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Niagara Gazette

Niagara Gazette is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Michael Calleri.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
The Mastermind (2025) Michael Calleri Josh O’Connor’s performance is exceptional and the production values are outstanding in "The Mastermind," a very good art heist movie. The mechanics of the planning and actual theft are delivered with an accomplished, albeit cleverly distanced, style.
Posted Jan 04, 2026  Edit critic review
Jay Kelly (2025) Michael Calleri The cast, from Clooney to the delightful extras, is exceptional. Beautiful Tuscan villages play themselves. "Jay Kelly" is an invaluable movie about feeling fulfilled by one’s accomplishments and how to come to terms with any regrets.
Posted Dec 27, 2025  Edit critic review
Marty Supreme (2025) Michael Calleri The exhilarating movie races through its phases of determination, disappointment, hope, redemption, and retribution with ceaseless energy. What’s especially terrific about the film is how it maintains its surprises and holds the audience’s interest.
Posted Dec 27, 2025  Edit critic review
Train Dreams (2025) Michael Calleri The remarkable film reveals itself to be about the power and goodness of which humankind is capable. Bentley and Kwedar have written a wonderfully acted, beautifully photographed ode to the possibilities of America.
Posted Dec 27, 2025  Edit critic review
Bugonia (2025) Michael Calleri It’s a darkly comic thriller rooted in the cinema of the absurd. Some visual moments are nerve-wracking, some are strangely lyrical. A hint of danger is all-pervasive. The crackling dialogue offers a sense of menace that you don’t find in most thrillers.
Posted Nov 28, 2025  Edit critic review
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) Michael Calleri We are submerged in soggy cliches about a musician’s life. The familiar tropes keep on coming. White, Strong, and the supporting players are good, but everyone is mostly in service to a flat film that ultimately feels dull and derivative.
Posted Nov 28, 2025  Edit critic review
Blue Moon (2025) Michael Calleri "Blue Moon" is a scintillating movie about creativity, friendship, and romance. It’s filled with huge egos, delightful gossip, and fierce name-dropping. The smartly structured story is told at a party at Sardi’s, and it comes together perfectly.
Posted Nov 28, 2025  Edit critic review
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) Michael Calleri The fun is in the build-up, which allows the audience to choose the villain, and showcases Blanc’s classic spin of the verbal wheel when he reveals all. One of the pleasures of watching the film is admiring his cleverness.
Posted Nov 28, 2025  Edit critic review
Barry Lyndon (1975) Michael Calleri The film’s beautiful Academy Award-winning cinematography still retains its power to dazzle an audience. The scenes lit with candlelight are breathtaking, proving once again the director’s genius at revealing small truths with optical excellence.
Posted Nov 02, 2025  Edit critic review
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) Michael Calleri Bigelow and Oppenheim have constructed a real-time thriller, which is tense, taut, and occasionally terrifying. If there is a single word to describe the director’s keen-eyed approach to the material, it’s that she is extraordinarily efficient.
Posted Nov 02, 2025  Edit critic review
Frankenstein (2025) Michael Calleri A thrilling work of entertainment with a grandeur that is mesmerizing. Victor is the quintessential mad scientist, and this new characterization is fresh and invigorating. Del Toro is a visionary filmmaker, who triumphantly delivers a movie for grown-ups.
Posted Nov 02, 2025  Edit critic review
The Roses (2025) Michael Calleri As much as I usually like Colman and Cumberbatch, sadistic sight gags do not make for a successful comedy, even one involving a battle of the sexes. The movie runs only 105 minutes, but it feels much longer. “The Roses” wilts before your very eyes.
Posted Oct 16, 2025  Edit critic review
Caught Stealing (2025) Michael Calleri “Caught Stealing” held my undivided attention throughout. A terrific Austin Butler gives his all. There is also a superb supporting cast that includes Tonic, a very talented cat. He is excellent as Bud, who is a film-length delight.
Posted Oct 16, 2025  Edit critic review
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) Michael Calleri American audiences have long proven that they draw immense pleasure from watching wealthy Brits go about their well-heeled business. This is a comedy that respects its characters and is willing to honor traditions. There is a lot going on in this edition.
Posted Oct 16, 2025  Edit critic review
One Battle After Another (2025) Michael Calleri Anderson establishes that he doesn’t fear delivering a fiercely paced story. The acting by all is superb, and DiCaprio, as Anderson’s guiding light, is so good, he is now untouchable as a talent.
Posted Oct 16, 2025  Edit critic review
The Day of the Jackal (1973) Michael Calleri It may be fiction, but Fred Zinnemann’s “The Day Of The Jackal” feels like a great documentary. The masterful movie proceeds with the precision of a Swiss watch. There is a terrific cinematic beauty to the film’s foundational realism.
Posted Jul 21, 2025  Edit critic review
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) Michael Calleri “Jurassic World Rebirth” doesn’t live up to its title. Although the three leads’ acting is good, the best that could have been done regarding the film wasn’t carried out. This is unfortunate because it’s a long slog to the ultimate goal of the picture.
Posted Jul 21, 2025  Edit critic review
Superman (2025) Michael Calleri This “Superman” unreels as a parody of the superhero genre. There is no magic in the new version. There is a lot of irreverence and far too much fudging of past realities that made the character interesting. Superman is no longer a moral avatar.
Posted Jul 21, 2025  Edit critic review
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) Michael Calleri Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” is a good summer action movie, although most assuredly not a great one. Too often, it inches forward in fits and starts. Two extended, attention-getting action set-pieces absolutely do stand out.
Posted Jun 12, 2025  Edit critic review
The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Michael Calleri “The Phoenician Scheme” doesn’t deliver on its promise. It’s a sketch show lacking energy. Sometimes when watching a weak movie, you will still understand why the director wanted to make it. I don’t know what appealed to Anderson about his latest effort.
Posted Jun 12, 2025  Edit critic review
Nosferatu (2024) Michael Calleri Robert Eggers earns a much-deserved crown of greatness for his brilliantly directed and superbly acted film. It sets a new standard for the genre. This visual and kinetic haunted masterpiece of the moviegoing year is the greatest horror movie I’ve seen.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
Queer (2024) Michael Calleri Queer” is a film about solitude, self-knowledge and searching. Luca Guadagnino and Justin Kuritzkes, working with their remarkable cast and production team, have created a motion picture that is utterly unique in the best possible way.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
The Friend (2024) Michael Calleri Ultimately, “The Friend” is an engaging examination of mutual support and the act of making beneficial changes to one’s life. Naomi Watts leads a superior troupe of performers. Apollo is played by a dog actor named Bing, and he’s terrific.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
The Alto Knights (2025) Michael Calleri Robert De Niro is one of the greatest screen actors of all time, and at 81 years old, he delivers a tour de force performance, which elevates what director Barry Levinson accomplishes with this well-written fast-paced film.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
The Amateur (2025) Michael Calleri With its intelligent direction and smart script, as well as sharp editing by Jonathan Amos, perfect music, and wonderfully atmospheric cinematography, the well-acted “The Amateur” is as tense and believable as a successful spy movie should be.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
On Swift Horses (2024) Michael Calleri “On Swift Horses” goes deep and succeeds. It not only examines the idea of risking everything for love, but it also explores the paths that must be taken to overcome the emptiness that its characters feel. This is the adult drama you’ve been craving.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024) Michael Calleri Director Laura Piani has made a thoughtful romance with strong insights into love. Quoting Austen, Agathe compares herself to “an old maid who has wilted like a flower in need of water.” Happily, Piani offers plenty of water for the truths being told.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
Friendship (2024) Michael Calleri Even though the well-acted “Friendship” has its peaks and valleys, it does maintain a rhythm that keeps the audience expectant. To paraphrase the popular song, if “you gotta have friends,” try to go see this movie with them.
Posted Jun 06, 2025  Edit critic review
A Real Pain (2024) Michael Calleri This small, independent picture is truly bigger in atmosphere, mood, and feeling than so much of what is put on movie theater screens or onto streaming venues these days. We already know that moviegoers are craving this kind of meaningful entertainment.
Posted Dec 04, 2024  Edit critic review
We Live in Time (2024) Michael Calleri "We Live In Time” is a good-looking movie with top-notch production values. Its theme progresses believably because of the remarkable chemistry between Pugh and Garfield. Their performances help soften the film’s nonlinear equation.
Posted Dec 04, 2024  Edit critic review
Conclave (2024) Michael Calleri What’s clever about “Conclave” is how its director and writer keep both the tension and the shifting of dynamics rising as to who’s leading the papal pack, and why. "Conclave” has fascinating dramatic elements. It succeeds wonderfully as entertainment.
Posted Dec 04, 2024  Edit critic review
The Fan Connection (2019) Michael Calleri “The Fan Connection” is not only about the love of sports as a metaphor, but it’s also about the devotion to the Sabres as a unifier.
Posted Dec 04, 2024  Edit critic review
Fly Me to the Moon (2024) Michael Calleri The movie’s production values are outstanding, especially the cars and costumes. To top it all off, there’s an enjoyable alley cat that has a key role to play in this historical adventure. “Fly Me To The Moon” is a pleasant, summer moviegoing diversion.
Posted Oct 10, 2024  Edit critic review
Twisters (2024) Michael Calleri "Twisters” is a mildly entertaining diversion, nothing more. Every character but one is a cliche and every performance but one feeds into that cliche. The film never recovers from its lack of originality.
Posted Oct 10, 2024  Edit critic review
It Ends With Us (2024) Michael Calleri Weaknesses aside, there is a good movie within the faltering framework. Some scenes have believable strengths because Baldoni is a superb director. Even with a cluttered screenplay, he knows how to tell a story that holds your interest as well as it does.
Posted Oct 10, 2024  Edit critic review
The Substance (2024) Michael Calleri The story builds with an intensity that is like watching ceaseless thunderbolts of shock and gore. The film’s energy is electrifying. It soars with intelligence because of its self-assured director. The pacing, due to precision editing, is flawless.
Posted Oct 10, 2024  Edit critic review
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Michael Calleri Phillips has made a bold and innovative film for which he should be roundly congratulated. The film is more modern thematically than so much of what the motion picture studios toss onto theater screens these days. It dares to be different.
Posted Oct 10, 2024  Edit critic review
Megalopolis (2024) Michael Calleri Operatic and sprawling. Grand not grandiose. And crafted to be seen on a large theater screen. It's passionate filmmaking on another level and a must for anyone who claims to be a true movie lover, and certainly a committed cinephile.
Posted Oct 10, 2024  Edit critic review
The Beekeeper (2024) Michael Calleri Statham is terrific. He knows the action genre, and he delivers the goods. The film satisfies as it excites. The villains kicked over an allegorical hornet’s nest. If you have the winter entertainment doldrums, here’s your moviegoing cure.
Posted Apr 27, 2024  Edit critic review
The Taste of Things (2023) Michael Calleri The rhythms of Eugenie’s ethereal kitchen are like that of the greatest melodies played by the finest orchestra. Forget what you think you know about culinary delights and bathe in the afterglow of recipes that are prepared in front of your hungry eyes.
Posted Apr 27, 2024  Edit critic review
One Life (2023) Michael Calleri "One Life” has superior production values and is rich with visual and historical detail. Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn are extraordinary, and they are supported by a terrific cast. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by what happens.
Posted Apr 27, 2024  Edit critic review
Civil War (2024) Michael Calleri With about 30 minutes to go, I realized that Garland didn’t have an intelligent resolution on the horizon. The vague “Civil War” simply flops around through White House hallways until its uninteresting ending. The movie's lack of imagination is tedious.
Posted Apr 27, 2024  Edit critic review
Challengers (2024) Michael Calleri Zendaya, Faist, and O’Connor are superb. It’s clear that the three main performers have trained hard for their roles. Yes, there are tricks that can be used in making sports movies, but what matters is that the visuals are believable. They are.
Posted Apr 27, 2024  Edit critic review
Coup de Chance (2023) Michael Calleri "Coup de Chance” is successful in every frame. It's a genuinely great Woody Allen movie in the best way possible. The engaging dialogue has some well-placed laughs. The acting by the entire cast is superb. Paris, of course, has its own special appeal.
Posted Apr 08, 2024  Edit critic review
Poor Things (2023) Michael Calleri "Poor Things” is not only an expressive meal for the mind, it’s also one of the most spectacularly beautiful and visually imaginative films I’ve seen.
Posted Mar 08, 2024  Edit critic review
Cabrini (2024) Michael Calleri Without question, “Cabrini” is the first great movie of 2024. There are few things quite like the power of an Italian opera (“Pagliacci” is heard) to create a mood and help build a bridge to a successful film. “Cabrini” succeeds on every level.
Posted Mar 08, 2024  Edit critic review
The Boys in the Boat (2023) Michael Calleri Director Clooney knows exactly how to build suspense. He has a knack for revealing the importance of togetherness and the vital need for athletic camaraderie. His understanding of “old-fashioned” entertainment helps create a satisfying, well-acted film.
Posted Dec 29, 2023  Edit critic review
May December (2023) Michael Calleri Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman are both outstanding. Charles Melton, whose character speaks his mind with quiet assurance, is Oscar-worthy as Joe. Director Haynes builds “May December” like a superbly crafted puzzle.
Posted Dec 29, 2023  Edit critic review
Priscilla (2023) Michael Calleri Cailee Spaeny is outstanding as Priscilla. The movie is about a woman feeling trapped. She will need to decide when her astonishing life with Elvis is over. The bird in the gilded cage will have to make the decision to free herself.
Posted Dec 29, 2023  Edit critic review
Nyad (2023) Michael Calleri The movie is a case study in the power and aura of athletic talent and the importance of trial and error. With “Nyad,” Annette Bening successfully takes the audience on a thrilling adventure.
Posted Dec 29, 2023  Edit critic review
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