David Parkinson

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Empire
For 400 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 39% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 57% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 7.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

David Parkinson's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 Sansho the Bailiff
Lowest review score: 40 Tommy's Honour
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 239 out of 400
  2. Mixed: 161 out of 400
  3. Negative: 0 out of 400
400 movie reviews
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    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    You Will Be My Son
    Lustrous photography and a fine cast make this dark drama a compelling one.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Himizu
    Over-the-top but blackly funny along the way.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Tales of the Night
    A delight from start to finish.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Distant Voices, Still Lives
    Exposing the bleak reality of a supposedly more innocent time, this inspired blend of musical and melodrama succeeds in being both fond and forlorn, artistic and authentic.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Slack Bay
    With its bestial themes, conceptual humour and cartoonish thespians, this consciously arch farce will intrigue some and infuriate others.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
    An intriguing and compelling documentary that provides insight into Kiefer's artwork.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Catfight
    Played with committed ferocity by the excellent Oh and Heche, this riotous state-of-the-nation satire may lack subtlety, but it has the courage of its socko convictions and certainly packs a punch.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Husbands
    If Cassavetes' hipster cine-language has lost a little of its age and the innovative improv style won't be for everyone, the themes he tackles, riffed by a masterful group of actors, remain enthralling.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Nénette
    A gently moving film that's always thought-provoking if at times a little slow going.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    The Seventh Fire
    A gruelling watch and a searing indictment of America's disregard for its indigenous peoples.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Breathing
    Best known until now for Oscar-winning holocaust drama "The Counterfeiters," Karl Markovics flexes his muscles on the other side of the camera with terrific effect. A fine, moving debut for the new writer/director.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Carmen Jones
    1954 musical that is woefully miscast in places and extremely dubious in its portrayal of African-Americans but does boast an on-form Dorothy Dandridge.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Camille Claudel 1915
    As meticulous as one of Claudel's sculptures, Hors Satan director Dumont and his star do this true-life story justice with an empathetic telling.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    The Harvey Girls
    Judy Garland is magnificent in this charming musical with a number of star turns from the impressive cast.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Ismael's Ghosts
    This director's cut might smack of self-indulgence, but it also says much about love and loss and the language of an artform that flirts with realism while remaining an illusion.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Corpo Celeste
    Quietly compelling, the cerebral slice of social realism is well worth hunting down.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Love Jones
    Love Jones is fun, at least for the first hour, after which the melodrama takes over and the characters stop being witty and become schmaltzy instead.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    A Tale of Two Sisters
    Masterfully manipulative and bloody scary.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Wild Grass
    A typically poignant lifestory illuminated by strong turns from Dussollier and Azéma, Alain Resnais' latest is one to stir the brain as well as the heart.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Knuckle
    Chock full of larger-than-life characters, it's an enthralling insight into a raw, bloodied world.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    El Topo
    Violent, visionary, vital.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Unknown White Male
    Even if Rupert Murray's film does turn out to be a hoax, there's no denying the ingenuity involved in its making.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Shop Around the Corner
    Nostalgic and charming romance with special moments in the extra-narrative action.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 40 David Parkinson
    Point and Shoot
    A strange story that's no less disturbing for its unbalanced telling.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Sacro GRA
    A fun and insightful slice of Roman life. Next up, M25: The Movie?
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Father and Son
    Sokurov's use of space, religious symbolism and raw emotion compensate for any sense of exclusion.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Sweet Charity
    This has a lot of good ingredients but just doesn't quite manage to pull it off. It's looks dated and Shirley Maclaine doesn't quite capture the sympathies of all audiences.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Saboteur
    Not one of Hitchcock's best, but with a few creative sequences and some sharp writing from Dorothy Parker.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Lion's Den
    Too many generic tropes for this downbeat, detached melodrama to convince as a work of social realism but a strong central performance and convincing depiction of the compartmentalisation of Argentina's women.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Men & Chicken
    Hilarious in places, hideous in others, this struggles to make its philosophical case. But the performances are exceptional and the conceit could not be more daring or distinctive.
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