Screen International

Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating Title/Year Author
() Nikki Baughan While it may be intimate in scale, Archana's frank approach and eye for detail make for an absorbing, eye-opening and moving family portrait. EDIT
Posted Jun 18, 2019
() Sarah Ward As well as showcasing Weaving's talents, it also proves a calling card for its director, as well as a stirring debut for Sudanese-Australian truck driver-turned-actor Andrew Luri. EDIT
Posted Jun 17, 2019
() Allan Hunter Told with charm, wit and invention, this is family entertainment with an appeal that should cross the generations. EDIT
Posted Jun 17, 2019
Toy Story 4 (2019) Tim Grierson This sequel may not be as buoyant as previous chapters, but the filmmakers' continued commitment to honoring these characters -- and to understanding what is so universal about their quest to love and be loved -- is worth treasuring. EDIT
Posted Jun 16, 2019
() Sarah Ward An understated drama with an open heart and a lithe sense of humour. EDIT
Posted Jun 15, 2019
() Allan Hunter It is often very enjoyable but, for a simple coming of age tale in which Akane learns to count her blessings, it also feels as if a less elaborate approach might have achieved more of an emotional impact. EDIT
Posted Jun 14, 2019
() Allan Hunter It should readily attract longterm fans of [Laguionie's] work and those seeking animation with sophisticated substance as well as a distinctive style. EDIT
Posted Jun 14, 2019
() Allan Hunter Full of interesting concepts and accomplished animation, Children Of The Sea is less than the sum of its many parts and just seems to lose its way after a very promising beginning. EDIT
Posted Jun 13, 2019
Men in Black: International (2019) Tim Grierson The delightful chemistry Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth displayed in "Thor: Ragnarok" is nowhere in evidence in "Men in Black: International," a stunningly inert spinoff from a franchise that, long ago, was a sleek, breezy lark. EDIT
Posted Jun 12, 2019
Playmobil: The Movie (2019) Allan Hunter Bland variations on familiar themes... leave Playmobil -The Movie in need of some of the adventurous spirit that it so relentlessly advocates. EDIT
Posted Jun 11, 2019
Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) Allan Hunter Mike Wallace Is Here fondly celebrates his life but also questions Wallace's influence on the quality of public discourse in modern media. EDIT
Posted Jun 7, 2019
Midnight Family (2019) Allan Hunter A compelling documentary that blends the engaging family dynamic of a Kore-eda drama with the socio-economic realities of a Ken Loach classic. EDIT
Posted Jun 7, 2019
() Sarah Ward Palm Beach works best an ensemble showcase filled with ample talent making the most of their requisite lively and serious moments, as directed by a filmmaker with an attentive and generous eye. EDIT
Posted Jun 5, 2019
Yomeddine (2018) Tim Grierson A simple story told with abundant gentleness, "Yomeddine" looks at a group of outcasts with such compassion and generosity that it has the good manners not to artificially inflate their tale with phony uplift. EDIT
Posted Jun 5, 2019
Dark Phoenix (2019) Tim Grierson If this is indeed the final iteration of these characters before being absorbed into Disney's MCU juggernauts, then perhaps it's fitting that they go out on a somewhat exhausted note. EDIT
Posted Jun 5, 2019
() Allan Hunter A wide-ranging, eye-opening film, it should attract the attention of serious-minded audiences willing to confront the subject matter and previously supportive of animation titles ranging from Waltz With Bashir to Another Day Of Life. EDIT
Posted Jun 3, 2019
Pavarotti (2019) Tim Grierson A portrait of a man blessed with one of the 20th century's most beloved voices, "Pavarotti" is, like many authorized, cradle-to-grave biographical documentaries, informative, more than a little reverential, yet entertaining enough. EDIT
Posted May 30, 2019
Ma (2019) Stephen Whitty The script takes forever to get started, and once it's going, labours to create a single plausible character. Nor can Taylor, who last handled the dreary The Girl On The Train, wring any suspense from his scenes. EDIT
Posted May 29, 2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) Kim Newman King of the Monsters delivers what its genre requires. EDIT
Posted May 28, 2019
() Fionnuala Halligan The Specials is a rare film that comes both from the heart and reality: it's a potent mix which allows access to a hidden subject yet welcomes the audience in with grace and humour. EDIT
Posted May 27, 2019
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) Stephen Whitty The Secret Life of Pets 2 may not offer a new tale, but it certainly knows the joy of greeting happy, wagging ones. EDIT
Posted May 27, 2019
Domino (2019) Stephen Whitty Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but Domino dishes it up as a sloppy mess of warmed-over clichés. EDIT
Posted May 27, 2019
() Fionnuala Halligan Sibyl is far less than the sum of its parts, and never manages to shake off a heavy tone which consistently threatens to capsize even the rare funny interludes. EDIT
Posted May 24, 2019
It Must Be Love (2004) Lee Marshall There's richness but also randomness in the exercise: as with Andersson, audiences will likely approach the film a series of sketches linked as much by mood as by theme. EDIT
Posted May 24, 2019
Mektoub, My Love (2018) Fionnuala Halligan While it's important to have seen Canto Uno in order to savour Intermezzo, this film in itself doesn't seem remotely essential. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Allan Hunter A modest but precisely calibrated drama with a plangent feel for small-town life. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Jonathan Romney Devoted Diaz fans will find it a satisfying venture into somewhat new territory. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
Ice on Fire (2019) Wendy Ide Should be essential viewing for anyone who plans to carry on living on the planet... EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Jonathan Romney A disappointingly lacklustre affair whose procedural thrills get increasingly bogged down in a morass of tepid psychodrama, with transcendental trimmings. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Fionnuala Halligan All the tricks in the world can't disguise the gap which is supposed to be inhabited by the characters and story. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Lisa Nesselson The premise is splendid and the execution cordially over the top although the venture wears out its welcome before the end. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Wendy Ide It's defiantly undramatic, but, like the languid river water that flows through the town, this leisurely approach delivers unexpected rewards. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
() Tim Grierson Dolan's film is so awash in the chaos of these men that it fails to provide a little focus to their blurry lives. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
Oh Mercy! (Roubaix, Une Lumière) (2019) Lee Marshall Rambling but strangely compelling, Oh Mercy!'s documentary bedrock gives the investigation at the heart of the film a real authenticity. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
Bull (2019) Tim Grierson By resisting sentimentality, the filmmaker, alongside her naturalistic actors, allows us to sit inside the characters' despair so that we appreciate the intensity of its stifling oppression. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
() Lisa Nesselson The film's consistently earned sense of unease is enhanced by an excellent anxiety-boosting score. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
() Allan Hunter Nariman Aliev's first feature reveals a poise and maturity beyond his years. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
Booksmart (2019) Tim Grierson Wilde delivers a confident feature directorial debut, mixing humour, embarrassment and poignancy to crowd-pleasing effect. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
() Lee Marshall The visual delights on offer here are sure to broaden the appeal of a film that is likely to be most warmly embraced in its French and Italian co-production territories. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
() Wendy Ide An enigmatic and wildly unpredictable odyssey which is too obtuse to live up to its name - Tlamess is a Tunisian word meaning 'enchantment'. EDIT
Posted May 22, 2019
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019) Fionnuala Halligan Once Upon A Time....in Hollywood is beautifully made. Beyond all the 'Tarantino-esque' touches of the action, the banter, the violence, the constant movie references, there's a real craft at play here. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Tim Grierson Ferrara may not be drawing entirely from his own experiences, but there's no question with Tommaso he knows this terrain intimately. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Jonathan Romney Chicuarotes has energy to spare, but shaky dramatic strategy, skipping awkwardly between goofy comedy, hard-nosed violence and wildly overplayed melodrama. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Fionnuala Halligan This is an appealingly dignified, humane story of the repercussions of the little-known civil war in Guatemala in the 1980s as borne by the country's women. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Allan Hunter A sweet, inventive Richard Curtis-style romantic-comedy crowdpleaser that deftly balances hearty laughs and heartwarming emotion. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
Parasite (2019) Jonathan Romney A vigorous and tightly controlled comedy that sees [Bong] back on top form, with a story that's both rigorously achieved and very specifically Korean. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Sarah Ward This ruminative film leaves a firm imprint. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Wendy Ide To lean so heavily on the 'hysterical actress' cliché seems at best irresponsible and at worst borderline abusive. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
Frankie (2019) Jonathan Romney Sachs doesn't exactly come a cropper here, but this melancholic drama is markedly less distinctive and piquant than recent titles of his such as Love Is Strange and Little Men. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
() Wendy Ide Despite the extreme elements of the relationship between Mona and Juha, a case can be made for the sexually positive attitude at the heart of the story. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019