James Mottram

James Mottram's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Total Film
Film4
Digital Spy
SFX Magazine
Filmstar Magazine
The National (UAE)
The List
South China Morning Post
Publications:
Total Film,
Film4,
Digital Spy,
SFX Magazine,
Filmstar Magazine,
The National (UAE),
The List,
South China Morning Post,
iNews.co.uk
Movie Reviews Only
T-Meter | Title | Year | Review | |
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3/5 | 91% | Introduction (2021) |
A character study and sly family portrait, the film doesn't really reveal its intentions until late on, with Hong deliberately sidestepping audience expectations. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 2, 2021
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3.5/5 | 95% | Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) |
Awkwafina's rat-a-tat-tat patter (something of an equivalent to Robin Williams' Genie in Aladdin) brings the story alive, adding another memorable character to the Disney canon. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 1, 2021
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4/5 | 72% | The World to Come (2020) |
Boasting fiercely committed performances, subtle direction and painterly design,The World to Come is brimful of passion and pain. - Total Film
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| Posted Feb 19, 2021
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4/5 | 91% | Enola Holmes (2020) |
With plenty of conspiracies and clue-solving in a brisk and engaging story, all cut to Daniel Pemberton's rousing score, it's a hugely entertaining romp that will bring out the sleuth in you. - Total Film
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| Posted Feb 14, 2021
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4.5/5 | 72% | The Mauritanian (2021) |
A long, exhausting but ultimately exhilarating watch, fleshed out with excellent performances and a director who offers a measured and absorbing account of Slahi's fate. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jan 14, 2021
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4/5 | 88% | News of the World (2020) |
What results is not a film that offers up too many surprises, but one that reveres and respects the western genre. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jan 11, 2021
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4/5 | 59% | Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) |
Wonder Woman 1984 again showcases just why Wonder Woman is the brightest spark in the recent DC movies. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 15, 2020
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3/5 | 51% | The Midnight Sky (2020) |
There are thrilling moments ... but the ensemble cast are all left a little underfed by the script. What results is something more solidly entertaining than spectacular. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 9, 2020
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4/5 | 77% | The Croods: A New Age (2020) |
Here's a good example of a sequel you probably didn't know you wanted, but now it's here you'll be rather pleased that it is. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 7, 2020
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4/5 | 55% | The Prom (2020) |
What The Prom does very well is lampoon actors for vanity and willingness to bandwagon-hop - albeit in an affectionate way that never feels spiteful. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 1, 2020
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4/5 | 98% | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) |
It's a combustible performance, full of anger and rage; even without his death, it would be right up there with the best of Boseman's career. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Nov 21, 2020
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3/5 | 77% | Military Wives (2020) |
You won't be surprised one jot by the entirely predictable plotting or outcome ... But the mix of realism, song, humour and warmth still make this a touching experience. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Nov 11, 2020
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3.5/5 | 25% | Hillbilly Elegy (2020) |
It's a terrifically captivating performance from Close, and one that - awards bait or not - more than merits her winning that long overdue Oscar. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Nov 10, 2020
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4.5/5 | 83% | Mank (2020) |
For Fincher, Mank is a triumph - right alongside Fight Club and Zodiac as the best of his career. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Nov 6, 2020
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3/5 | 50% | The Craft: Legacy (2020) |
The audience the new film is aimed at - teenage girls - should be spellbound. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Oct 30, 2020
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3.5/5 | 49% | The Witches (2020) |
Dahl's own dark sensibilities are kept intact. Additionally, it's pleasing to see an unhinged Hathaway reunite with Tucci, all those years after The Devil Wears Prada. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Oct 21, 2020
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4.5/5 | 95% | Soul (2020) |
A hugely inventive tale about living life to the full that never, ever feels saccharine. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Oct 11, 2020
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4/5 | 100% | The Duke (2020) |
It's a gentle, old-fashioned tale of working-class rogues that's been perfectly engineered for a cosy night at the pictures. - iNews.co.uk
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| Posted Oct 6, 2020
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4.5/5 | 90% | The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) |
This is a powerful broadside from one of Hollywood's most talented writers that you won't want to miss. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Sep 24, 2020
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5/5 | 94% | Nomadland (2021) |
Nomadland is every bit as powerful [as The Rider]: an ode to pioneer spirit and a lament for the communities and lives that were decimated after the financial recession of 2008. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Sep 11, 2020
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4/5 | 100% | Wife of a Spy (Supai no tsuma) (2020) |
Wife of a Spy may be too old-fashioned or ponderous for some tastes, but this is undeniably a cultured and considered work. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Sep 10, 2020
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3.5/5 | 96% | The Disciple (2020) |
Featuring some beguiling interludes of Hindustani music, The Disciple is a challenging and complex tale of personal growth and self-realisation. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Sep 4, 2020
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4/5 | 73% | Mulan (2020) |
Caro's take is one of the most beautiful films you'll see all year. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Sep 3, 2020
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1.5/5 | 35% | The New Mutants (2020) |
This baffling tale comes off like a supernatural Breakfast Club, with mild doses of horror and even a same-sex romance subplot that feels entirely cynical. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Aug 31, 2020
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5/5 | 70% | Tenet (2020) |
Happily, Tenet exceeds our already sky-high expectations. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Aug 21, 2020
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3.5/5 | 48% | Unhinged (2020) |
Imposing and utterly compelling, Crowe never wavers in his portrayal of pure evil, offering up one of his best turns in years. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 30, 2020
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97% | Tell Me Who I Am (2019) |
Filled to the brim with horror and humanity, it's unforgettable. - The National (UAE)
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| Posted May 23, 2020
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4/5 | 92% | Holy Motors (2012) |
Denis Lavant shows just why he's one of the best French actors alive. - SFX Magazine
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| Posted Apr 28, 2020
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2/5 | 50% | 2nd Date Sex (2019) |
Despite their talent, MacKay and Roach struggle with what is, for much of its duration, a two-hander. - The List
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| Posted Apr 20, 2020
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3.5/5 | 86% | Emma. (2020) |
Led by the charming Taylor-Joy, this gentle film deserves to introduce Austen to a whole new generation. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Apr 20, 2020
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3/5 | 70% | Trolls World Tour (2020) |
Trolls World Tour is brightly rendered, ludicrously jolly and full of sing-a-along tunes. In other words, it's probably what the world could do with right now. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Apr 5, 2020
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2/5 | 30% | Bloodshot (2020) |
Vin Diesel can have his off days, and this derivative sci-fi is one of them. His turn as Ray Garrison is about as one note as they come. All muscles and mumbles and not much up top. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 11, 2020
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2.5/5 | 57% | The Hunt (2020) |
This bloody tale of human sport isn't half as clever as it thinks it is. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 11, 2020
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3.5/5 | 48% | My Spy (2020) |
Segal just about keeps the action scenes ticking over. There's more fun to be had here than we had any right to imagine. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 11, 2020
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3.5/5 | 100% | Days (Rizi) (2020) |
As impenetrable as the film can be, Tsai explores humanity with great sensitivity and depth. If you have the patience, there is much to savour in Days. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 27, 2020
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3.5/5 | 43% | The Roads Not Taken (2020) |
Through it all, there's a potent portrayal of the bond between a parent and a child, and how it can never be taken for granted. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 27, 2020
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4/5 | 88% | Onward (2020) |
One of the best original Pixar movies in a while, Onward is very funny but also touchingly sentimental. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 21, 2020
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4/5 | 71% | Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (2020) |
A sensitive and spiritual depiction of China. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 21, 2020
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3.5/5 | 74% | My Salinger Year (2020) |
Featuring an impressive central turn from the increasingly visible Margaret Qualley, there's something marvellously old-fashioned about this tale set on the cusp of the digital age. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 20, 2020
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3/5 | 62% | The Call of the Wild (2020) |
There's a lot of humour and warmth to the film ... A few gripes aside, Sanders manages to bring this classic story to a new generation. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 18, 2020
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3/5 | 63% | Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) |
This is the one kids' film where obligatory chase sequences should actually be encouraged. It also benefits hugely from the presence of Jim Carrey, as Sonic's enemy Dr Robotnik. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 12, 2020
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3/5 | 78% | Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) |
A comic grotesque with a big dose of "ker-pow!". - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Feb 5, 2020
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3/5 | 77% | Bad Boys for Life (2020) |
For once, the laughs make more of an impact than the explosions. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jan 16, 2020
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3/5 | 75% | The Gentlemen (2020) |
The Gentlemen is a Ritchie film for all those who grew up on his early laddish crime capers Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 19, 2019
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2/5 | 19% | Cats (2019) |
Doubtless lovers of Andrew Lloyd Webber will flock to see it, but it's as messy as a cat's litter tray. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 18, 2019
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4.5/5 | 51% | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) |
By the end, as the twin suns set on cinema's greatest ever sci-fi series, it's near-impossible to hold back the tears. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 18, 2019
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4.5/5 | 98% | Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) (2020) |
Anyone who has ever felt burning passion for another person will relate to and fall for this spine-tingling work. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 9, 2019
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4/5 | 68% | Bombshell (2019) |
Bombshell sets you on edge and won't let go until it concludes. The result is a timely and absorbing drama. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Dec 9, 2019
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97% | Knives Out (2019) |
Knives Out is thoroughly watchable entertainment that never lets the social commentary overpower the fun. More a howdunnit than a whodunnit, it'll have you scratching your head and trying to second-guess actions right up until the end. - The National (UAE)
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| Posted Nov 27, 2019
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5/5 | 89% | 1917 (2020) |
1917 is a visceral World War I movie that is both technically masterful and emotionally devastating. It's easily the best film of Mendes' career. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Nov 25, 2019
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