Mandi Ruffner

I would be hard pressed to call Last Christmas a “love story.” While marketed and presented as such, I beg to differ. Last Christmas is the story of Kate—a bumbling, near-homeless, can’t-get-her-sh*t-together, hot mess of a young woman who wants desperately to be a singer but can only find work as a full-time elf in a Christmas shop—and she’s not even good at doing that. But is she at least likabl...[Read More]

Despite stellar performances from Ansel Elgort, Oakes Fegley, and Jeffrey Wright, The Goldfinch proves to be just too melancholy in a very meandering fashion.

"On the Basis of Sex" covers Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s (played by Felicity Jones) life from law school through the first several years of her career. This period marks the onset of her decades-long (and arguably ongoing) fight for civil rights and the advancement of gender equality.

Pitch Perfect 3 did its job: it made me smile, but for once, it didn't leave me wanting more. We'll miss you, Pitches, but it's time to put the encore to rest.

This is not a children’s story about a child. It’s an adult story about a family. Goodbye Christopher Robin illuminates the rather gloomy profile of author A.A. Milne and his family—principally his son, Christopher Robin—and the inspiration behind Winnie the Pooh and its wild success. Whatever pre-conceived optimisms you have about this film, toss them out and refresh your expectations. This is no...[Read More]

Right off the bat, The Florida Project is a curious juxtaposition. As the film begins, viewers are blinded by alarmingly bright pastel scenery—lilac is simply not a color picked as the primary pigment for a film. Welcome to the Magic Castle—a freshly painted purple motel on the outskirts of Disney World. As we acclimate to the color pallet, we’re serenaded with “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang...[Read More]

Grab your watercrafts and crackers, folks! We’re on our way to CheesyTown, and the first stop is Emerald Bay. To begin, let’s get one thing out of the way, you needn’t be a seasoned Baywatch vet to enjoy the new big-screen incarnation. Being born pre-1989 is not a prerequisite to claim your love for The Bay. Will it help? Perhaps, from a nostalgia standpoint. The same level of cheese is spread thi...[Read More]

Hell or High Water succeeding in conning me, an innocent bystander, within the first five minutes of the film. As the screen lights up, viewers are immediately catapulted into a high-speed, ski-masked getaway – settling in for two hours of aggressive antics between a pair of stubble-faced, sooty, Levi-swagged, mustachioed criminals. Or so we thought. Hell or High Water isn’t going to give yo...[Read More]

Ready for a good time? Great! That just might happen for you if you go see Sausage Party. But be warned. This movie is not a love-it or hate-it film; it’s just not. Sausage Party is a have fun or don’t-have fun film. But if you go into it with the right mindset, trust me, my friends. You will have fun. But heed this warning: if you can’t get past the profanity, you need to walk a...[Read More]

Yes, this movie about moms (and for moms, really) was written by two dudes. Yes, this movie for moms was directed by these same two dudes, known for depicting the dudiest of all dudes on the big screen. But thankfully, mercifully, yes: there are still shreds of maternal truth to this ridiculously superficial (albeit hilarious) flick. Bad Moms comprises an all-star cast of females highly capable of...[Read More]

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and I’m RSVP’ing as a +1. Someone please pass the champagne and a hanky, because this is the wedding party of the year. Though there’s been no lack of wedding-themed comedies as of late (or ever), it’s high time another raucous matrimonial flick graced the summertime big screen. Stunning new concept? No. Totally absurd and uproarious? Absolutely....[Read More]