James Mottram
James Mottram's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer when
published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Total Film,
Film4,
Time Out,
Digital Spy,
Filmstar Magazine,
The National (UAE),
The List,
South China Morning Post
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/5 | 68% | Happy End (2017) |
Happy End feels a minor work in Haneke's canon, like a collection of outtakes from his more significant films.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jun 18, 2018
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| 4/5 | 85% | Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur) (2018) |
Bright Sunshine In is both profoundly silly and acutely observed.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jun 10, 2018
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| 4/5 | 71% | Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) |
It's a feel-good take on the saga's flyboy - and as such the film is immensely satisfying.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jun 10, 2018
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| 4/5 | 71% | Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) |
Howard raises his game here, speeding us through unusual landscapes and top-notch set pieces.‐ Digital Spy
Read More | Posted May 30, 2018
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| 4/5 | 80% | The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) |
A film that reinforces just what a distinct voice Lanthimos is, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a twisted and perverse parlour game that shocks and surprises in equal measure.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted May 18, 2018
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| 3.5/5 | 92% | Revenge (2018) |
Revenge is hardly profound - and some will surely find it all very distasteful - but tense, traumatic and eye-wateringly gory, it sure sizzles off the screen.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted May 18, 2018
|
| 73% | Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014) |
Solid, straightforward but immaculately researched, Chuck Workmans documentary is a fitting tribute to the maverick Welles. If he were alive today, hed surely raise a glass. ‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted May 2, 2018
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| 5/5 | 83% | Avengers: Infinity War (2018) |
Easily the best Marvel movie ever made, this is also shaping up to be one of the great blockbusters of the 21st-century.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 24, 2018
|
| 4/5 | 89% | Isle of Dogs (2018) |
This may be Anderson's riff on Kurosawa's urban thrillers High and Low and Stray Dog - but it is also his funniest film.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 22, 2018
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| 3/5 | 38% | Gringo (2018) |
Gringo has some real snap to the action scenes, and just the right level of craziness.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 22, 2018
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| 2/5 | 52% | Rampage (2018) |
Put the biggest action star on the planet alongside even bigger creatures and what do you have? A giant CGI monstrosity that has to be a front runner for next year's Razzie awards.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 11, 2018
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| 5/5 | 93% | Loveless (Nelyubov) (2018) |
Zvyagintsev is a powerful teller of the truth, and his latest is a modern-day masterpiece.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 10, 2018
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| 4/5 | 95% | A Quiet Place (2018) |
You'll be grabbing your armrest tighter and tighter with this one.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 9, 2018
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| 3/5 | 82% | Early Man (2018) |
Not vintage Aardman, but there's still fun to be had.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Apr 3, 2018
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| 4/5 | 73% | Ready Player One (2018) |
Steven Spielberg has delivered a perfect blockbuster for our nostalgia-driven times.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Mar 28, 2018
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| 2/5 | 42% | Mary Magdalene (2018) |
The Greatest Story Ever Told? No, just a tiring slog.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Mar 28, 2018
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| 3/5 | 43% | Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) |
Boyega injects real energy into the film. With him at the controls of a Jaeger, this adolescent franchise can likely survive a third outing.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Mar 24, 2018
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| 4/5 | 79% | Unsane (2018) |
Entirely shot on an iPhone, this is a neatly constructed psychiatric ward thriller that bears all the hallmarks of Polanski and Hitchcock at their most playful.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Mar 21, 2018
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| 3/5 | 43% | Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) |
Respectable. Boyega adds real bounce and DeKnight delivers spectacle, even if the plot doesn't strain too far from the original's crash-bang formula.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Mar 20, 2018
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| 5/5 | 91% | Phantom Thread (2018) |
Day-Lewis, in what he claims to be his final role, is quite marvellous: cruel, vulnerable, humorous and preening. Impressively, Manville and Krieps hold their own.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Mar 8, 2018
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| 3/5 | 38% | Gringo (2018) |
A fun romp with a great comic performance from Oyelowo. Doesn't linger, but you'll enjoy it while it lasts.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Mar 8, 2018
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| 2/5 | 15% | Mine (2017) |
Mine is a film that is nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is...this directorial debut from Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro is all conceit and no substance.‐ The National (UAE)
Read More | Posted Mar 7, 2018
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| 3/5 | 52% | The Boss Baby (2017) |
Of course many a good idea in Hollywood falters before the final reel. But this latest DreamWorks animation is more comforting than a warm bottle of baby milk. ‐ The National (UAE)
Read More | Posted Mar 7, 2018
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| 3/5 | 71% | Back to Burgundy (Ce qui nous lie) (2018) |
Beautifully photographed and capturing the famous region in all its glory, this is a gentle breeze of a film.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Feb 24, 2018
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| 4/5 | 92% | Journey's End (2018) |
When the film's more explosive moments come, Dibb has earned them, partly through the emotional credit accumulated by a uniformly excellent cast.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Feb 23, 2018
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| 3/5 | 75% | The Touch (1971) |
A surgical dissection of a volatile affair, between free-spirited archaeologist Elliott Gould and married woman Bibi Andersson, it's an unsettling, sometimes ugly experience.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Feb 21, 2018
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| 3/5 | 70% | Finding Your Feet (2018) |
Its love-in-later-life insights are well-worn, but with Staunton on song, Richard Loncraine's film mines genuine feeling.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Feb 21, 2018
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| 3.5/5 | 97% | Black Panther (2018) |
Hi-tech gadgets, jungle combat, vehicle chases, ready-made quips, casino hookups - there's something very James Bond-esque about Black Panther.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Feb 6, 2018
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| 4/5 | 87% | The Post (2018) |
Spielberg injects real urgency into the film, which feels utterly relevant as we move into Donald Trump's second year in office.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 30, 2018
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| 3.5/5 | 51% | Downsizing (2017) |
A smart, thought-provoking miniature piece.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 23, 2018
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| 4/5 | 77% | Last Flag Flying (2017) |
A salty road trip tinged with sadness, sensitively handled by Linklater and his cast. Unfocused in places, but never less than diverting.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jan 23, 2018
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| 3/5 | 41% | Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) |
Ball's enthusiasm for James Dashner's series of books shines through - perhaps slightly too much, with the final act taking a little too long to find closure.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 21, 2018
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| 1.5/5 | 32% | Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) |
The film has a bigger budget than the previous outings - glitzy European locations, star cameos and so on - but none of the charm.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 14, 2018
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| 3/5 | 82% | Have a Nice Day (Hao Ji Le) (2018) |
Have a Nice Day is a welcome change from the primary colours that dominate most Hollywood animations. It marks Liu out as a filmmaker of distinction, if not originality.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 10, 2018
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| 1.5/5 | 57% | The Commuter (2018) |
There are some fine actors aboard The Commuter ... but they're obliterated amid the carriage carnage and cheap lines. This film is expensive-looking trash.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 8, 2018
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| 4/5 | 85% | Darkest Hour (2017) |
Grappling with Churchill's inner humanity and steely resolve, Oldman has offered a portrayal for the ages.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
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| 2/5 | 0% | Renegades (2017) |
Largely gung-ho nonsense, but it's always a pleasure to see J.K. Simmons in ball-busting mode, barking words like "simpletons!" at his men.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
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| 4/5 | 73% | Hostiles (2018) |
Cooper's western may be too meditative for some, but its grit, beauty and honesty are too potent to ignore.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
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| 3/5 | 56% | The Greatest Showman (2017) |
It is a brisk finger-snap of a film that glitters momentarily, then is gone.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Dec 20, 2017
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| 3/5 | 76% | Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) |
The spirited sequel Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a smartly engineered family film with plenty to make you smile.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Dec 18, 2017
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| 4/5 | 91% | Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) |
This is an emotional ride all right, an incident-packed epic that introduces new characters, reacquaints us with old friends, answers some questions and raises some more.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Dec 12, 2017
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| 4/5 | 91% | Human Flow (2017) |
A powerful portrait of horror, hope and humanity emerges.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 6, 2017
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| 3/5 | 45% | The Dinner (2017) |
It's unevenly mounted but kept watchable by the lively script and classy cast.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 6, 2017
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| 5/5 | 85% | Blade of the Immortal (Mugen no jûnin) (2017) |
Truly epic.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 6, 2017
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| 97% | Ethel & Ernest (2016) |
Directed by Roger Mainwood, who has worked on many Briggs adaptations, the hand-drawn animation is as tender and gentle as the characters and their simple yet beautiful love story.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Dec 6, 2017
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| 2.5/5 | 57% | Murder On The Orient Express (2017) |
The tension of the Christie novel ... never really emerges in a film that seems dazzled by the refined costumes, the train's luxury trappings and far too much CGI.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Nov 26, 2017
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| 4/5 | 91% | The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen) (2017) |
For all its quirky touches, the narrative doesn't spare its ire when it comes to the plight of refugees and the treatment many endure. This is a film bursting with humanity.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Nov 20, 2017
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| 3/5 | 40% | Justice League (2017) |
Justice League, for all its flaws, is a vast improvement on the lumbering Batman v Superman.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Nov 14, 2017
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| 4/5 | 85% | Ingrid Goes West (2017) |
A superb satirical swipe at the worst excesses of the social media generation. Deserves a lot of 'likes'.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Nov 14, 2017
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| 4/5 | 100% | Sicilian Ghost story (2017) |
It's as poetic as mafia movies get, with its symbolic gestures towards fairy tale ... An unmissable film.‐ South China Morning Post
Read More | Posted Nov 14, 2017
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