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WTOP (Washington, D.C.)

WTOP (Washington, D.C.) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Christian Toto, Jason Fraley.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
5/5
Thelma (2024) Jason Fraley If you thought June Squibb was hilarious in her Oscar-nominated role in "Nebraska," she's even funnier here -- now in her 90s with comedic timing for the ages. I laughed out loud over and over again as the film mines laughs from aging without making fun.
Posted Jul 06, 2024  Edit critic review
2/5
Hit Man (2023) Jason Fraley The opening comedy section works far better than the middle section where the script starts spinning its wheels as it becomes Fifty Shades of “Gary.”
Posted Jul 06, 2024  Edit critic review
4.5/5
The Fall Guy (2024) Jason Fraley Blunt & Gosling are magnetic with little moments like him tightening her hat's drawstring under her chin, or her asking him to roll down his truck window as he blares Taylor Swift. This is the stuff that lasts long after our popcorn is blown to bits.
Posted Jul 06, 2024  Edit critic review
3/5
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) Jason Fraley The 1984 original is still the tops for belly laughs and genre influence, while the 1987 sequel rode the same fun cultural zeitgeist. Part 4 is a huge step up from Part 3, washing the bad taste out of our mouth, so for that alone, “Axel F” is a solid win.
Posted Jul 04, 2024  Edit critic review
4.5/5
All of Us Strangers (2023) Jason Fraley The final act will make you want to go back and watch it again, only to discover that the breadcrumb clues were there the entire time, from ominous apartment floor numbers to elevator reflections that create the effect of an infinity mirror.
Posted Jan 04, 2024  Edit critic review
4.5/5
The Iron Claw (2023) Jason Fraley “The Iron Claw” is one of the best movies of the year, wonderfully acted and directed, way more accessible than “Foxcatcher” and damn near as good as “The Wrestler.” I only wish the script didn’t cut out one of the Von Erich brothers.
Posted Jan 04, 2024  Edit critic review
4.5/5
American Fiction (2023) Jason Fraley Don't expect a laugh-out-loud comedy like Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle" or Spike Lee's "Bamboozled." The tone is more subdued than its trailers suggest, but Cord Jefferson balances family drama with biting satire for one of the year's best.
Posted Dec 18, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
Wonka (2023) Jason Fraley Chalamet sings and dances with lighthearted whimsy but lacks the mischievousness that made Gene Wilder so deliciously dangerous. Such prequels offer a golden ticket of nostalgia, but rather than "Pure Imagination," this is a world of "Pure Re-Creation."
Posted Dec 18, 2023  Edit critic review
3/5
Maestro (2023) Jason Fraley A visionary force of a film with some of the most daring directorial choices you'll see this year, but for all of its creative flourishes, the film loses sight of sharing the story of how Bernstein’s music was created.
Posted Dec 10, 2023  Edit critic review
4/5
Rustin (2023) Jason Fraley The first 4/5 of the script is paced so well that the ending feels rushed with only a brief song and the final lines of King’s speech. Still, it's overall, a strong telling of an important story.
Posted Dec 10, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
The Killer (2023) Jason Fraley The protagonist’s professional philosophy sums up my feelings toward this solidly-crafted but emotionally reticent film: “It comes down to preparation, attention to details, redundancies, redundancies and redundancies.”
Posted Dec 10, 2023  Edit critic review
2.5/5
Candy Cane Lane (2023) Jason Fraley A film that packs one too many creative ideas inside its zany wrapping paper, but also one that delivers an enjoyable cast if you’re looking for a family-friendly option by the fireplace.
Posted Dec 10, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Sly (2023) Jason Fraley “Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward,” Stallone proudly says, quoting his favorite scene from the film and his mantra for life.
Posted Nov 06, 2023  Edit critic review
4/5
Anatomy of a Fall (2023) Jason Fraley I never would have guessed that the esteemed Cannes Film Festival champion, the crowned art house jewel, would leave me with 50 Cent's “P.I.M.P.” stuck in my head. I didn’t have that on my bingo card.
Posted Nov 02, 2023  Edit critic review
3/5
Old Dads (2023) Jason Fraley The title "Old Dads" is misleading. If you're a new middle-aged parent, there's surprisingly little in the "promise of the premise." As written, it might as well be called "Old Guys" as it's mostly Gen X mocking Gen Z. Still, the "Braveheart" bit crushes.
Posted Oct 27, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
The Burial (2023) Jason Fraley Who knew that a legal battle about a funeral home could be this compelling?
Posted Oct 14, 2023  Edit critic review
4/5
Flora and Son (2023) Jason Fraley When the final title card flashes up onto the screen, it almost comes as a surprise because we've become so swept up in the story. Ultimately, that's the biggest compliment one can give a film: to say that it flies by. It means that it's working.
Posted Sep 29, 2023  Edit critic review
2/5
No One Will Save You (2023) Jason Fraley As CGI aliens chase her around the house, the script becomes frustratingly repetitive as Brynn makes dumb decisions that will have you yelling at the screen: not locking her bedroom door, not telling the police what’s happening, leaving her car door open.
Posted Sep 22, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
The Hill (2023) Jason Fraley As the stadium lights fade on a reconciled father and son like “Field of Dreams,” you can’t help but smile. Yes, it’s a “perfect” Hollywood ending, but call me a sucker for inspirational sports flicks. Turn off your brain and tap into your heart.
Posted Sep 22, 2023  Edit critic review
2.5/5
Heart of Stone (2023) Jason Fraley Gadot proves she doesn’t need Wonder Woman to kick butt, but the script is too complicated for its own good. Viewers are used to MI6 secret agents, but when there are super secret agents beneath that, it’s hard to keep track of who’s double-crossing who.
Posted Sep 22, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
The Beanie Bubble (2023) Jason Fraley The time jumps might be confusing for some, but they create clever cuts as characters open doors. The parallel timelines recall “Love & Mercy” (2014), which is still my favorite Elizabeth Banks role. Both films show how time festers and heals wounds.
Posted Aug 11, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
They Cloned Tyrone (2023) Jason Fraley The mystery can be hard to follow for the first half hour, but if you can stick with it, it really picks up in the second half with a villainous monologue that explains what's going on, a mix of "Body Snatchers," "Get Out," "Us" and "Sorry to Bother You."
Posted Jul 29, 2023  Edit critic review
2.5/5
The Out-Laws (2023) Jason Fraley You might find a few intermittent laughs, but if you have high expectations to laugh your butt off, you’ll probably come away feeling robbed.
Posted Jul 29, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Barbie (2023) Jason Fraley Much deeper than its superficial pink packaging. Greta Gerwig cleverly comments on the complex gender dynamics of a popular toy brand that has so many inherent contradictions. Listen closely and you’ll hear the box office shouting: “Closer I am to fine!”
Posted Jul 29, 2023  Edit critic review
3/5
Shooting Stars (2023) Jason Fraley What could've been a vanity project of idolatry for the King is instead a selfless celebration of his childhood friends, feeling less like a ball hog and more like teamwork passing the ball around to take the open shot, which doesn’t swish but rattles in.
Posted Jun 02, 2023  Edit critic review
2/5
White Men Can't Jump (2023) Jason Fraley While the gameplay is realistic, the format is less immersive with 5-on-5 basketball. The 2-on-2 tournament was better at showing the bond between the two heroes as Billy and Sidney couldn’t rely on three other teammates; they had to rely on each other.
Posted May 19, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Air (2023) Jason Fraley It's a slam dunk to rival other sports-business gems from Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire” (1996) to Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” (2011).
Posted May 13, 2023  Edit critic review
2/5
Paint (2023) Jason Fraley If you grew up a Bob Ross fan, you'll enter intrigued to watch Owen Wilson's "Paint," only to be disappointed that the film isn't about Ross at all but rather the fictional (and unlikable) figure Carl Nargle, borderline making fun of the man.
Posted Apr 14, 2023  Edit critic review
4/5
Tetris (2023) Jason Fraley Who knew that sterile business meetings could be this riveting? The film convinces us that Tetris helped the U.S. win the Cold War as much as Ronald Reagan vs. Mikhail Gorbachev or Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago. Tumbling blocks, tear down this wall!
Posted Apr 07, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
A Thousand and One (2023) Jason Fraley The gritty drama follows a single mom who is released from prison and kidnaps her son from the foster care system. Together, they try to reclaim a sense of home amid the gentrification of New York. Who knew Teyana Taylor was THIS good at dramatic acting?
Posted Apr 07, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
Boston Strangler (2023) Jason Fraley It’s refreshing to see two women crack the case after a century of male detectives. Examples are all too rare and recent, from Jodie Foster and Kasi Lemmons in “The Silence of the Lambs" to Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan in the underrated “She Said."
Posted Mar 24, 2023  Edit critic review
2.5/5
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Jason Fraley James Cameron once again crafts a beautiful visual world, but the script sags with repetitive story beats and an endless final battle. I'm thrilled the Oscars are nominating blockbusters again, but this is the weakest of the 10 Best Picture nominees.
Posted Jan 27, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
You People (2023) Jason Fraley It’s a biting romantic comedy with an awfully rushed ending but enough laugh-out-loud moments to recommend.
Posted Jan 27, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Women Talking (2022) Jason Fraley "Women Talking" is the year’s most aptly-named film, as it is indeed two hours of women talking. However, the subject of their discussion is some of the most powerful filmmaking you’ll see all year — or any year.
Posted Jan 26, 2023  Edit critic review
3.5/5
A Man Called Otto (2022) Jason Fraley It’s inherently tricky making a feel-good movie with so many traumatic moments, but “A Man Called Otto” is a decent enough American remake of the Swedish original.
Posted Jan 14, 2023  Edit critic review
2/5
White Noise (2022) Jason Fraley “White Noise” is a tonally-confused misfire billed as an absurdist drama comedy, but it also randomly thinks it's a disaster movie, a family road comedy and a revenge thriller.
Posted Jan 09, 2023  Edit critic review
2/5
Babylon (2022) Jason Fraley He rattled off three masterpieces with the gritty drumming drama “Whiplash” (2014), the nostalgic musical romance “La La Land” (2016) and the underrated space biopic “First Man” (2018), but there must come a time that even Damien Chazelle soils the bed.
Posted Jan 04, 2023  Edit critic review
2.5/5
Decision to Leave (2022) Jason Fraley The director’s cleverly symbolic visuals are undercut by a jumbled script that pales to Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.”
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
5/5
The Woman King (2022) Jason Fraley Gina Prince-Bythewood directs the best battle epic since “Braveheart” and “Gladiator." It's that good, applying a diverse cast to good old-fashioned spectacle storytelling. Is it revisionist history? Of course, but it's still the best movie of the year.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
5/5
The Fabelmans (2022) Jason Fraley Spielberg's most personal film explores the divorce of his right-brained mom (Michelle Williams) and left-brained dad (Paul Dano) -- yes, Spielberg positions them on those respective sides of the bed before projecting their skeletons inside a closet.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Jason Fraley Stunning aerial action sequences aren't just random dogfighting but serve as narrative test runs to prep viewers for the climax. Granted, the nostalgia wouldn’t exist without Tony Scott, so it’s hard to give Kosinski credit for copying the flight pattern.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) Jason Fraley A beautifully bizarre tale of wistfulness that actually caused me to laugh out loud from its tragicomic tone. It certainly won’t be for everyone (I can’t quite put my finger on why…), but if you don’t absolutely hate it, you just might love it.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Tár (2022) Jason Fraley Director Todd Field crafts haunting dread with a voyeuristic #MeToo subplot for a Placido Domingo-style scandal in society’s ongoing debate of separating “art vs. artist."
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
4.5/5
Triangle of Sadness (2022) Jason Fraley A surprisingly accessible yet deeply profound social commentary. The first act explores evolving gender dynamics, the second act spews seasick political satire aboard a luxury yacht, and the third act becomes a “Lord of the Flies” survivalist allegory.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
4/5
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Jason Fraley Never has a film lived up to its title more than this, the most bonkers movie you’ll ever see, equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. I remain leary of the multiverse trend of chaotic storytelling. It shouldn't be repeated. Let “EEAAO” exist on its own.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
3/5
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Jason Fraley “Glass Onion” is a fun puzzle box that’s preposterous fun — no more, no less. It's a blast until it isn’t, but even if the reveal doesn't work, it's pretty damn fun getting there.
Posted Jan 03, 2023  Edit critic review
4/5
The Whale (2022) Jason Fraley “The Whale" could be considered Oscar bait on a fat-suit hook, cast by a manipulative angler with tons of cinematic chum in the water if not for a deeply human performance by Brendan Fraser, making a serious swim toward the Oscars in a welcome comeback.
Posted Dec 09, 2022  Edit critic review
2.5/5
Empire of Light (2022) Jason Fraley The story is nowhere near as magical as “Cinema Paradiso” (1988). Based on the trailers, I was hoping for “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985) and instead got “Blue Jasmine” (2015). Instead of a love note to cinema, it’s more of an ode to broken characters.
Posted Dec 08, 2022  Edit critic review
4/5
Spirited (2022) Jason Fraley Just when you thought Dickens' story couldn’t endure another fresh take, along come Will Ferrell & Ryan Reynolds in “Spirited,” focusing not merely on a Scrooge figure but the behind-the-scenes operation of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present & Future.
Posted Dec 02, 2022  Edit critic review
4.5/5
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Jason Fraley A humanistic portrait that reminds us that war is mankind’s worst addiction as the War in Ukraine rages. Nearly a century later, we still haven’t learned our lesson.
Posted Nov 12, 2022  Edit critic review
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