Karen White

Film Critic & Oscar Witch🔮

Favorite films

  • Eyes Wide Shut
  • 8½
  • Vivre Sa Vie
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey

All
  • Dune: Part Two

    ★★★★½

  • The Apprentice

    ★½

  • The Substance

    ★★★

  • The Brutalist

    ★★★½

More
Dune: Part Two

2024

★★★★½ 2

Oscar2025🔮

Dune: Part Two – A Monumental Cinematic Achievement

Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two is nothing short of a modern epic—a film that not only sures its predecessor but firmly cements itself as one of the greatest sci-fi spectacles ever crafted. It is a work of staggering scale, visionary direction, and emotional weight, proving that true blockbuster filmmaking can still be intelligent, immersive, and artistically profound.

From its first frame, Dune: Part Two grips with an intensity that never wavers.…

The Apprentice

2024

★½ Watched

Oscar2025🔮

The Apprentice: A Hollow Attempt at Political Drama

The Apprentice presents itself as a gripping political character study, yet it quickly becomes clear that it lacks both the depth and nuance needed to justify its own existence. What could have been a compelling exploration of power, ambition, and moral compromise instead feels like a surface-level dramatization, more interested in sensationalism than substance.

The film’s biggest flaw lies in its script, which oscillates between heavy-handed exposition and underdeveloped character arcs.…

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The Substance

2024

★★★ Watched

Oscar2025🔮

The Substance: A Bold Premise Undermined by Its Own Excesses

The Substance arrives with an audacious concept, blending body horror with a scathing critique of societal beauty standards. At its best, the film is unsettling, grotesque, and darkly satirical, evoking echoes of Cronenbergian body horror while carving out its own identity. Yet, despite its ambitious aspirations, the execution occasionally stumbles, weighed down by an overindulgence in shock value and uneven narrative pacing.

The film’s aesthetic is undeniably striking, with…

The Brutalist

2024

★★★½ Watched

Oscar2025🔮

The Brutalist: Aesthetically Striking but Narratively Uneven

With The Brutalist, director Brady Corbet crafts a visually austere and architecturally meticulous film, echoing the very philosophy of its namesake. The film revels in stark compositions, monolithic structures, and a measured coldness that at times feels oppressive yet undeniably captivating. However, beneath its impeccably curated aesthetic lies a narrative that, while thematically ambitious, occasionally buckles under its own weight.

The performances, particularly from the lead, are commendable—imbued with a restrained intensity…

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