Three movies released wide in theaters this weekend. First was Free Guy, the Ryan Reynolds vehicle which finally opened after approximately 57 delays. Then there was Respect, the Jennifer-Hudson-led biopic on Aretha Franklin’s life and career which…
Nick Kush
Nick Kush
A current young professional in the Richmond, Virginia area, Nick founded MovieBabble in October of 2016 when he was a bored college student with nothing else to do. (And he kicks himself every day that his story isn't better.) Nick is also a member of the Online Film Critics Society, the Internet Film Critics Society and the Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association. You can follow him on Twitter @nkush42
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So many films present a dystopian future by isolating one particularly destructive idea and playing out its disastrous societal effects. Whatever the cause for the decline of civilization — whether it’s alien invasions, dictatorships, or…
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Streaming AnimationStreaming Reviews
‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Is a Despicable Display of Studio Marketing
by Nick Kushby Nick KushIn the never-ending LeBron James-Michael Jordan debate, it always comes back to counting championships. For many, LeBron will never surpass Jordan until he at least earns his sixth NBA title. Sitting at four currently, that…
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PodcastsThe MovieBabble Podcast
We’re Back! Box Office Updates, Black Widow, Loki, and Everything Else We Missed
by Nick Kushby Nick KushAfter a three-week hiatus for the podcast, we’re back! A lot has happened since the last episode — box office shenanigans, big-budget flops, buzzy indie releases — and Brennan and I are here to take…
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Streaming AnimationStreaming Reviews
‘Luca’ Is Low-Stakes, Luscious, and Loving
by Nick Kushby Nick KushCrystal blue water, golden hour sunshine, delicious pasta, and plenty more lovely vibes. While watching Luca, you may come to forget it comes from the same company that made three Cars movies. It probably won’t…
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The Conjuring Universe’s success continues to confound me. Generally, its films range from unwatchable to well-crafted, but obvious homages to better horror films from past decades. And yet, they continue to kill at the box office.…
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DramaReviews
‘Dream Horse’: A Surprisingly Charming Drama About Getting Back in the Race
by Nick Kushby Nick KushA group of lovable misfits in a predominantly working-class Welsch village comes together to form a horse racing syndicate to compete against the big boys on the race track. They’re all down on their luck, either…
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ComedyReviews
‘Cruella’ Is a Very Odd, Yet Highly Watchable Disney Departure
by Nick Kushby Nick KushYou’d be hard-pressed to find someone who asked for a 134-minute origin story of a character who originated in a 79-minute cartoon, but alas, Cruella is here. Since the film premiered, much of the conversation has…
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PodcastsThe MovieBabble Podcast
‘The Conjuring 3′, A Quiet Place: Part II’, and ‘Cruella’ Ignite the Box Office. Plus, ‘Paterson’!
by Nick Kushby Nick KushWith The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and A Quiet Place: Part II performing well along with Cruella causing a stir, movie theaters have felt a noticeable jolt in the last two weeks, which…
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Streaming AnimationStreaming Reviews
‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ Is Another Resounding Win for Sony Pictures Animation
by Nick Kushby Nick KushAll hail Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, purveyors of all things deliriously unhinged, meta, and yet still somehow deeply thoughtful. I still contend one of the biggest mistakes in blockbuster moviemaking the last decade was…
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PodcastsThe MovieBabble Podcast
‘Paddington 2’ Is the Best Movie Ever Made, ‘Mortal Kombat’, and ‘Bullitt’
by Nick Kushby Nick KushA recently discovered 80-year-old review ruined Citizen Kane‘s 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, vaulting Paddington 2 to the top of the site’s rating system. The news once again brought up the discussion of the value…
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PodcastsThe MovieBabble Podcast
Did ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Just Revive Theaters? Plus, ‘Thunder Force’ and ‘The Hunt’ (2012)
by Nick Kushby Nick KushAre movie theaters back?!?! Godzilla vs. Kong has dominated around the world at the box office thus far, grossing almost as much as Godzilla: King of the Monsters did in its entire theatrical run in only…
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At this point, the age of Apatow and the Farrelly brothers ruling the comedy landscape by mixing gross-out comedy with sentimentality is long gone. Nothing has exactly filled the void, either — unless you count…
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DocumentaryReviews
SXSW Film Festival 2021 Review: ‘Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched’
by Nick Kushby Nick KushIt’s not often that you watch a documentary that is genuinely informative and also includes a talking head drinking a Tecate. In life, it’s all about the simple pleasures. Seldom does a documentary instantly feel…
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I love a good walk-and-talk movie. Especially in a time when the most popular films are often heavy on plot, their relatively formless presentation can act as a nice palate cleanser while still showcasing plenty…
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While watching Todd Stephens’ Swan Song, I couldn’t help but think of The Old Man & the Gun. David Lowery’s film is a solid and surprisingly layered throwback, somehow managing to feel low in stakes while…
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Women Is Losers makes itself loud and clear in its opening scene. Rushing out her front door with her baby in tow, Celina (Lorenza Izzo) is in a shouting match with her cheating husband Mateo (Bryan…
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PodcastsThe MovieBabble Podcast
The 2021 Razzie Nominations, The Return of Theaters(?), and ‘Mikey and Nicky’
by Nick Kushby Nick KushBecause Brennan and I can’t escape awards talk, we break down the 2021 Razzie nominations, which are full of noms for 365 Days, Dolittle, and Mike Lindell’s “documentary”. Who will “win” the coveted awards? Should…
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PodcastsThe MovieBabble Podcast
Breaking Down the ‘WandaVision’ Finale, ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’, and ‘Another Man’s Poison’
by Nick Kushby Nick KushWandaVision came to a close with the series finale dropping on Disney Plus over the weekend. While we take a quick break before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier airs in a few weeks, Collin and…
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I feel bad for period lesbian romances in a post-Portrait of a Lady on Fire world. How can you possibly match up to a film that basically perfected the love story? (I found myself thinking…
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For all the griping we do collectively when child performances go wrong, we don’t often give them enough praise when they go right. Sure, even the best actors can struggle to connect with an unsteady…
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It’s fitting that The Criterion Collection is releasing Ramin Bahrani’s Man Push Cart as part of its February releases just a few weeks after his latest film, The White Tiger, dropped on Netflix. Superficially, seeing Bahrani…
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Sundance 2021 is in the books, and although none of us could make the trip to Park City, UT this year, the festival still provided for some highly memorable moments. (Not to mention some surprisingly…
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Ben Wheatley’s remake of Rebecca is, uh… something. From the beginning, it felt like an odd pairing. (“You mean to tell me the guy who had Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, and…
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After watching two idiots attempting to pan sear their own shit and feed it to their mother in the opening scene of Mother Schmuckers, I have concluded that Cinema is now dead. I’m bracing for…
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DocumentaryReviews
Sundance Film Festival 2021 Review: ‘The Most Beautiful Boy in the World’
by Nick Kushby Nick KushFor many, their introduction to Björn Andrésen was watching him as an old man falling off a cliff during the ättestupa scene in Midsommar, followed by the all-too-gruesome moment of him having his skull smashed in…
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Human Factors begins on a rather ominous note: the camera slowly makes its way around the downstairs of Nina and Jan’s (Sabine Timoteo and Mark Waschke) vacation home as they and their kids, Max and…
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Streaming Action/AdventureStreaming Reviews
‘Outside the Wire’ Loses Itself in Dreary Cyborg Action
by Nick Kushby Nick KushI don’t know about you, but I certainly didn’t go into Outside the Wire expecting it to function as a critique of the U.S. military. Mikael Håfström’s latest operates with the idea that if the military continues…
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So many thoughts run through my head when I’m watching a truly terrible movie: Why am I here? Why do I like inflicting pain on myself? Do I secretly like it? Why didn’t I spend…