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Alise Chaffins

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Alise (she/her) is a film critic out of Morgantown, WV. Alise loves highlighting movies from women and/or queer directors.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2025) 83% 4/5 EDIT “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die...blends comedy, action, and a sci-fi dystopia into something designed for the moment we are living through.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 16, 2026 Full Review If I Go Will They Miss Me (2026) 96% 4.5/5 EDIT “If I Go Will The Miss Me is a tender, beautiful portrait of the difficulties of father-son relationships and the nature of freedom. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 15, 2026 Full Review The Musical (2026) 56% 2/5 EDIT “...this movie squanders a good idea with one of the most unlikable main characters ever, and it doesn’t actually give us the musical we were promised.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 15, 2026 Full Review Carousel (2026) 70% 2.5/5 EDIT “...while the cast is exquisite, the storytelling in this film felt disjointed.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 15, 2026 Full Review Seized (2026) 100% 4.5/5 EDIT “Seized is entertaining, to be sure, but it’s also an alarm being raised about the importance of an independent press, something becoming increasingly more difficult to dig up.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 12, 2026 Full Review Silenced (2026) 100% 3.5/5 EDIT “Silenced does an admirable job of showing how the legal system works to protect those who already hold power. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 12, 2026 Full Review Joybubbles (2026) 82% 4/5 EDIT “Joybubbles is a lovely documentary that is inspirational, not because Engrassia overcame a disability, but because of his ability to find joy and connection with people despite the prejudices he faced because of his blindness.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 12, 2026 Full Review Whistle (2025) 60% 3.5/5 EDIT “...a fun, blood-soaked movie filled with some gnarly kills that will satisfy most gore-hounds.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 10, 2026 Full Review Pike River (2025) 86% 4/5 EDIT “The shift in focus means much less spectacle, but a deeper, more heartfelt story that gets to the center of what it means to be left behind following a major traumatic event like this.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 9, 2026 Full Review Run Amok (2026) 68% 3.5/5 EDIT “It’s an ambitious movie that has some of the most interesting and unique ideas I’ve seen in a minute, but it overplays its hand in a way that doesn’t allow it to live up to its potential.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Feb 5, 2026 Full Review The Incomer (2026) 91% 4/5 EDIT “This Scottish absurdist comedy is an absolute delight, addressing themes of isolation and authenticity with whimsy and fun.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 30, 2026 Full Review Mercy (2026) 24% 2/5 EDIT “There’s a potentially interesting idea in Mercy (but) it is abandoned for innumerable plot conveniences, an overabundance of CGI screens, and an AI judge that seems to think the guy she’s trying to execute is actually pretty swell deep down.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 26, 2026 Full Review Signing Tony Raymond (2025) 75% 3.5/5 EDIT “Signing Tony Raymond is a sweet, caring film that highlights some of the issues surrounding college football recruitment while also casting a light on how that impacts families.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 23, 2026 Full Review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 92% 4/5 EDIT “...in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Nia DaCosta takes the directing reins and steers the franchise in a way that somehow feels both nihilistic and hopeful at the same time.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 20, 2026 Full Review The Life of Chuck (2024) 80% 4.5/5 EDIT “This film is a magical, uplifting story that urges us to find joy and connection in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 19, 2026 Full Review Primate (2025) 78% 4/5 EDIT “Primate, from director Johannes Roberts, is a tense and gory creature feature short on story, but filled with thrills.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 13, 2026 Full Review People We Meet on Vacation (2026) 76% 2.5/5 EDIT “People We Meet on Vacation...is an overlong, flat romance that will no doubt have its fans, but is not interesting enough to be anything more than background entertainment.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 12, 2026 Full Review The Plague (2025) 97% 4/5 EDIT “This psychological thriller about the pain of isolation due to bullying is one of the most poignant and horrifying films I’ve ever seen on the subject.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 6, 2026 Full Review Homegrown (2024) 4/5 EDIT “There have been a number of documentaries that have pulled footage from (January 6), but director Michael Premo and his crew were there to film one of the participants in his documentary Homegrown.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Jan 4, 2026 Full Review Song Sung Blue (2025) 78% 4/5 EDIT “Yes, this is a melodramatic, cheesy movie. But there is something more under all of the goofiness. ...this film is a heartwarming tale about sharing a dream with another person.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 30, 2025 Full Review 31 Candles (2025) 100% 3.5/5 EDIT “Part Christmas movie, part coming-of-age, part reconnecting with your religious roots, part rom-com, 31 Candles is a lovely movie.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 30, 2025 Full Review Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) 92% 5/5 EDIT “Discussions of Christian Nationalism have been rising for the past few years...Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man tackles this topic with humor and thoughtfulness and a pretty decent locked-door mystery. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 29, 2025 Full Review Is This Thing On? (2025) 86% 4/5 EDIT “Is This Thing On? works because of the incredible performances of Arnett and Dern. In a film where a couple is struggling, we are often forced to choose sides, but these two allow us to feel empathy for both without denigrating the other.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 23, 2025 Full Review Tapawingo (2023) 82% 3.5/5 EDIT “...this movie is an off-beat, hilarious, silly story that is bright and incredibly watchable.” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 22, 2025 Full Review Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2006) 100% 4/5 EDIT “If you have only watched the Kill Bill movies on your television like me, or it has been a long time since you’ve seen them on the big screen, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is worth a (long) trip to the cinema. ” – MacGuffin or Meaning (Substack) Dec 17, 2025 Full Review
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