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Stephen Porzio

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Stephen Porzio is a senior writer for the publication JOE.ie. He previously wrote about film and TV for Film Ireland, HeadStuff and Hot Press.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) 80% EDIT “The real reason to watch the remake... is the charming performance from [Ruby] Modine.” – joe.ie Dec 12, 2025 Full Review Horseshoe (2025) EDIT “The comedy-drama is the type of warm Irish crowdpleaser that will provoke some big chuckles, while subtly tugging on the heartstrings.” – joe.ie Dec 11, 2025 Full Review Lurker (2025) 95% EDIT “[Writer-director Alex] Russell’s movie eschews easy resolution, something that causes it to linger in viewers’ brains long after its credits roll.” – joe.ie Dec 11, 2025 Full Review Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) 92% EDIT “A significant improvement on its predecessors, Knives Out and Glass Onion, movies that we already found very entertaining... Rian Johnson crafts his best mystery yet.” – joe.ie Dec 2, 2025 Full Review Train Dreams (2025) 95% EDIT “The movie’s lyrical direction and writing, its screenplay’s epic scope... and its soulful performances all combine to create this highly emotional meditation on the relationship between work and family, humans and the land, and humans and time.” – joe.ie Nov 26, 2025 Full Review Christy (2025) 66% EDIT “All in all, Christy is a good movie as opposed to a great one, even though it’s anchored by a terrific lead performance.” – joe.ie Nov 26, 2025 Full Review In the Lost Lands (2025) 24% EDIT “[Brief] entertaining moments are drowned out in a barrage of cliched dialogue, confusing storytelling and highly artificial and drab-looking sets, which really kill any sense of immersion in the fantasy tale.” – joe.ie Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Opus (2025) 39% EDIT “Even if the payoff isn’t as mind-blowing as viewers may have hoped, the journey to get there is pleasingly creepy, funny and tremendously well-acted.” – joe.ie Nov 25, 2025 Full Review A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (2025) 75% EDIT “By boldly eschewing clear resolution, the movie and the dilemmas and ideas it presents linger longer with the viewer.” – joe.ie Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Anemone (2025) 53% EDIT “The return of Day-Lewis is worth the price of admission... It’s a typically spine-tingling performance from the Oscar-winner, who does incredible work slowly unfurling Ray’s stern, hyper-masculine facade to reveal the wealth of emotion raging underneath.” – joe.ie Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Predator: Badlands (2025) 86% EDIT “Trachtenberg maintains the mean-and-lean ‘gang on a mission’ storytelling that made Prey a surprise hit, but places it amidst a more dazzling, fun and inventive backdrop.” – joe.ie Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Die My Love (2025) 74% EDIT “There is an over-reliance on exaggerated metaphors and histrionic behaviour (...to give a sense of a character being animalistic, there are numerous scenes of said character walking around on all fours) that does drain a lot of the authenticity...” – joe.ie Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Keeper (2025) 50% EDIT “At a time when many "elevated horrors" prioritise over-explaining their metaphors and themes, rather than delivering scares and thrills, Keeper’s inventiveness, persistent air of unease, and hard-to-pin-down story should be celebrated.” – joe.ie Nov 13, 2025 Full Review Strange Harvest (2024) 92% EDIT “[Strange Harvest's] authentic performances and its impressive aping in its construction and editing of real true crime docs, does a lot to ground Ortiz’s impressively convoluted and twisted yarn.” – joe.ie Nov 2, 2025 Full Review Bugonia (2025) 87% EDIT “Bugonia is indeed extremely disturbing. What’s most impressive about it, though, is that it’s also compulsively watchable. In fact, it’s perhaps Lanthimos’ most mainstream effort to date.” – joe.ie Nov 2, 2025 Full Review The Mastermind (2025) 90% EDIT “The Mastermind is... more for the arthouse crowd, who will probably get a kick out of O'Connor looking cool as he blows up his life and moody jazz music plays in the background.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Brick (2025) 44% EDIT “One-dimensional characters, some repetitive scenes and an increasingly muddled plot do detract from the effective on-paper allegory.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review The Cut (2024) 68% EDIT “Despite the lack of in-ring action (perhaps the result of a low budget)... The Cut makes for a mostly powerful watch, particularly in its first three-quarters.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Borderline (2025) 59% EDIT “Even with [several] flaws... a brilliant central performance by Ray Nicholson keeps viewers glued to the screen. ” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Caught Stealing (2025) 84% EDIT “Caught Stealing is wickedly entertaining and stylish... That said, [Darren Aronofsky's] latest still retains his trademark darkness.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Girls & Boys (2025) EDIT “The real star... is [the] rendering of Halloween night in Dublin city. Full of bursts of firework light, the neon of the Liffey’s quays and reflective glass and mirror panes, it is maybe the most beautiful Ireland’s capital has ever looked on screen.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Sunphlowers (2025) EDIT “This is a film that could bring a tear to your eye.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2024) 83% EDIT “As quirky as its title suggests... That said, Psycho Therapy stands above many similar crime farces thanks to its satirical elements and its interesting performances.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review TRON: Ares (2025) 53% EDIT “Like Tron and Tron: Legacy, the more characters and concepts Tron: Ares introduces, the more it struggles in terms of telling a fully coherent story... Yet, it’s hard to care too much about this when the visuals and the music are so dazzling.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review Good Boy (2025) 91% EDIT “[Transitions] from a gripping experiential horror to a more standard “elevated horror”... succumbing to some of the increasingly tiring tropes of the latter... Yet, [it's still] truly a one-of-a-kind and unforgettable horror thriller experience.” – joe.ie Oct 29, 2025 Full Review
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