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Grethe Kemp
Tomatometer-approved critic
South Africa
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Flatland (2019) |
The sheer style and freshness of Flatland is what carries it through... - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Nov 10, 2020
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Moffie (2019) |
Moffie is another powerful addition to the Hermanus canon, and I can't wait to see what this film maker will do next. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Mar 19, 2020
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Ant-Man (2015) |
It's all so formulaic, so intentional, so transparently focused on a specific audience to milk a specific dollar. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 08, 2020
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Trainwreck (2015) |
It's sharp, subtle, funny and thoroughly entertaining. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 08, 2020
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The Gift (2015) |
Bateman is superb in his role as, well, an arsehole, and Edgerton's subtle portrayal of a quietly off kilter outsider about to snap is masterful. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 08, 2020
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The Hateful Eight (2015) |
The Hateful Eight still stands head and shoulders above most other fare on offer in cinemas right now, and it's a worthy addition to the Tarantino library. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 08, 2020
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) |
The film is lush and Rowling-esque enough - with plenty of wonderfully animated fantastic beasties - to satisfy Potter fans. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 08, 2020
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Saban's Power Rangers (2017) |
Unfortunately, director Dean Israelite shies away from everything that made the franchise great. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Silence (2016) |
You might even find yourself wondering whether you need to find more spirituality, more faith, more meaning in your life - even if it's not in the form of Christianity. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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20th Century Women (2016) |
Mills, to his credit, creates realistic scenarios with natural dialogue, but this also happens to make the movie, well, very boring. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Wonder Woman (2017) |
Jenkins' Diana is vulnerable but strong, compassionate but fierce, good-hearted but no pushover. This film is a solid springboard for Diana to be fleshed out in further instalments. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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The Lost City of Z (2016) |
Instead of painting a dapper Indiana Jonesian picture of a valiant white man making friends with the natives and conquering the jungle, it shows Fawcett as self-obsessed. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Detroit (2017) |
Though there's still plenty in the film that should be lauded - the saturated and claustrophobic cinematography, and potent performances from most of the cast, for instance - it's a film that should be watched with a disclaimer. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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It (2017) |
Despite having plenty of gore, It works because it retains a sense of decency. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Amityville: The Awakening (2017) |
She (Bella Thorne) is the clichéd Goth girl incarnate, made even more laughable by the fact that almost no teenager in 2017 still wears the studded belts and corset tops that is Belle's "sad girl" costume. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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The Mountain Between Us (2017) |
What we get is a weird survival romance with tedious dialogue. I love Winslet, as I'm sure we all do, but after a while her character goes from witty to whiny. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Wind River (2017) |
The acting is strong, the characters complex and the story realistic. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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The Post (2017) |
The Post should be a clarion call for the US media to do better, instead of an ode to its apparent infallible nobility. I found that the film was undone by its self-congratulatory message. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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The Disaster Artist (2017) |
The Disaster Artist is unique, off kilter and strangely inspiring in the end. To his credit, it's a movie only a fellow wierdo like James Franco could make. Go see it. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Blockers (2018) |
Blockers is a welcome addition to the teen sex comedy genre, and a far cry from the days of American Pie and Varsity Blues. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Deadpool 2 (2018) |
There are gleefully over-the-top fight sequences (often hyperviolent to suit the R rating), too many pop culture references to count, colourful and lovable characters and quips that come at you every second. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 07, 2020
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Incredibles 2 (2018) |
The plot is compelling, there are plenty of laughs and the message is contemporary. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 04, 2020
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Adrift (2018) |
Unfortunately, the film's survival aspect is not as compelling as other films of the same nature. - Channel24 (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 04, 2020
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Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) |
Though Rami Malek (Mr Robot) obviously poured his heart into the role, he could never have won, given the source material he had to work with. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 03, 2020
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Polar (2019) |
The problem is, Åkerlund seems to think he's Quentin Tarantino, injecting gratuitous amounts of violence and torture into a film and calling it art. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 03, 2020
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Free Solo (2018) |
Free Solo is a breathtaking film that not only delves into Alex's motivations, but the feelings of the people around him. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 03, 2020
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Cold Pursuit (2019) |
The action is slick and the wry one-liners come at you thick and fast, and you'll find yourself relishing each henchman Nel takes down in his path of vengeance. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 03, 2020
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Breakthrough (2019) |
Sure, it gets a little bit melodramatic here and there, but what's a good family drama without a little cheese? - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jan 02, 2020
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Pavarotti (2019) |
This is a robust picture of the maestro, and one fans will covet. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Sep 27, 2019
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Sextuplets (2019) |
Why did Netflix make this? Who, besides Wayans and director Michael Tiddes, thought this was a good idea? I cannot answer this, dear reader. I may never be able to. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 30, 2019
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Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) |
At one point Dwayne lassoes a chopper with a chain and holds it in the air with one arm. I almost choked on my slushie from pure delight. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 16, 2019
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Child's Play (2019) |
This Chucky lacks the potent fear-inducing malevolence that the previous installments had. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Jul 18, 2019
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Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) |
A commendable feature of this film is that director Joe Berlinger resists the impulse of glamourising the violence. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted May 14, 2019
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Bram Fischer (2017) |
This is a film with nuance and depth that stays true to the facts and politics of the time. I really appreciated the depiction of Fischer's wife, Molly, who was an activist in her own right. So often the role of women in the struggle is marginalised. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted May 14, 2019
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Supa Modo (2018) |
The film is buoyed by the effervescence of young actress Waweru and a story that will leave your heart glowing long after you've watched it. Warning: you might also shed a few tears by the end. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted May 14, 2019
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The Harvesters (2018) |
Though it left me impressed by the cinematography, acting and score, I felt that ending it so vaguely was an opportunity los - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Apr 17, 2019
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High Fantasy (2017) |
"Fiercely relevant, it represents young South Africans with nuance - well the woke set anyway." - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Nov 15, 2018
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Beauty (Skoonheid) (2011) |
Arguably one of South Africa's greatest films, this is a work so emotionally wrenching that it will dwell with you for years to come. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Nov 06, 2018
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Blood Father (2016) |
Gibson is superb as the imperfect, weather beaten patriarch set on saving a damsel in distress. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Nov 01, 2018
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Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018) |
There's plenty of interesting archival footage, as well as great contextualising commentary from the people around the dame. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Oct 29, 2018
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Love, Simon (2018) |
A teen drama for this generation. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Oct 26, 2018
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Halloween (2018) |
They didn't mess with one of horror's most iconic characters, and that's a good thing. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Oct 26, 2018
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The Tribe (Cuckold) (2015) |
While The Tribe ticks the boxes purely on its cinematic merits, viewers who come to a movie as consumers who want to be entertained, provoked or thrilled might find this lacking. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 24, 2018
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Noem My Skollie (2015) |
The best South African film of 2016 ... Anchored by a heart-wrenching autobiographical script by John Fredericks, it tells the story of a young boy who becomes a gangster on the Cape Flats. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 23, 2018
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Fire in the Blood (2012) |
Upsetting, poignant, infuriating... it shows the very worst of humanity - how privileged people in the West simply just didn't give a damn about millions upon millions of people dying in Africa. This is compulsory watching. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 23, 2018
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The Revenant (2015) |
Becomes more and more ridiculous as the minutes tick by. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 23, 2018
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Rough Night (2017) |
Kate McKinnon as the free-spirited Australian Pippa steals the show. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 22, 2018
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Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS (2017) |
Hell on Earth is not an easy watch - it's infuriating and harrowing, and the footage is raw and visceral - but it should be compulsory viewing. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 22, 2018
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Warcraft (2016) |
The film looks spectacular, the characters are marvellously cheesy and, instead of the subversive wink to the audience that we might expect from a title like this, Jones is never condescending to his demographic. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 22, 2018
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While You Weren't Looking (2015) |
An incisive look at different levels of privilege in South Africa's queer community. - City Press (South Africa)
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| Posted Aug 22, 2018
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