Russell Edwards
Russell Edwards's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Variety
sbs.com.au
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Memories of Matsuko (2006) |
Helmer has a lot of cynical fun at his subject's expense along the way, but pic's bid for near-religious significance in the sentimental finale is as either a misfired joke or as phony as a 3,000 yen bill. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 13, 2021
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Irresistible (2006) |
Pic flirts with Hitchcockian touches, but inappropriate application of techniques fails narrative's specific needs. - Variety
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| Posted May 13, 2020
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Haunters (2010) |
Kim Min-seok's writing-directing debut is a superior entry that stops short of the bloody excesses of K-horror, but contains several chilling setpieces that rep respectable facsimiles of Hollywood-style fight-and-chase scenes. - Variety
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| Posted May 08, 2020
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Jolly LLB (2013) |
The ill-fitted nature of the film's limp comical jibes, and this odd finale, suggest Kapoor (and his producers) may have deliberately toned down the strong material for fear of retribution. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Dec 12, 2017
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Golmaal 3 (2010) |
All the thesps have fun, and Kapoor can barely keep a straight face... stunts have a homegrown look but still provide thrills. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 06, 2016
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What's in the Darkness (Hei chu you shen me) (2015) |
Clearly a director of talent, Wang will make a better writer if she cares to see her own ideas through to fruition. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jun 17, 2016
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The Assassin (2015) |
It's an indisputable fact that Hou Hsiao-hsien's first wu xia movie The Assassin is an exquisitely beautiful film. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 12, 2015
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Corn Island (2014) |
The beautiful images -- much of the time unsullied by anything as manipulative as music -- are enough to rivet the eye and lead the viewer slowly from scene to scene. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 06, 2015
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99 Homes (2014) |
Well-constructed, courageous and savvy. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jun 12, 2015
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Sunrise (2014) |
Sen-Gupta's talent as an art director (which is how he began his film career) is not in doubt, but his grasp of narrative is flimsy. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jun 12, 2015
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Special 26 (2013) |
There are only two songs (often a bugbear for newcomers) but one of those -- a wedding dance number between Kumar and love interest Kajal Agarwal -- is a dazzling corker. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted May 17, 2015
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Kai Po Che! (2013) |
The performances are strong throughout, but both Yadav and Rajput particularly impress, as they imbue their potentially clichéd roles of egghead accountant and hot-headed control freak with true depth. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted May 17, 2015
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Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) |
Admittedly, the film has a thorough knowledge of its forebears and though it namechecks them at every opportunity, Kingsman brings very little that's new or valuable to the playing table. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jan 29, 2015
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Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014) |
There's little doubt that Kikuchi has put a lot of herself into the role of Kumiko, but the film doesn't probe very deep. The film upholds the annoying tradition of festival cinema of being an extended anecdote rather than a sustained story. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jan 26, 2015
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Timbuktu (2014) |
Timbuktu connects these disparate threads together with a poet's ease and a delightful grace. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jan 16, 2015
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The Imitation Game (2014) |
The film plays out in a satisfying manner, but with subtlety having served its purpose, it becomes increasingly bombastic about its intent. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Dec 24, 2014
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Turkey Shoot (2014) |
The action sequences are poorly rendered and its satirical edge is blunted by its borrowings from sharper films such as Rollerball and Starship Troopers. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Dec 04, 2014
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Love Hotel (2014) |
Don't panic -- or fall for the film's phony sentimentalism -- Japan's love hotels aren't vanishing just yet and neither will similar lightweight Japan and sex documentaries disappear from the film festival circuit. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 21, 2014
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Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014) |
If you're one of those people who still use the phrase, "It's so bad, it's good," then you'll love this. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 15, 2014
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Fantail (2013) |
Overall, despite its charms, the film feels like it is missing a vital part, like a car only running on three wheels. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 15, 2014
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The Infinite Man (2014) |
Unafraid of its low budget limitations, The Infinite Man makes splendid use of its three-person cast, revels in its minimalist location and yet never feels constrained. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 07, 2014
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When Animals Dream (2014) |
Director Jonas Alexander Arnby has made another excellent contribution to Denmark's soft parade of horror. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 07, 2014
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14 Blades (2010) |
Stylish package has thesps hitting their marks (and each other), but also keeps the human drama from being swamped by wirework and CGI effects. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 21, 2014
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47 Ronin (2013) |
There's clearly been a lot of money spent and a lot of effort (not least by the Japanese actors struggling with their English dialogue), but the results are lacklustre, stupid and that worst of cinematic crimes -- dull. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Feb 21, 2014
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Winter's Tale (2014) |
Goldsman clearly doesn't know who he is making this movie for. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Feb 21, 2014
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Miss Granny (2014) |
After an hour-and-a-half of near non-stop laughter, this 124-minute film hits squarely on that sore spot where the fear of death, a grief for a misspent youth and the joys of a life we mostly don't appreciate, uneasily co-exist. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Feb 21, 2014
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Man of Tai Chi (2013) |
Reeves kicks off directorial career in style - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Sep 14, 2013
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The Man With the Iron Fists (2012) |
The Man with the Iron Fists is as limp as last week's wet noodles. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Dec 07, 2012
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Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (2011) |
This pleasurable documentary is jammed packed with images from magazines, photoshoots and newsreels of a life well lived, but also lots of historical footage of the life Vreeland imagined she had too. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Nov 22, 2012
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Nobel's Last Will (2012) |
Insatiable crime buffs will enjoy Last Will, but subsequent episodes are unlikely to hit Australian cinema screens. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Sep 20, 2012
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The Man From Nowhere (2010) |
Helmer Lee Jeong-beom shows a flair for action sequences, squeezing tension out of every fight scene choregraphed by Park Jung-ryul. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 06, 2012
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Hope Springs (2012) |
Mercifully, David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) directs in that anonymous TV style that has no auteurist imprint but knows enough not to get in the way of the actors or the script. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Aug 23, 2012
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Dead Europe (2012) |
Like the Eurozone itself, helmer Tony Krawitz's first full-length fiction feature "Dead Europe" struggles to cohere into a convincing whole, despite sections of commanding authority. - Variety
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| Posted Jun 19, 2012
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Prometheus (2012) |
Religious neurotics will find plenty of blasphemous ideas to complain about, and yet the question of spiritual belief - the elevation of faith beyond reason - finds substantial support in Prometheus too. Take your pick. - sbs.com.au
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| Posted Jun 08, 2012
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Kahaani (2012) |
Buttressed by compelling perfs, this adroit thriller makes the occasional misstep but maintains momentum and credibility. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 13, 2012
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United Red Army (2007) |
Human nature's dark side is the menacing midwife to the stillbirth of '60s idealism in the initially challenging and ultimately riveting United Red Army. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 23, 2012
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Khatta Meetha (2010) |
The ill-fitting elements play like mismatching jigsaw pieces. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 23, 2012
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Last Ride (2009) |
First-time director Ivin makes a smooth transition to the broader canvas of features. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 23, 2012
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Agneepath (2012) |
This dynamic Hindi action extravaganza boosts its potent story with an aggressive style that will ensure audiences feel every blow. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 01, 2012
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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) |
A fun though rarely funny family adventure whose lively special effects compensate somewhat for actors who largely sleepwalk through their roles. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 18, 2012
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Players (2012) |
The helmers keep things moving apace, handling some major setpieces with considerable finesse, particularly the train robbery itself. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 11, 2012
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Buddha Mountain (2010) |
Plumbing the depths of the generation gap, helmer Li Yu (Lost in Beijing) reaches an Asian indie apex with her earthy, energetic drama "Buddha Mountain. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 07, 2012
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Johnny English Reborn (2011) |
[An] enjoyable if somewhat wheezy reprise. - Variety
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| Posted Oct 19, 2011
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The Eye of the Storm (2011) |
Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis bookend a cast consisting of some of Oz's finest thesps, but Schepisi never gets a grip on a script with awkward literary tics. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 26, 2011
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3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (2011) |
Auds get an eyeful of flesh, served with sadistic, spasmodic laughs. - Variety
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| Posted Jun 13, 2011
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Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) |
[Zhang Yimou] delivers between flashy epics, this tender, understated romancer touches the heart with a disarming, almost stealthy sweetness. - Variety
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| Posted Apr 04, 2011
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Shaolin (2011) |
Well-mounted Chinese-Hong Kong martial-arts co-production Shaolin elevates enlightenment above brute strength, but weak helming undercuts the pic's punch. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 03, 2011
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After the Break (2010) |
Two longtime lovers takes a break from love -- and unfortunately, from laughter -- in the limp Hindi romantic comedy Break ke baad. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 03, 2011
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Tees Maar Khan (2010) |
Rapid-fire jokes range from dumb to occasionally offensive and snide, but the wicked script is still undeniably funny. - Variety
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| Posted Dec 28, 2010
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Lake Mungo (2008) |
Ghostly shenanigans are dryly delivered in the ambitious, restrained and well-mounted Oz mockumentary "Lake Mungo." - Variety
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| Posted Jul 06, 2010
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