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Linda Barnard
Tomatometer-approved critic
Toronto Star movie critic.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Lost Daughter (2021) |
With brilliant work by Olivia Colman, Maggie Gyllenhaal's directing debut is a haunting work about choices, motherhood, and memory. - Original Cin
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| Posted Dec 27, 2021
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The Power of the Dog (2021) |
There's no point thinking you know what's coming next in Jane Campion's masterful Western drama featuring a never-better Benedict Cumberbatch as a rancher skilled at surgical bullying. - Original Cin
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| Posted Nov 07, 2021
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Rare Beasts (2019) |
Writer/director, and star Billie Piper's cheeky take on modern relationships is funny and sweet if not especially ground-breaking. - Original Cin
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| Posted Aug 16, 2021
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Materna (2020) |
Despite some strong performances, Materna feels underdone in spots as separate stories of four New Yorker women linked through motherhood issues juggle for screen time. - Original Cin
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| Posted Aug 11, 2021
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Duty Free (2020) |
Undeniably sweet and inspirational, this Mom-and-me bucket-list adventure documentary fails to explore the root causes of seniors facing poverty and joblessness. - Original Cin
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| Posted May 05, 2021
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The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) |
Laced with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's signature rapid-fire pacing and colour, it's the goofy-smart and entertaining family fare we've been needing in these fun-challenged times. - Original Cin
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| Posted Apr 27, 2021
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Shiva Baby (2020) |
Emma Seligman's debut feature about an aimless twenty-something, bisexual Jewish college student facing a looming quarter-life crisis is smart and sharp. - Original Cin
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| Posted Mar 25, 2021
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Jump, Darling (2020) |
The setup feels a bit worn, but Cloris Leachman is outstanding in her final lead role as a feisty-yet-frail grandmother alongside remarkable newcomer Thomas Duplessie as her drag-queen grandson in writer/director Phil Connell's debut. - Original Cin
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| Posted Mar 17, 2021
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Anne at 13,000 ft (2019) |
Deragh Campbell gives a soaring performance as a young woman on the edge in Kazik Radwanski's low-key yet powerfully realized film. - Original Cin
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| Posted Feb 18, 2021
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Supernova (2020) |
Starry turns from Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci in Supernova, as a couple devastated by dementia. - Original Cin
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| Posted Feb 15, 2021
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Rams (2020) |
Trading the austerity of the Icelandic original for Aussie jocularity, director Jeremy Sims' Rams nevertheless preserves the original film's heart about sibling devotion put the test in a time of crisis. - Original Cin
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| Posted Feb 03, 2021
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Acasa, My Home (2020) |
This intimate documentary powerfully asks the question 'which of the places we live is destined to be remembered as home?' - Original Cin
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| Posted Jan 22, 2021
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Wild Mountain Thyme (2020) |
Despite solid source material, a strong cast, and a proven screenwriter, Wild Mountain Thyme is silly, flabby, and misguided and woefully marred by bad Irish accents. - Original Cin
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| Posted Dec 21, 2020
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The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel (2020) |
"The New Corporation" finds the corporate world's self-interest streak remains robustly unchecked. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Nov 11, 2020
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Memories of Murder (2003) |
Powerful, unrelenting, and with excellent performances - especially from Song Kang-ho who is never less than outstanding - Memories of Murder is unforgettable and justifiably described as a masterpiece. - Original Cin
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| Posted Oct 21, 2020
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Fatima (2020) |
Italian cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo directs with the lush hand he brought to Game of Thrones. His recreation of the children's visions about war, hell and a papal assassination seem more disaster movie than religious inspirational. - Original Cin
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| Posted Aug 25, 2020
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They Call Me Dr. Miami (2020) |
Chartier's documentary moves quickly. Good thing. The 77-minute runtime is enough to take of self-absorbed Dr. Miami and the sexist atmosphere that surrounds his work. Yet the dichotomy between the public and private man is fascinating. - Original Cin
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| Posted May 12, 2020
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First Stripes (Premières Armes) (2018) |
Caissy focuses the camera on the trainees' faces in the dressing-down exchanges, rather than the man barking the orders/lectures (all the superiors are males). The approach keeps attention on the recruits, a reminder that this is their story. - Original Cin
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| Posted Apr 06, 2020
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My Spy (2020) |
From Arnold Schwarzenegger's Kindergarten Cop to Vin Diesel as The Pacifier, it's all been done before. Self-assured kid actor Coleman and the always-funny Schaal give My Spy some personality, but can we please retire this worn-out idea? - Original Cin
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| Posted Mar 12, 2020
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Disappearance at Clifton Hill (2019) |
Shin isn't shy about laying on quirky details and oddball splashes to make his third film swing from bizarrely entertaining to dark - though the mystery-solved conclusion feels rushed and is the weakest part of the film. - Original Cin
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| Posted Feb 24, 2020
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Ordinary Love (2019) |
McCafferty's precise dialogue seems effortless, even when the scenes are tough to watch. Manville and Neeson are exceptional. A pause, an awkward look, moments of tenderness or humour, even how Joan butters a scone, conveys much about them. - Original Cin
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| Posted Feb 17, 2020
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Come to Daddy (2019) |
What starts out as a promising comic thriller deflates quickly as it becomes clear we're just here for the gore. - Original Cin
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| Posted Feb 03, 2020
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Quezon's Game (2018) |
An inspiring story. But aside from solid turns by Raymond Bagatsing as Quezon, Rachel Alejandro as his wife, Aurora, and Billy Ray Gallion as Alex Frieder, the acting swings between wooden and melodramatic. Budget constraints are evident. - Original Cin
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| Posted Jan 23, 2020
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Wild Rose (2018) |
Buckley [is] an incandescent onscreen presence with a set of killer pipes who imbues every song with undeniable heart. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jun 20, 2019
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Gloria Bell (2018) |
Because of Moore's open-hearted, captivating portrayal of the title character, repetition won't be a drawback for those who've seen Gloria. She makes the role her own with brio and woman-power strength. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Mar 14, 2019
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Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2017) |
Fiennes provides a meandering observation of the woman behind the glamazon, disco diva and full-throated and furious singer/performance artist in this unstructured doc. - Toronto Star
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| Posted May 31, 2018
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Great Great Great (2017) |
Kolasky is an actor to watch for. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Oct 06, 2017
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The Midwife (2017) |
Predictability can be forgiven with the luminous talents of Catherine Deneuve and riveting Catherine Frot (Marguerite) as long-estranged women reunited in writer/director Martin Provost's drama. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Sep 29, 2017
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The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017) |
There's not an appealing or memorable character in the mix. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Aug 11, 2017
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The Journey (2016) |
The dialogue swings between quick and banal as the chipper McGuinness tries to crack the self-righteous stoic (Spall is brilliant) Paisley. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jul 06, 2017
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13 Minutes (2014) |
A compelling and passionate performance from Friedel defines 13 Minutes but occasionally the storytelling falters, including an unexplained years-long gap between his conviction and execution. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jul 06, 2017
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Manifesto (2015) |
You may not know much about 20th-century art manifestos, but you'll know what you like with Cate Blanchett's stunning turn as 13 wildly diverse characters who explore them in Manifesto. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jun 29, 2017
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Nowhere to Hide (2016) |
An emotionally powerful examination of the price of conflict, Sharif is honourable and brave, both as filmmaker and the symbol of a suffering people who long for peace. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jun 29, 2017
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Ballerina (2016) |
There's plenty of visual whimsy in the late-19th-century setting - the animators render a gorgeous Paris - while enthusiastic dance sequences and comic beats balance out melodrama. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jun 13, 2017
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My Cousin Rachel (2017) |
Weisz's masterful, subtle work as unknowable Rachel is punctuated with ambiguity. Each time we think we have her figured out, Weisz subtly changes minds. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jun 08, 2017
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Werewolf (2016) |
McKenzie has effectively drawn us in, although lack of narrative makes the film frustratingly slow in spots. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jun 01, 2017
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) |
Popcorn munchers and franchise fans will find plenty to like. - Toronto Star
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| Posted May 25, 2017
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017) |
For all the gags, Rodrick's staggering dumbness and enough poop jokes to keep the average kid happily chortling, this Wimpy Kid seems to drag in the second half, feeling longer than its 92-minutes. - Toronto Star
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| Posted May 18, 2017
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Risk (2016) |
Interesting if uneven ... - Toronto Star
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| Posted May 11, 2017
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Free Fire (2016) |
Director Ben Wheatley isn't known for subtlety. And for much of Free Fire, that's just fine. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Apr 20, 2017
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Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) |
Asbury sticks to the basics, with obvious Saturday morning-style fare based on groaners and pratfalls about the earnest little creatures with self-defining names like Nosey, Grouchy and Jokey. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Apr 06, 2017
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Filth City (2017) |
Filth City does no favours to the memory of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford. But the insult to cinema is arguably worse. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Mar 23, 2017
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CHIPS (2017) |
Fans of Rick Rosner's 1977-1983 TV show won't find much to pique nostalgia and anyone hoping to revisit the golden days of these earnest troopers may need to lie down for a bit. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Mar 23, 2017
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Dream Big: Engineering Our World (2017) |
An uncomplicated look at a complex subject that gets information across without talking down to its predominately young audience. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Feb 16, 2017
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The Great Wall (2016) |
Unfortunately, the gorgeous subtlety of Zhang's mesmerizing style is carried off with the first wave of man-eating, green-blooded monsters. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Feb 16, 2017
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Below Her Mouth (2016) |
The trouble comes with the script as newcomer writer Stephanie Fabrizi struggles with hollow dialogue and flimsy story and character development. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Feb 09, 2017
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The Space Between Us (2017) |
The Space Between Us will keep its target young-teen audience fully engaged. But its need to explain everything siphons some of the wonder out of the picture. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Feb 02, 2017
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Monster Trucks (2016) |
Would have made a serviceable Saturday morning TV hour but can't get out of first gear as a feature flick. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Jan 12, 2017
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Bad Santa 2 (2016) |
We asked for a filthy new Bad Santa for Christmas and now know the same letdown as unwrapping a box of sensible socks on Dec. 25, albeit dirty ones. - Toronto Star
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| Posted Nov 23, 2016
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Trolls (2016) |
Little ones may find the perpetually furious Chef a bit too threatening. But there's never a riotously candy-coloured scene or a spirited song far away ... - Toronto Star
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| Posted Nov 03, 2016
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