Jarrod Walker
Jarrod Walker's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
FilmFocus
FILMINK (Australia)
New Zealand born and Australian raised, Jarrod Walker’s 34 years on this planet have consisted of many hours spent in darkened theatres and many wasted evenings duelling wits with video store clerks. He’s put his obsession to work and has been known to write and direct short films as well as unjustifiably critiquing his betters in his capacity as contributor for FILMINK magazine. He abhors all forms of film snobbery (except his own) and feels at ease with his penchant for Michael Bay films and his predilection for Werner Herzog documentaries, Stanley Kubrick and anything directed by Sergio Leone. He wrestles with the meaning of David Lynch’s fascination for doppelgangers and often ponders the potential of a big screen version of MacGyver. He has recently made a foray into writing comic books and resides in Sydney with his girlfriend and an attitudinal cockatiel named Spike.
Sydney, Australia
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Fatman (2020) |
...isn't as funny or edgy as it needs to be. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 01, 2020
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American Dharma (2018) |
...it feels right that Morris allows us, the viewer, to draw our own conclusions on the destructive nature of Bannon's social and political ideas. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 14, 2020
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Miss Juneteenth (2020) |
...nuanced and authentic performances... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 10, 2020
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The Secrets We Keep (2020) |
Character motivations (lacking the requisite nuance and doubt needed for this type of tale) are confused and all-too convenient, at times they're even straight up implausible. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 18, 2020
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Fatima (2020) |
...presents us with a story that is baffling superstitious twaddle, expecting the viewer to go on the ride. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 02, 2020
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23 Walks (2020) |
The real joy of this tender love story is in its details, the beauty in the mundane, the quiet pain of those yearning for companionship and friendship and the silent power in a simple story about two elderly people walking their dogs. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 30, 2020
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Master Cheng (2019) |
...akin to the tone of Lasse Hallstrom's output (Chocolat comes to mind), though the level of treacly emotional manipulation and twee is nowhere near as assaultive; it prefers instead to take the audience on a gentler ride. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 08, 2020
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The Assistant (2019) |
The quiet power of The Assistant lies in its nuance... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted May 22, 2020
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For Sama (2019) |
...a singular experience... intimate and shattering... a monumentally moving testimony. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Feb 02, 2020
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My Hindu Friend (2015) |
...surreal, reflective (though never sentimental) with Fellini-esque flights of frank sexuality, eroticism and existential whimsy... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 13, 2020
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Dying to Survive (2018) |
...vitality and humanity, coupled with a universally engaging premise... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 18, 2019
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Dragged Across Concrete (2018) |
Where most filmmakers would cut, Zahler keeps the take rolling, to ratchet tension and (perhaps thanks to his novelistic leanings) to shift the tonal gears to a degree that's cinematically inspired... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jun 26, 2019
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Where Hands Touch (2018) |
The performances are affecting, particularly George MacKay... deft direction... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Mar 26, 2019
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The Man Who Feels No Pain (2018) |
...frenzied mish-mash of Bollywood musical, martial arts actioner and comic book origin tale is told with an eye towards western cinematic sensibilities and an affectionate reverence of filmic pop culture. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Mar 14, 2019
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Snapshots (2018) |
...stilted and artificial. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Feb 06, 2019
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All the Devil's Men (2018) |
... the fight choreography and action sequences are deftly executed but the brutally 'by-the-numbers' scripting, coupled with a considerable lack of character depth or humour, just annihilates any joy that could be derived from the film. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Feb 06, 2019
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Border (2018) |
...one of the most singular and genre-defying films to come along the pike in a great while... An absolute cracker. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Feb 04, 2019
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Rafiki (2018) |
...the message is vital and Kahiu's artistic flourishes are vibrant... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 28, 2019
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Arctic (2018) |
...apart from most films of this ilk, akin to a Robert Bresson film in its stark minimalism and use of purely visual cinematic storytelling. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 20, 2019
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The American Meme (2018) |
...genuinely informative and interesting or, in its depiction of the weapons-grade vacuity of its subjects, is actually just terrifying and galactically disheartening? - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 11, 2018
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Luz (2018) |
If you're willing to go with it, there's an exhilaration at the sheer audacity of a filmmaker bringing this kind of storytelling perspective to bear on a genre picture. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 27, 2018
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Rampant (2018) |
For fans of the undead genre and the frenzied spilling of arcing jets of claret, this is an entertaining ride through a juxtaposition of genre tropes... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 31, 2018
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The Great Battle (2018) |
...chugs along like a rollicking hybrid of Seven Samurai, 300 and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Terrifically enjoyable. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 26, 2018
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Wajib (2017) |
Real life father/son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri are terrifically engaging... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 13, 2018
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Mega Time Squad (2018) |
...enjoyably silly and gorily slapstick laughs. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Aug 28, 2018
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The Spy Gone North (2018) |
...a great story, enjoyably told with cinematic flair and verve... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Aug 17, 2018
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Mandy (2018) |
...a film that not only can contain Nicolas Cage but also work as a curious fusion of modern-day horror tropes, the operatic tone of Wagner's Ring cycle and epically primal and elemental cosmic dread. It's a doozy. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Aug 17, 2018
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I Kill Giants (2017) |
...a sweetly intentioned film, beautifully shot and with a strong lead performance from Madison Wolfe... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted May 25, 2018
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American Folk (2017) |
The haunting effects of 9/11 have never been so lyrically approached on film... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted May 13, 2018
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Scream for Me Sarajevo (2017) |
...there's something insanely 'metal' at the heart of this tale... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Apr 11, 2018
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The Endless (2017) |
... akin to a 'blockbuster of the mind' - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Mar 03, 2018
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The Wizard of Lies (2017) |
Robert De Niro gives one of his best recent performances in Barry Levinson's Bernie Maddow bio. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Apr 25, 2017
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Ovarian Psycos (2016) |
It's this 'gang versus community group' identity crisis that appears to be at the heart of things. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Feb 14, 2017
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Jonathan (2016) |
This gay-themed drama occasionally tips over into melodrama, but is bolstered by a winning sense of humanity. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 31, 2017
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Little Men (2016) |
a wonderful film - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Dec 05, 2016
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Spirit of the Game (2016) |
...hampered by banal scripting and characterisation. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 29, 2016
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Sand Storm (2016) |
Quietly intense... - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 27, 2016
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Youth (2015) |
Youth functions effortlessly on a hypnotic ebb and flow, and climaxes in a final sequence that is resonant and moving. We watch films in the hope that we get to have experiences like this. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 01, 2016
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Man Up (2015) |
On the face of it, it does seem like Man Up is going to be another banal rom-com that flaccidly meanders from trope to trope, but this low key charmer is a refreshing surprise. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Nov 05, 2015
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Legend (2015) |
It's undermined by an ill-fitting score and a puzzlingly structured third act, but there's real pleasure in Hardy's bold, intense, and utterly compelling lead performance. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 14, 2015
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A Walk in the Woods (2015) |
A fun time spent in the company of great characters. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Sep 02, 2015
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I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (2014) |
Spinney is well-deserving of the attention, and from a standpoint of sheer curiosity and fascination, knowing more about this man who created a character that we loved as children and that our children now love, is a gently poignant experience. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 30, 2015
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Amy (2015) |
Despite the bittersweet irony of the story of her life being constructed from the news media's and her acolytes' cataloging of her self-destructive nosedive, there's a heartbreaking immediacy and authenticity in its telling. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jul 02, 2015
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Testament of Youth (2014) |
Testament Of Youth is hampered by a failure to effectively convey exactly what made it such an important work for the post-war generation. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Apr 23, 2015
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Run All Night (2015) |
Brad Inglesby's script is serviceable but it's the casting that gives the whole exercise gravitas. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Mar 26, 2015
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The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013) |
A haunting meditation on love and loss. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Mar 13, 2015
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Edge of Tomorrow (2014) |
It's a beautifully executed jolt of darkly funny, smart-arsed sci-fi adventure. Welcome back Tom. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Jan 05, 2015
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Interstellar (2014) |
Tthe film falters at minor points as the script creaks under the weight of its own ambitions but there are a great many moments in this film where it transcends its genre conventions and achieves a pure cinematic profundity and sense of overwhelming awe. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Oct 30, 2014
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James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge (2014) |
Sea exploration is his passion, and Cameron's technical proficiency and deep sense of curiosity and adventure are profoundly impressive. - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Aug 21, 2014
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Need for Speed (2014) |
Does high octane Grand Theft Auto-style racing carnage and leeringly pornographic shots of exotic sports cars screaming along at top speed really make up for a poorly written script? Why, yes...yes it does - FILMINK (Australia)
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| Posted Mar 11, 2014
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