Rex Reed
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Inside (2023) |
William Dafoe’s unique face and morally ambiguous stance make him an exceptional portrayer of unhinged psychological screen wackos, but the absence of any character revelation or plot development robs Inside of any remotely sustainable interest. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Mar 20, 2023
|
|
|
|
65 (2023) |
65 is a gruesome thing to watch, even for dinosaur lovers—and not much fun, either. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Mar 20, 2023
|
|
|
|
Emily (2022) |
Despite strong visual appeal and a star performance from Emma Mackey this rendering of the Brontë family saga gets almost everything wrong. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Mar 08, 2023
|
|
|
|
Juniper (2021) |
Charlotte Rampling coming out of semi-retirement is an occasion that should be accompanied by fireworks — and she provides the fireworks herself in this film about healing fractured family dynamics. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 27, 2023
|
|
|
|
Devil's Peak (2023) |
With terrific Appalachian ambience and moments of carefully constructed action, Devil’s Peak is not a terrible movie, but in the bigger picture, it’s not a particularly memorable one, either. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 24, 2023
|
|
|
|
Marlowe (2022) |
Ironies build, narrow escapes accelerate, and familiar fisticuffs multiply, to little avail, in William Monaghan’s yawning screenplay. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 21, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Quiet Girl (2022) |
Made with sensitivity and care by first-time writer-director Colm Bairead, combines serene editing, quiet reserves of strength, and subdued performances that allow you to think and feel instead of just watch. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Close (2022) |
Close is a fresh, moving and unforgettable chronicle of masculine trust and devotion. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 16, 2023
|
|
|
|
Your Place or Mine (2023) |
About as romantic and funny as a root canal. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 13, 2023
|
|
|
|
Sharper (2023) |
A uniformly terrific cast led by Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan and John Lithgow makes this neo-noir taut, sexy and so full of surprises you may need to see it twice. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 10, 2023
|
|
|
|
Blood (2022) |
This adolescent vampire tale goes downhill so fast it turns inadvertently from horror to comedy. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Feb 03, 2023
|
|
|
|
Maybe I Do (2023) |
Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy each get a star-turn at pretentious blather in this talky mediocrity. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 31, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Man in the Basement (2021) |
The Man in the Basement is as provocative, intelligent and suspenseful as anything you are likely to see this year. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 30, 2023
|
|
|
|
Plane (2023) |
A first-rate action thriller. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 23, 2023
|
|
|
|
A Man Called Otto (2022) |
A follow-the-dots flick with a few moments of charm that aims to be a feel-good crowd pleaser, but lacks enough freshness and insight to make it anything special. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 19, 2023
|
|
|
|
Dog Gone (2023) |
It’s a tearjerker with mature intentions. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 19, 2023
|
|
|
|
Empire of Light (2022) |
Watching the misguided artistry at work in Empire of Light, it’s hard to fathom just what attracted so many top-tier talents to a project of such torpor. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 19, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Old Way (2023) |
When it comes to re-writing the rules of Hollywood Westerns, they don’t exactly break new ground, but they do prove the old ways still work best. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jan 09, 2023
|
|
|
|
The Whale (2022) |
Whatever 'The Whale's many imperfections, Brendan Fraser's relentless display of craft and courage is a must see. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Dec 12, 2022
|
|
|
|
Causeway (2022) |
Year-end releases reveal a plethora of fine actors vainly trying to apply their extraordinary skills to raise the quality level of mediocre films. Jennifer Lawrence in Causeway is a perfect example. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Dec 06, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Son (2022) |
The Son is a bold, harrowing and unflinchingly sobering film that is admittedly not for every taste, but an unavoidably intelligent piece of filmmaking for mature viewers that I highly recommend. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Dec 05, 2022
|
|
|
|
Bones and All (2022) |
It’s a preposterous debacle that might work better as a Halloween skit on Saturday Night Live, but it takes itself seriously, which makes it seem even sillier. I found the result too sick and disgusting to describe, but not interesting enough to care. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Nov 22, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Menu (2022) |
Bizarre, original and loaded with revelatory surprises with every turn of the page, The Menu uses the culture of haute cuisine as a metaphor for the spit-roasted values of high society, with results that are vicious, delicious, and horrifying. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Nov 18, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Fabelmans (2022) |
Mr. Spielberg’s life story is always slickly directed, professionally written and admirably acted by an appealing cast, but only intermittently interesting and less than what I’d call mesmerizing. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Nov 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Good Nurse (2022) |
Ms. Chastain infuses Amy with so much moment-to-moment subtle naturalism that I forgot I was watching an actress at work and really believed I was in the company of an actual overworked, underpaid nurse. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Oct 27, 2022
|
|
|
|
My Policeman (2022) |
My advice: if you read something negative about My Policeman, ignore it and see this exemplary film for yourself. You’ll be glad you did. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Oct 26, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) |
I consider Banshees nothing short of a marvel. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Oct 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Same Storm (2021) |
Some segments work better than others, but there’s no satisfactory connective tissue. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Oct 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Tár (2022) |
There’s never a dull moment with Ms. Blanchett’s measured performance to keep you focused. It’s impressive to a point, but too many loose ends deny the star a rational thread to hang onto. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Oct 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Deer Hunter (1978) |
There is no denying the impact of the film, but it should've been twice as harrowing in half the time. - Vogue
Read More
| Posted Aug 30, 2022
|
|
|
|
Annie Hall (1977) |
When Annie Hall ended, I really couldn't believe I'd watched a two-hour movie about Woody Allen's real-life problems relating to Diane Keaton and loved it so much. - Vogue
Read More
| Posted Aug 25, 2022
|
|
|
|
Beast (2022) |
Every scene is built on cinder blocks of tension, but the riotous screenplay is so silly and one-dimensional you find yourself laughing in spite of yourself. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Aug 23, 2022
|
|
|
|
Emily the Criminal (2022) |
... It’s energizing to see something as keenly observed and uniquely competent as Emily the Criminal. It’s a tense and engaging thriller that looks and feels distinctively different. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Aug 15, 2022
|
|
|
|
Bullet Train (2022) |
Just when you think you’ve seen the worst movie ever made, along comes a pile of toxic waste called Bullet Train. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Aug 04, 2022
|
|
|
|
Thirteen Lives (2022) |
As scripted, documentary-style fact-based dramas go, it doesn’t get much better than this. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Aug 01, 2022
|
|
|
|
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) |
Manville... brings her own set of dynamics to the role and scores a huge personal triumph. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jul 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) |
What emerges on the screen lacks the pace, suspense and humor it needs to keep a general audience alert and riveted. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jul 18, 2022
|
|
|
|
Ordinary People (1980) |
It's a rare bird among films because it is strong and sensitive and visual and filled with extraordinary human values that are foreign to most air-conditioned studio packages. We should all hail Robert Redford for making it. - New York Daily News
Read More
| Posted Jul 12, 2022
|
|
|
|
Mr. Malcolm's List (2022) |
Mr. Malcolm’s List is a lavishly photographed romantic period piece with a cast of enchanting unknowns that attempts to be a colorblind Jane Austen social satire. Its failure is nevertheless lovely to look at and worthy of attention. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jul 07, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Forgiven (2021) |
Richly designed and exotically executed, The Forgiven is an unusual film that holds interest even on the rare occasions when it challenges credibility. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jul 05, 2022
|
|
|
|
Elvis (2022) |
It’s an epic collage of images and sensations, but it is not a movie. Yet despite a surfeit of annoying flaws, I must add that it is also an occasional whale of an extravaganza. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jun 27, 2022
|
|
|
|
Popeye (1980) |
A flawed extravagance, but if you can survive its stumbling pace, its mumbling actors and its dreadful songs, you will eventually experience a charming, unique fantasy world quite unlike anything you've seen before. - New York Daily News
Read More
| Posted Jun 16, 2022
|
|
|
|
Tess (1979) |
I found myself sinking hypnotically into the projected atmosphere [Roman Polanski] creates with the aid of two great cameramen, and for the most part, his Tess is an honorable piece of work, well worth investigating. Too bad about Kinski, though. - New York Daily News
Read More
| Posted Jun 16, 2022
|
|
|
|
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) |
Fortunately, the weak things about the picture are eclipsed by other moments of wit, intelligence, and insight. And even when things get clumsy and self-conscious, everything is redeemed by the vivid, throbbing sensitivity of Natalie Wood. - Cosmopolitan
Read More
| Posted Jun 15, 2022
|
|
|
|
Benediction (2021) |
Beautifully designed and photographed, sensitively written and directed by England’s acclaimed Terence Davies, and impeccably acted by a distinguished cast that turns life into art, Benediction is one gorgeous motion picture. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jun 09, 2022
|
|
|
|
Crimes of the Future (2022) |
Crimes of the Future is a load of crap. I would like to find a more civil way to describe even a sick and depraved barf bag of a movie like this one, but it defeats every reasonable attempt to try. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Jun 09, 2022
|
|
|
|
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
Goes with popcorn like butter... I liked it in spite of myself. - Observer
Read More
| Posted May 27, 2022
|
|
|
|
Happening (2021) |
A movie of chilling honesty... - Observer
Read More
| Posted May 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Duke (2020) |
A charming, understated and completely enjoyable frolic about how ordinary people can do extraordinary things that seems doubly startling because, while seeming implausible, it also happens to be absolutely true. - Observer
Read More
| Posted May 04, 2022
|
|
|
|
Ambulance (2022) |
This is a director whose only interest is in entertainment without a trace of originality. He isn’t interested in quality, only in length, noise, and stale ideas from old movies. There’s plenty of all three in Ambulance. - Observer
Read More
| Posted Apr 11, 2022
|