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The Best Movie Reviews We’ve Ever Written — IndieWire Critics Survey

David ehrlich.

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Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

While this survey typically asks smart critics to direct readers toward good movies, we hope that the reverse is also true, and that these posts help movies (good or bad) direct readers towards smart critics. 

In that spirit, we asked our panel of critics to reflect on their favorite piece of film criticism that they’ve ever written (and we encouraged them to put aside any sort of modesty when doing so).

Their responses provide rich and far-reaching insight into contemporary film criticism, and what those who practice it are hoping to achieve with their work.

Siddhant Adlakha (@SidizenKane), Freelance for The Village Voice and /Film

Let’s cut right to the chase. Christopher Nolan is probably my favourite working director, and going five thousand words deep on his career after “Dunkirk” was an itch I’d been waiting to scratch for nearly a decade. “The Dark Knight” was my dorm-room poster movie — I’m part of the generation that explored films through the IMDb Top 250 growing up — though as my cinematic horizons expanded and my understanding of storytelling grew, I didn’t leave Nolan’s work behind as I did the likes of “Scarface” and “The Boondock Saints.” What’s more, each new film by Nolan hits me like a tonne of bricks. I’m waiting, almost eagerly, for him to disappoint me. It hasn’t happened yet, and I needed to finally sit down and figure out why.

In “Convergence At ‘Dunkirk,’” by far the longest piece I’ve ever written, I’d like to think I unpacked a decade worth of my awe and admiration, for a filmmaker who uses the studio canvas to explore human beings through our relationship to time. Tarkovsky referred to cinema as “sculpting in time.” Time disorients. Time connects us. Time travels, at different speeds, depending on one’s relationship to it, whether in dreams or in war or in outer space, and time can be captured, explored and dissected on screen.

What’s more, Nolan’s films manipulate truth as much as time, as another force relative to human perception, determining our trajectories and interpersonal dynamics in fundamental ways. All this is something I think I knew, instinctively, as a teenage viewer, but putting words to these explorations, each from a different time yet connected intrinsically, is the written criticism that I most stand by. It felt like something that I was meant to write, as I interrogated my own evolving emotional responses to art as time went on.

Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film), Freelance for Remezcla

At the 2017 Sundance premiere of Miguel Arteta’s “Beatriz at Dinner,” starring Salma Hayek, I found myself in shock at the reactions I heard from the mostly-white audience at the Eccles Theatre. I was watching a different movie, one that spoke to me as an immigrant, a Latino, and someone who’s felt out of place in spaces dominated by people who’ve never been asked, “Where are you really from?” That night I went back to the condo and wrote a mountain of thoughts and personal anecdotes that mirrored what I saw on screen.

This was a much different piece from what I had usually written up to that point: coverage on the Best Foreign Language Oscar race, pieces on animation, interviews with internationally acclaimed directors, and reviews out of festivals. Those are my intellectual passions, this; however, was an examination on the identity that I had to built as an outsider to navigate a society were people like me rarely get the jobs I want.

My editor at Remezcla, Vanessa Erazo, was aware of the piece from the onset and was immediately supportive, but it would take months for me to mull it over and rework it through multiple drafts until it was ready for publication in time for the film’s theatrical release. In the text, I compared my own encounters with casual racism and ignorance with those Hayek’s character faces throughout the fateful gathering at the center of the film. The reception surpassed all my expectations. The article was shared thousands of times, it was praised, it was criticized, and it truly confronted me with the power that my writing could have.

A few months later in September, when Trump rescinded DACA, I wrote a social media post on my experience as an undocumented person working in the film industry, and how difficult it is to share that struggle in a world were most people don’t understand what it means to live a life in the shadows. The post was picked up by The Wrap and republished in the form of an op-ed, which I hope put a new face on the issue for those who didn’t directly knew anyone affected by it before. Once again that piece on “Beatriz at Dinner” regained meaning as I found myself filled with uncertainty.

Ken Bakely (@kbake_99), Freelance for Film Pulse

Like many writers, I tend to subconsciously disown anything I’ve written more than a few months ago, so I read this question, in practice, as what’s my favorite thing I’ve written recently. On that front, I’d say that the review of “Phantom Thread” that I wrote over at my blog comes the closest to what I most desire to do as a critic. I try to think about a movie from every front: how the experience is the result of each aspect, in unique quantities and qualities, working together. It’s not just that the acting is compelling or the score is enveloping, it’s that each aspect is so tightly wound that it’s almost indistinguishable from within itself. A movie is not an algebra problem. You can’t just plug in a single value and have everything fall into place.

“Phantom Thread” is Paul Thomas Anderson’s dreamy cinematography. It is Jonny Greenwood’s impeccably seductive, baroque music. It is Vicky Krieps’s ability to perfectly shatter our preconceptions at every single turn as we realize that Alma is the movie’s actual main character. We often talk about how good films would be worse-off if some part of it were in any way different. In the case of “Phantom Thread,” you flat-out can’t imagine how it would even exist if these things were changed. When so many hot take thinkpieces try to explain away every ending or take a hammer to delicate illusions, it was a pleasure to try and understand how a movie like this one operates on all fronts to maintain an ongoing sense of mystique.

Christian Blauvelt (@Ctblauvelt), BBC Culture

I don’t know if it’s my best work, but a landmark in my life as a critic was surely a review of Chaplin’s “The Circus,” in time for the release of its restoration in 2010. I cherish this piece , written for Slant Magazine, for a number of reasons. For one, I felt deeply honored to shed more light on probably the least known and least respected of Chaplin’s major features, because it’s a film that demonstrates such technical virtuosity it dispels once and for all any notion that his work is uncinematic. (Yes, but what about the rest of his filmography you ask? My response is that any quibbles about the immobility of Chaplin’s camera suggest an ardent belief that the best directing equals the most directing.) For another, I was happy this review appeared in Slant Magazine, a publication that helped me cut my critical teeth and has done the same for a number of other critics who’ve gone on to write or edit elsewhere. That Slant is now struggling to endure in this financially ferocious landscape for criticism is a shame – the reviews I wrote for them around 2009-10 helped me refine my voice even that much more than my concurrent experience at Entertainment Weekly, where I had my day job. And finally, this particular review will always mean a lot to me because it’s the first one I wrote that I saw posted in its entirety on the bulletin board at Film Forum. For me, there was no surer sign that “I’d made it”.

Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker

No way would I dare to recommend any pieces of my own, but I don’t mind mentioning a part of my work that I do with special enthusiasm. Criticism, I think, is more than the three A’s (advocacy, analysis, assessment); it’s prophetic, seeing the future of the art from the movies that are on hand. Yet many of the most forward-looking, possibility-expanding new films are in danger of passing unnoticed (or even being largely dismissed) due to their departure from familiar modes or norms, and it’s one of my gravest (though also most joyful) responsibilities to pay attention to movies that may be generally overlooked despite (or because of) their exceptional qualities. (For that matter, I live in fear of missing a movie that needs such attention.)

But another aspect of that same enthusiasm is the discovery of the unrealized future of the past—of great movies made and seen (or hardly seen) in recent decades that weren’t properly discussed and justly acclaimed in their time.”. Since one of the critical weapons used against the best of the new is an ossified and nostalgic classicism, the reëvaluation of what’s canonical, the acknowledgment of unheralded masterworks—and of filmmakers whose careers have been cavalierly truncated by industry indifference—is indispensable to and inseparable from the thrilling recognition of the authentically new.

Deany Hendrick Cheng (@DeandrickLamar), Freelance for Barber’s Chair Digital

It’s a piece on two of my favorite films of 2017, “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name”, and about how their very different modes of storytelling speak to the different sorts of stories we tell ourselves. Objectively, I don’t know if this is my best work in terms of pure style and craft, but I do think it’s the most emblematic in terms of what I value in cinema. I think every film is, in some way, a treatise on how certain memories are remembered, and I think cinema matters partly because the best examples of it are prisms through which the human experience is refracted.

Above everything else, every movie has to begin with a good story, and the greatest stories are the ones that mirror not just life, but the ways in which life is distorted and restructured through the process of remembering. Every aspect of a film, from its screenplay on down, must add something to the film’s portrayal of remembering, and “Lady Bird” and “Call Me By Your Name” accomplish this organic unity of theme with such charm yet in such distinct ways, that they were the perfect counterpoints to each other, as well as the perfect stand-ins for cinema as a whole, for me.

Liam Conlon (@Flowtaro), Ms En Scene

My favorite piece of my own work is definitely  “The Shape of Water’s” Strickland as the “Ur-American.”  I’m proud of it because it required me to really take stock of all the things that Americans are taught from birth to take as given. That meant looking at our history of colonialism, imperialism, racism, anticommunism and really diving into how all Americans, whether they’re liberal or conservative, can internalize these things unless they take the time to self-examine. Just as “Pan’s Labyrinth’s” despotic Captain Vidal was a masterful representation of Francisco Franco’s fascism, Richard Strickland represents a distinctly American kind of fascism. Writers Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor took great care in Strickland’s creation, and my piece was my own way of self-examining to make sure I never become or abide by a person like Strickland ever again.

Robert Daniels (@812filmreviews), Freelance

This is tricky, but “Annihilation” is definitely my favorite piece of film criticism that I’ve written. My writing style is a combination of criticism and gifs, and sometimes the words are better than the gifs, and the gifs are better than the words. With “Annihilation,” I thought the balance was perfect . My favorite portion: “Lena is just an idea, part of an equation that’s been erased from a chalkboard and rewritten with a different solution. The shimmer is part of her, even down to the DNA” is up there as one of my best. It was also a struggle to write because that film had more wild theories than the Aliens in Roswell. Also, the amount of research I had to do, combining Plato’s Ideal Forms, Darwin, the Bible, and Nietzsche, was absurd. However, it did make it easier to find matching gifs. The result made for my most studious, yet lighthearted read.

Alonso Duralde (@ADuralde), The Wrap

I’m the worst judge of my own material; there’s almost nothing I’ve ever written that I don’t want to pick at and re-edit, no matter how much time has passed. But since, for me, the hardest part of film criticism is adequately praising a movie you truly love, then by default my best review would probably be of one of my favorite films of all time, Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York.”

David Ehrlich (@davidehrlich), IndieWire

I can’t summon the strength to re-read it, but I remember thinking that my piece on grief and “Personal Shopper” was emblematic of how I hope to thread individual perspective into arts criticism.

Shelley Farmer (@ShelleyBFarmer), Freelance for RogerEbert.com and Publicist at Film Forum

My favorite piece is a very recent one: For this year’s Women Writers Week on Roger Ebert, I wrote about “Phantom Thread”, “Jane Eyre,” and twisted power dynamics in hetero romance . I loved that it allowed me to dig deep into my personal fixations (19th century literature, gender, romance as power struggle), but – more importantly – it was exciting to be part of a series that highlighted the breadth of criticism by women writers.

Chris Feil (@chrisvfeil), Freelance for The Film Experience, This Had Oscar Buzz Podcast

My answer to this would be kind of a cheat, as my favorite work that I do is my weekly column about movie music called Soundtracking that I write over at The Film Experience. Soundtracks and needle drops have been a personal fascination, so the opportunity to explore the deeper meaning and context of a film’s song choices have been a real labor of love. Because of the demands and time constraints of what we do, it can be easy to spend our all of our energy on assignments and chasing freelance opportunities rather than devoting time to a pet project – but I’ve found indulging my own uncommon fascination to be invaluable in developing my point of view. And serve as a constant check-in with my passion. Pushed for a single entry that I would choose as the best, I would choose the piece I wrote on “Young Adult”‘s use of “The Concept” by Teenage Fanclub for how it posits a single song as the key to unlocking both character and narrative.

Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker), Freelance for Shondaland, Harper’s Bazaar

“ Mother ” written for Vice. It’s one of my favorites because it conveys how visceral my experience was watching the movie. It’s truly stifling, uncomfortable, and frantic–and that’s what my review explains in detail. I wanted to have a conversation with the reader about specific aspects of the film that support the thesis, so I did.

Luiz Gustavo (@luizgvt), Cronico de Cinema

Well, I recently wrote a piece for Gazeta do Povo, a major outlet at Paraná state in Brazil, about Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (it is not on their site, but they were kind enough to let me replicate on my own website ). I don’t know the extent of the powers of Google Translator from Portugese to english, so you have to rely on my own account: is a text in which I was able to articulate de cinematographic references in the work of Mr. Del Toro, as well his thematic obsessions, the genre bending and social critique. All of this topics were analyzed in a fluid prose. On top of that, it was really fun to write!

This article continues on the next page.

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10 Most Surprising Movies On Rotten Tomatoes' Best Movies Of All Time List

The actor with the most 100% movies on rotten tomatoes, bad boys 4 has already repeated the franchise's best $426 million trick.

• Toy Story trilogy tops Rotten Tomatoes' best list, outperforming competitors with top rankings and audience appeal.
• Rotten Tomatoes' methodology combines critical, audience scores to determine best trio - "Toy Story" takes the lead.
• Despite top ranking, debate remains whether Toy Story truly has best trilogy - other contenders score higher critically.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has revealed its definitive list of the best movies of all time , and in doing so, appears to have finally settled the long-running debate about which series constitutes the best film trilogy ever made. The ranking, which uses complex criteria combining critical scores, audience reaction, and editorial insight provides an extensive list of 300 of the greatest movies ever. Although the list was not designed to provide a definitive trilogy ranking, the results following the compilation are clear.

As with any ranking of the best movies of all time, Rotten Tomatoes' list – and especially its methodology – has come in for criticism. According to the site, the collection " applied our recommendation formula, which considers a movie’s Tomatometer rating with assistance from its Audience Score, illuminating beloved sentiment from both sides. " This makes it more than a collection of films with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score , and explains why a film like L.A. Confidential rose to the top. Beyond this, however, the approach may also explain why one trilogy stands out as having by far and away the highest-ranked movies.

The Rotten Tomatoes list of the 300 best movies of all time includes some surprising choices when other superior movies are left out or ranked lower.

Toy Story Is The Best Movie Trilogy Based On Rotten Tomatoes Ranking

Although Rotten Tomatoes' ranking appraises individual movies rather than films as part of a series, the complete list suggests that the Toy Story series is comfortably the best movie trilogy ever made . All three films rank within the top 26 movies on the list – a record that easily outstrips any competitors. Considering that the franchise is one of the most successful of all time and has been an intergenerational hit for both audiences and critics, this position is perhaps unsurprising.

Interestingly, the highest-ranked Toy Story movie is not the 1995 original, but the much-loved follow-up, Toy Story 2 . Rated as the 8th-best film of all time, it is also the highest-rated animated movie on the list. Toy Story comes close behind at number 12, giving the Toy Story series the top two animated movies ever made , ahead of their nearest competitor, How To Train Your Dragon (number 15). Toy Story 3 rounds out the trilogy at number 26, behind other animated films like Up , Spirited Away , and Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse . However, regardless of its lower position, the series as a whole is unquestionably in top spot – according to this list.

Toy Story's Trilogy Ranks Much Higher On Rotten Tomatoes Than Other Contenders

Having three movies inside the top 26 films of all time is a serious achievement – regardless of context. However, Toy Story 's ranking arguably becomes even more impressive when the performance of other iconic series is factored in. In discussions around the best movie trilogy, Toy Story is typically mentioned in the same breath as projects like The Lord of the Rings , Richard Linklater's Before series, and the Indiana Jones franchise. However, if using the Rotten Tomatoes list as a guide, it's clear that Toy Story is a long way ahead of these frequent rivals.

Several iconic actors from the golden age of Hollywood boast numerous 100% Fresh scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with two actors being tied for the most.

While all three Lord of the Rings movies are included inside the top 300, only The Two Towers cracks the top 50 – sitting at number 40. Despite their hallowed status among fans, the only Indiana Jones movie to make the list is Raiders of the Lost Ark . Linklater's acclaimed Before movies are perhaps the most consistent other trilogy , with the three films sitting at numbers 50, 166, and 172, but this impressive performance still pales in comparison to Toy Story 's combined ranking.

Why Rotten Tomatoes Is Right About Toy Story Being The Best Trilogy

Although aspects of Rotten Tomatoes' methodology and some movies' rankings can be called into question, there's no doubt that the first three Toy Story films deserve their reputation as three of the best films of all time . Each of the movies tells a touching, vivid, and often heart-breaking story of friendship, adventure, and growing up. The first Toy Story pushed animation boundaries like never before and marked a startling debut for Pixar, while Toy Story 2 exceeded the original in the emotional scope of its story. Even after an 11-year gap, Toy Story 3 brought the overall arc to a satisfying and resonant conclusion, securing the series' status for generations.

Even aside from the three films' impressive technical and narrative achievements, as well as their ability to create timeless characters like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and many more, the Toy Story trilogy's consistent critical performance marks it out as the greatest ever. Both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are part of a select group of movies to sit at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Toy Story 3 narrowly misses out on 98% . This justified acclaim, combined with everything else that makes the movies great, clearly establishes Toy Story as one of the best series of all time, whatever the metric being applied.

Toy Story's "Best Trilogy" Title Is Still Controversial

There can be no doubt that the three Toy Story films are fantastic in isolation. Each of them tells a self-contained story that works as both an entertaining adventure and a valuable moral lesson. However, although their reputation deserves recognition, there is a slight question over whether their combined story works as effectively as other trilogies . The Lord of the Rings , for example, uses three films to weave a single narrative, arguably making them a more impressive storytelling achievement. Unlike other trilogies, Toy Story should perhaps be considered as three separate stories, rather than one complete arc.

Purely taking the site's critical average into account, there are other movie trilogies that score more highly than Toy Story 's combined total of 99.3%.

There's also the question of whether, by Rotten Tomatoes' own criteria, the trilogy should be considered the best ever made. Purely taking the site's critical average into account, there are other movie trilogies that score more highly than Toy Story 's combined total of 99.3%. Every movie in the so-called Noriko trilogy, for instance, holds a 100% rating on the website, as does Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy (albeit from far fewer reviews). While Toy Story 's consistently high scores are an important factor when determining the Rotten Tomatoes ranking, it's clear that it's not the only franchise that fits this criteria.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

The 10 Best Rosamund Pike Movies, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

"You think you'd be happy with a nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby. I'm it."

Oscar nominee and Golden Globe Award-winning sensation Rosamund Pike is one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses. Over the course of her career, Pike has gracefully exhibited her talent as a wide-ranging artist. Pike's first on-screen credits involved a myriad of British period dramas — A Rather English Marriage (1998), BBC's Wives and Daughters (1999), and BBC's serial drama Love in a Cold Climate (2001).

Her big break into Hollywood arrived when she played the double-crossing MI6 agent Miranda Frost alongside Pierce Brosnan in the twentieth James Bond film , 2002's Die Another Day . From there, the English actress nabbed feature roles in several pictures, slowly climbing the ladder to success. Her resumé includes many acclaimed films, many of which have received high ratings in the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

10 'Barney's Version' (2010)

Rotten tomatoes score: 77%.

Barney's Version is a comedy-drama that follows the ending chapters from the life of Barney Panofsy ( Paul Giamatti ), a Canadian soap opera producer reflecting on his life. Directed by Richard J. Lewis , the Canadian film is based on the novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler and was written as a fictional autobiography. With Hollywood stars from Minnie Driver to Dustin Hoffman , the picture explores the complexities of modern romance.

Pike plays Miriam Grant, Barney's third wife and main romantic interest. The actress blends right into the light-hearted attitude of her character's spirit as Miriam ages throughout the story from her late 20s to her 30s. Barney's Version is among Paul Giamatti's best movies , chronicling the trials and victories of life, especially with love and family, keeping audiences fascinated, concerned, and emotionally invested.

Rent on Apple TV

9 'I Care a Lot' (2020)

Rotten tomatoes score: 78%.

Marla Grayson, court-appointed guardian and con woman, makes a living selling the assets of helpless elderly people. Things take an unexpected turn when she tries to swindle the mother of a dangerous mafia boss. Netflix's I Care a Lot is a black comedy thriller featuring Pike in the leading role and with an impressive supporting cast, including Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest .

I Care a Lot is among the best satirical movies in recent memory. Written and directed by J Blakeson , fans worldwide were hooked by Pike's alarmingly wicked role , portraying a ruthless woman who reminds audiences that evil people take advantage of others to gain the upper hand in life. I Care a Lot features one of Pike's best performances, earning her a Golden Globe and rave reviews from critics and audiences.

I Care A Lot

*Availability in US

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8 'Made in Dagenham' (2010)

Rotten tomatoes score: 83%.

A British comedy from 2010, Made in Dagenham has a firm foundation in true history with its inspiring tale of oppression and resistance in late 60s England. Despite being professionals in the specialized and demanding field of sewing upholstery for car seats, the women workers of Ford Motor Co. in Dagenham face rampant misogyny in the workplace, especially in regard to pay. However, things begin to change after Rita O’Grady ( Sally Hawkins ) meets with a sympathetic union worker and begins organizing protests.

The film boasts an impressive cast and, smartly, employs razor-sharp wit and social satire as a source of its laughs more so than reverting to stereotypes or easy gags. Pike is predictably brilliant as Lisa Hopkins, a strikingly intelligent woman who graduated from Cambridge University and becomes a pivotal member of O’Grady’s movement.

Made in Dagenham

7 'beirut' (2018), rotten tomatoes score: 82%.

Also known as 'The Negotiator', Beirut hit screens in 2018 as an entrancing political thriller that saw Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike co-star. Written by Tony Gilroy (who also wrote The Bourne Identity films), it follows a retired diplomat whose family was murdered in an attack ten years prior. Now an alcoholic, he returns to the fold as a negotiator to help secure a peaceful exchange of an old friend, a deal made complicated by the fact that he is engaging with the group that killed his family.

While general audiences were lukewarm on the film, as evinced by its middling 57% audience approval score, critics were more approving, praising its technically solid story, its exciting action, and the performances of its impressive cast. Pike particularly stands out as the CIA field officer Sarah Crowder, a driven and determined operative who fast becomes Skiles' (Hamm) greatest ally .

6 'A United Kingdom' (2016)

A United Kingdom is based on the true story of the lives of Seretse Khama ( David Oyelowo ), prince to the throne of the Bangwato Tribe, and his wife, Ruth Williams. The film explores the romantic yet controversial couple's marriage, which triggers turmoil between the National Party in South Africa and the British government. Amma Asante directs, with the film featuring the beautiful landscapes of Botswana and London.

Brimming with themes of racial discrimination, imperialism, and the struggle for independence, A United Kingdom is a period piece made for the modern age . Pike elegantly plays Ruth Williams, and her heart-warming portrayal is more than a genuine nod to her character's real-life personality . The picture will always remain timely for representing the small and large struggles of interracial relationships that millions of couples face today.

Rent on Amazon

5 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005)

Rotten tomatoes score: 87%.

Director Joe Wright 's feature debut, Pride & Prejudice , is a romantic film adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved classic. Starring an ensemble cast led by Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, the film chronicles the romance between Lizzie and the proud Mr. Darcy, played by Matthew Macfadyen . Rosamund Pike plays Elizabeth's older sister, Jane Bennet, one of the best Jane Austen heroines in cinema .

Pike's gentle and introverted portrayal of Jane is unforgettable and earnest. As the eldest daughter, the pressure of marriage is always stressful; however, her worries wash away when she falls for the wealthy Charles Bingley ( Simon Woods ), and their sweet, natural chemistry blooms with grace, sincerity, and elegance. Pride & Prejudice has become a modern classic, and Pike's performance as the gentle Jane remains among her most celebrated portrayals .

Pride & Prejudice

4 'gone girl' (2014).

Rosamund Pike spooked the world with her Oscar-nominated performance in David Fincher's psychological thriller Gone Girl . Based on Gillian Flynn 's eponymous 2012 novel, the film tells the story of former New York columnist Nick Dunne ( Ben Affleck ), whose wife Amy has gone missing. The sudden disappearance causes a media frenzy, and the police start to question the husband's lack of empathy. When Nick becomes the prime suspect, he begins uncovering dangerous truths behind the mysterious disappearance.

The postmodern mystery drama is chilling to its core. The narrative is gripping from its initial mind-bending exposition paired with an unforgettable, shivery score that underlines Amy's disturbingly aloof mood. Pike studied Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy 's body language and lifestyle for inspiration in her character's manipulative hold on her marriage, the media, and the audience. Scattered with abrupt bursts of violence, Gone Girl was positively praised for its stylish direction and dark visual style.

3 'A Private War' (2018)

Rotten tomatoes score: 88%.

Fearless American journalist Marie Colvin , working for The Sunday Times, sets off on one of her most dangerous assignments yet — giving voice to the voiceless in the embattled Syrian city of Homs. Based on Colvin's real life, A Private War received massive critical acclaim for its immersive storytelling and Pike's career-best performance. The actress stars alongside Jamie Dornan , Tom Hollander , and Stanley Tucci .

Marie Colvin was one of the most celebrated war correspondents of her time and has since been globally recognized for her passionate drive and extensive coverage on the frontlines. Under Matthew Heineman 's direction, Pike seamlessly takes over the challenging role and commands the screen in every thrilling circumstance . A Private War is among the best war movies in recent memory, showcasing how ambitious an actress Pike truly is.

Watch on Starz

2 'The World’s End' (2013)

Rotten tomatoes score: 89%.

Somewhat disregarded among the hilarious ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ of Edgar Wright , Simon Pegg , and Nick Frost , The World’s End is an underrated comedy that utilizes the director’s trademark stylistic intensity and a dazzling ensemble cast. It follows five old high school friends as they embark on a reluctant pub crawl at the behest of one of their own. However, the night of partying takes a drastic turn when they learn everyone in their childhood town has been overtaken by an alien race.

A brilliant and exhilarating meshing of sci-fi, comedy, action, and even horror, The World’s End won over critics with its impressive juggling act, its raucous gags, and its occasional beats of poignant emotional depth. While only a supporting part, Pike plays an integral role and is given plenty of leeway to showcase her comedic prowess in a comedy film that was widely celebrated.

The World's End

1 'an education' (2009), rotten tomatoes score: 93%.

An Education is a coming-of-age story set in 1960s London. It follows Jenny Mellor, a high school student who finds herself falling madly in love with a rich playboy twice her age. Starring Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard , the romantic drama is based on the memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber . Rosamund Pike appears as Helen, a somewhat ditzy but kind woman who becomes Jenny's friend.

Under the guidance of Danish director Lone Scherig , Pike plays the dimwitted Helen with enough honesty to save the character from ridicule . The small but pivotal role allows Pike the opportunity to showcase her humorous side, with the actress nearly stealing every scene she's in. An Education may not relate to every teen girl, but Mulligan's stunning performance gives the story an original spark worth watching twice over.

An Education

NEXT: The Best Carey Mulligan Movies, Ranked

5 new to Max movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes

These are the best new to Max movies in May 2024

Summer weather is almost here but Max is hoping to convince you to stay indoors a little longer with a slate of new movies that includes several critically acclaimed hits. 

The best new to Max movies in May 2024 are a diverse range of flicks from an indie drama that explores the world through the innocent eyes of a child to a surreal chiller that will make your skin crawl (in a good way!). There’s something for everyone on our favorite streaming service this month, and all the picks on this list have received a score of 90% or higher on the review site Rotten Tomatoes . 

Of course, a high review score doesn’t guarantee a movie will appeal to you, but it’s a solid indication of overall quality. And all the picks on this list had professional critics impressed. These are the latest Max movies you need to stream.

'The Florida Project' (2017)

“The Florida Project” is a movie that juxtaposes childhood innocence with the sobering realities of adulthood. The movie focuses on the playful misadventures of a boisterous six-year-old named Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), who lives in a low-cost motel in the shadow of the Walt Disney World resort and spends her day getting into mischief with her friends and befriending the motel’s diverse group of guests. But the movie also looks at the tragic struggles of Moonee’s single mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), as she works hard to keep a roof over her daughter’s head. 

Willem Dafoe plays the motel’s kindhearted owner and leaves a strong impression even with limited screen time. “The Florida Project” has a lot to say about the world we live in now, and while it has many moments that will make you feel comfortable (especially towards the end as Halley resorts to extreme measures to make money), it’s a worthwhile watch that pairs together stellar filmmaking from director Sean Baker and several powerful performances.  

Genre:  Drama Rotten Tomatoes score:   96% Stream it on  Max

'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior' (1981)

For more than three decades “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” was considered the peak of the post-apocalyptic action franchise. That was until 2015, when “Mad Max: Fury Road” exploded onto the scene, and took the crown (in this writer’s opinion, at least). However, this 1981 sequel is still well worth watching, and it’s the perfect appetizer before “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” hits theaters on May 24.  

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“The Road Warrior” follows former cop, Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), as he roams the Australian wasteland in his iconic supercharged V-8 Pursuit Special muscle car. The loner wanderer eventually stumbles upon a small settlement in the wilderness and agrees to defend the survivors from a cruel biker warlord (Kjell Nilsson) in exchange for precious resources, namely fuel. What follows is an all-out action assault that is deliriously entertaining. Its overly aggressive tone won’t be for everybody, but "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" is unapologetic '80s fun. 

Genre:  Action Rotten Tomatoes score:   93% Stream it on  Max

'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012) 

“Silver Linings Playbook” is a hugely endearing movie crammed to bursting with characters you simply can’t help but root for. The comedy-drama packs a winning cast with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker. While it’s may a little thin in the plot department, it’s stuffed with likable characters, relatable themes and a well-considered sense of humor. From start to finish, it’s never anything less than charming.

The movie centers on Pat (Cooper), a teacher who has spent the last few months in a mental health hospital trying to get his bipolar disorder under control. Struggling to come to terms with his wife’s infidelity and the resulting divorce, Pat’s life is given new direction when he meets Tiffany (Lawrence), a widow with her own struggles and mental health hurdles. Agreeing to be her partner for an upcoming dance contest, the two grow closer, and find solace in the other, but their lingering demons could spoil this new budding romance. 

Genre:  Comedy Rotten Tomatoes score:   92% Stream it on  Max

'The Lighthouse' (2019) 

“The Lighthouse” is a real mix of genres encompassing drama, horror, comedy, surrealism and more. This could have led to a tonally-confused mess of a movie but director Robert Eggers has a tight grip on proceedings, and with two stunning performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson at its core, “The Lighthouse” becomes an engrossing and even haunting masterwork. If its strange character-driven plot doesn't hook you, the stunning cinematography will. Shot in black-and-white, it’s remarkably vibrant even without color. 

Set on a remote, fog-covered, New England island in the late 19th century. The unnerving movie focuses on a pair of keepers who are tasked with maintaining the eponymous lighthouse. Newbie assistant Ephraim Winslow (Pattinson) and grizzled veteran Thomas Wake (Dafoe) face back-breaking work, miserable conditions and the isolation of being cut off from society. Plus, they have to deal with each other’s irritating habits, personality tics and a creeping feeling that the other might be losing their grip on sanity. 

Genre:  Horror/Thriller/Drama Rotten Tomatoes score:   90% Stream it on  Max

'All About My Mother' (1999) 

Winner of an Oscar, Globe and BAFTA, “All About My Mother” was both a critical and commercial success upon release in 1999, and the emotionally charged drama celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. Fair warning, this Spanish-language movie is a heavy watch tackling weighty subject matters including gender identity and existentialism, but director Pedro Almodóvar balances these serious issues with surprising moments of levity. 

Cecilia Roth plays Manuela Echevarria, a nurse and single mother to a teenage son named Esteban (Eloy Azorín). Manuela’s entire world is brought to a standstill when her son is killed in a traffic accident. Crippled by grief, Manuela quits her job and travels to Barcelona in hopes of locating her son’s father, a transgender woman who is unaware of Esteban’s existence. The movie also features Penélope Cruz as a pregnant woman dealing with HIV. 

Genre:  Drama Rotten Tomatoes score:   98% Stream it on  Max

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Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. 

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‘Mother of the Bride’ Review: An Old Flame in a Tropical Locale

Brooke Shields plays a single mother who comes face to face with her college ex-boyfriend at her daughter’s destination wedding in this tired romantic comedy.

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By Natalia Winkelman

How often do exes get back together at destination weddings? Based on Hollywood rom-coms, one might assume it’s an epidemic. The last few years alone have seen rancorous pairs reconcile on the tropical beaches of Bali ( “Ticket to Paradise” ), the tropical coastline of Sydney, Australia (“Anyone But You”) and in the tropical jungles of the Philippines (“Shotgun Wedding”). What a surprise to see the trend reappear in Netflix’s “Mother of the Bride,” set in Phuket, Thailand, at a tropical resort.

These movies, as critics have pointed out , are themselves rehashing an older Hollywood trope: the comedy of remarriage, in which a separated couple reunites to find their acrimony transformed into revitalized affection. (A classic example is Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in the 1940 rom-com “The Philadelphia Story.”)

In “Mother of the Bride,” that twosome consists of Lana (a committed Brooke Shields) and Will (Benjamin Bratt), ex-beaus who severed ties after college. In Phuket, they discover that their grown children — Lana’s daughter, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove), and Will’s son, RJ (Sean Teale) — are betrothed.

“Mother of the Bride” is directed by Mark Waters (“Mean Girls”) with an apparent allergy to verisimilitude. Early on, we are told that the opulent Thai ceremony will be bankrolled by Emma’s company (she’s an intern) and livestreamed to “millions of eyes.” These fantasies of pomp and circumstance often serve to make Lana and Will’s budding romance feel like a B-story to the action — although that may be a blessing when the best screwball gag this movie can muster is a pickleball shot to the groin.

Mother of the Bride Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 28 minutes. Watch on Netflix .

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Netflix's best show you're not watching just returned with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score

Blood of Zeus , an animated Netflix series that's steeped in the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology, has achieved a rare feat on the streaming giant .

As of this writing, the show still has 100% scores on Rotten Tomatoes for both its first and its just-returned second season - which continues the story of an illegitimate son of Zeus who's tasked with saving the world in spite of the meddling of a vengeful goddess. You don't see such high marks across all seasons of a Netflix show very often, and the 100% score for Blood of Zeus is almost certain to slip, at least when it comes to the new season, once more critics' reviews start rolling in.

That said, the show feels like an increasingly rare example of quality from Netflix, which if you ask me has been pushing out one mediocre and even flat-out garbage release for much of the recent past. Just take a look at the latest Netflix Top 10 if you don't believe me; TV shows like A Man in Full and Bodkin both ended up being disappointments (mediocre and cliche-filled, respectively). Movie-wise, new titles include the completely unnecessary Mother of the Bride and Jerry Seinfeld's breathtakingly un-funny Unfrosted .

Leave it to an animated series about the mythology of the ancient world to tilt the needle back toward actual quality.

Story-wise, the new season of Blood of Zeus picks up from a cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Heron learned that the demon leader Seraphim is actually his twin brother. Seraphim, after he's killed by Heron, descends to the underworld and is offered help from Hades in exchange for his loyalty. "Seraphim might have been a monster," Heron says at one point, "but he was right about one thing.

"The gods are more flawed than we are - why should we listen to them?"

In the series, Heron learns from his mother Electra that he's actually a son of Zeus, the Greek god of the sky and thunder. He comes to learn that his purpose is to save the world from an army of demons. Zeus' wife Hera also learns of the existence of Heron and becomes an enemy. In Olympus, a sprawling conflict between gods, humans, and demons unfold, while Heron learns to harness his demigod powers.

The post Netflix's best show you're not watching just returned with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score appeared first on BGR .

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the good nurse.

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Given their propensity to go big, there’s something refreshing about seeing Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne play minor keys in Tobias Lindholm ’s “The Good Nurse,” which premiered at TIFF before an October bow on Netflix. The problem is that the whole movie is in minor key. It’s as if respect for the admittedly brave protagonist of this true story was so overwhelming that the creators forgot to give their film a pulse. "The Good Nurse" skims along the surface of some issues—like a hospital system so broken in its overprotective state—and then reduces its characters to a short list of definable traits, pushing them into a thriller that does have admirable restraint given the genre’s propensity to over-do projects like this one. Still, one shouldn’t mistake a serious tonal approach for depth. 

Amy Loughren (Chastain) is a nurse at an average New Jersey hospital, trying to balance being a single mother with her high-stress job. This gets even harder when she’s diagnosed with a cardiac condition that could kill her if she doesn’t get a heart transplant in time. She keeps the diagnosis from her bosses, staying on at work because she hasn’t been there long enough to get the health insurance needed to deal with it. The heart issue adds a ticking time bomb aspect to “The Good Nurse” in that if the tension of what’s about to happen causes too high a heart rate in Amy, she could die.

She thinks the opposite is going to happen when she meets the kindly Charles Cullen (Redmayne), a new nurse who befriends Amy and offers to help her with her patients, and even with taking care of her children. At first, Charles seems like a lifesaver, a colleague who knows Amy’s secret, and wants to be there to help. Amy has no idea that the hospital, led by an icy Kim Dickens as its callous representative, has alerted the local authorities to a concerning situation involving the inexplicable death of one of Amy’s patients. With little warning, a woman coded, and an abnormal amount of insulin was found in her system. She was clearly double dosed, and the hospital really only let the cops know so they could be prepared for any legal liability. The investigating officers, played by Noah Emmerich and Nnamdi Asomugha , start digging a little deeper and find a disturbing work history for Mr. Cullen involving nine other hospitals, all of which he left with rumors swirling. And then another one of Amy’s patients dies.

Would Charles Cullen, who it is confirmed killed at least 29 people—though it's suspected the total may have been in the hundreds—have ever been caught without the courage of someone within the system? The truth is that the lawsuit-terrified operations that hired and fired Cullen didn’t come close to performing their moral duties, shuffling a serial killer off to his next victim. And as long as that kind of business-over-ethics principle was in place, Cullen could have continued. Lindholm was clearly drawn to the hero arc of this true story, the one person who broke the pattern by helping authorities, even though she had so much to risk to do so.

And that’s about where the development of these characters ended. We learn so little about Amy and Charles beyond the facts of the case. Amy is a mother with a heart condition. That’s pretty much the extent of it. Yes, there’s something to be said for a thriller that focuses so intently on its true crime story that it feels like it almost traps you in it, but this movie doesn’t do that either because it's too languid. It’s a two-hour version of a remarkably thin screenplay, one that often mistakes slow for subtle. And maybe it’s a Netflix thing where so many new shows and movies have to look like “Ozark,” but I was begging someone to turn on a light once or twice. Some filmmakers mistake low lighting and speaking quietly for important drama, and it’s just silly. But it speaks to how performative too much of “The Good Nurse” is in the end. 

In the end, the cast does a lot of heavy lifting that will get “The Good Nurse” to great movie status for some people when it premieres on Netflix. Like I said, there is something marvelous about watching these two great performers play quiet, soft-spoken characters for at least most of a film—Redmayne goes a little broad in the final scenes, but he’s earned the release, which is actually more powerful because of the register he's been in up to that point. And the supporting actors are good too, particularly Asomugha, who could easily lead a gritty detective series that I’d watch every week. I like these actors. I just wish they were in a better movie.

This review was filed from the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12th. It premieres on Netflix on October 26.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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The Good Nurse (2022)

Rated R for language.

121 minutes

Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren

Eddie Redmayne as Charles Cullen

Noah Emmerich as Tim Braun

Nnamdi Asomugha as Danny Baldwin

Kim Dickens

Devyn McDowell

• Tobias Lindholm

Writer (book)

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• Krysty Wilson-Cairns

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• Jody Lee Lipes
• Michael Rolt
• Adam Nielsen

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(Photo by 20th Century Studios / courtesy Everett Collection)

Planet of the Apes Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

When it comes to Apes , the Planet doesn’t turn, it twists. That’s because the reveal at the end of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes is one of those iconic shots from movie history, known and parodied the world over, guaranteeing you’d never look at a 150-foot woman the same way ever again. With the Planet producers predicting nothing topping that twist, for the sequels they went for more lore. Maybe a time paradox or two.

“What if the first movie was just scratching the surface?” asked Beneath the Planet of the Apes .

The next sequel, Escape from the Planet of the Apes , transported the series to contemporary time: 1973. So if you wanted to watch the original series in story-chronological order, you’ll want to start with Escape , and then follow it with the final two sequels, 1972’s Conquest and 1973’s Battle . This trilogy is all set before the original duology’s timeline.

In 2001, a reboot was launched. It did its own thing (actually, it adapted more of the Pierre Boulle novel than the original movie), it didn’t carry on after that, but it did mark the end of the original Tim Burton weird era.

A new series and continuity began in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes , which takes a ground-level look at the eventual ape uprising. The film’s serious tone and exemplary special effects were polished further for 2014’s Dawn and 2017’s War . All together, not only was the reboot run a success, but represents a rare trilogy where critical reception kept improving upon the last.

With War making significantly less money than Dawn , and the story relatively concluded, 20th Century Studios let the series go underground again. But it’s back after seven years with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes , set many generations after War where humans have regressed to a primitive state, clubbing predators with fax machines and subsisting off natural springs of Crystal Pepsi.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) 94%

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) 91%

Planet of the Apes (1968) 86%

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 82%

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) 81%

Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971) 76%

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) 52%

Planet of the Apes (2001) 43%

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) 37%

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) 36%

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