matthew St. Clair A profound demonstration of an artist's turbulent life crisis with assured direction.
Posted Oct 03, 2024  Edit critic review
B-
Cuckoo (2024) Matthew St. Clair Hunter Schafer's transcendent lead performance holds together an engaging-enough thrill ride that thrives on directorial execution more than storytelling.
Posted Sep 11, 2024  Edit critic review
A-
Arzé (2024) Matthew St. Clair Diamond Abou Abboud is transcendent in this affecting telling of working-class survival.
Posted Jul 31, 2024  Edit critic review
A
Griffin in Summer (2024) Matthew St. Clair Through slight humor and distress, Griffin in Summer effectively navigates painful truths about adolescence and is a promising feature directorial debut from writer/director Nicholas Colia.
Posted Jul 07, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
Missing from Fire Trail Road (2024) Matthew St. Clair A distressing yet vital overview of generational systemic oppression towards the Indigenous community.
Posted Jul 01, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
Banel & Adama (2023) Matthew St. Clair A capable, often visually striking feature directorial debut from Ramata-Toulaye Sy.
Posted Jun 07, 2024  Edit critic review
B-
In a Violent Nature (2024) Matthew St. Clair An experimental slasher pic that mostly succumbs to age-old story tropes.
Posted Jun 01, 2024  Edit critic review
B+
Backspot (2023) Matthew St. Clair Devery Jacobs is transcendent and sublime in this engaging cheerleading drama.
Posted Jun 01, 2024  Edit critic review
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