Production Company(ies)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company,
 
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language and some violence
 
Year of Release
1997
 

 
Genre(s)
Documentary
 
Keyword(s)
starring Mike Tyson, directed by James Toback, written by James Toback, documentary, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kaleem Aftab, Damon Bingham, MPAA rating R, boxing, heavyweight champion, Iron Mike, juvenile detention, Cus D’Amato, rape charge, prison, sexual references, language, Sony Pictures Classics, Dolby Digital, Nicholas Jarecki, Damon Bingham, executive producer, complex portrait, controversial icon, emotional, frank confessional, sympathetic light, fascinating, redemption, downfall, self-justification, aggression, affection, split-screens, overlapping dialogue, self-deceiving, hands-on involvement, potential, tragic, fascinating, sympathetic, raw, riveting, rise and fall, redemption, downfall, self-justification, aggression, affection, split-screens, overlapping dialogue, self-deceiving, hands-on involvement, potential, tragic, fascinating, sympathetic, raw, riveting, rise and fall
 

Cast & Crew

Mike Tyson

James Toback

Damon Bingham

Nicholas Jarecki

Mike Tyson

Director

Producer

Writer

Damon Bingham

Mike Tyson – Self
James Toback – Director, Producer, Writer
Damon Bingham – Producer
Mike Tyson – Executive Producer
Nicholas Jarecki – Executive Producer

 

James Toback

James Toback

Damon Bingham

James Toback

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
James Toback
 
Writer(s)
James Toback
 
Producer(s)
Damon Bingham, James Toback

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 4 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kaleem Aftab

Keith Uhlich

Ben Kenigsberg

Giles Hardie

Philippa Hawker

Independent

Time Out

Sydney Morning Herald

The Age

At the Movies (Australia)

TYSON
 All Critics (147) | Top Critics (60) | Fresh (125) | Rotten (22)
 The result is a documentary that once again highlights that, of all sports, boxing is the one that cinema has been most successful in recording…
 
 May 15, 2018
 
 Kaleem Aftab
 Independent (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 Something draws us near-perhaps [James] Toback’s own fascination, at once self-serving and empathetic, with his soft-spoken protagonist.
 
 November 18, 2011 | Rating: 3/6
 
 Keith Uhlich
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Ben Kenigsberg
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 Just relentless lisping monotonous speech that makes the prospect of entering the ring with Mike seem attractive if only because it will be over sooner.
 
 August 9, 2009 | Rating: 1/5
 
 Giles Hardie
 Sydney Morning Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 There is something compelling about the way he presents his version of the stories and scandals that surround him.
 
 August 7, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Philippa Hawker
 The Age (Australia)
 TOP CRITIC
 He’s amazingly frank about some of the people he doesn’t like, and he breaks down when he talks about his friends and the people he loved. A surprisingly fine documentary.
 
 August 5, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
 
 David Stratton
 At the Movies (Australia)
 TOP CRITIC
 The redeeming value of Tyson is its entrée into the mind of a wild man, a furious force of nature.
 
 March 22, 2021
 
 Dan DiNicola
 The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
 Tyson is most a revelation onscreen when he’s captured with his children.
 
 September 26, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com
 James Toback combines a vivid recapitulation of everything you think you know about “Iron Mike.”
 
 June 18, 2020
 
 David Lamble
 Bay Area Reporter
 Toback telegraphs his intent to out Tyson’s mental health struggles through using split screens of Tyson’s narration and overlapping recordings of the same Tyson testimony.
 
 March 21, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
 
 PJ Nabarro
 Patrick Nabarro
 A raw, riveting portrait of the rise and fall of a superstar as seen through his own eyes.
 
 July 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Mattie Lucas
 From the Front Row
 The knockout punches are delivered by Toback’s incredible access, supreme editing choices and ability to let Tyson talk himself into a cul-de-sac.
 
 November 4, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Kaleem Aftab
 The List…

 

Plot
Maureen is pregnant and her husband Eddie is missing. Nervous, Maureen shares a couple of drinks with neighbor Kiefer, who tries to rape her and then beats her. When Eddie returns and finds his wife bruised, he goes ballistic, shoots a paramedic and is put in a psychiatric institution. Ten years later, Eddie is released and finds that Maureen has divorced him and is remarried with three children, one of whom is his little girl Jeanie. Eddie goes to reclaim his wife.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson as the main subject.
 

 
James-Toback.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Wing Nut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company,
 
Distributor
Cohen Media Group
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language and some violence
 
Year of Release
1997
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Gerard Depardieu, Gisèle Casadesus, Maurane, Patrick Bouchitey, Jean-François Stévenin, François-Xavier Demaison, directed by Jean Becker, written by Jean Becker, Jean-Loup Dabadie, genre Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Marjorie Baumgarten, Tom Long, Joe Williams, Roger Ebert, Adam Bernstein, Mick LaSalle, Matt Brunson, Richard Propes, Laura Hiros, Anne Billson, MPAA rating, produced by Louis Becker, Cohen Media Group, Marie-Sabine Roger’s book, Margueritte, 95-year-old woman, rural French village, German, illiterate, friendship, passion, reading aloud, eyes begin to fail, love, literature, emotional abuse, teacher, flashbacks, chemistry, culture, words, caravan, garden, happy fool, cultured old woman, books, words, relationship, others, himself, adapted by Jean-Loup Dabadie, Louis Becker, Tomatometer, audience score, Caramel, Lemon Tree, The Song of Sparrows, Five Days Without Nora, Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats
 

Cast & Crew

Gérard Depardieu

Germain Chazes

Gisèle Casadesus

Maurane

Patrick Bouchitey

Germain Chazes

Margueritte

Francine

Landremont

Jojo

Gérard Depardieu – Germain Chazes
Gisèle Casadesus – Margueritte
Maurane – Francine
Patrick Bouchitey – Landremont
Jean-François Stévenin – Jojo
François-Xavier Demaison – Gardini

 

Jean Becker

Jean Becker

Louis Becker

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Jean Becker
 
Writer(s)
Jean Becker, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Jean Becker
 
Producer(s)
Louis Becker

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 4 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Marjorie Baumgarten

Tom Long

Joe Williams

Roger Ebert

Adam Bernstein

Austin Chronicle

Detroit News

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Chicago Sun-Times

Washington Post

MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE
 All Critics (62) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (9)
 There’s no reason this cliché-ridden French drama should work, but it does, and there’s the beauty of it.
 
 November 4, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Marjorie Baumgarten
 Austin Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 A sweet puff of a film, My Afternoons With Margueritte is as disarming as it is absurd.
 
 October 14, 2011 | Rating: B
 
 Tom Long
 Detroit News
 TOP CRITIC
 [Depardieu] is as emblematic of his country as Tom Hanks is of ours, and “My Afternoons With Margueritte” is his “Forrest Gump.” Only better.
 
 October 14, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Joe Williams
 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 TOP CRITIC
 The happy ending lays it on too thick, but what the hell: In for a dime, in for a dollar.
 
 September 29, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Roger Ebert
 Chicago Sun-Times
 TOP CRITIC
 A predictable, undernourished love story.
 
 September 23, 2011 | Rating: 1/4
 
 Adam Bernstein
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s a lovely movie.
 
 September 22, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Mick LaSalle
 San Francisco Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 The scenes between Germain and Margueritte are so strong that other sequences almost feel like filler.
 
 May 6, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 Gerard Depardieu remains one of the world’s best living actors.
 
 September 17, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com
 A love story, but not the classic head-over-heels story where it’s Juliet’s destiny to meet her Romeo and live out a tragic situation that ends in tears. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 March 23, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Laura Hiros
 Rincón de cine
 Margueritte is played by Gisèle Casadesus, a spry and still beautiful 96-year-old veteran… and one of the pleasures of Becker’s film is being able to feast your eyes on a face like hers, which has an entire lifetime etched into its lines.
 
 November 27, 2017
 
 Anne Billson
 The Arts Desk
 My Afternoons with Margueritte itself is hardly brain food for viewers-it’s more like a still-warm, home-baked cookie, celluloid comfort food.
 
 March 30, 2016
 
 Dennis Harvey
 SF360
 No será una gran película, pero es un raro ejemplar en estos días cuyo hallazgo produce un placer inusual. Gérard Depardieu ofrece una actuación conmovedora.
 
 January 24, 2012 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Enrique Buchichio
 Uruguay Total…

 

Plot
Maureen is pregnant and her husband Eddie is missing. Nervous, Maureen shares a couple of drinks with neighbor Kiefer, who tries to rape her and then beats her. When Eddie returns and finds his wife bruised, he goes ballistic, shoots a paramedic and is put in a psychiatric institution. Ten years later, Eddie is released and finds that Maureen has divorced him and is remarried with three children, one of whom is his little girl Jeanie. Eddie goes to reclaim his wife.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Gisèle Casadesus, who plays Margueritte, was 96 years old at the time of filming and had been acting for over 80 years.
 

 
Jean-Becker.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Norma Productions, Curtleigh Productions, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions,
 
Distributor
Miramax Films
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Brick, New Jersey, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong graphic sex-related dialogue, language, sexuality and drug content
 
Year of Release
1997
 

 
Genre(s)
Lgbtq+
 
Keyword(s)
Chasing Amy, R, LGBTQ+, 1h 51m, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell, Jason Mewes, Silent Bob, Bluntman, Miramax Films, $12.0M, reviewed by Steven Rea, Paul Tatara, Jay Boyar, John Hartl, Dave Kehr, Mark Caro, Cathay Che, Mark J Huisman, Michael Atkinson, PJ Nabarro, Patrick Nabarro, Dan Webster, Gary Thompson, directed by Kevin Smith, written by Kevin Smith, romantic comedy, comic book artists, lesbian, friendship, love, sexuality, adult, dialogue-heavy, emotional storyline, hetero-male fantasy, relationships, mature work, insightful dialogue, great performance, Godly, smart, intense drama, laughs
 

Cast & Crew

Ben Affleck

Joey Lauren Adams

Jason Lee

Dwight Ewell

Jason Mewes

Holden McNeil

Alyssa Jones

Banky Edwards

Hooper LaMont

Jay Phat Buds

Ben Affleck – Holden McNeil
Joey Lauren Adams – Alyssa Jones
Jason Lee – Banky Edwards
Dwight Ewell – Hooper LaMont
Jason Mewes – Jay Phat Buds, Chronic
Kevin Smith – Silent Bob, Bluntman

 

Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith

Scott Mosier

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Kevin Smith
 
Writer(s)
Kevin Smith
 
Producer(s)
Scott Mosier

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 16 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Steven Rea

Paul Tatara

Jay Boyar

John Hartl

Dave Kehr

Philadelphia Inquirer

CNN.com

Orlando Sentinel

Seattle Times

New York Daily News

CHASING AMY
 All Critics (87) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (12)
 With their matching hipster goatees and deadpan cynicism, Affleck and Lee evince the easy rapport of old buds.
 
 February 7, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Steven Rea
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 There is a lot of frank conversation about the technical aspects of sex between women, but Holden and Banky are written more like sniggering eighth graders than inquisitive adults.
 
 February 7, 2014
 
 Paul Tatara
 CNN.com
 TOP CRITIC
 As in Smith’s debut film, Clerks, there’s something about the scruffy Chasing Amy that breaks through the pretenses of more conventional movies.
 
 February 7, 2014
 
 Jay Boyar
 Orlando Sentinel
 TOP CRITIC
 Even when its young, uncertain characters appear to be in danger of talking (and whining) themselves to death, there’s something genuine and charmingly naive about their attempts to make sense of their feelings.
 
 February 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
 
 John Hartl
 Seattle Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Chasing Amy is not yet a mature work Smith still needs a style to go with his sensibility but its yearning for maturity is palpable and touching.
 
 February 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Dave Kehr
 New York Daily News
 TOP CRITIC
 The performances are universally strong. The goateed Affleck makes for a particularly sympathetic protagonist; he has the looks and confidence of a lady-killer, but nagging befuddlement and vulnerability are rarely far from the surface.
 
 February 7, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Mark Caro
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 Chasing Amy is just like my kid brother — alternately adorable and exasperating and full of cocky witticisms about life with very little experience to back them up.
 
 April 5, 2022
 
 Cathay Che
 The Advocate
 With some wonderful jabs at gender and racial stereotypes, Chasing Amy eschews political correctness to explore sexual identity with more thoughtfulness than we’ve seen before, at least from a filmmaker who happens to be a 26-year-old straight guy.
 
 April 5, 2022
 
 Mark J. Huisman
 The Advocate
 What’s best about Chasing Amy is that it matters in a way Smith’s other films don’t — it throbs with real feelings and frustrated inadequacy.
 
 October 25, 2019
 
 Michael Atkinson
 Spin
 A reductive juncture in Smith’s career compared to his more situationally-specific and fine-tuned predecessors, Clerks and Mallrats.
 
 November 5, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
 
 PJ Nabarro
 Patrick Nabarro
 Slowly, like a latent teen pulled against his will into adulthood, Kevin Smith is growing up. But he’s not growing quietly.
 
 February 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Dan Webster
 Spokesman-Review (Washington)
 The movie reinforces his gift for dialogue, but his ability to handle actors, compose scenes or keep track of his own story is negligible.
 
 February 7, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Gary Thompson
 Philadelphia Daily News…

 

Plot
A pair of comic book authors named Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards, who live in New Jersey, have been best friends for 20 years. They spend their time working in their studio, and in the evenings they are going out. But their friendship is about to be disputed for the first time in their life, when a beautiful young lesbian woman named Alyssa Jones enters their life and Holden falls in love with her. Now Holden has to deal with Banky’s jealousy, and with his new girlfriend’s very rich past.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The performances in Chasing Amy are universally strong, with Ben Affleck making for a particularly sympathetic protagonist.
 

 
Kevin-Smith.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Gramercy Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
UK
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for brief sensuality and language
 
Year of Release
1996
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Kate Beckinsale, Sheila Burrell, Eileen Atkins, Ian McKellen, Ivan Kaye, Rufus Sewell, Joanna Lumley, directed by John Schlesinger, written by Stella Gibbons and Malcolm Bradbury, comedy, TVPG, box office gross $5.6M, reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Geoff Andrew, Emanuel Levy, Nell Minow, Kevin Thomas, Desson Thomson, Cole Smithey, Philip Martin, Kate Beckinsale as Flora Poste, Sheila Burrell as Ada Doom, Eileen Atkins as Judith Starkadder, Ian McKellen as Amos Starkadder, Ivan Kaye as Reuben Starkadder, Rufus Sewell as Seth Starkadder, Joanna Lumley as Mary, produced by Alison Gilby
 

Cast & Crew

Kate Beckinsale

Sheila Burrell

Eileen Atkins

Ian McKellen

Ivan Kaye

Flora Poste

Ada Doom

Judith Starkadder

Amos Starkadder

Reuben Starkadder

Kate Beckinsale – Flora Poste
Sheila Burrell – Ada Doom
Eileen Atkins – Judith Starkadder
Ian McKellen – Amos Starkadder
Ivan Kaye – Reuben Starkadder
Rufus Sewell – Seth Starkadder

 

John Schlesinger

Stella Gibbons

Alison Gilby

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
John Schlesinger
 
Writer(s)
Stella Gibbons, Malcolm Bradbury
 
Producer(s)
Alison Gilby

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Award
2 wins & 4 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Geoff Andrew

Emanuel Levy

Nell Minow

Kevin Thomas

Entertainment Weekly

Time Out

Variety

Movie Mom

Los Angeles Times

COLD COMFORT FARM
 All Critics (40) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (7)
 September 7, 2011 | Rating: A
 
 Lisa Schwarzbaum
 Entertainment Weekly
 TOP CRITIC
 Malcolm Bradbury’s script and John Schlesinger’s direction … between them coarsen, soften and simply lose much of Gibbons’ extraordinarily sophisticated, wonderfully funny humour …
 
 June 24, 2006
 
 Geoff Andrew
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 Schelsinger’s masterfully directed eccentric satire is based on Stella Gibbons’ 1933 book which spoofs the serious, soul-searching, rural-set stories of writers like D.H. Lawrence and Mary Webb.
 
 June 2, 2006 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
 Emanuel Levy
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 January 15, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Nell Minow
 Movie Mom
 TOP CRITIC
 What could be more welcome than a classic English comedy, bristling with wit and hilarity and crammed with wonderful eccentrics?
 
 February 14, 2001
 
 Kevin Thomas
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Thanks to Schlesinger’s exacting direction and Malcolm Bradbury’s witty, restrained script, these characters are kept more amusing than horribly pitiable.
 
 January 1, 2000
 
 Desson Thomson
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 [A] mischievous send-up of D.H. Lawrence, Thomas Hardy and assorted other high-toned practitioners of grimly serious rural romances.
 
 July 18, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Joe Leydon
 The Moving Picture Show
 May 2, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Robert Levin
 Critic’s Notebook
 Sweet, sprightly made-for-British-TV comedy.
 
 May 30, 2008
 
 Jeffrey M. Anderson
 Combustible Celluloid
 November 7, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Cole Smithey
 ColeSmithey.com
 June 11, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Emanuel Levy
 EmanuelLevy.Com
 January 27, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Philip Martin
 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette…

 

Plot
In England in the early 1930s, twenty-year-old Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale), recently orphaned, and left with only one hundred pounds sterling a year, goes to stay with distant relatives on Cold Comfort Farm. Everyone on the gloomy farm is completely around the twist, but Flora tries to sort everything out.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Joanna Lumley has a fun cameo as the Aunt with a passion for bustiers and bras in Cold Comfort Farm.
 

 
John-Schlesinger.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Charles Chaplin Productions,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate

 
Year of Release
1996
 

 
Genre(s)
History/Drama
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Liam Neeson

Michael ‘Mick’ Collins

Aidan Quinn

Harry Boland

Stephen Rea

Michael ‘Mick’ Collins

Harry Boland

Ned Broy

Eamon de Valera

Kitty Kiernan

Liam Neeson – Michael ‘Mick’ Collins
Aidan Quinn – Harry Boland
Stephen Rea – Ned Broy
Alan Rickman – Eamon de Valera
Julia Roberts – Kitty Kiernan
Ian Hart – Joe O’Reilly

 

Neil Jordan

Neil Jordan

Stephen Woolley

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Neil Jordan
 
Writer(s)
Neil Jordan
 
Producer(s)
Stephen Woolley

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Kevin Maher

Richard Schickel

Todd McCarthy

Geoff Andrew

Newsweek

Times (UK)

TIME Magazine

Variety

Time Out

MICHAEL COLLINS
 All Critics (49) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (11)
 Clearly, this is a subject Jordan cares about passionately, but he hasn’t found a form to make us share his passion. Unless you come to Michael Collins with strong feelings about its hero, it’s unlikely you will be deeply engaged.
 
 February 26, 2018
 
 David Ansen
 Newsweek
 TOP CRITIC
 [Neeson] is superb as the principled, steely yet romantic action hero of Neil Jordan’s film, which has been re-released for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1916.
 
 March 3, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Kevin Maher
 Times (UK)
 TOP CRITIC
 There are pain and honor in [Neeson’s] performance, and they constantly rise up to redeem a film that is less probing, less thoughtful than its director’s claims and aspirations for it.
 
 March 28, 2010
 
 Richard Schickel
 TIME Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Intelligent, enormously accomplished and seriously problematic, Neil Jordan’s ambitious account of the activities of arguably the central figure in Ireland’s painful, bloody fight for independence from the British Empire has a great deal to offer…
 
 January 23, 2009
 
 Todd McCarthy
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 This is Jordan’s most ambitious and satisfying movie — a thriller with a real sense of scale, pace, menace and moral import.
 
 June 24, 2006
 
 Geoff Andrew
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 Played with great magnetism and triumphant bluster by Liam Neeson, the film’s Michael Collins easily lives up to his nickname.
 
 May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Janet Maslin
 New York Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Leaders who help bring about huge change are often gifted with a charisma that will spur a nation into action. Liam Neeson, as Irish revolutionary Michael Collins, has just that.
 
 December 8, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Tom Cassidy
 Common Sense Media
 The script and Neeson’s passionate performance demonstrate a case where the good intention of heroes seeking freedom gets thwarted by political maneuverings.
 
 August 11, 2021
 
 Robin Holabird
 Robin Holabird
 Michael Collins really is Irish history told on a bold, sweeping, comprehensible scale; in a sense, it’s almost Irish history Hollywoodised.
 
 February 1, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
 PJ Nabarro
 Patrick Nabarro
 Neil Jordan uses very broad and movie-ish strokes to paint his portrait of the busy, eponymous hero.
 
 July 18, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Rob Gonsalves
 eFilmCritic.com
 Be sure to watch “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” if you watch “Michael Collins”
 
 June 1, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Cole Smithey
 ColeSmithey.com
 A bold and rousing historical epic.
 
 January 23, 2006 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Chuck O’Leary
 Fantastica Daily…

 

Plot
Michael Collins leads the Irish Republican Army in a violent battle for Ireland’s independence from Britain, but when he negotiates a treaty with the British, he is deemed a traitor to the IRA and must decide where his loyalties lie.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The review does not include any goofy, funny, or odd comments about the film or anyone in the cast.
 

 
Neil-Jordan.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures,
 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for brief grisly violence, pervasive strong language and a sex scene
 
Year of Release
1996
 

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Ed Norton, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, directed by Gregory Hoblit, written by Steve Shagan, Ann Biderman, crime, mystery, thriller, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nell Minow, Peter Stack, James Berardinelli, Roger Ebert, Alison Macor, Susan Stark, Wesley Lovell, Kat Halstead, Mike Massie, Eve Tushnet, David Nusair, produced by Gary Lucchesi, Robert McMinn
 

Cast & Crew

Richard Gere

Laura Linney

Ed Norton

John Mahoney

Alfre Woodard

Martin Vail

Janet Venable

Aaron Stampler

John Shaughnessy

Judge Miriam Shoat

Richard Gere – Martin Vail
Laura Linney – Janet Venable
Ed Norton – Aaron Stampler
John Mahoney – John Shaughnessy
Alfre Woodard – Judge Miriam Shoat
Frances McDormand – Dr. Molly Arrington
Gary Lucchesi – Producer
Robert McMinn – Producer
Gregory Hoblit – Director
Steve Shagan – Writer
Ann Biderman – Writer

 

Gregory Hoblit

Steve Shagan

Gary Lucchesi

Robert McMinn

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Gregory Hoblit
 
Writer(s)
Steve Shagan, Ann Biderman
 
Producer(s)
Gary Lucchesi, Robert McMinn

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
10 wins & 12 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Nell Minow

Peter Stack

James Berardinelli

Roger Ebert

Alison Macor

Movie Mom

San Francisco Chronicle

ReelViews

Chicago Sun-Times

Austin Chronicle

PRIMAL FEAR
 All Critics (47) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (11)
 June 28, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Nell Minow
 Movie Mom
 TOP CRITIC
 June 18, 2002 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Peter Stack
 San Francisco Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
 
 James Berardinelli
 ReelViews
 TOP CRITIC
 The plot is as good as crime procedurals get, but the movie is really better than its plot because of the three-dimensional characters.
 
 January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Roger Ebert
 Chicago Sun-Times
 TOP CRITIC
 January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Alison Macor
 Austin Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Susan Stark
 Detroit News
 TOP CRITIC
 A presumably innocent man and a justice-seeking defense lawyer delve into a complex tangle of crime and murder in Primal Fear, a sometimes grating, sometimes invigorating courtroom drama mixed with investigative police procedural.
 
 February 12, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Wesley Lovell
 Cinema Sight
 A tense psychological thriller rich with shadowy menace and a sense of confidence that allows the impressive cast to shine.
 
 June 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Kat Halstead
 Common Sense Media
 It’s part trial procedural but mostly the suspenseful unraveling of testimony and the realization of lies.
 
 September 24, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 The part of the script that’s dialogue instead of plot is quite snappy. So I believed in this sordid story… for a while.
 
 March 13, 2019
 
 Eve Tushnet
 Patheos
 …a solid drama that’s elevated on an all-too-consistent basis by Norton’s impressively hypnotic work.
 
 May 7, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 Edward Norton became an instant star after making a splashy, Oscar-nominated performance in this well-executed horror thriller.
 
 May 1, 2011 | Rating: B+
 
 Emanuel Levy
 EmanuelLevy.Com…

 

Plot
When a young man, Aaron, is charged with the horrific murder of Archbishop Rushman, hot-shot Chicago lawyer Martin Vail takes on his defense at no charge. Aaron was a homeless street kid before he was taken in by the Archbishop. He’s shy and speaks with a stammer. Vail is convinced that Aaron is innocent but after discovering a video that shows Aaron may have had good reason to want the Archbishop dead, he begins to question that conclusion. When Aaron lashes out at the psychologist examining him another personality, Roy, is revealed. With the trial already underway, Vail cannot change Aaron plea and so has to find a way to introduce his client’s condition. Aaron has something of a surprise for him as well.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Edward Norton’s “crackerjack performance” in Primal Fear.
 

 
Gregory-Hoblit.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Little Monster Films, Itinerant Films, Parkes MacDonald Image Nation
 
Distributor
United Artists
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Carlyle Hotel – 1250 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
 
Year of Release
1996
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy/Lgbtq+
 
Keyword(s)
starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dianne Wiest, Hank Azaria, Christine Baranski, Calista Flockhart, directed by Mike Nichols, written by Jean Poiret, Francis Veber, Edouard Molinaro, Marcello Danon, Elaine May, comedy, LGBTQ+, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Caroline Westbrook, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Hal Hinson, Todd McCarthy, Nell Minow, Lance Loud, Brian Eggert, Rosa Parra, David Nusair, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, R rating, United Artists, produced by Mike Nichols
 

Cast & Crew

Robin Williams

Gene Hackman

Nathan Lane

Dianne Wiest

Hank Azaria

Armand Goldman

Sen. Kevin Keeley

Albert Goldman

Starina

Louise Keeley

Robin Williams – Armand Goldman
Gene Hackman – Sen. Kevin Keeley
Nathan Lane – Albert Goldman, Starina
Dianne Wiest – Louise Keeley
Hank Azaria – Agador ‘Spartacus’
Christine Baranski – Katherine Archer

 

Mike Nichols

Jean Poiret

Mike Nichols

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Mike Nichols
 
Writer(s)
Jean Poiret, Francis Veber, Edouard Molinaro, Marcello Danon, Elaine May
 
Producer(s)
Mike Nichols

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
7 wins & 25 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

Candice Frederick

Caroline Westbrook

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Hal Hinson

Todd McCarthy

Reel Talk Online

Empire Magazine

Chicago Reader

Washington Post

Variety

THE BIRDCAGE
 All Critics (55) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (10)
 The Birdcage is a little film with knee-slapping scenes coupled with thoughtfully acute moments as well.
 
 September 8, 2017
 
 Candice Frederick
 Reel Talk Online
 TOP CRITIC
 It undoubtedly remains a genial crowd pleaser. If the dress fits, wear it.
 
 May 29, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Caroline Westbrook
 Empire Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 This isn’t the supreme masterpiece it might have been, but Nichols’s direction is very polished and some of the lines and details are awfully funny.
 
 May 29, 2011
 
 Jonathan Rosenbaum
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 If The Birdcage isn’t exactly the Mike Nichols-Elaine May movie of our dreams, it does manage to transform what was formerly a campy bit of French fluff into one of the loopiest, most hysterical family-values movies ever made.
 
 May 27, 2011
 
 Hal Hinson
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 The Birdcage is a scream.
 
 March 26, 2009
 
 Todd McCarthy
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 November 14, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Nell Minow
 Movie Mom
 TOP CRITIC
 These underlying feelings of compassion, tolerance, and understanding are this Bird’s brightest plumage.
 
 April 19, 2022
 
 Lance Loud
 The Advocate
 The Birdcage embraces stereotypes and frequently uses its gay characters as comedic devices, even while it weaves a place for them into the fabric of American culture.
 
 February 18, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Brian Eggert
 Deep Focus Review
 It’s a decent well shot film with moving & memorable performances
 
 October 9, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Rosa Parra
 Latinx Lens
 …a frequently hilarious comedy…
 
 March 17, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 The dialogue is sensational, the cast is perfect, the directing is sharp (by celebrated filmmaker Mike Nichols), the music is snazzy, and the film concludes quite cleverly.
 
 September 10, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 While the film occasionally drifts into stereotypes, they are typically rather harmless and Williams and Lane play off of each other perfectly.
 
 September 3, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com…

 

Plot
Armand Goldman owns a popular drag nightclub in South Miami Beach. His long-time lover, Albert, stars there as Starina. “Their” son Val (actually Armand’s by his one heterosexual fling, twenty years before) comes home to announce his engagement to Barbara Keeley, daughter of Kevin Keeley, US Senator, and co-founder of the Committee for Moral Order. The Senator and family descend upon South Beach to meet Val, his father and “mother.” What ensues is comic chaos.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Nathan Lane’s performance as the flamboyant star attraction of a Miami drag club is a scene-stealer in The Birdcage.
 

 
Mike-Nichols.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Icon Entertainment International, The Ladd Company, B. H. Finance C.V.
 
Distributor
United Artists
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for a number of sequences of action/violence, and for some sexuality
 
Year of Release
1995
 

 
Genre(s)
Action
 
Keyword(s)
starring Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, directed by Martin Campbell, written by Ian Fleming, Michael France, Bruce Feirstein, Jeffrey Caine, produced by Barbara Broccoli, Michael G Wilson, action, PG-13, James Bond, spy, high-tech, modern, space weapon, satellite system, Alec Trevelyan, Xenia Onatopp, M, box office, budget, reviewed by David Hunter, Michael Wilmington, Doug Thomas, Desson Thomson, Steven Rea, Jay Boyar, Mal Vincent, Matt Brunson, Josh Larsen, Fred Topel, Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Sean Bean as Alec Trevalyan, Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova, Famke Janssen as Xenia Zaragevna Onatopp, Judi Dench as M
 

Cast & Crew

Pierce Brosnan

Sean Bean

Izabella Scorupco

Famke Janssen

Joe Don Baker

James Bond

Alec Trevalyan

Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova

Xenia Zaragevna Onatopp

Jack Wade

Pierce Brosnan – James Bond
Sean Bean – Alec Trevalyan
Izabella Scorupco – Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova
Famke Janssen – Xenia Zaragevna Onatopp
Joe Don Baker – Jack Wade
Judi Dench – M
Director – Martin Campbell
Producers – Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson
Writers – Ian Fleming, Michael France, Bruce Feirstein, Jeffrey Caine

 

Martin Campbell

Ian Fleming

Barbara Broccoli

Michael G. Wilson

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Martin Campbell
 
Writer(s)
Ian Fleming, Michael France, Bruce Feirstein, Jeffrey Caine
 
Producer(s)
Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 8 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Hunter

Michael Wilmington

Doug Thomas

Desson Thomson

Steven Rea

Hollywood Reporter

Chicago Tribune

Seattle Times

Washington Post

Philadelphia Inquirer

GOLDENEYE
 All Critics (83) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (17)
 With a dynamite opening reel that showcases the series renewed vigor, GoldenEye is two hours of well-executed thrills, high-tech mayhem and one-of-a-kind comedy.
 
 November 19, 2019
 
 David Hunter
 Hollywood Reporter
 TOP CRITIC
 James Bond, the British spy with a taste for the high life and a license to kill, comes back in surprisingly hardy and supple form.
 
 October 28, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Michael Wilmington
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 Brosnan’s right there, born to play the part. Perhaps by design, he captures a bit from each predecessor — the panache of Sean Connery, the cheeky humor of Roger Moore, the serious grit of Timothy Dalton.
 
 October 28, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Doug Thomas
 Seattle Times
 TOP CRITIC
 At the most basic, crowd-pleasing level, Goldeneye does the trick.
 
 October 28, 2015
 
 Desson Thomson
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 Giving 007 a sleek bullet of a BMW instead of his trusty old Aston-Martin isn’t exactly going to turn the world of Bond upside down. And, as it turns out, neither does the casting of Brosnan.
 
 October 28, 2015 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Steven Rea
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 In GoldenEye, [Brosnan’s] performance achieves darker, Conneryesque tones. And the movie’s relatively realistic take on Bond — realistic, that is, by the series’ flamboyant standards — helps to give his work weight.
 
 October 28, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Jay Boyar
 Orlando Sentinel
 TOP CRITIC
 Directed by Martin Campbell, a newcomer to the genre, Goldeneye has as many special effects as any Bond film, and, for the most part, it delivers. It should be the real test as to whether a Bond audience still exists.
 
 March 1, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Mal Vincent
 The Virginian-Pilot
 The best bit of casting is Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp, who equates sex and death more than any other Bond character.
 
 September 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 …sets the stage for the rough-edged, real-world 007 we would eventually get.
 
 September 17, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Josh Larsen
 LarsenOnFilm
 GoldenEye was a massive return to form, modernizing Bond for a new era of filmgoers and introducing Pierce Brosnan to the role.
 
 September 11, 2021
 
 Jake Tropila
 Film Inquiry
 In trying so hard to distance itself from old Bonds, Goldeneye is also now a relic of the post-Cold War era.
 
 November 17, 2020
 
 Fred Topel
 Showbiz Cheat Sheet
 The tank chase through St. Petersburg is perhaps the greatest action scene in any Bond film to date.
 
 September 14, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins…

 

Plot
When a deadly satellite weapon system falls into the wrong hands, only Agent James Bond 007 (Pierce Brosnan) can save the world from certain disaster. Armed with his licence to kill, Bond races to Russia in search of the stolen access codes for “GoldenEye”, an awesome space weapon that can fire a devastating electromagnetic pulse toward Earth. But 007 is up against an enemy who anticipates his every move: a mastermind motivated by years of simmering hatred. Bond also squares off against Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), an assassin who uses pleasure as her ultimate weapon.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Famke Janssen’s character, Xenia Onatopp, equates sex and death more than any other Bond character.
 

 
Martin-Campbell.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
London Film Productions,
 
Distributor
Fine Line Features
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Meirás, Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language including descriptions of violent situations
 
Year of Release
1995
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson, directed by Roman Polanski, written by Ariel Dorfman, Rafael Yglesias, drama, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kim Newman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Todd McCarthy, Geoff Andrew, Nick Schager, Caryn James, Quentin Crisp, Yasser Medina, produced by Josh Kramer, Thom Mount, Fine Line Features, lawyer, kidnapping, torture, rape, gunpoint, mock trial, moral conundrums, guilt, revenge, punishment, justice, man’s responsibility, dictatorship, dissident activist, paranoia, political prisoner, South American country, allegations of torture, shifting alliances, captive guest, confession of guilt, psychological thriller, horror, suspense, tension, sexual tension, elegant, unobtrusive dance with the camera, Surround, Stereo
 

Cast & Crew

Sigourney Weaver

Ben Kingsley

Stuart Wilson

Karen Strassman

Carlos Moreno

Paulina Escobar

Dr. Roberto Miranda

Gerardo Escobar

Sigourney Weaver – Paulina Escobar
Ben Kingsley – Dr. Roberto Miranda
Stuart Wilson – Gerardo Escobar
Karen Strassman –
Carlos Moreno –
Krystia Mova –

 

Roman Polanski

Ariel Dorfman

Josh Kramer

Thom Mount

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Roman Polanski
 
Writer(s)
Ariel Dorfman, Rafael Yglesias
 
Producer(s)
Josh Kramer, Thom Mount

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Kim Newman

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Todd McCarthy

Geoff Andrew

Nick Schager

Empire Magazine

Chicago Reader

Variety

Time Out

Slant Magazine

DEATH AND THE MAIDEN
 All Critics (51) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (9)
 Even by their high standards, the performances of Weaver and Kingsley here are impressive, and Polanski ratchetts up the tension nicely. A chilling and thought-provoking piece.
 
 February 19, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Kim Newman
 Empire Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Polanski certainly gets the maximum voltage and precision out of his story and actors, keeping us preternaturally alert to shifting power relationships and delayed revelations.
 
 February 19, 2010
 
 Jonathan Rosenbaum
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Kingsley shrewdly tantalizes the viewer about his identity, and gets to deliver the text’s most riveting monologue at the end. The lesser-known Wilson may be the first among equals, impressing strongly as the equivocating husband.
 
 May 26, 2008
 
 Todd McCarthy
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 Polanski wisely never opens out the action from the remote clifftop house. In keeping things claustrophobic, close-up and ambivalent, he heightens the suspense (not to mention the sexual tension).
 
 January 26, 2006
 
 Geoff Andrew
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 Roman Polanski’s underappreciated 1994 thriller Death and the Maiden confronts a litany of moral conundrums regarding guilt, revenge, punishment, justice, and man’s responsibility to himself and society.
 
 May 31, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Nick Schager
 Slant Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Mr. Polanski treads lightly on the clumsier lines, and sustains tension by creating an elegant, unobtrusive dance with the camera.
 
 May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Caryn James
 New York Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Miss Weaver plays the victim with quite astonishing intensity, and deals with Mr. Kingsley in a manner that is quite convincing.
 
 April 21, 2022
 
 Quentin Crisp
 Christopher Street
 Polanski manages to size the fundamental components of the mystery and suspense so that the atmosphere of the film is sinister in some scenes. But what I see hardly captivates me. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 July 20, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
 
 Yasser Medina
 Cinemaficionados
 It’s based on the gripping three-character play by Ariel Dorfman.
 
 July 10, 2011 | Rating: B
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
 December 7, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Susan Granger
 www.susangranger.com
 Polanski kicks the movie up to a level of emotional violence rare in English-speaking films.
 
 July 29, 2007 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Rob Gonsalves
 eFilmCritic.com
 July 29, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
 
 Neil Cohen
 Echo Magazine…

 

Plot
Paulina Escobar is a political activist whose husband is a prominent lawyer in an unnamed South American country just out of a dictatorship. One day a storm forces her husband to ride home with a neighbor. That chance encounter brings up demons from her past, as she is convinced that the neighbor (Dr. Miranda) was part of the old fascist regime that tortured and raped her, while blindfolded. Paulina takes him captive to determine the truth. Paulina is torn between her psychological repressions and somber memory, Gerardo is torn between his wife and the law, and Dr. Miranda is forced to endure captivity while husband and wife seek out the uncertain truth about the clouded past.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels notes that Sigourney Weaver gives an “astonishingly intense” performance in Death and the Maiden.
 

 
Roman-Polanski.jpg