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The Federalist

The Federalist is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Rebecca Cusey.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
La La Land (2016) Rebecca Cusey It's nostalgic in the same way a hipster combing through vinyl records in a record shop coffee house is nostalgic. It picks and chooses what it wants to remember about the past and puts a decidedly modern spin on the treasures it decides to keep.
Posted Dec 12, 2016  Edit critic review
The Nice Guys (2016) Rebecca Cusey The thing that sets this movie apart is the magic that happens between Gosling, Crowe, and Rice.
Posted Dec 12, 2016  Edit critic review
Last Days in the Desert (2015) Rebecca Cusey The core of the film, the beauty of it, and the spirit of it are what I wish religious movies would be about. Scratch that. It's what I wish all movies would be about.
Posted May 12, 2016  Edit critic review
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Rebecca Cusey Too competent to be universally panned, too disjointed to be universally praised, too anticipated to be a new revelation, too beloved in subject to be easily dismissed, the film will be one people either passionately love or passionately hate.
Posted Mar 30, 2016  Edit critic review
Deadpool (2016) Rebecca Cusey "Deadpool" is not so much a movie as an extended inside joke with a movie wrapped around it, plus an abject apology for Green Lantern.
Posted Feb 12, 2016  Edit critic review
The Revenant (2015) Rebecca Cusey This film is a testosterone flick, the opposite of a chick flick. That is not to say that no women will enjoy it, only that many will not. Its purpose is grit, gore, strength, and endurance. It is simple and elegant in its simplicity.
Posted Jan 15, 2016  Edit critic review
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) Rebecca Cusey Whatever audiences expected from Michael Bay's examination of the Benghazi debacle, it wasn't this insightful war story about hubris on every level except the men who carry the guns. This film rivals greats like "Black Hawk Down" and "Zero Dark Thirty."
Posted Jan 15, 2016  Edit critic review
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Rebecca Cusey Delivers an effective mix of nostalgia and new storylines. Disney pulled off a modern-day Christmas miracle keeping the plot almost completely unknown to audiences. My advice is keep it that way.
Posted Dec 16, 2015  Edit critic review
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 (2015) Rebecca Cusey Although the plot remains, for the most part, the same, the tone is so different as to reverse the pacifism-at-all-costs message of the book, making a good series even better.
Posted Nov 20, 2015  Edit critic review
The Martian (2015) Rebecca Cusey Ridley Scott's enjoyable space drama feels like a throwback to the days when American know-how and determination promised a brighter future ahead.
Posted Oct 02, 2015  Edit critic review
Ant-Man (2015) Rebecca Cusey Like its predecessor, "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Ant-Man" plays with the Marvel universe without upending it. It manages to make fun of the superhero genre while still fully embracing the emotions that make the genre powerful.
Posted Jul 21, 2015  Edit critic review
Trainwreck (2015) Rebecca Cusey The film makes the case for getting over yourself and growing the hell up. It's more than romantic comedy. It's profound, even as it makes you laugh again and again. Here's hoping that Apatow and Schumer are just getting started.
Posted Jul 17, 2015  Edit critic review
Inside Out (2015) Rebecca Cusey After you realize the central message, which has to do with Sadness herself, the film feels a little like an exercise you'd experience at a good therapist's office. Only Pixar could pull that off and make a good, not great, film out of it.
Posted Jun 19, 2015  Edit critic review
Jurassic World (2015) Rebecca Cusey "Jurassic World," like its predecessors, fills up the screen with roaring, slathering, earth-shaking dinosaurs, then fills in mere humans around the edges. It's a formula that works as well in 2015 as it did in 1993.
Posted Jun 15, 2015  Edit critic review
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) Rebecca Cusey Anna Kendrick's charm saves this film from being entirely predictable and only half funny.
Posted May 15, 2015  Edit critic review
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Rebecca Cusey It makes sense a MAD MAX army goes into battle with a metal guitarist. This primal, epic film is the stuff of Homer in the key of Metallica.
Posted May 15, 2015  Edit critic review
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Rebecca Cusey You can't escape the feeling that Whedon and the gang are having a good time making the film, and want to share that glee with the audience. It's a franchise that has hit its rhythm.
Posted May 01, 2015  Edit critic review
Furious 7 (2015) Rebecca Cusey Soap opera with supercars and explosions. Pitch perfect tribute to Paul Walker. What's not to love?
Posted Apr 03, 2015  Edit critic review
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) Rebecca Cusey A punk rock rebel of a movie. It follows no rules. It slaps you in the face while making you laugh. Completely entertaining, it also isn't afraid. In our environment of careful and slavish correctness to groupthink, that feels like a refreshing breeze.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
Jupiter Ascending (2015) Rebecca Cusey I kind of had a tepidly good time in "Jupiter Ascending." It won me over in the same way that bag of tater tots in the freezer wins you over: it has its own freezer-burned charm.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
Inherent Vice (2014) Rebecca Cusey For those who have never been high, the new film "Inherent Vice" will give you a pretty good sense of it. You'll have no idea what's going on. You'll wonder whether you're supposed to know. In the end, though, you won't be sure you care.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
Selma (2014) Rebecca Cusey Do not believe anyone trying to make "Selma" a factional thing, a liberal or conservative, black, white, or hashtag movie. It transcends all that. It is a great American story, well told, and nothing less.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
American Sniper (2014) Rebecca Cusey Primarily, it is a gritty and moving war story about the heroes who have answered America's call to arms. Secondarily, it is an unapologetic manifesto from Eastwood about what it means to be an American and a warrior today.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
Unbroken (2014) Rebecca Cusey "Unbroken" is the film that will bring hope and inspiration not only to American audiences, but those suffering in war zones and under dictators the world over. That makes it a far more dangerous movie to oppressors than "The Interview" could ever be.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) Rebecca Cusey The movie wastes its fine actors and, more importantly, its rich subject matter.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
Wild (2014) Rebecca Cusey This secular pilgrimage has fine acting but wants to be more meaningful than it is.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (2014) Rebecca Cusey Increasingly, in a world of ISIS, we know evil exists and is not going away. Maybe we need symbols to inspire us.
Posted Mar 30, 2015  Edit critic review
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