TAKE ONE Magazine - Rotten Tomatoes

TAKE ONE Magazine

TAKE ONE Magazine is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Cathy Brennan, Jim Ross, Katie Duggan
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
Don't Look Up (2021)

Jim Ross

Although the film is undoubtedly sharper than [McKay's] previous political feature, VICE, the same smugness and cocksure piety blunt the more incisive moments, just as many performances are pitched more for caricature than satire.
Posted Jan 6, 2022
2
The Power of the Dog (2021)

Jim Ross

Cumberbatch's performance dominates most of the film's showier aspects with a sneering and malevolent presence he has managed to summon before, but under a director who uses this to amplify the film's character dynamics.
Posted Nov 19, 2021
3
Spencer (2021)

Jim Ross

Pablo Larraín's portrait of Diana uses her maddening experience as a reluctant member of the Royal Family to illustrate the stultifying and flattening experience of trying to remain sanguine in the face of a phlegmatic national culture.
Posted Nov 4, 2021
4
Eternals (2021)

Jim Ross

ETERNALS undoubtedly [expands] the universe of possible stories [as] the series looks to move into a new era. However, the conflicting approaches felt here reveal that this range of films isn't ready or willing to expand how it tells those stories.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
5
Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest (2021)

Jim Ross

CANNON ARM AND THE ARCADE QUEST manages to beautifully demonstrate the value of friends and community in helping someone overcome grief and achieve their ambitions in the face of long odds.
Posted Oct 31, 2021
6
The French Dispatch (2021)

Jim Ross

As well as being his breeziest feature in some time, THE FRENCH DISPATCH lacks the cohesion and thematic gravitas of his strongest. The deeper message is probably more of a footnote here, but the best parts capture the love of both written & visual media.
Posted Oct 23, 2021
7
Dune (2021)

Jim Ross

The imagery Villeneuve concocts [...] on Arrakis is captivating in both style and scale. However, it is ironic that the dusty, hazard-laden, abrasive landscape DUNE builds often feels so sterile when we come to the characters inhabiting it.
Posted Oct 22, 2021
8
Passing (2021)

Jim Ross

Rebecca Hall's debut feature, PASSING, is a sumptuous-looking tale [...] However, that sumptuousness frequently tips toward a visual and auditory fussiness that distracts from the [film's] flow and the contemporary echoes of Nella Larsen's source novella.
Posted Oct 9, 2021
9
Bantú Mama (2021)

Jim Ross

Albrecht carries the opening stretch of the film effectively by herself. Her anxiety is palpable while she waits for her return trip to Paris, solidifying the change in tone without speaking a word."
Posted Oct 8, 2021
10
No Time To Die (2021)

Jim Ross

NO TIME TO DIE is a viscerally effective send-off for Daniel Craig's tenure. Still, a deep thematic confusion prevents it from resonating beyond the increasingly narrow confines of what a James Bond movie is seemingly allowed to be.
Posted Oct 8, 2021
11
Violet (2021)

Jim Ross

Justine Bateman's feature film debut is full of ideas but desperately needs to triage them to let the best of them - and Olivia Munn's excellent performance - breathe.
Posted Sep 23, 2021
12
The Guilty (2021)

Jim Ross

Too little is established in Gyllenhaal's main character for the tension to pierce or upend our understanding of him, and the focus on him in THE GUILTY is so intense that any broader metaphors or statements fail to emerge from that dense wildfire smoke.
Posted Sep 23, 2021
13
Encounter (2021)

Jim Ross

An awkward transition, combined with a plurality of readings, could indicate a messy and unfocused story, but Ahmed's performance and the consistent tone created by Pearce ensure ENCOUNTER remains a captivating experience.
Posted Sep 23, 2021
14
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet (2021)

Jim Ross

A beautifully shot film, THE DOG WHO WOULDN'T BE QUIET is a cinematic ballad to how humans are tested (often unfairly), how we adapt to even absurd circumstances and how we develop connections - or, indeed, do not - with those around us.
Posted May 10, 2021
15
Synchronic (2020)

Jim Ross

The film's tight running time leaves [the emotional angle] comparatively starved for attention, and empathy levels generated by the film suffer for it. Still, there are enough intelligently-approached ideas to keep SYNCHRONIC engaging and smart.
Posted Mar 7, 2021
16
Black Bear (2020)

Jim Ross

In the end, BLACK BEAR is a bit of a Penrose triangle of a film. Viewed from certain angles, it may make little sense, but when considered from a new vantage point or spun around, it paradoxically comes together elegantly and beautifully.
Posted Feb 24, 2021
17
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Jim Ross

...the film's most captivating aspects are the central performances and Kaluuya's as Hampton in particular. If the film has any shortcoming, it is that it loses energy when Kaluuya is not in the frame.
Posted Feb 12, 2021
18
Luzzu (2021)

Jim Ross

The conclusion of LUZZU is profoundly sad but caps off a story told with skill, beauty, and resonance far beyond the shores of Malta.
Posted Jan 30, 2021
19
John and the Hole (2021)

Jim Ross

There is plenty to commend the technical and performance aspects of JOHN AND THE HOLE. Still, the storytelling choices and structure fill in the intriguing gaps with narrative quicksand, into which the film's potential slowly sinks.
Posted Jan 30, 2021
20
Stardust (2020)

Jim Ross

STARDUST isn't entirely without merit, but it lacks the cryptic charisma of its subject; something that might distract from a disjointed and inconsequential narrative.
Posted Jan 15, 2021
21
Tenet (2020)

Jim Ross

TENET ends up something of a Rube Goldberg machine of a film: a wondrously complex set of mechanics that is fascinating, but also an incredibly convoluted way of masking what is, in essence, a thin and poorly executed story.
Posted Dec 23, 2020
22
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Jim Ross

Much like FENCES, this new film (adapted from the only Pittsburgh Cycle play not set in Pennsylvania's second city) also showcases exceptional acting in dialogue-heavy scenes, perhaps at the expense of visual storytelling.
Posted Dec 20, 2020
23
Mank (2020)

Jim Ross

[The] attention to look and feel may, over time, position MANK as more of a cinematic curio in Fincher's filmography. However, there is enough bite and edge here to give the film some insight beyond the origin of one of cinema's most significant works.
Posted Nov 30, 2020
24
The Nest (2020)

Jim Ross

As well constructed as Durkin's space and tone is - the flat, desaturated, and sunless locales conveying the increasing bleakness of the characters' moods - the most engaging aspect of the film are the lead performances.
Posted Nov 28, 2020
25
African Apocalypse (2020)

Jim Ross

Although mostly straightforward in visual presentation, Lemkin isn't above the odd flourish, which adds to the themes and connections the film looks to address.
Posted Oct 30, 2020
26
Lingua Franca (2020)

Cathy Brennan

LINGUA FRANCA is an important film, not just in the sense of representation, but also in the way it portrays the relationship between xenophobic and transphobic logics
Posted Oct 22, 2020
27
Mogul Mowgli (2021)

Jim Ross

Bassam Tariq's feature fiction debut is a wonderful showcase for Riz Ahmed's versatility as a performer and an engaging explosion of energy about heritage, identity, and the clashing cultural expression of both.
Posted Oct 9, 2020
28
Concrete Cowboy (2021)

Jim Ross

The overarching plot of this drama seems very paint-by-numbers, but the setting and underlying themes keep the film feeling fresh, and the central performance from Caleb McLaughlin keeps it engaging.
Posted Oct 3, 2020
29
New Order (Nuevo orden) (2021)

Jim Ross

...although Franco is an intelligent observer of the chaos he scripts, the balance of the film tips away from insight and commentary towards narrative brutality. He loses some of the grander points in a nihilistic spray of blood and green paint.
Posted Oct 3, 2020
30
Wildfire (2020)

Jim Ross

...character-driven, the film never loses sight of that with the focus on the late McGuigan, in particular. Although the broader-scale backdrop doesn't coalesce fully with that story, it still provides a pointed and bold addition to the film.
Posted Oct 3, 2020
31
Another Round (Druk) (2020)

Jim Ross

The concept of ANOTHER ROUND reads like a bawdy comedy, but the cocktail Vinterberg and Mikkelsen shake up is altogether sharper and more complex than that.
Posted Oct 3, 2020
32
One Night in Miami (2020)

Jim Ross

King shakes off a slightly mechanical opening to set up a fascinating interplay, allowing each character to take on symbolic significance and metaphorically represent the clash and overlap of ideas without diminishing their real-life achievements.
Posted Sep 18, 2020
33
Apples (Mila) (2020)

Jim Ross

In divorcing [...] from any modern touchstone - smartphones, laptops, internet - APPLES smartly suggests the absurdity of [modern social] trends and their purpose. The sad emptiness pierces through if you take away the modernity.
Posted Sep 16, 2020
34
Cuties (Mignonnes) (2020)

Jim Ross

Adolescent struggles on film are a well-trodden path, but CUTIES (MIGNONNES) from Maïmouna Doucouré feels fresh and modern. That modernity often manifests in uncomfortable ways, but the authenticity of this portrait is evident.
Posted Sep 16, 2020
35
Nomadland (2021)

Jim Ross

...embodied with heart and strength by Frances McDormand. Zhao's film scatters the shattered remains of the American Dream amongst the breathtaking vistas of the 'land of the free'; a romantic sonnet dedicated to a broken place.
Posted Sep 16, 2020
36
Les Misérables (2020)

Jim Ross

The final shots of the film [...] have no easy conclusions for viewers. [A] critical standpoint is clear and present, [but] moral and ethical certainties are not.
Posted Sep 4, 2020
37
Pinocchio (2020)

Jim Ross

PINOCCHIO stands apart from previous adaptations, and most definitely from versions of the story familiar to English-language audiences. [In] doing so, it has an authentic 'fascino' that is unlikely to be bettered by a Hollywood-led live-action version.
Posted Sep 1, 2020
38
Clemency (2019)

Jim Ross

The usual cliché with films of the nature of CLEMENCY is they are 'difficult to watch', but to say that would overlook the reality that Chukwu's film is engaging and thoughtfully constructed.
Posted Aug 4, 2020
39
Seventh Heaven (1927) (1927)

Katie Duggan

Frank Borzage's 1927 silent classic 7th Heaven begins in the gutters. ... it is impossible to not be carried up with it from the grimy depths towards the stars.
Posted Jul 27, 2020
40
Walking on Water (2019)

Katie Duggan

Fitting with Christo's proclamation, the documentary is not just an account of the creation of one work, but a glimpse into the creative madness of living a life that is entirely devoted to art.
Posted Jul 27, 2020
41
Caméra d'Afrique (Twenty Years of African Cinema) (2013)

Katie Duggan

Perhaps the documentary's greatest strength is the way that it opens up the archive of African cinema and lets many films that have rarely been screened outside their home countries speak for themselves.
Posted Jul 27, 2020
42
Spookies (1987)

Katie Duggan

It delivers on exactly what its title promises: it overflows with spooky spirits and creepy creatures filling a decrepit haunted mansion to the brim. What more could you ask for?
Posted Jul 27, 2020
43
White on White (Blanco en blanco) (2021)

Katie Duggan

There is something perversely beautiful about the stark scene he orchestrates, and in the film that Court creates. But with that beauty comes the reminder of profound ugliness and horrors that cannot be contained within the frame.
Posted Jul 27, 2020
44
Vivarium (2020)

Jim Ross

A single giant metaphor wrapped in more than one enigma and many influences, Lorcan Finnegan's film is a wonderfully executed pastel-hued nightmare.
Posted Apr 21, 2020
45
Proxima (2019)

Jim Ross

In the end, PROXIMA isn't quite next to the stars, but there are enough unique elements, including a beautiful central performance, to forgive its more thudding metaphors.
Posted Mar 1, 2020
46
True History of the Kelly Gang (2020)

Jim Ross

Justin Kurzel's new film has some striking imagery and engaging performances but seems to lack the coherent storytelling required to drive home their impact.
Posted Feb 27, 2020
47
Dark Waters (2019)

Jim Ross

Not only does the film act as another damning indictment of corporate America's indifference, but it also highlights the cost of shooting the proverbial messenger.
Posted Feb 24, 2020
48
Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares) (2021)

Jim Ross

As a first feature, Valadez's film is remarkably accomplished and - contrary to the slightly duller English translation of the title would imply - has many 'identifying features' that mark out the director as one to pay attention to.
Posted Feb 22, 2020
49
Vai (2019)

Jim Ross

The film manages to communicate the essence of common experiences whilst retaining cultural specificity. That the collection achieves this with a visual vibrancy and tonal coherence makes it all the more remarkable.
Posted Feb 17, 2020
50
Jackpot (2014)

Jim Ross

As Nordic imports go, it's hardly as offensive as lutefisk.
Posted Feb 13, 2020