Noel Murray
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Punch (2022) |
Ings does a fine job of capturing the instant connection between these two young men and in conveying Jim’s combination of excitement and terror when he realizes this bond could evolve easily into a romance. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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Sound of Silence (2023) |
If nothing else, this movie is an effective demonstration of the directors’ ability to lull the audience into a relaxed state before knocking them around. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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I Got a Monster (2023) |
The documentary can feel a little scattered due to its multiple angles, but it remains a fascinating and relevant tale, examining how any criminal justice system built around the idea that cops never lie is ripe for abuse. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023) |
“Fallen Sun” is best described as a movie-size version of a “Luther” season — which, for longtime fans, is better than no “Luther” at all. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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Unseen (2023) |
A taut, inventive picture about two young Asian American women helping each other survive one terrible day. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 10, 2023
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The Creeping (2022) |
The film works quite well, thanks to Hooper’s command of retro horror style. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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Wolf Garden (2023) |
Despite some nice mood-setting, too much of “Wolf Garden” is spent talking around the story rather than just telling it. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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Transfusion (2023) |
“Transfusion” is 25% slam-bang genre film and 75% melancholy character sketch — a balance tilted too far to the latter. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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Free Skate (2022) |
The film is visually sharp and quietly absorbing, and Olenius and Vilo sensitively capture the isolation and self-doubt that can make an athlete’s life so lonely. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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Spoonful of Sugar (2022) |
There’s not quite enough plot in “Spoonful of Sugar” to fill its running time, though the performances are so lively and director Morgan’s imagery so vivid that the picture is never dull. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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Please Baby Please (2022) |
Aimed squarely at fans of John Waters and Pedro Almodóvar, the arty oddity “Please Baby Please” is the kind of cinematic fetish object that should entice anyone who shares director Amanda Kramer’s particular fascinations. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Mar 03, 2023
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9 to 5 (1980) |
The movie is surprisingly smart about the politics of the glass ceiling. - AV Club
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| Posted Mar 02, 2023
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God's Time (2022) |
The individual pieces mostly work, but they don’t quite fit together. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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The Outwaters (2022) |
Some may find all this tedious or confusing, but there’s an admirable integrity to Banfitch’s approach. “The Outwaters” genuinely feels like a first-person perspective on the end of the world. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Ambush (2023) |
“Ambush” has the structure of an old-fashioned two-fisted combat picture, but with too little actual combat. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Devil's Peak (2023) |
The elements of a good, “Winter’s Bone”-like depiction of the rural social order are here. But they only really coalesce — and combust — when Thornton’s on the screen. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Bruiser (2022) |
What makes “Bruiser” so affecting is that Warren doesn’t keep any of these characters locked into types. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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We Have a Ghost (2023) |
Landon gets a lot of help from Harbour, whose facial expressions alone capture this ghost’s wit, hopes, fears and heartbreak. He’s one lovable dead guy. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Linoleum (2022) |
A minor-key domestic drama gradually transformed into something grander by its science-fiction elements. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 24, 2023
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Swallowed (2022) |
A memorably intense experience, with sharp points to make about how the lives of outsiders and outlaws can tip in an instant into sloppy chaos. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 17, 2023
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The Civil Dead (2023) |
The movie’s premise is clever; but what really makes it work is that these two use this ghost schtick as a way to examine the ways that friendship can be a hassle. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 17, 2023
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Jethica (2022) |
A horror-comedy that doesn’t offer much in the way of scares or laughs but is strangely fascinating regardless. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 17, 2023
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The Integrity of Joseph Chambers (2022) |
For the most part, this is an absorbing and nuanced character sketch, with a well-deployed supporting cast. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 17, 2023
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Sharper (2023) |
It’s stylish and well-acted, and it does keep viewers guessing. It does its job well. It’s a pretty-looking puzzle. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 17, 2023
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Consecration (2023) |
When the threat the characters are facing remains so vague for so long, it robs the story of tension. It doesn’t help that Smith keeps the horror elements to a minimum, or that the picture is so drably colored and dimly lit. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 12, 2023
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Seriously Red (2021) |
Even at its bluntest, “Seriously Red” draws a lot of heat and light from Boylan, whose Red enjoys embodying the casual confidence, folksy wisdom and bombshell bravura of one of the world’s most beloved entertainers. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Nothing Lasts Forever (2022) |
Kohn’s talking heads are remarkably animated and, collectively, the interviews present a provocative debate about the meaning of “valuable.” - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Daughter (2022) |
The symbolism remains heavy, but it’s all in service of a powerful prisoner’s story, about the small ways people find freedom. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Attachment (2022) |
That first hour is so sweet that the comparatively sour parts don’t spoil the picture. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Somebody I Used To Know (2023) |
A well-meaning dramedy with a great cast and admirable ambitions — but which never quite finds a good groove. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Your Place or Mine (2023) |
What saves the picture is McKenna’s knack for finding something real and relatable within quirky comic characters... - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 10, 2023
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Body Parts (2022) |
The film works best when it gets into the nuts-and-bolts of the sex scenes themselves, past and present. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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A Lot of Nothing (2022) |
There’s an earnest, yearning passion here that makes the film feel vital even at its clumsiest. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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Blood (2022) |
There’s some strong Stephen King energy to “Blood,” a thriller with echoes of “Cujo” and “Pet Sematary.” - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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The Locksmith (2023) |
“The Locksmith” has a fine film noir premise, delivered with a fair amount of oomph by a veteran cast and first-time feature director Nicolas Harvard. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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True Spirit (2023) |
Give credit to Spillane for making sure that this movie isn’t just about the heartwarming highs, but about the hard work it took to reach them. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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Pamela, a Love Story (2023) |
“Pamela, a Love Story” lets Anderson retell her story in her own words, with her own focus. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Feb 03, 2023
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Wild Things (1998) |
Is there more to Wild Things than the trash? Sure, but not much more: Frankly, it’s the trash that holds the film together. - Nashville Scene
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| Posted Feb 02, 2023
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Waking Karma (2023) |
[A] dreary psychodrama that squanders good performances and a sharp midfilm twist. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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The Mission (2022) |
A poignant and relatable portrait of loneliness... - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Life Upside Down (2023) |
“Life Upside Down” essentially says all it has to say after the first half-hour. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Condor's Nest (2023) |
There’s a little bit of a boys playing war quality to this film, but that ultimately may prove more endearing than cheesy, especially for viewers who grew up reading old “Frontline Combat” and “Sgt. Rock” comics. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Kompromat (2022) |
A well-crafted chase picture that doubles as a fiery warning about the dangers of an authoritarian government that can create its own reality, with no accountability for mistakes or malevolence. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Shotgun Wedding (2023) |
Once the plot kicks in and the characters separate (and settle down), “Shotgun Wedding” becomes much more entertaining, highlighted by the comic push-and-pull between its two leads, Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 27, 2023
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Sorry About the Demon (2022) |
There’s a broad tone to the jokes and performances that skews corny. But the central comic premise is a hoot; and the movie has an unexpectedly philosophical dimension. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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Legions (2022) |
It’d be a reach to say that the movie has anything profound to say about preserving legacies and cultural traditions; but the father-daughter connection does make it easy to root for these humans as they fight off the hell-hordes. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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All Eyes Off Me (2021) |
The film is bracingly frank about the younger generation’s pursuit of sensual pleasure (and pain). And it’s graced by Weil’s superb performance... - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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There's Something Wrong with the Children (2023) |
There’s something wrong with the children, all right. The filmmakers can’t figure out what to do with them. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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Kids vs. Aliens (2022) |
There is an endearingly scruffy vibe here, goosed by some cool-looking costumes and effects. And there’s a legitimate underdog edge, as Eisener and Davies capture how it feels to be underestimated and overmatched but full of can-do pluck. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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Sick (2022) |
The real-world wrinkles aren’t just a cynical way to make the routine more relevant. They give all the bloody murder a meaning. - Los Angeles Times
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| Posted Jan 20, 2023
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