Daniel Eagan

Tomatometer-approved critic

Publications: Film Comment Magazine, Film Journal International, Hollywood Reporter, Filmmaker, Quelle Movies, Film Legacy

Official Websites: filmjournal.com

Movie Reviews Only

Movies

T-Meter	Title \| Year	Review
76%	Ghost Light (2018)	Ghost Light suffers from an underdeveloped script and obviously small budget. What makes it worthwhile is its insight into characters, who against the odds build up real sympathy. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 17, 2019
25%	Daughter of the Wolf (2019)	Carano's a solid performer with real screen presence, but jobs like this don't help her career. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 13, 2019
93%	The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019)	Don Lee almost singlehandedly lifts this fun if derivative genre piece out of the ordinary. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 5, 2019
89%	Rocketman (2019)	One side of the Sir Elton John story: clichéd, weirdly canted, still largely enjoyable. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted May 30, 2019
89%	Bull (2019)	[Director] Silverstein makes a strong case that these people have something worthwhile to say to viewers. There is a grace and tenderness to the movie that are hard to resist. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted May 16, 2019
87%	Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2019)	While it may not be especially original, Master Z delivers everything martial-arts fans want. The action is as satisfying as dance routines, especially with performers as physically skilled as these. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 10, 2019
83%	For Now (2017)	Kane Senes and Hannah Barlow work hard to lift For Now above expectations. Their story is engaging, and their filmmaking style interesting. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 20, 2019
60%	The Things We've Seen (2017)	Clammy and claustrophobic, The Things We've Seen can build an effective mood as its characters struggle with problems. Even with a small budget, determined filmmakers can accomplish something worthwhile. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 15, 2019
27%	The Aftermath (2019)	The Aftermath feels uninspired, inert, irrelevant. Destroying Hamburg seems like a high price to pay so a housewife can put her dead boy behind her, indulge her sexual fantasies, and reconcile with a newly sensitized husband. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 14, 2019
95%	An Elephant Sitting Still (Da xiang xi di er zuo) (2019)	This is a once-in-a-generation film, an epic of defiance against a ruthless society. Honest, sympathetic, incisive, it will stand as a masterpiece of its time. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 6, 2019
88%	Hummus! The Movie (2019)	Told with humor and compassion, but a bit too niche to win widespread appeal. What the documentary does very well is spotlight deserving, hard-working chefs who don't ordinarily get much attention. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 20, 2019
86%	A Boy Called Sailboat (2018)	Modest fairy tale set in the New Mexico desert is simultaneously affecting and disappointing, with superior work from its very young cast. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 10, 2019
70%	The Mule (2018)	Understated account of an elderly drug runner for the Mexican cartels. Director and star Clint Eastwood remains one of America's most talented, and subversive, filmmakers. - Film Legacy EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 26, 2018
64%	Ophelia (2019)	Shakespeare's famously mad victim gets to tell her story in a visually sumptuous adaptation of Lisa Klein's novel. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 8, 2018
99%	Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (2018)	Members of a family living on state support are not what they seem in an award-winning drama from Hirokazu Kore-eda. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 19, 2018
92%	They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018)	Anyone interested in the work of one of cinema's great directors will learn a lot from this documentary. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2018
82%	The Other Side of the Wind (2018)	The movie is a chore to watch, more fun to talk about than to endure. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 31, 2018
84%	Monrovia, Indiana (2018)	Documentarian Frederick Wiseman digs into a small Midwestern town, opening a window into the heartland. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 25, 2018
88%	Horn From the Heart: The Paul Butterfield Story (2018)	In-depth look at harmonica player Paul Butterfield, who bridged the gap between blues and rock in the late 1960s.= - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 17, 2018
89%	MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. (2018)	Filled with exhilarating music, this biopic of international star Maya Arulpragasam also takes a hard look at the price of fame. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 28, 2018
93%	The Old Man & the Gun (2018)	An undemanding vehicle for Robert Redford. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 26, 2018
68%	Final Score (2018)	Passable Die Hard clone marks another step in Dave Bautista's action-hero career. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 14, 2018
100%	The Dawn Wall (2018)	It's the camerawork by director of photography Brett Lowell and cinematographer Corey Rich (along with many other contributors) that impresses the most here. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 13, 2018
80%	Active Measures (2018)	Director and co-writer Jack Bryan doesn't come up with a smoking gun per se, but he builds an exhaustive case for Russian duplicity. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 29, 2018
22%	Mile 22 (2018)	It's easy to feel superior to Mile 22, but why bother? Like Wahlberg's Silva, it does the job it sets out to do. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 16, 2018
100%	The Island (2018)	On the whole this is polished mainstream work that could surprise American viewers. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 7, 2018
91%	Searching (2018)	Searching is so smart about how we interact with computers that it's surprising how lame it is about moviemaking basics like characters and plot. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 31, 2018
86%	The Third Murder (Sandome no satsujin) (2018)	Technically splendid but emotionally distant, The Third Murder will seem more like a detour than a destination for [Kore-eda's] fans. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 24, 2018
82%	Milford Graves Full Mantis (2018)	Profile of free-jazz percussionist Milford Graves offers a generous sampling of his music and philosophy. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 11, 2018
11%	Siberia (2018)	Director Matthew Ross does the near-impossible in Siberia: He turns a Keanu Reeves vehicle about sex, diamonds and the Russian mob into a dreary, endless slog. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 11, 2018
40%	Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti (2018)	Cassel, one of France's singular talents, delivers an absorbing performance, committing to his role on both mental and physical levels. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 11, 2018
47%	Skyscraper (2018)	A solid Dwayne Johnson vehicle...Basically Die Hard with a family and fire, Skyscraper will handily fill in the gap until the next Johnson moneymaker arrives. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 10, 2018
88%	Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)	Ant-Man and the Wasp is delightful from start to finish, especially after the apocalyptic Infinity War. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 27, 2018
No Score Yet	The Accidental Detective 2: In Action (2018)	The mystery may be obvious and the action nothing new, but the chemistry between the leads is pleasant enough to pass the time. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 22, 2018
78%	The King (2018)	Its dubious assertions and utter lack of empathy for its subject and his milieu, all The King ends up doing is further cloud our understanding of [Elvis Presley]. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 20, 2018
56%	Tag (2018)	Fans may be drawn by the cast, but word of mouth will be grim for a movie that takes a slow road to nowhere. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 15, 2018
57%	Hotel Artemis (2018)	Stellar casting and expert design separate this a bit from the pulp pack, but genre fans will feel let down in the end. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 6, 2018
70%	Adrift (2018)	Despite all its flaws, Adrift builds to an emotionally powerful ending, one that is simultaneously melancholy and uplifting. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 31, 2018
89%	Champion (2018)	The heart of Champion-learning to trust, finding a way to forge bonds, accepting the faults in those you love-lifts this above a routine sports movie. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 18, 2018
93%	First Reformed (2018)	Ambitious Paul Schrader drama ultimately loses its way. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 17, 2018
92%	Saving Brinton (2018)	Genial but skin-deep, Saving Brinton takes a "gee whiz" approach to film history. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 17, 2018
82%	Pope Francis - A Man of His Word (2018)	Despite its flaws, Pope Francis is filled with moments that bring the pontiff and his message to life. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 16, 2018
87%	Mountain (2018)	The more you know [about the subject], however, the less you will be impressed by this documentary. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 10, 2018
58%	Always at the Carlyle (2018)	A movie that feels like a feature-length commercial for the hotel. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 10, 2018
98%	Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2018)	Like Sakamoto himself, the documentary stretches boundaries, shifting forward and back through time, weaving archival clips and news footage with scenes of Sakamoto composing, rehearsing, experimenting and traveling. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted May 1, 2018
100%	L'eau froide (Cold Water) (1994)	Cold Water feels as fresh today as when it was filmed close to twenty-five years ago. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 27, 2018
51%	Rampage (2018)	[A] serviceable adventure that could have used a bit more spark. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 11, 2018
84%	Borg Vs. McEnroe (2018)	[I]n Borg vs. McEnroe you get a sense of what it was like to battle personal demons before the entire world. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 11, 2018
83%	Blockers (2018)	It's parents versus kids in an R-rated sex comedy that pushes easy boundaries without going too far. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 3, 2018
100%	Summer in the Forest (2018)	Modest, intimate documentary about L'Arche, an international organization for the disabled, and its founder Jean Vanier. - Film Journal International EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 23, 2018

Best Reviewed Movies

5/5 Bambi 5/5 A Man for All Seasons 5/5 The Black Stallion 5/5 The French Connection 5/5 Rebecca

Worst Reviewed Movies

— The Gold of Naples (L'oro di Napoli) (Every Day's a Holiday) — Vito Bonafacci — All's Well Ends Well 2012 — Personal Tailor — Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!