Shane Slater
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
AwardsCircuit.com,
That Shelf,
The Spool,
Film Actually,
Awards Radar
Movie Reviews Only
T-Meter | Title | Year | Review | |
---|---|---|---|
3/4 | 100% | Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra (2021) |
Firestarter assembles a treasure trove of archival footage that showcases the raw talent. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Mar 1, 2021
|
88% | President (2021) |
Nielsson's unflinching camera keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way. - That Shelf
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Feb 17, 2021
|
|
3/4 | 97% | In the Same Breath (2021) |
Wang blows the whistle once more with a typically probing examination of the COVID-19 pandemic. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Feb 5, 2021
|
96% | Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) |
Judas and the Black Messiah is a vital character study that reminds us what it truly means to be a Black Panther and a revolutionary. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Feb 4, 2021
|
|
3/4 | 95% | CODA (2021) |
CODA moves to the familiar rhythms of typical coming of age narratives, but it finds precious grace notes in the perspective of the deaf experience. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Jan 30, 2021
|
3.5/5 | 88% | News of the World (2020) |
Heroic westerns may be going out of style, but a good Tom Hanks performance is timeless. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Dec 23, 2020
|
4/5 | 90% | Promising Young Woman (2020) |
The #MeToo movement gets one of its most provocative cinematic statements, mixing scathing social critique with irreverent, cheeky wit. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Dec 23, 2020
|
4.5/5 | 94% | Nomadland (2021) |
One of the most beautifully empathetic films about the working class struggle. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 28, 2020
|
4/5 | 98% | Minari (2020) |
At once a classic and undeniably contemporary immigrant drama, this special film is a touchingly empathetic piece of storytelling. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 24, 2020
|
2.5/4 | 90% | Belushi (2020) |
Belushi feels like little more than a well-edited showreel with a few stylistic flourishes. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 22, 2020
|
3/4 | 95% | Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (2020) |
Ríos captures a plethora of indelible images. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 22, 2020
|
4/4 | 99% | Collective (Colectiv) (2020) |
Nanau lays out this trail of corruption in remarkable, engaging detail. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 22, 2020
|
4/5 | 98% | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) |
The late Chadwick Boseman's astonishingly dynamic and charismatic performance reminds us of a promising future that can no longer come to pass. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 20, 2020
|
3/4 | 91% | Minyan (2020) |
Though Minyan's slow pacing may test your patience, there's much to admire in the elegance of the filmmaking. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 25, 2020
|
3/4 | 91% | White Lie (2019) |
White Lie would be hard to watch if it weren't for Rohl ... she fully delivers on a challenging role with one of the most accomplished performances you'll see all year. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 25, 2020
|
3/4 | 100% | No Hard Feelings (Futur Drei) (2020) |
There's an undeniable sense of poetry to its visual and verbal expressions of youth. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 25, 2020
|
3/4 | 95% | Cicada (2020) |
Through his heartrending filmmaking and his incredibly tender performance (and a worthy screen partner in Brown), Fifer reveals the bittersweet reality of love. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 25, 2020
|
3/4 | 98% | Shiva Baby (2021) |
Seligman's sharp screenplay entertains audiences with a droll sense of humor. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 20, 2020
|
4.5/5 | 90% | The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) |
A must-see film for its captivating ensemble, engaging pacing and rousing story. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 19, 2020
|
4.5/5 | 100% | Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020) |
What begins as an irreverent, humorous endeavor, thus evolves into a deeply moving testament to the pain and beauty of being human. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 19, 2020
|
3/4 | 84% | The Way I See It (2020) |
The film stands as a testament to the power of the still image. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 23, 2020
|
3/4 | 99% | Night of the Kings (La Nuit des Rois) (2020) |
When there's so much stunning creativity and imagination on display, it's almost impossible to avert your eyes from this visionary work of African art. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 23, 2020
|
3/4 | 100% | 76 Days (2020) |
For a documentary about one of the most unsettling public health crises of our lifetime, 76 Days is a surprisingly comforting portrait of humanity. - Awards Radar
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 23, 2020
|
92% | Another Round (Druk) (2020) |
At once sobering and liberating, Another Round is a sincere reflection on aging, friendship, and life itself. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 18, 2020
|
|
77% | Concrete Cowboy (2020) |
Though it may not possess the most inspired screenplay, Concrete Cowboy serves as a promising directorial debut. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 18, 2020
|
|
76% | Pieces of a Woman (2020) |
It admittedly succeeds as a showcase for Kirby's harrowing lead turn. But its fascinating story begs for a more ensemble-driven approach. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 18, 2020
|
|
79% | Summer of 85 (Été 85) (2020) |
Every element of Summer's craft feels tailor-made to make you swoon, and each scene is more touching than the next. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 14, 2020
|
|
80% | I Care a Lot (2021) |
Rosamund Pike is best suited to playing devils in disguise. When she's in her wheelhouse as she is here, the results are glorious to watch. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 13, 2020
|
|
98% | One Night in Miami (2020) |
While their reputation precedes them, it humanizes these larger-than-life figures and brings Miami's questions surrounding black empowerment into sharp focus. - The Spool
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2020
|
|
4/5 | 73% | Mulan (2020) |
Featuring colorful production and costume design to enhance the glorious setpieces, Mulan delivers a grand sense of adventure. - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 3, 2020
|
4/5 | 93% | Epicentro (2020) |
There's an alluringly observant, searching quality to Sauper's direction. He takes audiences on an enlightening journey - Film Actually
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Aug 28, 2020
|
3/4 | 100% | A Thousand Cuts (2020) |
In doing so, "A Thousand Cuts" is a fascinating - and at times, horrifying - demonstration of the power of social media. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Aug 9, 2020
|
2.5/4 | 100% | Shine Your Eyes (Cidade Pássaro) (2020) |
While it succeeds in its macro-level ethnography and a palpable sense of place, Shine Your Eyes falters in telling its central story. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Jul 28, 2020
|
3/4 | 88% | Les Misérables (2020) |
The tensions are always simmering under the surface, aided by an intimate filmmaking style that feels as immediate as real time and as authentic as documentary. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Dec 8, 2019
|
3/4 | 92% | Monos (2019) |
Monos delivers a rich sensory experience. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 15, 2019
|
3/4 | 63% | The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (Wolkenbruchs wunderliche reise in die arme einer schickse) (2018) |
Concluding on an unexpectedly ambiguous note, the clichés of the film are thus salvaged by a thoughtfully unorthodox outlook on Orthodox Judaism. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Nov 11, 2019
|
2.5/4 | 96% | Ága (2019) |
Despite the film's laborious pacing, its humanistic themes come together powerfully. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Oct 22, 2019
|
3/4 | 97% | The Cave (2019) |
The Cave is one of the most accomplished pieces of non-fiction filmmaking of the year. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 26, 2019
|
3/4 | 90% | Adam (2021) |
Adam takes a simple premise and builds a rich exploration of its characters and their society. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 26, 2019
|
1.5/4 | 73% | Harriet (2019) |
This underwhelming drama fails to truly capture the awe-inspiring efforts of its extraordinary heroine - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 15, 2019
|
3/4 | 88% | Hala (2019) |
Hala is ultimately an insightful, touching character study that forces us to reconsider what it means to be female, Muslim and American. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 15, 2019
|
2.5/4 | 69% | Disco (2019) |
The script ultimately falls short of its visual power. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 15, 2019
|
3/4 | 63% | Blackbird (2020) |
The tender performances from its gifted cast elevate it to something worth seeing. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 15, 2019
|
3/4 | 80% | Instinct (2019) |
A film that is at once challenging, frustrating, perplexing, and thoroughly fascinating. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 15, 2019
|
3/4 | 85% | Just Mercy (2020) |
Cretton delivers a genuine crowd-pleaser. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2019
|
2/4 | 79% | Synchronic (2020) |
Synchronic is an uneasy mix of film genres. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2019
|
3/4 | 95% | A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) |
Eschews traditional biopic expectations for an endearing tribute to Mister Rogers' legacy of kindness and empathy. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2019
|
3.5/4 | 80% | Jojo Rabbit (2019) |
Waititi keeps his distinctive voice in tact with Jojo Rabbit, a poignant anti-war satire that is also his funniest film to date. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2019
|
3/4 | 87% | What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? (2019) |
A very specific slice of Americana. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Aug 14, 2019
|
2.5/4 | 78% | Jirga (2019) |
Expressed through raw performances ... the film's philosophical underpinnings ultimately strike a chord. - AwardsCircuit.com
EDIT
Read More
| Posted Aug 1, 2019
|