Simon Weaving
Tomatometer-approved critic
Simon grew up all over the place and worked in the theatre before attending Film School. He's made a few award winning short films and completed a PhD in film noir.
Australia
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Chinatown (1974) |
It was with Chinatown that Nicholson made the world sit up and notice: he's in every scene of this film and he fills the frame with that heady mixture of knowing charm and explosive energy. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jun 12, 2020
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Contagion (2011) |
A high-class ensemble piece, with director Steven Soderbergh reimagining the disaster genre of the 1970s. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jun 12, 2020
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Uncut Gems (2019) |
It's intense filmmaking that starts slow and messy and accelerates to a mesmerising climax. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jun 12, 2020
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The Half of It (2020) |
A warm hearted, funny and really well-crafted movie about two girls, one boy, love letters and the art of romantic texting. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jun 12, 2020
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Dark Waters (2019) |
A gripping portrayal of a determined lawyer's battle against corporate greed from inside the belly of the beast. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 07, 2020
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Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) |
An excessive, frazzled tale of hyper-violence that plays out like Tom & Jerry in the colourful and hazardous world of Gotham City - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 06, 2020
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The Professor and the Madman (2019) |
Although messy, overwrought, and plagued by years of creative and legal dispute, this tale of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary remains engaging thanks to the original story. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 06, 2020
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Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2020) |
A turgid whodunit with some great costumes and a strong cast doing their best with uninspiring material. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 06, 2020
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A Hidden Life (2019) |
It's a beautiful work, as much about the power of everyday minutiae as it is about the torments of standing up for your beliefs. - Screenwize
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| Posted Feb 04, 2020
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Bombshell (2019) |
The fascinating, high-energy and somewhat true tale of how three women brought high-flying Roger Ailes down to earth. Charlize Theron is a stand-out. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 24, 2020
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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) |
Director Marielle Heller continues Rogers' vision in this very very McFeeley movie - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 24, 2020
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My Spy (2020) |
An enjoyable spy spoof, with the film's opening set up and ambitious finale never as convincing or satisfying as the playful fish-out-of-water shenanigans of the middle act. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 24, 2020
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Jojo Rabbit (2019) |
Pack up your political correctness, hold onto your jaw and enjoy the ride. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 24, 2020
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The Good Liar (2019) |
What starts as a playful cat and mouse game of deception, rapidly loses its way, morphing into an unbelievable, convoluted and dark tale of revenge. - Screenwize
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| Posted Dec 12, 2019
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Official Secrets (2019) |
What could have been either a raw and intimate look at the personal cost of standing up for your principles or a thrilling political drama turns into a dry retelling of events. - Screenwize
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| Posted Nov 24, 2019
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Ford v Ferrari (2019) |
A supremely well-balanced combination of corporate rivalry, on-track competitiveness and human drama. - Screenwize
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| Posted Nov 20, 2019
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Last Christmas (2019) |
Easily forgettable and highly contrived, the music of George Michael is never used strongly enough to make the film soar. - Screenwize
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| Posted Nov 10, 2019
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Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) |
It's mindless fun, overly nostalgic in places and held together with the breathless, non-stop action sequences that made T2 a huge hit. - Screenwize
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| Posted Nov 04, 2019
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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) |
With the overwhelming razzle-dazzle of computer-generated vistas, there's definitely something missing. Fairytales are meant to be whispered, invoking wonder and mystery, even at their darkest. This is shouty and loud. - Screenwize
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| Posted Nov 04, 2019
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Gemini Man (2019) |
Whilst there are some heart-pumping action sequences, neither the technology nor the woeful script can save the experience from feeling a little like watching those clips of early flying machines, with plenty of flapping but little elevation. - Screenwize
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| Posted Oct 14, 2019
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Selma (2014) |
If you don't mind the technical confusion it's a gripping story, and a great credit to DuVernay and co-writer Paul Webb who were unable to use King's original speeches for copyright reasons. - Sydney Morning Herald
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| Posted Oct 04, 2018
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Gemma Bovery (2014) |
A strangely dull and dated affair, sugar coated by the beauty of the landscape and the beauty of Gemma Arterton. - Screenwize
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| Posted May 26, 2015
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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) |
A spectacular demolition derby of action that totally overwhelms every other aspect of the film: characters, narrative, emotion and charm flattened in the dust. - Screenwize
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| Posted May 22, 2015
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Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) |
No more than an excuse for James to play out his affable brand of humour - mixing physical slapstick with a verbose running commentary of both grandiose and self-depreciating observations on life and himself. - Screenwize
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| Posted Apr 22, 2015
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Testament of Youth (2014) |
A cinematic and moving coming-of-age love story, sticky with the personal fallout that comes with news from the trenches. - Screenwize
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| Posted Apr 22, 2015
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Black Sea (2014) |
Twelve men in a leaky boat with greed for company and the Russian Navy above them. A shame that none of them are very likeable. - Screenwize
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| Posted Apr 07, 2015
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Mommy (2014) |
Although the performances are outstanding, and there's plenty of Dolan's trademark vigour, it's a long and at times overindulgent examination of a hyperactive teenager, his white-trash mum and their kindly neighbour. - Screenwize
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| Posted Apr 07, 2015
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The DUFF (2015) |
A predictable prom-com, but the journey is fun. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 31, 2015
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Foxcatcher (2014) |
Plays like a slow-motion wrestling bout, the characters edging and circling each other, occasionally finding an emotional grip before sliding apart to re-assess the stakes and manoeuvre positions. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 24, 2015
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The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2013) |
A nostalgic, moving and tender story of love, change and loss, made beautiful by the mesmerising performance of Jessica Chastain. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 24, 2015
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Inherent Vice (2014) |
This preposterously funny hippie-noir is a warm, back-to-the-'70's journey of paranoia and intrigue, dentists and dope - a kind of fin de siecle of the Californian '60s. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 24, 2015
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Big Eyes (2014) |
Athough this is not an entirely successful change of pace for director Tim Burton, there's enough in the story to make his version of events very watchable. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 24, 2015
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'71 (2014) |
A superb debut feature from director Yann Demange, who expertly captures the mood of ragged violence and the naivety of British forces arriving in the midst of a deeply complex political conflict. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 24, 2015
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Cinderella (2015) |
This is an enchantment - with the occasional touch of nostalgia - just the way it should be. - Screenwize
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| Posted Mar 24, 2015
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Paper Planes (2014) |
A wholesome, feel good tale of a primary school under-dog who dreams of getting to the world paper plane championships in Japan. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 19, 2015
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American Sniper (2014) |
Not one of Clint Eastwood's best film, this is a biopic of Chris Kyle, a Texan rodeo-rider who became a Navy SEAL sniper, credited with 160 kills while on duty in Iraq. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 19, 2015
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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) |
A disappointing messy instalment, this combination of battle scenes and soap-opera marks an extraordinary achievement - the completion of a 20 year journey in Middle-earth by Peter Jackson - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 13, 2015
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Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) |
A journey of crisis and transformation as an ageing actor (Michael Keaton) battles colleagues, family and friends, but mostly his own powerful inner demons. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jan 13, 2015
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The Judge (2014) |
Highly watchable with a great cast, this tale of an estranged father and son coming together through a courtroom drama is undermined by moments of nostalgia. - Screenwize
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| Posted Oct 08, 2014
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The Little Death (2014) |
A loveable, clever and feel-good film despite the fragmented structure. - Screenwize
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| Posted Sep 25, 2014
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Freedom (2014) |
Noble in intention, this story of slavery and the origin of John Newton's hymn Amazing Grace opens with style but then steadily sinks into messy theatricality, overwhelmed by its own earnestness. - Screenwize
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| Posted Aug 21, 2014
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The Expendables 3 (2014) |
The saggy-faced Stallone takes this old-school smaction franchise to new depths of inanity!! - Screenwize
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| Posted Aug 14, 2014
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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) |
Think a wild ride through an amusement park with five crazy friends. Or Star Wars meets Flying High. - Screenwize
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| Posted Aug 06, 2014
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The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013) |
This predictable and one-dimensional Danish crime thriller sees an anti-social detective ignoring the rules and trying to rescue a damsel in distress. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jul 29, 2014
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The Selfish Giant (2013) |
A powerful, often gruelling but supremely tender fable about two boys scrounging for scrap in Britain's industrial wasteland. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jul 28, 2014
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Devil's Knot (2013) |
With a rather stilted and unfocused aesthetic, this tale of bias and bungling covers the same sad ground that documentary WEST OF MEMPHIS did so very well. Reese Witherspoon works hard but she and Colin Firth are wasted. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jul 23, 2014
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Still Life (2014) |
Contemplative and graceful, it's a showcase for highly watchable English character actor Eddie Marsan. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jul 23, 2014
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Reaching for the Moon (2013) |
The rather pale and uninspiring story of obscure poet Elizabeth Bishop's love affair in Brazil in the 1950s and '60s. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jul 16, 2014
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Good Vibrations (2012) |
Chock full of vigour, great punk tunes and larrikin wit, this feel-good film tells the story of Terri Hooley, a man who brings music to a battered 1970s Belfast. - Screenwize
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| Posted Jun 12, 2014
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Sunshine on Leith (2013) |
A wee bit twee and syrupy, this jaunty Scottish musical works hard to take you from misery to happiness all to the upbeat sound of The Proclaimers. - Screenwize
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| Posted May 21, 2014
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