Tim Grierson Movie Reviews & Previews

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Tim Grierson

Agrees with the Tomatometer 78% of the time.

Biography:: Tim is a film and music critic whose writing has appeared in LA Weekly, Blender, Wired, Screen International, The Village Voice, and VH1.com. He is also an editor of The Simon, an online publication of culture, politics, and humor, and is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Publications:: Back Stage , City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul , Deadspin , EmanuelLevy.Com , Gawker , L.A. Weekly , Paste Magazine , Screen International , Screendaily , The Simon , Village Voice
Critics' Group:: Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Total Reviews:: 544
Total QuickRatings:: 1

Location:: Los Angeles

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 544

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T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
94%	Stories We Tell (2013)	" Both of Sarah Polley's previous movies were well-observed, if a bit uneven, but they hold the key to what makes "Stories We Tell" so terrific." — Deadspin Posted May 7, 2013
47%	The Great Gatsby (2013)	" Because Luhrmann is always thirsting for the next grand gesture -- the next emotional crescendo -- the book's subtlety and shading get trampled under his overblown aesthetic. " — Screen International Posted May 6, 2013
83%	What Maisie Knew (2013)	" A heartbreakingly perceptive illustration of the axiom that when parents get divorced, the ones most affected are the children." — Screen International Posted Apr 29, 2013
——	Let The Fire Burn ()	" Telling its riveting, despairing tale entirely through archival footage, the terrific documentary "Let the Fire Burn" has the force and intrigue of a courtroom thriller." — Screen International Posted Apr 29, 2013
46%	Pain & Gain (2013)	" Michael Bay fills "Pain & Gain" with flash and energy, and he does it well enough that the movie succeeds. But at the same time, it's a missed opportunity." — Deadspin Posted Apr 24, 2013
24%	Arthur Newman (2013)	" Fine work by Colin Firth and Emily Blunt provides the movie's soul, but one can't help but wonder how much more resonant a bolder approach to the material might have been." — Screen International Posted Apr 23, 2013
58%	At Any Price (2013)	" "At Any Price" is consistently gentle and affectionate toward its characters but, sadly, it's also director Ramin Bahrani's least affecting film." — Paste Magazine Posted Apr 23, 2013
4%	Scary Movie 5 (2013)	" The "Scary Movie" franchise has never been known for its highbrow comedy, but this latest installment feels especially juvenile and pointless." — Screen International Posted Apr 12, 2013
42%	To The Wonder (2013)	" "To the Wonder" is not Malick's first attempt at chronicling the ebb and flow of a relationship, but it may be his most heart-rending." — Back Stage Posted Apr 12, 2013
56%	Oblivion (2013)	" Sci-fi fans ... may feel like they've seen much of this before, albeit rarely put together this stunningly." — Screen International Posted Apr 10, 2013
74%	Simon Killer (2013)	" The quietly unsettling "Simon Killer" asks us to study its main character, a screwed-up enigma, who can't get out of the way of his own self-destructive tendencies." — Deadspin Posted Apr 5, 2013
87%	Upstream Color (2013)	" If "Primer" was a Rubik's Cube, "Upstream Color" is a poem or a half-remembered dream -- or, more accurately, a nightmare." — Back Stage Posted Apr 4, 2013
27%	The Brass Teapot (2013)	" This dark comedy makes a few smart observations about the lengths people will go to snag the American Dream, but its satiric edge gets dulled rather quickly." — Screen International Posted Apr 3, 2013
68%	Trance (2013)	" "Shallow Grave" was one of Boyle's less stylish films, but it succeeded because of the interplay between its central characters. By comparison, "Trance" is simply shallow." — Deadspin Posted Apr 2, 2013
81%	The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)	" Even when the story falters, Cianfrance has assembled a pretty great cast to give his ideas life. You may not always buy the movie, but you buy the people in it. " — Deadspin Posted Mar 27, 2013
28%	G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)	" Between its generic action-thriller plotting and unsophisticated worship of warfare and hardware, Retaliation is a conspicuously uninspired effort that goes through the motions, hoping undiscriminating genre fans won't mind." — Screen International Posted Mar 27, 2013
94%	Room 237 (2013)	" I don't necessarily buy any of these alternate readings, but the passion these people bring to their theories is such that you're at least willing to meet them halfway." — Deadspin Posted Mar 26, 2013
65%	Starbuck (2013)	" If nothing else, this might be the most heartwarming film ever made about masturbating into a plastic cup for money." — Back Stage Posted Mar 21, 2013
48%	Olympus Has Fallen (2013)	" What's the point of blowing up lots of stuff and stirring deep-seated national paranoia if you can't have a blast doing it?" — Deadspin Posted Mar 20, 2013
43%	Admission (2013)	" "Admission" lets its heart be its guide. Sure, that's corny -- but this movie turns that into a strength." — Deadspin Posted Mar 19, 2013
38%	The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)	" Though formulaic and a bit uneven, "Burt Wonderstone" is further proof that Steve Carell's small-scale comedies have their pleasures." — Back Stage Posted Mar 15, 2013
79%	Ginger & Rosa (2013)	" "Ginger & Rosa" tells its story through a series of understated, deeply evocative scenes. This is a modest, well-observed film." — Paste Magazine Posted Mar 12, 2013
66%	Spring Breakers (2013)	" This is the first time in Harmony Korine's career where the world he depicts actually seems less horrifying than the one we're in." — Deadspin Posted Mar 12, 2013
60%	Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)	" Director Sam Raimi tries to mix dark and light tones while bolstering the action and effects, but the resulting film is a glossy jumble that is rarely magical." — Screen International Posted Feb 28, 2013
52%	Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)	" Though never quite feeling impersonal, this "Lord of the Rings"-style fantasy film is as ungainly as the movie's hulking, fearsome monsters -- and not nearly as powerful." — Back Stage Posted Feb 28, 2013
58%	Snitch (2013)	" "Snitch" takes on the demeanor of its star: It's earnest, genuine, likeable, a bit of an underdog." — Deadspin Posted Feb 21, 2013
——	Two Mothers ()	" A thoughtful, sexy, and nonjudgmental examination of potentially tawdry material, "Two Mothers" benefits from nuanced performances from Naomi Watts and Robin Wright." — Screen International Posted Feb 16, 2013
15%	A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)	" Twenty-five years after the original "Die Hard," John McClane may not have lost a step, but the franchise that features him sure has." — Screen International Posted Feb 13, 2013
51%	Savages (2012)	" Amid all the violence and profanity, Oliver Stone reveals a begrudging respect for his damned characters." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
16%	The Watch (2012)	" "The Watch" is a Dream Team in which no one's drawn up any plays and nobody passes the ball. Everybody just shoots and hopes for the best." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
21%	That's My Boy (2012)	" Yet again Adam Sandler has taken a fairly clever concept for a broad comedy and just detonated it with some of the stupidest, most repetitive gags imaginable. " — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
21%	Taken 2 (2012)	" "Taken 2" is really, really goofy -- it's even goofier because it thinks it's about the futility of vengeance -- but Liam Neeson almost makes you buy it." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
78%	Dredd (2012)	" If Hollywood is going to be indicted for making mindlessly violent action films, let them at least be as good as this one." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
64%	Cosmopolis (2012)	" "Cosmopolis" is a hypnotic examination of our modern anxieties about the dehumanization brought on by wealth, power, and technology." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
58%	Red Hook Summer (2012)	" "Red Hook Summer" has so much life, so much verve. Spike Lee always makes movies you want to wrestle with, even if the rewards this time around aren't as worthwhile." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
74%	Prometheus (2012)	" Rather than trying to reinvent the franchise with new tricks, "Prometheus" wants to return us to that uncertain terror that loomed over the 1979 original." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
48%	Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)	" For all the money that was spent on "Snow White and the Huntsman," apparently there wasn't any allotment in the budget for enjoyment." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
70%	Men in Black III (2012)	" While it's a little thrown together, "Men in Black 3" seems focused on recapturing not just the style but also the soul of the original." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
23%	The Raven (2012)	" The problem is that "The Raven" is all surface. The movie is nothing but its fun idea, without much development or ingenuity" — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
92%	Skyfall (2012)	" Bond traditions haven't just been updated -- they've been intelligently modified and rethought, giving us the franchise's inherent pleasures in a new package." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
70%	Les Misérables (2012)	" Beyond some pacing problems and a few questionable casting choices, the movie works as a towering, somewhat lumbering monolith of entertainment disbursement." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
20%	Identity Thief (2013)	" Identity Thief is so bad that I hope it doesn't prematurely squash people's enthusiasm for Melissa McCarthy." — Deadspin Posted Feb 12, 2013
45%	Beautiful Creatures (2013)	" The film's spell soon evaporates once the lumbering plot machinations take over, pummeling us with a storyline that's both overly complicated and numbingly familiar." — Screen International Posted Feb 11, 2013
4%	Movie 43 (2013)	" A total mess but not without its genuinely funny moments, this Relativity release is one to store away in the how-did-this-ever-happen vault." — Screen International Posted Jan 26, 2013
85%	Side Effects (2013)	" Ultimately too clever for its own good, but if you can accept the film's poker-faced absurdity on its own terms, you'll appreciate Soderbergh and his cast's cool confidence." — Screen International Posted Jan 25, 2013
14%	Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)	" Feels like a first film in a franchise that's meant to set up the main characters and conflicts, which can then be fleshed out in sequels. But those sequels will never happen." — Screen International Posted Jan 25, 2013
——	Magic Magic ()	" To be sure, the movie isn't much more than its atmosphere of clammy discomfort and a gonzo performance from Juno Temple, but those open to the experience will enjoy its gleeful strangeness." — Screen International Posted Jan 24, 2013
67%	A.C.O.D. ()	" A.C.O.D.'s smooth establishment of its sharp, funny characters can't sustain the film's momentum." — Screen International Posted Jan 24, 2013
71%	In a World... (2013)	" A delightful comedy that goes a long way on the strength of its very likeable cast, In A World... isn't uproariously funny, but its steady stream of chuckles and ingratiating tone leave a very warm afterglow." — Screen International Posted Jan 24, 2013

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