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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    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Horse Money
    Visually striking, intellectually challenging and emotionally harrowing.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Limelight
    Elements of self parody from the master of slapstick leave you yearning for the early work that made his name. But it's worth a watch to see Chaplin and Keaton in one of few on-screen appearances together.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Oliver Twist
    Evocative and endearing - a worthy string to the Lean bow.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Darling
    Interesting portrait of the shallow nature of fame but overall this fails to engage on an emotional level.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Horse Feathers
    Marx brothers anarchy that makes up for plot inconsistencies with infectious humour.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    My Winnipeg
    Witty, moving and visually dazzling.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Play It Again, Sam
    Woody's neuroses are still gloriously present, and the whole thing is made accessible by Herbert Ross' dynamic direction.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Tales of the Night
    A delight from start to finish.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Graduation
    With the camera placement being as meticulous as the use of Handel on the soundtrack, this impeccably played saga deservedly earned Mungiu a share of the Best Director prize at Cannes.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Room at the Top
    Although time doesn't flatter the film much, it remains engaging and insightful.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Old Joy
    Making exceptional use of stillness and silence, this is a rather sad study of the passing of traditional concepts of American masculinity along with the landscape that forged them.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Victor Victoria
    Edwards and Andrews insisted on using the picture to drive another nail into her detested Mary Poppins image.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Stalag 17
    Interesting depiction with a pretty decent performance from Holden and supported by a credible cast.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Wrong Man
    Hitchcock's coldest, hardest movie until its controversial ending.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Goodbye, Dragon Inn
    Wry and haunting.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Custody
    Knowingly blending realist grit with generic guile, this unrelentingly tense account of a fragmented family living in constant fear thoroughly merited the Best Director prize at the Venice Film Festival.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Forbidden Room
    Exquisitely designed, this cornucopia of melodramatic fragments and movie pastiches will enchant Guy Maddin fans.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    My Dinner with Andre
    A completely merited cult favourite of the avant-garde genre. This is surprisingly compelling in places.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Osama
    The performances are credible, but set-pieces like the water-cannoning of a procession of burkha-clad protesters are also impeccably judged.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Blackfish
    Impassioned and disturbing, this documentary matches "The Cove" for marrying cool intellect with real fire.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Guilty
    Echoes of Dog Day Afternoon and Locke reverberate around this claustrophobic thriller, which is tautly plotted, precisely paced and grippingly played by Jakob Cedergren and his unseen co-stars.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Gloria
    The mesmerising García and sensitive direction by Lelio light up this delicate yet spiky drama. Terrific stuff from both Chileans.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 David Parkinson
    Manhattan
    One of Woody's most aesthetically gorgeous films as well as his classic love-hate letter to the city of his soul.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Shanghai Express
    Intriguing and visually atmospheric melodrama with Dietrich doing her sultry thing.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Sanjuro
    Satirical Samurai action of the highest order.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Born and Bred
    Director Pablo Trapero seals his enviable reputation with this exceptional study of isolation and grief.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Maiden
    Instructive, insightful and inspiring, Maiden is a rousingly riveting record of a remarkable accomplishment that says as much about British bloody-mindedness as it does about feminist fortitude and underdog pluck.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Rams
    Switching from dour humour to humanist drama without seeming contrived, this is a masterclass in combining character and landscape that is played with deceptive poignancy by the excellent leads.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
    One of Hitchcock's earlier efforts that was hacked around a bit to take out some of the more ambiguous psychological elements by the editor but still retains the old Hitch charm.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Mademoiselle Chambon
    A subtle and sensual character study.
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