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Daniel M. Kimmel

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Daniel M. Kimmel is a past president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and current co-chair of the Boston Online Film Critics Association. His reviews appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette for 25 years and can now be found at Northshoremovies.net. He is Boston correspondent for Variety, the "Movie Maven" for the weekly Jewish Advocate and teaches film at Suffolk University. He writes on classic science fiction films for Clarkesworld and Space and Time magazine. His book on the history of FOX TV, The Fourth Network, received the Cable Center Book Award. His other books include a history of DreamWorks, The Dream Team, and I'll Have What She?s Having: Behind the Scenes of the Great Romantic Comedies. His collection of essays, Jar Jar Binks Must Die... and other observations about science fiction movies has been nominated for a Hugo Award for "Best Related Work."

Favorites:

Annie Hall, The Producers, North by Northwest, Holiday, The Fly (1986), Lilo and Stitch, Dr. Strangelove, Sunset Boulevard, High Noon, The Stunt Man.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 93% 3.5/5 EDIT “"28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" is a visceral film that will either convince you that a zombie movie can have substance or else make you wonder if the people praising the film are zombies themselves. ” – North Shore Movies Jan 16, 2026 Full Review David (2025) 76% 2.5/5 EDIT “The animated DAVID is a decidedly mixed bag. There are some things that impress while other parts of the film are cringeworthy. Perhaps the youngsters for whom this is directed to will be more charitable.” – North Shore Movies Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Goodbye June (2025) 65% 3.5/5 EDIT “"Goodbye June" may be a bit unusual for a Christmas movie, but it ultimately captures the spirit of the season. Some advice: have a box of tissues handy.” – North Shore Movies Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Re-Election (2025) 2.5 EDIT “Perhaps no film with the premise of "Re-Election" could credibly pull off a forty-something man returning to high school as a student. This one strains as it huffs and puffs its way to the finish line.” – North Shore Movies Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Star People (2025) 80% 2.5/5 EDIT “"Star People" is an interesting drama that is being sold as a science fiction movie. It works as an interesting character driven drama, but as science fiction it’s a bust.” – North Shore Movies Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) 66% 4/5 EDIT “"Avatar: Fire and Ash" continues to offer striking visuals and compelling storytelling and should more than satisfy fans of the series.” – North Shore Movies Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Merrily We Roll Along (2025) 95% 3/5 EDIT “"Merrily We Roll Along" may seem like a cynical exercise about people who have messed up their lives, but it’s really about bad choices having consequences, and hoping not to lose the optimism of one’s youth.” – North Shore Movies Dec 4, 2025 Full Review Eternity (2025) 77% 4/5 EDIT “"Eternity" may be the best afterlife movie since "Defending Your Life" (1991). You’ll get caught up in both the romcom and "what if" elements and it will leave you thinking what you might do.” – North Shore Movies Dec 2, 2025 Full Review The Thing with Feathers (2025) 46% 1/5 EDIT “THE THING WITH FEATHERS is an extended meditation on grief and despair, two emotions you may experience if you try to slog through this film.” – North Shore Movies Dec 2, 2025 Full Review Adventure Tom (2025) 3/5 EDIT “"Adventure Tom" may not achieve classic status, yet it is a well-crafted and enjoyable look at modern romance.” – North Shore Movies Dec 2, 2025 Full Review The Dummy Detective (2025) 2.5/5 EDIT “The makers of THE DUMMY DETECTIVE are asking a lot. It’s a comedy that crosses a hardboiled film noir detective story with an Agatha Christie-like mystery. And ventriloquist dummies. You either have to accept it or not.” – North Shore Movies Nov 23, 2025 Full Review Nouvelle Vague (2025) 91% 2.5/5 EDIT “If you’re steeped in French cinema watching the making of "Breathless" will feel like stepping into a time machine. If you’re not, it may be like watching the film with the subtitles turned off and not knowing the language.” – North Shore Movies Nov 23, 2025 Full Review Wicked: For Good (2025) 66% 5/5 EDIT “"Wicked: For Good" joins its predecessor in jointly creating one of the best movie musicals in years.” – North Shore Movies Nov 23, 2025 Full Review Flights of Reverie (2025) 3/5 EDIT “By the end of "Flights Of Reverie" you may still be puzzling out the details, but you’ve also been given food for thought on a number of topics. Not a bad return on the investment of your time.” – North Shore Movies Nov 13, 2025 Full Review In Your Dreams (2025) 86% 3/5 EDIT “IN YOUR DREAMS is a charming animated offering from Netflix that should delight youngsters while opening the door to discussing dreams and nightmares.” – North Shore Movies Nov 13, 2025 Full Review Frankenstein (2025) 85% 4.5/5 EDIT “This “Frankenstein” cements del Toro’s reputation as one of the best contemporary filmmakers.” – North Shore Movies Nov 10, 2025 Full Review Don't Trip (2025) 2.5/5 EDIT “To appreciate “Don’t Trip” requires making allowances for a low-budget movie with ragged edges.There are some moments where it might feel the movie is out of control, but if you can make it to the end, it’s worth the effort.” – North Shore Movies Nov 8, 2025 Full Review Foibles (2025) 1/5 EDIT “As a critic I can take pleasure in skewering a bloated Hollywood film or an overly pretentious indie, but in the case of “Foibles” it’s more of a disappointment.” – North Shore Movies Nov 8, 2025 Full Review Ballad of a Small Player (2025) 48% 3/5 EDIT “An intense performance by Colin Farrell drives BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER. Farrell lets us see both the false confidence Doyle attempts to exude and his increasing desperation as things go wrong. ” – North Shore Movies Oct 30, 2025 Full Review Anniversary (2025) 66% 3/5 EDIT “ANNIVERSARY is like last year’s film “Civil War.” It is a disturbing parable about the increasing polarization of our country and, like that earlier film, manages to do so without directly commenting on current events.” – North Shore Movies Oct 30, 2025 Full Review Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (2025) 93% 5/5 EDIT “You come away from “Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost” with an appreciation for them not only as entertainers, but as people who overcame adversity, formed a strong bond and did it all without screwing up their kids.” – North Shore Movies Oct 27, 2025 Full Review A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) 36% 3/5 EDIT “What it seems to have come down to is “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” was asking too much of some viewers (and critics), who prefer straight-ahead narratives uncomplicated by tonal shifts. Take a chance on it and go with the flow. It’s worth the trip.” – North Shore Movies Oct 27, 2025 Full Review John Candy: I Like Me (2025) 89% 3.5/5 EDIT “You come away from “John Candy: I Like Me” with both laughter and tears, happy that his comedic talents are preserved for new generations to discover and sad to think of what might have been.” – North Shore Movies Oct 11, 2025 Full Review Sincerely Saul (2024) 2/5 EDIT “Clearly “Sincerely Saul” is not for every taste. Those of a certain age with an especially twisted sense of humor may be able to relate. Everyone else will wonder what the hell is going on.” – North Shore Movies Oct 1, 2025 Full Review Motherland (2025) 2.5/5 EDIT ““Motherland” is a flawed but provocative film that proves to be more interesting as a thought experiment than as a dramatic whole.” – North Shore Movies Sep 19, 2025 Full Review
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