Jon Fortgang
Jon Fortgang's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Film4
Channel 4 film critic.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Ordet (1955) |
A sombre exploration of religious faith in all its various guises, directed by Dreyer with a quiet but deep seated compassion for his characters. - Film4
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| Posted Apr 10, 2016
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The Mirror (1975) |
There isn't a scene here which isn't strikingly shot and the final impression is of something personal, mysterious and yet frequently profoundly resonant. - Film4
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| Posted Aug 04, 2015
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Salesman (1969) |
Unarguably one of the greatest documentaries ever made, and an intimate portrait of the reality behind a thousand blue collar dramas. - Film4
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| Posted Mar 09, 2015
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Valmont (1989) |
Insufficiently racy in tone as well as pacing, this accomplished but bland costume drama is Dangerous Liaisons' poor cousin. - Film4
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| Posted Feb 09, 2015
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Altered States (1980) |
Like much of Russell's work, Altered States is ostentatious and pretentious yet genuinely engaged with ideas and style. - Film4
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| Posted Aug 16, 2014
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Pretty in Pink (1986) |
Hughes' penetrating insight into the minds of 1980s kids makes this one of the best films to bear his name. - Film4
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| Posted Jun 09, 2014
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Gertrud (1965) |
An elegant melodrama, acted and directed with precision. Let it unfold at its own unhurried pace and the rewards are ample and long lasting. - Film4
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| Posted May 22, 2014
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Listen to Britain (1942) |
An intimate portrait of Britain at war, full of fascinating and valuable footage, put together with Jennings' humanity and wit. - Film4
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| Posted May 20, 2014
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Wicker Park (2004) |
Both bland and slightly daft. - Film4
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| Posted Mar 18, 2014
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Bottle Rocket (1996) |
Anderson's debut film is a small-scale delight. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Mar 04, 2014
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The Birth of a Nation (1915) |
This is an impressive spectacle, rightfully lauded for its myriad innovations. But the sentiments it expresses are pretty damn ugly. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Aug 19, 2013
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Trainspotting (1996) |
Funny, disturbing, tragic and deeply addictive. - Film4
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| Posted Jun 26, 2013
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Scandal (1989) |
A quality cast, polished writing and the atmospheric evocation of Soho and Whitehall sleaze make for a powerful depiction of Ward's fall from grace. - Film4
Read More
| Posted May 08, 2013
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The Return (2003) |
Mysterious, compelling, visually inventive, The Return is a quiet but intense metaphysical-drama of great emotional impact and insight. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Mar 27, 2013
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Cairo Station (1958) |
Short and to the point, this is a rewarding mix of punchy storytelling and sensitive characterisation delivered with immense wit and style. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Mar 18, 2013
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The Road (2009) |
Haunting, harrowing yet profoundly enriching. The Road is the most powerful and moving post-apocalyptic film of the twenty-first century. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jan 08, 2010
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Departures (2008) |
Doesn't quite justify the enormous plaudits heaped upon its shoulders, but a warm-hearted comedy-drama with its own likeably odd sensibility. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Dec 04, 2009
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Examined Life (2008) |
A fascinating introduction to the big issues in modern philosophy, presented with a pleasantly light touch. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Nov 20, 2009
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We Live in Public (2009) |
A fascinating documentary about a life lived on the cutting edge of technology, and the definitive film about the net's own coming-of-age. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Nov 13, 2009
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Taking Woodstock (2009) |
Achieves the highly improbable by making one of the most exciting events of the 1960s look really boring. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Nov 13, 2009
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Welcome (2009) |
A sensitive, low-key, touching drama about the complicated issues surrounding international displacement. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Nov 06, 2009
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Alice in Wonderland (1951) |
An enjoyable if rather pallid rendering of Carroll's classic tale. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Nov 03, 2009
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Starsuckers (2009) |
This provocative, proudly partisan but consistently entertaining doc is compulsory viewing not just for everyone working within the media, but for anyone who watches TV, reads the papers, surfs the net or has to walk down a city street. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2009
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Made in Jamaica (2006) |
Some great performances and a raw taste of life on the streets of Jamaica, but too ragged and rambling to explain why this music matters. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 23, 2009
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Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) |
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is a film with a chronic identity crisis and no clear idea where it's headed. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 23, 2009
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Died Young Stayed Pretty (2008) |
A worthwhile doc about an unreported arm of the alt-rock industry. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 09, 2009
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Goodbye Solo (2008) |
The strange power of those final moments - at once tender, tragic and triumphant - grant this unassuming drama about saying goodbye to Solo the status of a minor masterpiece played in an appropriately minor key. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 09, 2009
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Swingers (1996) |
One of the sharpest male-oriented comedies of the 1990s. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 04, 2009
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The Beaches of Agnès (2008) |
A deftly assembled, wry and touching self-portrait of Agnès Varda as both a filmmaker and an endearing, indomitable spirit. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Oct 04, 2009
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Three Miles North of Molkom (2007) |
The enjoyably sarky tone conceals a sympathetic and frequently very funny documentary. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Sep 18, 2009
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I Want to See (2008) |
An unconventional yet haunting documentary that shines a strange new light on life in modern Lebanon. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Sep 18, 2009
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Shank (2009) |
The raw power of the story isn't always very effectively harnessed but the level of conviction is certainly impressive. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2009
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The September Issue (2009) |
Wintour and her colleagues are well-dressed company, but what's really going on stays behind closed doors. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2009
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Fish Tank (2009) |
A quietly intense, strikingly shot coming-of-age drama, Fish Tank establishes Andrea Arnold as a lyrical chronicler of marginalised Britain. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Sep 11, 2009
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Jetsam (2007) |
A skilfully written and deftly controlled thriller that refuses to be bound by budget limitations, Jetsam marks Simon Welsford out as a potentially significant new director. - Film4
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| Posted Aug 29, 2009
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Shooting Robert King (2008) |
A fascinating, entertaining and skilfully assembled documentary about the messed up business of war reporting, and the messed up men who do it. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Aug 24, 2009
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Bandslam (2009) |
Implausible, formulaic, too ponderous for young kids, not cool enough for teenagers and yet strangely hard to resist. File away under extremely guilty pleasure. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Aug 14, 2009
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Aliens in the Attic (2009) |
This is one of those once-seen-immediately-forgotten enterprises which avoids anything memorable or imaginative in favour of fast, functional, charisma-free busy-ness. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Aug 14, 2009
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Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) |
Perez's film ought to be an hour-and-a-half of beery, dumb-ass fun. Instead it has the weary air of a genuinely disastrous disaster movie. Size, it seems, matters after all. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Aug 07, 2009
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Beautiful Losers (2008) |
An amiable portrait of the artist as a scruffy slacker, and a useful jumping off point for anyone interested in investigating some of the cultural issues that marked the 1990s and the start of the new millennium. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Aug 07, 2009
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Kisses (2008) |
A touching, tender coming-of-age drama which balances gritty realism with an intriguing sense of the fantastic. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jul 17, 2009
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Soul Power (2008) |
Brilliant archive footage and blistering live performances - an exhilarating concert film. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jul 10, 2009
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35 Shots of Rum (2008) |
Claire Denis has assembled a simple yet achingly touching little drama. On the surface it looks as if hardly anything's happening, but submit to the gently fluid style and it turns out everything is going on. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jul 10, 2009
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Strawberry and Chocolate (1994) |
A clear call for tolerance, deftly executed by a director for whom the personal and the political were indivisible. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jul 03, 2009
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Cry Baby (1990) |
Cheerfully camp, terrifically enjoyable teen parody that ranks among Waters' best moments. Oh, and world -- meet Johnny Depp! - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jun 20, 2009
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Looking for Eric (2009) |
Funny, touching and cheerfully unlikely in every sense, this ranks among the great British filmmaker's most enjoyable films. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jun 12, 2009
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Summer Scars (2007) |
A smart, sharp British psycho-thriller. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jun 05, 2009
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Accident (1967) |
Taut, dark, brilliantly acted -- this autopsy on the emotional lives of the English intelligentsia is among Bogarde and Losey's greatest achievements. - Film4
Read More
| Posted Jun 05, 2009
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Pierrot le Fou (1965) |
An eye-poppingly vivid exercise in genre-busting filmmaking. Here is one of the most persistently intriguing directors of the 1960s at his most watchable and entertaining. - Film4
Read More
| Posted May 22, 2009
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Everlasting Moments (2008) |
A slow but perfectly pitched drama that tells its harsh story with touching tenderness, quiet sympathy and an absence of sticky sentiment. The time it demands is amply rewarded. - Film4
Read More
| Posted May 22, 2009
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