Movie reviews of Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen

A fascinating overview of the propping up of a biomedical disruptor and the crippling revelations that tore Holmes’ deceptions to shreds. But it is merely skin-deep, and if you want to tell the story of a con artist such as Holmes you have to pierce the skin of the subject. Review

The Highwaymen is a listless buddy road movie with an ax to grind with celebrity culture and the media. Review

Deliberately paced and sinful-to-the-bone, May el-Toukhy’s Dronningen is a remarkable, stylish tragedy about gender-roles and an abuse of power. Review

Though it is superficial, it may end up being ‘good enough’ for them, and it most definitely tells a more honest story than Bohemian Rhapsody did, but The Dirt is, nevertheless, a tired, uninvolving, and, frankly, unpleasant music biopic. Review

It really is nothing more than a glimpse. The Making of a Legend is a much too hasty, superficial, and unbalanced documentary. Review

As a fan of Kinda Funny and Nick Scarpino, I can say that I greatly enjoyed watching this documentary, even though I think the documentary’s somewhat wide scope warranted, at the very least, a larger runtime. Review

It is confident, tonally-flexible, thought-provoking, and rewarding. Review

Triple Frontier is the early contender for Best Dad Movie of the Year precisely because it isn’t a gloriously patriotic thriller but rather a heist film blindsided by gold fever and the heart-wrenching consequences of thievery. J. C. Chandor’s gripping heist epic trips once or twice due to, at times, ponderous pacing, but it is, from start to finish, buoyed up by its all-star cast. Review

It may be the final nail in the coffin that forces you to rethink your stance on the Michael Jackson allegations — after all, it’s impossible to ignore this much smoke — but it isn’t a particularly great documentary. Though I’m sure Dan Reed was more interested in letting Robson and Safechuck tell their truth than making a perfect piece of journalism, and, frankly, who can blame him? Review

It certainly isn’t a top-tier Marvel movie, but Captain Marvel is a thoroughly entertaining and engaging new chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Review

Though I appreciate the film’s message and some of its genre-awareness, as well as Liam Hemsworth’s performance, Isn’t It Romantic is a largely forgettable parody that follows the same stale formula that it’s trying to lampoon. Review

Paddleton won’t be on anyone’s radar twelve months from now, but it is a fairly realistic and utterly relatable film about learning to accept the inevitable and saying goodbye. Review

Green Book is, indeed, a lightweight feel-good film for a certain kind of audience that intends no harm. But Green Book is, in my opinion, also an incredibly tone-deaf film to champion in a year that gave us Black Panther, BlackKklansman, and so on and so forth. Review

A thought-provoking, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it heist-like sports drama, High Flying Bird is Steven Soderbergh’s version of Ballers and Moneyball, and I loved almost every minute of it. Review

It may not be great art or particularly thought-provoking, but what Adam McKay’s Vice does have going for it is that even though it can be read as a superficial tonal mess, it is a wildly entertaining film. Review

A riveting story of survival, and an outstanding actor’s vehicle for Mads Mikkelsen who gives a remarkable, tortured, and quietly moving performance in this lone survivor film that will draw comparisons to films like 127 Hours and The Revenant. Review

A strange film that I had a lot of fun with. Though it does seem like Gilroy didn’t exactly know whether he wanted to make a smart and cutting film about the art world or a fun horror film about that world, the end result is undeniably watchable even if it isn’t quite as effective or thought-provoking as I wanted it to be. Review

A meditation on class struggle and youthful frustration and loneliness in the form of a mystery film. Review

This might be his best work yet thanks in some part to a terrific screenplay that juggles multiple story angles and tones while still holding its riveting narrative core — a power struggle disguised as a love triangle. Review

A hyper-stylized and immature John Wick-esque action vehicle with obnoxious, head-ache inducing editing, pornographic scenes, and a wasted Mads Mikkelsen performance. Review

A film that will chill the hearts of its viewers due to the tragic and heartbreakingly rough journey of love these hapless lovers endure over the course of the film’s barely 90 minute runtime. Review

Shyamalan is ultimately unable to mix and match the best of both worlds from Unbreakable and Split. Review

I was shaking my head in disbelief (and swearing in disbelief, by the way) from start to finish of this jaw-dropping and brilliantly paced documentary with fascinating access to the chaos of the failed festival. Review

IO‘s complete predictability and lack of momentum stop it from becoming as memorable or worthwhile as its themes suggested it would be. Review