Concrete Playground
Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
2/5
The Meg (2018)
You'll find more bloody gore in a lamb commercial than this toothless and pointless creature feature.
Posted Aug 22, 2018
2
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Helming the film it feels like he was born to make, Lee approaches his weighty material with the complexity that it deserves
Posted Aug 21, 2018
3
On Chesil Beach (2018)
As astute and insightful as McEwan's narrative is, it's the performances that give texture to a tale that otherwise works better on the page .
Posted Aug 21, 2018
4
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Doesn't always hit the mark, but it entertains in both the action and comedy departments.
Posted Aug 21, 2018
5
RBG (2018)
Like the justice, it's small, smart and striving; thorough and proficient; and eager to make the world a better place than it currently is.
Posted Aug 21, 2018
6
Whitney (2018)
Whitney mightn't tell viewers much that's new; however it assembles its various pieces with a force on par with Houston's roaring voice
Posted Aug 21, 2018
7
5/5
A rare example of a franchise improving with each new instalment; Fallout is a benchmark setter that begs to be seen on the big screen.
Posted Aug 2, 2018
8
Bisbee '17 (2018)
The results are as powerful to watch as they clearly are for those taking part, in a multi-layered documentary that uses everything it can to excavate the past.
Posted Jul 30, 2018
9
Lean on Pete (2018)
The empathy the film shows not only for its protagonist and the titular animal, but for life in the margins in America's midwest, lingers long after Lean on Pete stops rolling.
Posted Jul 30, 2018
10
Prototype (2018)
An example of 3D at its most inventive, artistic and adventurous, it's an audio-visual assault of the mesmerising type.
Posted Jul 30, 2018
11
Skate Kitchen (2018)
The struggle to fit in, find yourself and fight back against gendered expectations has rarely rolled by with such empowering energy, or with such an ethereal air either.
Posted Jul 30, 2018
12
Angels Wear White (2018)
A poised and perceptive crime drama... every frame leaves an imprint, both visually and emotionally.
Posted Jul 30, 2018
13
The Breaker Upperers (2018)
The kind of female-focused buddy comedy that cinema could use considerably more of.
Posted Jul 29, 2018
14
2/5
Skyscraper (2018)
Billed as a homage to Die Hard and Towering Inferno, Skyscraper's lack of wit, grit and suspense leaves it far behind its predecessors.
Posted Jul 24, 2018
15
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
16
Diamantino (2018)
17
Deserves to be celebrated as one of the best features Australia has ever had to offer.
Posted Jul 19, 2018
18
Zama (2018)
Nine years since making her last feature, Argentinian filmmaker Lucrecia Martel returns with an effort that matches her reputation: mythic.
Posted Jul 19, 2018
19
Caniba (2017)
Endlessly fascinating... there are few documentaries like Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel's Caniba.
Posted Jul 19, 2018
20
There's no doubting the sheer artistic and filmmaking spectacle on display.
Posted Jul 19, 2018
21
3.5/5
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
With a self-contained storyline and plenty of laughs, Ant-Man and The Wasp is the perfect follow-up to the chaos of Infinity War.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
22
Mary Shelley (2018)
Thanks to Fanning's lively and spirited portrayal, there's no doubting the fire that burned inside Mary, even when the film does favour her amorous affairs.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
23
Best F(r)iends, Part 1 (2018)
It won't tear you apart with laughter or leave you wondering how it got made, but very few films can manage that.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
24
Thelma (2017)
Part sci-fi, part horror, part coming-of-age effort, the end result is a piercing exploration of identity that looks as impressive as it feels.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
25
A bleak but hilarious study of bad behaviour.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
26
Heavy Trip (Hevi reissu) (2018)
Even when it veers into silly territory, Heavy Trip remains inventive, heartfelt and very amusing.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
27
Valley of Shadows (2017)
The gothic horror tradition is alive and well in moody, brooding Norwegian effort Valley of Shadows, which proves as haunting and gorgeously gloomy as its title suggests.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
28
Winter Brothers (2018)
As a study of masculinity left to fester in an isolated environment, it's an emotionally powerful piece.
Posted Jul 16, 2018
29
Adrift (2018)
This seafaring survivalist drama attempts to keep afloat on the strength of Shailene Woodley's performance.
Posted Jul 5, 2018
30
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' might be the motto behind-the-scenes, but it proves a mixed bag on-screen.
Posted Jul 3, 2018
31
Foxtrot (2018)
Inventive, immersive and absorbing from start to finish, and so accurate in its portrayal of loss that the story feels as though it has been ripped from reality.
Posted Jun 27, 2018
32
Brothers' Nest (2018)
An attempt to meld grimy psychological thrills with black comedy that doesn't break the mould, but delivers exactly what it promises.
Posted Jun 26, 2018
33
Incredibles 2 (2018)
The franchise's canny ability to combine cartoon antics with cutting societal commentary ensures this is no mere rehash.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
34
The Rider (2018)
One of the year's most empathetic, soulful and heart-wrenching efforts.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
35
Burning (Beoning) (2018)
A ruminative mystery, a fine-tuned character study and an intricately observed examination of human relationships.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
36
Searching (2018)
In accurately reflecting and smartly dissecting the impact of humanity's constantly online status within the confines of a missing person thriller, it's an absolute winner.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
37
The Guilty (Den skyldige) (2018)
This gripping effort commits to its concept from start to finish, particularly in its claustrophobic visuals and uneasy mood.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
38
Tyrel (2018)
All-too-relatable in its exploration of being an outsider at a party, and all-too-believable in its dissection of today's climate of toxic white masculinity.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
39
Upgrade (2018)
A sharp, sleek and savage wander into genre territory.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
40
Disobedience (2018)
Complex, nuanced and soulful.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
41
Leave No Trace (2018)
Thoughtful, quiet, assured and compelling.
Posted Jun 25, 2018
42
Cold War (Zimna wojna) (2018)
An utterly devastating exploration of love, loyalty, politics and survival.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
43
Filmworker (2018)
It's Vitali's frank recollections of his time spent helping someone else's genius that makes this movie such an astonishing film about filmmaking.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
44
The premise might sound like an excuse for a standard coming-of-age tale, just within unusual confines, but the movie's insight and emotion runs much deeper than that.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
45
Terror Nullius (2018)
The best Australian film of 2018 might just be a 54-minute mashup of almost every other Aussie film ever made.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
46
A rich, resonant and deeply textured performance sits at the centre of this Paraguayan feature.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
47
Piercing (2018)
Wasikowska particularly shines in a complex role, while the film's colourful visuals and intoxicating score add to its irresistible allure.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
48
The Wife (2018)
Every moment that Close is on screen, she offers a devastating dissection of a woman sidelined for male glory, in what proves an all-too-recognisable situation.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
49
You Were Never Really Here (2018)
Neither Ramsay or Phoenix put a foot wrong in a feature that dials up its intense revenge thrills to astounding levels.
Posted Jun 12, 2018
50
1% (2017)
Rides its own trail through the brutal bikie genre.
Posted Jun 12, 2018