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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    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Concerning Violence
    A powerful and provoking take on a violent and volatile era.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Saraband
    Insightful as ever but a little dated in the set-up and treatment of the shooting.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Lean on Pete
    Detached, but never dispassionate, this may not be Andrew Haigh's best film. But its slow-burning authenticity suggests a versatility to go with his acuity for credible characters in recognisable situations.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    As the Palaces Burn
    A fly-on-the-wall look at the band that will thrill fans but may not convert too many non-believers.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
    Bleak brilliance.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Lady Chatterley
    Pascale Ferran as the first female director to adapt this notorious novel absorbs her successful vision with a uniquely romantic vibe.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Irma Vep
    Ultimately, Irma Vep doesn't quite have the courage of its convictions, but still provides plenty of scathing satire on the state of French cinema.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Call Me Kuchu
    As angry and unflinching a piece of documentary filmmaking as you'll see this year.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    The Pearl Button
    Despite the striking photography, this fascinating denunciation of 150 years of persecution and oppression lacks Guzmán's customary trenchancy and restraint.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Goodbye First Love
    Hansen-Løve again shows what a gifted storyteller she is with this tender, realistic portrayal of young love.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Four Times (Le Quattro Volte)
    A beautiful but slow moving celebration of life, stunningly photographed.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    The Big Picture
    A few plot holes hold back what is otherwise a well cast and compelling picture.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington
    Unsurprisingly, considering the circumstances, this is less a meticulous study of photojournalist's art than an privileged and emotional look at the life of a friend and colleague.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Hard Stop
    Unflinching in its eschewal of objectivity, this provides a unique perspective on a notorious case, while correcting some of the impressions about urban black youth the media cravenly peddled in its aftermath.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Hotel Salvation
    Filmed on a modest budget with a subtle sense of place and pace, this highly impressive debut considers mortality with a wry compassion that's rare for such a young director.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Beyond the Hills
    A bruising psychodrama from the Palme d'Or winner that taps into the dark heart of central European superstition.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
    While strong on establishment prejudice, the coverage of clashing egos and agendas isn’t always incisive.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Grand Hotel
    Creaky, Aged and utterly enchanting. One to be seen on a proper print if you can.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Gabrielle
    This looks and sounds superb. Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Gregory are splendid. But the over-archingly smug sophistication of the enterprise robs it of some much-needed human interest.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Kelly's Heroes
    It’s instilled with the bite and bark of Bilko’s capitalist fervour, and has a fun line in cool, snappy dialogue, although never intending to be quite so broadly a comedy.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    An Angel at My Table
    Campion's grasp of her material is intellectually and emotionally assured, while Fox's extraordinary performance demonstrates an honesty, courage and power that's rarely attempted, let alone achieved.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Pat and Mike
    Not quite as fully realised as the classic Adam's Rib, but generally good.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Tabu
    Shot in beautiful black and white with some stunning visuals, Gomes' narrative quest is a understated gem.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
    An intriguing and compelling documentary that provides insight into Kiefer's artwork.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Roman Holiday
    Witty, warm and beautifully filmed by Franz Planer and Henri Alekan, it remains an unabashed romantic delight, with Hepburn particularly luminescent. [Review of re-release]
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    Tori and Lokita
    Meticulously controlled, but simmering with a tension that is suffused with fury, this treatise on dignity and depravity, aspiration and apathy is the Dardennes at their most accusatory and damning.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 David Parkinson
    Head-On
    Ünel and the debuting Kekilli are as impressive as Akin’s atmospheric snapshots of Hamburg and Istanbul.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    In the Fog
    It's a stark vision of humanity in a hellish world. Tough and thought-provoking.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 David Parkinson
    The Innocents
    Played with restraint and individuality by a fine ensemble, this is a moving but provocative study of belief, duty, compassion and acceptance.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 100 David Parkinson
    Babette's Feast
    Impeccably mounted and played, this is gastro-cinema at its most sensual and intoxicating.
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