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	96%	Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2019)	The ingrained sexism it highlights could form the basis of several sequels. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 14, 2020
4/5	84%	Just Mercy (2020)	An ultimately heart-warming watch that argues passionately for justice, community and kindness. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 14, 2020
3/5	89%	1917 (2020)	A heartfelt tribute to the sacrifices of our ancestors - a visually impressive and very respectable entry into the war film canon. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 8, 2020
	92%	Fighting with My Family (2019)	Fighting with My Family's trump card is an emotional one, and it's well played. - Sight and Sound EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 10, 2019
3/5	77%	Frozen II (2019)	If you loved 2013's Frozen for the songs, the characters and the comedy, then you're in luck with this chirpy sequel. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 18, 2019
3/5	63%	The Good Liar (2019)	It all adds up to a film that's flawed, diverting but far from essential, unless seeing Mirren and McKellen together is on your bucket list. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 7, 2019
4/5	88%	Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)	It's a small, simple story with big themes, some of them rarely seen on screen. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 30, 2019
2/5	26%	Gemini Man (2019)	Technically dazzling but surprisingly dull, Gemini Man is all spectacle and no thrills. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 8, 2019
4/5	83%	Judy (2019)	This is a portrait of a deeply lonely woman, and its best scenes are both poignant and gently amusing. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 2, 2019
3/5	76%	Hotel Mumbai (2019)	An invented scenario might have been easier to accept as entertainment. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 23, 2019
3/5	23%	The Kitchen (2019)	This underdog story puts a gun to the head of sexism, and isn't afraid to pull the trigger. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 19, 2019
4/5	98%	The Farewell (2019)	Immigrant in-jokes abound but this isn't a niche film, it's a crowd-pleaser that's been a box-office hit in the US. Not every scene works but it's an enjoyable watch and Awkwafina is a revelation in a central role. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 18, 2019
3/5	63%	It Chapter Two (2019)	It's fun watching a group of talented actors play the grown-up versions of the kids but when it comes to the horror, it's a case of more of the same. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 4, 2019
3/5	27%	A Million Little Pieces (2019)	What's most remarkable here are the performances: Billy Bob Thornton is tremendous as seasoned patient Leonard, while every brief moment of counsellor Juliette Lewis is worth waiting for. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 28, 2019
3/5	54%	J.T. LeRoy (2019)	A modern-day 'Cyrano de Bergerac' with a hefty dose of bonkers. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 9, 2019
4/5	89%	Blinded by the Light (2019)	If this mix of comical period drama, song, dance and magic realism occasionally feels forced, it's unlikely to really bother those who respond to its themes. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 5, 2019
4/5	71%	Gwen (2019)	This 19th century-set tale takes its time building a seriously eerie atmosphere loaded with credible period detail, with character development and drip-fed backstory just as crucial as scares and revelations. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 15, 2019
3/5	39%	Vita & Virginia (2019)	Don't come here for a stylised period drama that glosses over either the class gap or her mental health. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 1, 2019
3/5	59%	Liam Gallagher: As It Was (2019)	If As It Was dug deeper into the sibling rivalry it could be a revealing and thought-provoking documentary; instead, it's a fun but repetitive one. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 7, 2019
4/5	97%	Dirty God (2019)	Dirty God isn't always an easy watch, but it's a rewarding one that marks both Knight and Polak as exceptional talents. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 3, 2019
4/5	85%	Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)	It's [Quentin] Tarantino at his most restrained and sophisticated. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted May 22, 2019
5/5	97%	Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) (2020)	If you miss the crashing waves and sexual longing of The Piano, and think Carol could have used a bit more Call Me By Your Name, then Portrait Of A Lady On Fire will set your world alight. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted May 22, 2019
5/5	89%	Rocketman (2019)	Pure Elton [John], and pure pleasure. - Metro (UK) EDIT Read More \| Posted May 20, 2019
4/5	95%	Atlantics (2019)	This film's power to surprise is one of its greatest pleasures, while also the source of its frustrations: don't come here looking for easy answers. - Time Out EDIT Read More \| Posted May 19, 2019
4/5	81%	Long Shot (2019)	Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen may not be an obvious pairing, but Jonathan Levine's romantic comedy makes a virtue of that. - The List EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 29, 2019
4/5	82%	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	90%	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	41%	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	66%	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	76%	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	65%	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	62%	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	44%	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