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Michael Calleri

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

I have been reviewing movies in metropolitan Buffalo for three decades. I have written for weeklies as well as my current daily newspaper, the Niagara Gazette. I have been with the daily Niagara Gazette for almost six years. For ten years, I was the movie critic on the CBS television affiliate in Buffalo. I also currently appear on the radio doing a weekly review segment. I am a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. When not watching movies, I collect, study and write about art glass paperweights.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies 온라인카지노추천 Shows
A Real Pain (2024) 96% “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. ” – Niagara Gazette Dec 4, 2024 Full Review We Live in Time (2024) 79% “"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.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 4, 2024 Full Review Conclave (2024) 93% “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. ” – Niagara Gazette Dec 4, 2024 Full Review The Fan Connection (2019) ““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.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 4, 2024 Full Review Fly Me to the Moon (2024) 65% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Oct 10, 2024 Full Review Twisters (2024) 75% “"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. ” – Niagara Gazette Oct 10, 2024 Full Review It Ends With Us (2024) 54% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Oct 10, 2024 Full Review The Substance (2024) 89% “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. ” – Niagara Gazette Oct 10, 2024 Full Review Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) 31% “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. ” – Niagara Gazette Oct 10, 2024 Full Review Megalopolis (2024) 45% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Oct 10, 2024 Full Review The Beekeeper (2024) 71% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Apr 27, 2024 Full Review The Taste of Things (2023) 97% “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. ” – Niagara Gazette Apr 27, 2024 Full Review One Life (2023) 90% “"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. ” – Niagara Gazette Apr 27, 2024 Full Review Civil War (2024) 81% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Apr 27, 2024 Full Review Challengers (2024) 88% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Apr 27, 2024 Full Review Coup de Chance (2023) 83% “"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.” – Niagara Gazette Apr 8, 2024 Full Review Poor Things (2023) 93% “ "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. ” – Niagara Gazette Mar 8, 2024 Full Review Cabrini (2024) 90% “ 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. ” – Niagara Gazette Mar 8, 2024 Full Review The Boys in the Boat (2023) 57% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review May December (2023) 91% “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. ” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review Priscilla (2023) 84% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review Nyad (2023) 85% “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.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review Napoleon (2023) 58% “The domestic melodrama, a major chunk of the belabored 158-minute movie, seems like musings from a fragmented myth about Napoleon and Josephine’s manipulative history together. The film’s production values are very good, but to what are they in service?” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review The Holdovers (2023) 97% “The Holdovers” has a message that’s realistic, not cloying. It’s treats Christmas not as an excuse to be nice, but as a deeply felt reason to be nice. At its core, it’s about old feelings and new friends. The movie succeeds in every way possible.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review The Killer (2023) 85% “In "The Killer,” a superb Fassbender is at the heart of almost every frame of the film. You could call it a Shakespearean performance. His acting in the thought-provoking, existential movie is a tour-de-force.” – Niagara Gazette Dec 29, 2023 Full Review
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