Concrete Playground
Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
2/5
Rampage (2018)
Key to the 'Big, Dumb & Fun' genre is 'Fun', but this is too dumb to even come close.
Posted Apr 17, 2018
2
A Quiet Place (2018)
Krasinski's stripped-back use of sound reflects his entire approach, crafting a masterfully sparse movie from start to finish - and a downright masterful one too.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
3
Have You Seen The Listers? (2017)
4
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
An Oprah-style empowerment lesson for everyone under the age of 15 - pre-teen and teenage girls will be wrinkling their faces with happiness.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
5
The Death of Stalin (2018)
Iannucci is at it again in his usual uproarious fashion, slinging gags like weapons and flinging devastating one-liners like Molotov cocktails.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
6
Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)
7
Mary Magdalene (2018)
An intermittently convincing film about belief, rather than a film to believe in.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
8
Unsane (2018)
A tense, twist-filled, nightmarish flick that shows just why the cinema-loving world should be thankful that Soderbergh's supposed retirement didn't stick.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
9
Ága (2018)
Finessed performances, astonishing images, a concise script, and a well-handled sense of pace and mood all combine for a movie filled with its own considerable charms.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
10
Museum (Museo) (2018)
11
Transit (2018)
Assumed identities, heartbroken children, complex love triangles and the realisation that inertia is hell in itself all feature in this thoughtful, soulful film.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
12
Assembles its parts in such an assured and astute way that changing even one element seems unthinkable.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
13
Profile (2018)
Slick, thrilling and utterly involving, and with pitch-perfect performances to go with it, it's a film that not only entertains and engages, but lingers.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
14
U: July 22 (Utøya 22. Juli) (2018)
A feature that's never easy to watch but remains heartbreakingly engrossing - and important - from start to finish.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
15
The Green Fog (2018)
No one turns snippets of films into such loving, intelligent and amusing collages and homages like the experimental Canadian filmmaker.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
16
Excellent, and exceptionally acted.
Posted Apr 9, 2018
17
3/5
Ready Player One (2018)
Pop-culture references are no substitute for brains in this overly frenetic, poorly written blockbuster.
Posted Apr 2, 2018
18
Human Flow (2017)
19
The Mercy (2017)
A plucky underdog adventure crashing into an All Is Lost-style survivalist epic. Both have their merits, but they don't quite fit together.
Posted Mar 19, 2018
20
Red Sparrow (2018)
Frequently, it feels like Red Sparrow is putting Lawrence in the same situation as Dominika, using her for the audience's gratification.
Posted Mar 19, 2018
21
A multi-layered portrayal of a multi-layered figure... benefits enormously from Bening's stellar performance.
Posted Mar 19, 2018
22
Winchester (2018)
23
Black Panther (2018)
24
Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
It would take serious mystical abilities to breathe life into this formulaic effort.
Posted Mar 19, 2018
25
Molly's Game (2018)
When Chastain is unleashing her fast-paced narration or trading pithy chatter with Elba, you'll be able to overlook many of the film's flaws.
Posted Mar 19, 2018
26
Phantom Thread (2018)
Sensuous, evocative and completely entrancing, if the end result was a garment, you wouldn't want to take it off.
Posted Feb 2, 2018
27
Sweet Country (2018)
A piercing, powerful film that deserves to be hailed as a major achievement.
Posted Jan 29, 2018
28
2.5/5
The Commuter (2018)
The Commuter runs disappointingly close to the far superior Non-Stop.
Posted Jan 24, 2018
29
Swinging Safari (2018)
A movie that can't stuff its frames with enough raucous one-liners, polyester jumpsuits or instances of a woman urinating on a jellyfish-stung child.
Posted Jan 22, 2018
30
The Post (2018)
Solid, smart and polished... this tale might be history, but these days it feels like anything but.
Posted Jan 22, 2018
31
Darkest Hour (2017)
Oldman delivers a vibrant and complicated portrayal not only marked by its impressive imitation, but by the immense range on display.
Posted Jan 22, 2018
32
All the Money in the World (2017)
A movie that slides with thrilling ease into the icy waters of wealth, laying bare the darkness and ruthlessness born of excessive greed in the process.
Posted Jan 22, 2018
33
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
The film's message - about moving on and letting go of the past - is one that it seems incapable of taking on board.
Posted Jan 8, 2018
34
The Shape of Water (2017)
A sea of perfectly assembled elements, The Shape of Water truly feels like a film that no one else could have made.
Posted Jan 7, 2018
35
Lady Bird (2017)
Specific yet always relatable, Gerwig stitches it all together like she's borrowing from shared memories.
Posted Jan 7, 2018
36
In the Fade (Aus dem Nichts) (2017)
An exploration of terror, mourning and revenge that - like much of what we're seeing on screens these days - is all-too timely and relevant.
Posted Jan 7, 2018
37
In true western style it's the small gestures, more than the witty speeches, that really leave a lasting impression
Posted Jan 7, 2018
38
Paddington 2 (2018)
39
Coco (2017)
Both a colourful sight to behold and an exuberant journey; a film exploding with dazzling visual and emotional fireworks.
Posted Jan 7, 2018
40
The Florida Project (2017)
41
3/5
Freaky Friday meets Indiana Jones in this surprisingly funny reimagining of the Robin Williams classic.
Posted Dec 24, 2017
42
2/5
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Prefers easy sentiment over anything more than the most obvious of themes and the simplest, flimsiest of narratives.
Posted Dec 21, 2017
43
2.5/5
Downsizing (2017)
44
2.5/5
Breathe (2017)
Ultimately proves heavy on sentiment but light on emotional impact.
Posted Dec 21, 2017
45
3/5
At its best when it's getting to the heart of the various characters' emotional reactions, rather than trying to find laughs.
Posted Dec 21, 2017
46
Wonder Wheel (2017)
Even if Allen's own past didn't loom over the film's narrative, Wonder Wheel wouldn't rank among his best work
Posted Dec 14, 2017
47
The Disaster Artist (2017)
48
Wonder (2017)
49
Better Watch Out (2017)
If Better Watch Out was a Yuletide beverage, it'd be spiked eggnog: you think you know what you're getting, but after a couple of sips it turns out to be something very different.
Posted Dec 14, 2017
50
Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)
Goodbye subtlety and and emotional nuance, too.
Posted Dec 14, 2017