Catherine Bray Movie Reviews & Previews

Critics » Catherine Bray

Catherine Bray

Agrees with the Tomatometer 77% of the time.

Publications:: Film4 , Times [UK]

Total Reviews:: 205

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Showing 1 - 50 of 205

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
	98%	Mud (2013)	" Matthew McConaughey is as compelling as we've come to expect since The Lincoln Lawyer kicked off his 2010s hot streak, as Jeff Nichols ably combines elements of Terence Malick with an all-American rural yarn." — Film4 Posted May 9, 2013
	62%	Evil Dead (2013)	" A decent, gory horror treat for those who've never watched an Evil Dead movie - while at the same time exhibiting discreet respect for the 1980s incarnations, with plenty of low-key nods to the original for fans." — Film4 Posted Apr 18, 2013
	56%	Oblivion (2013)	" Oblivion's leading man is as dependable as ever. A shame that the film, while pretty, is somewhat ponderous, and ultimately fails to cohere into a narratively satisfying whole." — Film4 Posted Apr 11, 2013
	20%	Identity Thief (2013)	" The hit rate isn't as high as you'd hope, gag-wise, but Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman remain highly likeable screen presences, even when behaving in unlikeable and unlikely ways." — Film4 Posted Mar 20, 2013
	38%	The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)	" Big silly fun in the Anchorman vein, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is packed with great gags, recognisable characters and performances from comedians at the top of their game." — Film4 Posted Mar 20, 2013
	44%	The Paperboy (2012)	" You certainly couldn't accuse anyone involved in The Paperboy of playing it safe, and for this reason, Lee Daniels' film is one to file under misjudged must-sees." — Film4 Posted Mar 20, 2013
3/5	69%	The Croods (2013)	" It's all entertaining enough, and will surely sell plenty of stuffed toys. But it winds up a fair few rungs below the likes of 'Brave' on the evolutionary ladder." — Time Out Posted Mar 19, 2013
	31%	Total Recall (2012)	" More or less serviceable action thriller with some nice ideas for visual set pieces, but did it really have to be as long as it is?" — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	63%	The Wedding Video ()	" Supremely well-intentioned, low-budget British comedy which, with all the will in the world, a likeable cast can't quite power to greatness." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	30%	The Vow (2012)	" Like a less successful version of The Notebook, this works as an undemanding date movie; just don't expect much more from it." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	47%	The Sweeney (2013)	" Let's not waste each other's time. You already know whether this sounds like the kind of top bloke you'd fancy having a pint with. If so, The Sweeney is your film." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	——	The Pirates! An Adventure With Scientists ()	" A funny, thoroughly enjoyable and oddly subversive film." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	58%	The Dictator (2012)	" Underrated comic excellence from Sacha Baron Cohen with plenty of sharp satire lacing the broader gross-out gags. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	65%	The Campaign (2012)	" Funny and entertaining, it's not a heavyweight contender, but who wants a heavyweight contender every time? " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	78%	Take This Waltz (2012)	" This is finely-judged filmmaking from a writing and directing talent to watch." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	69%	Ted (2012)	" Hit and miss humour with problematic undertones buoyed by an intriguing premise and appealing performances from the film's human cast." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	88%	Shut Up and Play the Hits (2012)	" A must for fans of LCD Soundsystem and about fifteen minutes too long for anyone else, this is an entertaining enough exploration of walking away from success and fear of failure. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	93%	Shadow Dancer (2013)	" A sensitive film that respects the conflict in which it is set rather than using it for cheap thrills." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	55%	Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)	" A certain generosity of spirit is required here, but the performances are excellent and the central premise ... is a solid and amusing one. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	82%	Rust and Bone (2012)	" Rather like a persuasive pick-up artist, I'm not sure Rust & Bone is a film I'd want to spend a second night with, for fear of shattering the emotional illusion." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	94%	Moonrise Kingdom (2012)	" It's doubtful this will win over any outright Anderson sceptics, but ... this is an exciting reaffirmation of talent." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	80%	Magic Mike (2012)	" Musings on the nature of capitalism wrapped in a very pretty package ... Magic Mike is a film for adventurous audiences of all persuasions." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	38%	Lockout (Unrated) (2012)	" They don't make 'em like this anymore, except when they do and you remember why they stopped. Daft, but broadly enjoyable if you're in a charitable mood." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	69%	Liberal Arts (2012)	" A diverting generational three-way dialogue between those barely out of their teens, those in their mid thirties and those well north of fifty." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	67%	Lawless (2012)	" A pumped-up, Hollywood-flavoured neo-Gothic Western delivering knockout performances and raw, corporeal thrills." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	76%	Killing Them Softly (2012)	" Complex and problematic in a rather wonderful way, Killing Them Softly has flaws more interesting than some film's perfections. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	34%	Joyful Noise (2012)	" If you've the slightest aversion to camp, you should obviously steer clear. But then this film was never for you. It's for the spiritual year-round inhabitants of Dollywood." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	36%	Iron Sky (2012)	" It's Nazis from space. Cult movie fans will basically know what to expect. It's just a shame it couldn't have been a bit better." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	85%	Electrick Children (2013)	" Sweet but never sickly ... Electrick Children is real must-see from a bright new talent. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	34%	Battleship (2012)	" An assault on reason, logic and complex characterisation, but in an enjoyable way, like a slightly less camp dramatisation of the Village People's finest ship-based sing-song. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	64%	Anna Karenina (2012)	" Tolstoy's novel rendered in exquisite Faberge egg form. " — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	95%	Side by Side (2012)	" Essential viewing for understanding different sides of one of the most vital current debates in cinema." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	67%	Stoker (2013)	" Sexy, perverse and memorable, Stoker lingers in the imagination like an enjoyable hangover." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	32%	Gangster Squad (2013)	" Gangster Squad verges on a parody of hard-boiled noir in the vein of the Scary Movie/Date Movie/Epic Movie films, only with real A-list star power; it's a funny old mixture." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	86%	Wreck-it Ralph (2012)	" Hyperactive day-glo fizzy-pop family animation with a heartfelt message about staying true to yourself lurking underneath all the visual fireworks." — Film4 Posted Mar 4, 2013
	66%	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)	" Decent enough fantasy adventure, but it doesn't especially feel like Tolkien." — Film4 Posted Dec 12, 2012
	87%	The Dark Knight Rises (2012)	" A thorny thicket redeemed by its willingness to at least highlight big problems. A film for our times, then." — Film4 Posted Jul 20, 2012
5/5	64%	Cosmopolis (2012)	" An extraordinary psychological and sensual immersion in the psychosis of capitalism with a brilliant performance from Robert Pattinson." — Film4 Posted Jun 3, 2012
4.5/5	93%	Marvel's The Avengers (2012)	" Marvel's finest heroes finally come together to set a comic book franchise gold standard that will take some beating." — Film4 Posted Apr 20, 2012
5/5	92%	The Cabin in the Woods (2012)	" Set to emerge as the year's best horror movie." — Film4 Posted Apr 12, 2012
4/5	86%	The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)	" A funny, thoroughly enjoyable and oddly subversive film: at a time when CGI reigns in family films and Elizabeth Windsor celebrates a jubilee, here's a film where puppets battle a fiendish regal villain." — Film4 Posted Apr 2, 2012
4/5	76%	We Need to Talk About Kevin (2012)	" A meaty, full-fat, marrow-rich, extra-pulp vision of the nightmare side of motherhood, given realism by a pair of all-too believable performances." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
4/5	75%	The Adventures of Tintin (2011)	" You don't need to be a fan of - or indeed have more than a passing acquaintance with - the original Tintin comics to enjoy this film." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
4/5	95%	Weekend (2011)	" Weekend has romance to spare, but also takes a look at the cogs turning under the surface of any thoughtful encounter, however brief." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
2.5/5	36%	The Thing (2011)	" Can't possibly compare to the film it's inspired by, but if you've not seen the 1982 version, you should find it reasonably harmless, albeit with an increasingly daft climax." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
1/5	7%	New Year's Eve (2011)	" Among the year's worst films. The tragedy is funny, the comedy is tragic, and about its only saving grace is that it makes 2010's Valentines Day look almost passable." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
4/5	86%	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)	" It's ultimately David Fincher's perfectionist talent for creating a gripping aesthetic that raises this film above your average James Patterson adaptation." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
5/5	98%	The Artist (2011)	" Goofily gorgeous, heartfelt and endlessly rewatchable, this is the true meaning of escapism - a doorway to another world, a world created to entertain eyes, heart and brain." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012
3/5	77%	War Horse (2011)	" If it doesn't quite manage to tap the well of emotion that this type of film aims to access, it's because of problems inherent to the basic pitch, rather than the execution." — Film4 Posted Mar 22, 2012

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