James Mottram

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
Publications: Total Film, Film4, Time Out, Digital Spy, Filmstar Magazine, The National (UAE), The List, South China Morning Post

Movie Reviews Only

T-Meter Title | Year
2/5 14% The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) A hollow-but-happy film that has no pretensions above its lowbrow station. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 25, 2019
2/5 40% The Island (2005) Two movies rolled into one, the dumb one wins hands down. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 25, 2019
3/5 59% Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) There's enough good humor to keep the clouds from forming for too long. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 24, 2019
3/5 44% The Jacket (2005) The film is energetic. But with a rather conventional love story at its heart -- not particularly convincingly acted by Brody and Knightley -- this is one jacket that doesn't fit. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 24, 2019
2/5 38% Sahara (2005) Operating with a machine-tooled efficiency, Sahara seems blithely unaware of its utter predictability. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 23, 2019
3/5 69% Criminal (2004) There's nothing stars John C. Reilly and Diego Luna can do to make you forget you're watching the same story. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 23, 2019
4/5 78% A Very Long Engagement (2004) With detail crammed into literally every frame, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more imaginative film this year. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 23, 2019
4/5 44% Hål i mitt hjärta, Ett (A Hole In My Heart) (2004) Not a film that's easy to enjoy, it's nevertheless one that you won't forget in a hurry. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 23, 2019
4/5 98% Ash Is Purest White (2019) If the final act is perhaps too ponderous, it's typical of Jia: this is no ordinary gangster film but one that's filled with poignancy and longing. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 23, 2019
3/5 57% Bel Canto (2018) Despite adeptly handling a multilingual scenario, Weitz can't seem to decide what kind of film he wants Bel Canto to be, although the haunting finale still hits home. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 23, 2019
1/5 48% The Triumph of Love (2002) This story of false identities set in the grounds of a luxurious (and remarkably empty) stately home feels like a rehearsal for the real thing. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 22, 2019
3/5 36% Shark Tale (2004) As it is, it's an adequate time-killer that benefits from an impressive voice cast... Best of the bunch is Martin Scorsese as puffer-fish Sykes, sounding like he's sucked on helium. - The List EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 22, 2019
3/5 14% Hellboy (2019) Like the name of the fish'n'chip shop that fronts the B.P.R.D., Hellboy may be "codswallop" but you'll have fun getting there. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 11, 2019
3.5/5 47% Dumbo (2019) Alongside the lavish production design, the star of the show is Dumbo, who is beautifully realised by the film's visual effects team. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 26, 2019
3.5/5 90% Shazam! (2019) The innocent nature of it all is hugely enjoyable. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 23, 2019
4/5 58% Pet Sematary (2019) The film sits neatly among the best movies made from Stephen King's lurid library. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 20, 2019
4/5 94% Us (2019) Peele has conjured up a creepy tale that plunges deep into the Hollywood horror well and pulls out something quite icky. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 19, 2019
3/5 55% Five Feet Apart (2019) What Five Feet Apart does well is detail the daily drudgery endured by those with CF without ever turning it into a dreary disease-of-the-week movie. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 14, 2019
3.5/5 78% Captain Marvel (2019) The humour is nicely played, with some neat '90s gags to accompany a grungy soundtrack. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 5, 2019
4/5 100% Öndög (2019) Ondog is a playful but purposeful rumination on our place in the universe. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 10, 2019
3.5/5 60% Alita: Battle Angel (2019) From the production design to the visual effects, Alita: Battle Angel is a rich advert for Hollywood craftsmanship. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 1, 2019
3.5/5 86% The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) The inventive humour that made the first film so special is still very much present. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 30, 2019
2.5/5 37% Glass (2019) Bringing [the trio of intriguing characters] back was a good idea, but this reunion isn't quite the story they deserve. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 14, 2019
3/5 66% Lizzie (2018) Retelling the story from the female perspective, it's rather sterile at times, hampered by flaccid pacing. But Sevigny is unforgettable as Borden. - Metro (UK) EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 19, 2018
3/5 92% Bumblebee (2018) Backed up by some terrific visual effects, which crucially never overwhelm, the performances are also credible. When Steinfeld looks at Bumblebee, you believe her attachment to him. Now if only Michael Bay had tried that. - Metro (UK) EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 19, 2018
4/5 84% Girl (2018) Whether you agree with Dhont's approach to the transgender subject, his skills as a filmmaker are impressive. Girl will hit you with an almighty force. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 17, 2018
4.5/5 79% Mary Poppins Returns (2018) Emily Blunt [plays] Mary Poppins and she could not be more perfect. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 14, 2018
2.5/5 65% Aquaman (2018) This is a competent enough origin story, but its oddball nature means that it's unintentionally hilarious at times. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 14, 2018
3/5 92% Bumblebee (2018) Bumblebee is a surprisingly enjoyable ride for a franchise that felt like it'd long since rusted over. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 11, 2018
5/5 No Score Yet Roma (2008) Cuarón has created one of the great films of this century. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 11, 2018
4.5/5 97% Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Not since the first Sam Raimi-directed live-action Spider-Man has there been a movie about Marvel's web-slinging superhero that's been so darn fun. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 10, 2018
4.5/5 91% Widows (2018) Rendered with real pace and power, the film weaves sexual, racial and social politics into a gripping, muscular story. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 4, 2018
3.5/5 98% 3 Faces (2019) What results is a film that witheringly observes the complexities and moral conundrums of contemporary Iran, albeit through the muddied windscreen of Panahi's car. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 26, 2018
2.5/5 40% The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) More a 007-lite action movie, all sexy motorcycle chases and sniper shoot-outs, Spider's Web lacks the emotional punch of the book or of the earlier Lisbeth Salander films. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2018
4.5/5 37% Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Rowling has never been afraid to get political and so it goes here. This richly rewarding tale feels like a blockbuster for our troubled times. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 12, 2018
3.5/5 36% Hunter Killer (2018) The only depth may be of the nautical kind, but Hunter Killer is still surprisingly fun. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 22, 2018
4/5 87% The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) Miseducation benefits from Moretz in the lead. Her abilities and maturity go well beyond her 21 years, and this is surely the finest of her films to date. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 18, 2018
2/5 29% Venom (2018) Venom is a film as messy as the amorphous black blob at its core. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 2, 2018
4/5 75% Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) Bags of fun. Goddard and his cast have a riot in a thriller that dances to its own beat. - Total Film EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2018
4/5 97% God's Own Country (2017) There's no question that Lee is a bold new voice in British cinema. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 27, 2018
2.5/5 80% Alpha (2018) In spite of some epic visuals, Alpha feels overly familiar as it lumbers towards a plodding and predictable final act. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 24, 2018
3/5 56% Swimming with Men (2018) It never outstrips The Full Monty, but for those looking for a gentle tale with an unashamedly romantic streak, this film should float your boat. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 17, 2018
4/5 87% First Man (2018) Gosling and especially Foy are out of this world. - Total Film EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 11, 2018
4/5 89% A Star Is Born (2018) Superb. Gaga and Cooper deliver Oscar-worthy turns in a remake that hits the high notes. - Total Film EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 10, 2018
3/5 23% The Happytime Murders (2018) Put it this way: McCarthy is virtually a nun next to these X-rated puppets and she's still her usual bawdy self. Prepare to be shocked. - Metro (UK) EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 29, 2018
3.5/5 22% Mile 22 (2018) Mile 22 is extraordinarily violent, but Berg is so relentless in his pacing that it's hard not to keep watching. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 22, 2018
3.5/5 92% Mirai (2018) Hosoda's light touch brings the story to life with bright visuals and good humour. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 22, 2018
4/5 96% BlacKkKlansman (2018) Spike Lee roars back to form with his best film in ages. - Metro (UK) EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 22, 2018
2/5 21% Terminal (2018) A neon-drenched film noir steeped in film clichés, Vaughn Stein's tale of femmes fatales, hitmen and suicide cases feels as terminal as the title suggests. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 18, 2018
3/5 81% Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) A prequel-sequel that won't win any converts but will please fans of the first film. - South China Morning Post EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 18, 2018