Anna Smith

Tomatometer-approved critic

Publications: BBC.com, Empire Magazine, Rotten Tomatoes, Film4, Time Out, IGN Movies UK, Empire Magazine Australasia, Metro (UK), The List

Movie Reviews Only

Movies
TV

	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Review
4/5	81%	Ben is Back (2018)	Despite sentimental and melodramatic elements, there's a sad sense of authenticity to this portrait of family love in a suburban America that's being quietly devastated by a street drug. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 11, 2019
3/5	59%	The Front Runner (2018)	Not Reitman's most exciting work but still a watchable political thriller. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 9, 2019
4/5	89%	Capernaum (Capharnaüm) (2018)	This contrast results in bursts of humor, recalling the likes of Slumdog Millionaire and The Florida Project. But Capernaum is a darker watch than either. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 14, 2018
4/5	100%	Black Mother (2019)	It's a quality film that enriches understanding of a culture in an unconventional way and will offer more on a second viewing. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2018
3/5	38%	Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018)	Every cliché is an intentional parody but while there's enough suspense and humour to pass the time, this isn't as clever as previous Pegg/Frost/Wright classics such as Shaun Of The Dead. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2018
4/5	63%	Peterloo (2019)	This is not Leigh's most diverting film but it is his most political. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2018
4/5	75%	Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)	Some subplots work better than others but it's still a hugely enjoyable piece of big-screen entertainment with a cult feel - with just enough heart to take the edge off the carnage. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 10, 2018
3/5	No Score Yet	In Your Hands (2012)	In Your Hands' terrific performances can't entirely justify 80 minutes of slow deliberation. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	31%	Joyful Noise (2012)	Joyful Noise comes alive in the performance scenes but the dramatic dialogue is so insipid that even good actors sound as though they're reading from a generic cut-and-paste script. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	67%	Friends With Kids (2012)	Blending Jennifer Westfeldt's talky, observational style with the kind of irreverent humour that helped Bridesmaids bridge the gender divide, Friends With Kids explores love, marriage and child-rearing with gusto and wit. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	70%	The Source (La source des femmes) (2011)	Based on a true story, The Source is a passionate but sometimes heavy-handed argument for gender equality in the Middle East. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
	83%	My Week with Marilyn (2011)	My Week With Marilyn is a compelling look at Marilyn Monroe's insecurities - but Michelle Williams doesn't fully convince as the film legend. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	37%	In Time (2011)	If you're just after popcorn thrills, then In Time is not a complete waste of time, but future generations will not remember it. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
	73%	Everything Must Go (2011)	Everything Must Go is not a comedy as imagined by most Will Ferrell fans, it instead takes Ferrell out of his usually funny-man comfort zone and puts him in a role about life's lessons and understanding those around us. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	75%	The Help (2011)	The Help is a somewhat light-hearted take on the relations between black maids and their bosses in 1960s Mississippi, giving a simplified yet well-intended story of Kathryn Stockettâs novel for the big screen. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	38%	Johnny English Reborn (2011)	Johnny English Reborn is amusing in parts and arguably better than the original, but ultimately it is a throwaway giggle for kids and indulgent parents. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	5%	Abduction (2011)	Abduction does little for Twilight's Taylor Lautner as he becomes a fish-out-of-water in this Bourne Identity-mirroring movie. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	45%	Soul Surfer (2011)	Soul Surfer is a heavy-handed plea for sympathy that doesn't do the real-life story justice. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	84%	Jane Eyre (2011)	Jane Eyre triumphs with a suitably bleak landscape and an excellent performance from Michael Fassbender, but the restrained tone lets it down. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	66%	Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)	Hobo With A Shotgun is as likely to please Quentin Tarantino fans as it is to offend everyone else, with scenes of elaborate decapitations and scantily clad women writhing in the ensuing blood spatter. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	97%	Cell 211 (Celda 211) (2009)	Spanish prison movie Cell 211 is a winner if you're a fan of the nail-biting real-time thriller, using deception, undercover work and con artistry to deliver violence and heart-pounding scenes. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	61%	The First Grader (2011)	The First Grader is a quietly educational experience. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	61%	The Beaver (2011)	This might have been better as an intimate drama about mental illness and it doesn't have time to explore all of its themes. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	45%	Bad Teacher (2011)	Much like one of Elizabeth's classes, there are no lessons to be learned, but this mischievous, borderline amoral little number passes the time in a surprisingly amusing fashion. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	93%	Love Like Poison (Un Poison Violent) (2010)	Quite a few plot strands are left hanging still, that's probably the point and shouldn't bother those who enjoy atmospheric character-driven dramas that quietly ponder sex, religion and death without breaking a sweat. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	15%	Priest (2011)	It's just a shame this world is populated with such one-dimensional, humourless characters. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	51%	Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)	With jeopardy at almost every turn, this is certainly no movie for toddlers. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
1/5	4%	Vampires Suck (2010)	Mocking the vampire vogue like a child pulling pigtails (hard), this is playground humour, and the school is definitely gross-out. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	29%	Life as We Know It (2010)	But given that the supporting characters aren't bad, what could have been another awful romcom turns into something half decent. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	71%	Enter the Void (Soudain le vide) (2010)	Enter The Void is ridiculous, funny, shocking and crazy - but it's also utterly seductive. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	89%	World's Greatest Dad (2009)	The film's direction isn't always confident - there are baggy sections, and it's rarely deeply moving - but it is consistently funny. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	78%	The Other Guys (2010)	The funniest movie of the year so far. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	69%	The Runaways (2010)	It's a too-familiar rags-to-riches-to-rags tale without much substance. But it looks and sounds good, and now and again it rocks. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	70%	The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) (2010)	This is an enjoyable thriller: there's no shortage of action, intrigue and girl power. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
1/5	10%	Grown Ups (2010)	Granted, Sandler's script has one or two laughs, but it's mostly excruciating and lacks the self-mockery of, say, a Judd Apatow movie. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	9%	Marmaduke (2010)	That Marmaduke makes a point of farting when Phil and Debbie kiss sums up the film's level of appeal. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	41%	The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)	It's a whole load of silly but there's enough fun to make this a decent slice of forgettable escapism. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	44%	Brooklyn's Finest (2010)	What gives this an extra star is Ethan Hawke: there are plenty of guns blazing in this movie but the real fire comes from his powerhouse performance. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
	68%	The Brothers Bloom (2009)	Pretty, well acted and amusing, if ultimately superficial. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
	42%	Death at a Funeral (2010)	The result is as uneven as the original, albeit in different places:the drug stuff is hilarious; the toilet humour just yucky. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	18%	The Tooth Fairy (2010)	So, for adults, the best that can be said for Tooth Fairy is that it's funnier than the awful trailer. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	77%	Heartless (2010)	Aside from performances, most of Heartless's faults could be explained away by its storyline but that doesn't make it any more entertaining in the moment. Still, it's an intriguing watch for fans of the genre. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	18%	Cop Out (2010)	In all, though, Cop Out is not much cop. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	92%	Vincere (2010)	A tragic, timeless tale about a spirited woman's stubborn devotion to a self-serving man. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
	63%	Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)	An irreverent, guilty pleasure, frat boy comedy, it blows a big fat raspberry at sci-fi fans and tells them to stick their Flux Capacitors where the sun don't shine. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	18%	The Back-up Plan (2010)	But by the time 104 minutes of off-putting pregnancy dramas are up, you may wonder if the film's goal isn't so much about entertainment as population control. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
4/5	81%	The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2010)	While some plot developments are more plausible than others, the conclusion features one of the most nail-biting moments of the year so far. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
2/5	67%	Date Night (2010)	Their marriage seems real but their predicament feels like no more than a scriptwriter's invention. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	23%	Elles (2012)	Elles is well performed and offers food for thought but raises many more questions than it answers. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018
3/5	29%	Dear John (2010)	Seyfried and Tatum have tangible chemistry... - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 23, 2018