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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5/5 | 97% | The Suicide Squad (2021) |
Gunn's relentlessly entertaining film just doesn't stop moving. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 28, 2021
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| 3.5/5 | 50% | Old (2021) |
That's what you get with Shyamalan: the unforgettable mixed with the mundane. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 27, 2021
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| 3.5/5 | 64% | Jungle Cruise (2021) |
Jungle Cruise is a summer ride that will have you yearning for a theme park day-out once more. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 27, 2021
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| 3/5 | 95% | Memoria (2021) |
In the first film he has shot outside his native Thailand, Apichatpong makes fine use of the Colombian landscape and Amazonian mythology to build his story. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 15, 2021
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| 4/5 | 100% | A Hero (2021) |
Using the prison as a metaphor for Rahim's own impossible situation, this is an absorbing dissection of Iranian society. You'll come away enriched and with much to think about. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 15, 2021
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| 3/5 | 100% | The Year of the Everlasting Storm (2021) |
As is customary with portmanteau films, the overall result is mixed, but this blend of personal docs and narratives leaves something for most tastes. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 15, 2021
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| 4/5 | 100% | Drive My Car (2021) |
Holding his emotions in check quite superbly, [Nishijima] is a perfect vehicle for the film's subtle exploration of the debilitating forces that grief can unleash. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 15, 2021
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| 4/5 | 86% | The French Dispatch (2021) |
Even by Anderson's standards, this has to be the most ambitious film he's ever produced. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jul 12, 2021
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| 2.5/5 | 29% | The Lost Prince (Le prince oublié) (2020) |
The Lost Prince almost feels like the Hollywood movie [Michel Hazanavicius] never made. It's bright, colourful, expensive-looking and - sad to say - a tad predictable. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jun 30, 2021
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| 4.5/5 | 81% | Black Widow (2021) |
A fitting and often fabulous sign-off for one of the Avengers' most memorable heroes. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jun 29, 2021
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| 3.5/5 | 91% | Luca (2021) |
A hugely pleasurable film to spend time with; at times, it's as rejuvenating as luxuriating in the Mediterranean sunshine. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jun 16, 2021
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| 3.5/5 | 25% | The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021) |
As dumb and throwaway as it feels, it's a fun-filled improvement on the original - like an A-List Looney Tunes cartoon that revels in its own high-octane wham-bam violence. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jun 15, 2021
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| 3/5 | 56% | The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) |
All the films in The Conjuring universe are snappily efficient, and this one is no different - with plenty of squirm-inducing, watch-from-behind-your-hands moments. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jun 2, 2021
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| 4/5 | 95% | In the Heights (2021) |
It's a riot of colour, music, wordplay and dance - a film that bursts with joy. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Jun 2, 2021
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| 3.5/5 | 74% | Cruella (2021) |
Stone's transition from wide-eyed innocent to the beastly Cruella is not exactly subtle, but she's still fun to watch in pantomime mode. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted May 26, 2021
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| 4/5 | 91% | A Quiet Place Part II (2021) |
Krasinski, who has lost none of his talent for suspense, once again conjures a lean, mean thriller. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted May 18, 2021
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| 3.5/5 | 67% | Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021) |
It's all very silly, but much more charming than its predecessor. Even Beatrix Potter might approve. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted May 18, 2021
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| 3/5 | 68% | Army Of The Dead (2021) |
Army of the Dead is a thoroughly entertaining shoot 'em up. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted May 11, 2021
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| 4/5 | 98% | There Is No Evil (Sheytan vojud nadarad) (2020) |
Debating the death penalty is just part of a complex web spun by Rasoulof, who pointedly explores the psychological stain carrying out such orders can leave on a soul. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Apr 27, 2021
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| 3/5 | 90% | Promising Young Woman (2020) |
It's a deceptively sly work, a study of victimhood and grief that isn't really a "rape revenge" film at all. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Apr 20, 2021
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| 4/5 | 98% | The Father (2021) |
There's something deeply compassionate and humane at its core. It won't fail to move you. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Apr 5, 2021
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| 3/5 | 35% | Six Minutes to Midnight (2021) |
Goddard does a fair job here of keeping the cogs turning and the tension brewing, albeit on a moderate budget which occasionally gets the better of the film. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 23, 2021
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| 4/5 | 95% | Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021) |
Delicately written and deeply thought-provoking, Hamaguchi's anthology feels like it's been adapted from a novel, such is the exquisite nature of the characterisation. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 17, 2021
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| 3/5 | 21% | Stardust (2020) |
If you compare Stardust to Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman ... then this David Bowie drama is like a rare groove B-side. - South China Morning Post
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| Posted Mar 16, 2021
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| 3/5 | 86% | 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 | 94% | 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 | 74% | 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 | 75% | 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 | 50% | 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 | 82% | 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 | 48% | 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 | 48% | 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 (2021) |
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 | 89% | 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 | 95% | 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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