Tom Dawson
Tom Dawson's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer when
published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
BBC.com,
Total Film,
Film4,
The List
| Publications: | BBC.com, Total Film, Film4, The List |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/5 | 50% | The Odyssey (L'odyssée) (2016) |
An attractive if conventional biopic of French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Aug 14, 2017
|
| 5/5 | 96% | Le Doulos (1962) |
Superbly shot in high-contrast monochrome, it unfolds in a stylised universe where character is defined by actions and costumes rather than words.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Aug 7, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 89% | Land of Mine (Under Sandet) (2017) |
Bringing to light a little known and far from honourable chapter of Danish history, this is convincingly acted and insanely tense.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 31, 2017
|
| 3/5 | 93% | Howards End (1992) |
Choice performances from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, but any social criticism is weakened by the veneration of the privileged milieu.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 24, 2017
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| 3/5 | 82% | Risk (2017) |
A critical docu-portrait of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, shot over a six-year period in which he was under house arrest in Norfolk and then holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy following sexual assault allegations.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jun 26, 2017
|
| 3/5 | 80% | Stockholm, My Love (2016) |
Occasionally rambling, it's kept afloat by an eclectic soundtrack and Christopher Doyle's striking urban lensing.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jun 13, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 97% | Daughters of the Dust (1991) |
It's lushly photographed and costumed, plus dreamily confusing, yet it vividly brings a past to life.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted May 30, 2017
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| 2/5 | 75% | McLaren (2016) |
Donaldson does a fine job of celebrating his subject's many achievements. Yet compared to, say, Ayrton Senna, McLaren himself doesn't cut a compelling figure.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted May 23, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 90% | Frantz (2017) |
François Ozon crafts a sombre monochrome melodrama, which adopts its female protagonist's perspective and skilfully plays with viewers' expectations.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted May 12, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 76% | Suntan (2017) |
Troubling but compelling, this unflinching thriller deftly builds to its chilling conclusion.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Apr 25, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 98% | I Am Not Your Negro (2017) |
With every word taken from Baldwin's own prolific literary output and public appearances, the film couldn't be more timely in presenting a despairing analysis of how racial injustice bedevils American society.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Apr 6, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 96% | Graduation (Bacalaureat) (2017) |
Masterfully filmed in long takes, this slow-burner lays bare a world of systemic corruption.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Mar 28, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 93% | All This Panic (2017) |
Avoiding the pitfalls of prurience and sensationalism, this dreamily photographed film reveals its young subjects to be vibrant and articulate individuals.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Mar 20, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 82% | George Best: All by Himself (2017) |
The film reminds us of his genius, without sugar-coating his self-destructive tendencies.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Feb 20, 2017
|
| 2/5 | 43% | Sweet Dreams (Fai bei sogni) (2016) |
This sentimental drama comes undone via the redemptive romance between its emotionally introverted protagonist and Bérénice Bejo's compassionate female doctor.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Feb 20, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 99% | Cameraperson (2016) |
Johnson's compassion shines through, while the images raise vital ethical questions about the responsibilities of the nonfiction filmmaker.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jan 23, 2017
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| 3/5 | 83% | Victoria (2015) |
There are some huge narrative implausibilities, but Schipper's virtuoso style propels us through his characters' highs and lows. Ace performances, too.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2017
|
| 4/5 | 96% | Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) |
A genuine treat for cinephiles.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2017
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| 4/5 | 100% | Bobby (2016) |
Released to mark the 50th anniversary of England's World Cup triumph, this polished doc pays tribute to that winning team's golden-haired captain Bobby Moore.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 30, 2016
|
| 2/5 | 84% | The Wedding Plan (2017) |
Feels like TV sketches, with not enough laughs.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 14, 2016
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| 3/5 | 59% | Partisan (2015) |
Kleiman seems less interested in explaining the whys of his scenario than in observing his characters and their interactions -- a strategy that pays off thanks to excellent lead turns.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 12, 2016
|
| 3/5 | 85% | I Am Bolt (2016) |
It's not the most probing doco, but the man himself, mobbed wherever he goes, emerges as a genuinely charismatic, likeable individual.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Dec 1, 2016
|
| 2/5 | 50% | Mum's List (2016) |
It clearly aims to move, but the cutting between three timelines dilutes emotional impact. And despite Spall and Fox's efforts, there's something too good to be true about the characters.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2016
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| 2/5 | 88% | Horse Money (2015) |
There's no denying the artistry, with strikingly lit and framed compositions, but Horse Moneys opacity proves frustrating.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Oct 31, 2016
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| 4/5 | 97% | After Love (L'économie du couple) (2017) |
An unsentimentally observed, credibly acted study of a marriage turned sour, in which a dance sequence involving the whole family movingly conveys a former shared happiness.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Oct 24, 2016
|
| 3/5 | 96% | Rams (Hrútar) (2016) |
Deadpan Scandi-humour runs through writer/director Grímur Hákonarson's carefully crafted tale, and there's no doubting the film's empathy for its protagonists. Shame, then, that the final-reel shift into tragedy feels misplaced.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2016
|
| 4/5 | 91% | Jim: The James Foley Story (2016) |
This heartfelt documentary explores Foley's restless life and his warzone reporting work. Most moving are the testimonies from Foley's fellow hostages, who pay tribute to his selflessness and generosity of spirit.‐ MovieMail
Read More | Posted Aug 31, 2016
|
| 4/5 | 67% | Underdogs (Metegol) (2015) |
Impressively designed throughout, The Unbeatables also keeps the laughs kicking, both in its characterisations and its nods to the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Citizen Kane.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Aug 11, 2014
|
| 3/5 | 64% | Pandora's Promise (2013) |
The director paints a partisan picture, but offers an eloquent and effective challenge to orthodox eco-wisdom.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Nov 8, 2013
|
| 4/5 | 17% | Love Tomorrow (2013) |
The leads struggle with an undernourished script, and there's a cheapo televisual vibe throughout.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Nov 1, 2013
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| 3/5 | 93% | Child's Pose (2014) |
It's through the dysfunctional mother-son relationship at its core that a pointed critique of the corruption bedevilling Romanian society emerges.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Oct 29, 2013
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| 2/5 | 67% | A Magnificent Haunting (Magnifica presenza) (2012) |
It's an elegantly shot and designed tale, yet strangely lacking in emotional weight.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Oct 28, 2013
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| 4/5 | 99% | Gloria (2014) |
Sticking tightly to its heroine's everyday routines and rituals, this deft blend of humour and pathos fully earns its defiantly upbeat dance-floor denouement.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Oct 28, 2013
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| 3/5 | 87% | Like Father, Like Son (2014) |
An affecting film, thanks to Fukuyama's understated turn and Koreeda's typically graceful visual storytelling.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Oct 28, 2013
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| 4/5 | 97% | The Selfish Giant (2013) |
Propelled by the powerfully credible performances of its non-professional teenage leads, and punctuated with contemplative images of post-industrial landscapes, The Selfish Giant ultimately achieves in its poignant coda a note of unexpected grace.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Oct 8, 2013
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| 4/5 | 96% | The Crash Reel (2013) |
Assembled from a plethora of visual sources, including the title footage, this impressively edited and dynamically scored film successfully combines visceral bursts of action with intimately observed sequences ...‐ The List
Read More | Posted Oct 1, 2013
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| 4/5 | 92% | The Pervert's Guide To Ideology (2013) |
The motormouthed Zizek serves up an intellectually provocative psychoanalytical dissection of Hollywood movies.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Sep 26, 2013
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| 4/5 | 94% | Museum Hours (2013) |
There's something trance-like about the flow of images here, as close-ups of details within illustrious paintings are juxtaposed with shots of faces and buildings in the streets of contemporary Vienna, alongside numerous fades to black.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Sep 5, 2013
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| 3/5 | 100% | More Than Honey (2013) |
Feels slightly diffuse in its analysis.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Sep 3, 2013
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| 4/5 | 94% | Museum Hours (2013) |
Unwinding at its own gentle pace, Museum Hours delicately explores a platonic friendship between two emotionally reserved people.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Sep 2, 2013
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| 3/5 | No Score Yet | El Sheita Elli Fat (Winter of Discontent) (2013) |
It's an intimately focused, calmly composed drama, albeit one that can't help seeming a little outdated given the ongoing upheavals in Egypt.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Aug 28, 2013
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| 4/5 | 93% | Kuma (2012) |
A confident, vigorously acted debut, unsparing in its scrutiny of oppressive 'family values'.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Aug 12, 2013
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| 4/5 | 50% | Looking for Hortense (Cherchez Hortense) (2012) |
There's a dream-like quality to this nimble-footed tale, in which coincidences, repetitions and digressions abound, and where various characters appear seemingly magically within scenes.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Aug 7, 2013
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| 4/5 | 93% | Our Children (2013) |
Expertly avoiding sensationalism, this potently acted drama reminds us of Jean Renoir's celebrated dictum, that everyone has their reasons.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 31, 2013
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| 3/5 | 90% | Silence (2013) |
Closer to Abbas Kiarostami (Like Someone In Love) than Berberian Sound Studio, it's a lyrical if emotionally muted journey.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 30, 2013
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| 4/5 | 71% | Foxfire (2013) |
Cantet's film avoids period nostalgia, paying attention to the solidarity and tensions in the proto-feminist band as they struggle to break the shackles of mainstream society.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 30, 2013
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| 4/5 | 91% | Paradise: Hope (2013) |
Against the odds this is a sometimes droll and surprisingly tender affair, and a fitting end to Seidl's magnum opus.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 30, 2013
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| 4/5 | 100% | Les Invisibles (2012) |
A beautifully assembled film which pays close attention to nature and judiciously incorporates black and white photographs and home movie footage alongside its interviews.‐ The List
Read More | Posted Jul 16, 2013
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| 3/5 | 75% | Out in the Dark (2013) |
[Conveys] a palpable mood of claustrophobia, which gives the desire of the characters to escape abroad a convincing emotional resonance‐ The List
Read More | Posted Jul 4, 2013
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| 2/5 | 43% | Paris Manhattan (2013) |
Sophie Lellouche's slick debut is chock-full of Woody-com quotes and references, yet it remains an inconsequential, undernourished trifle that does sod-all with its potential.‐ Total Film
Read More | Posted Jul 3, 2013
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