Ian Freer
Select another critic »For 391 reviews, this critic has graded:
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49% higher than the average critic
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5% same as the average critic
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46% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 1.2 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Ian Freer's Scores
- Movies
- TV
| Average review score: | 67 | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest review score: | Imitation of Life | |
| Lowest review score: | Police Academy 6: City Under Siege | |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 191 out of 391
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Mixed: 196 out of 391
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Negative: 4 out of 391
391
movie
reviews
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- Ian Freer
Alice Lowe’s directorial debut may falter in its grip, especially in story and tone, but it’s a daringly evocative film that marks a filmmaker of imagination and promise.- Empire
- Posted Feb 9, 2017
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- Ian Freer
A forced, over-ripe satire on the hunger for social media, bolstered by an engaging performance by Joe Keery. But if you really want to feel the real-life impact of the ’Gram on a young psyche, stick with Eighth Grade.- Empire
- Posted Aug 12, 2020
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- Ian Freer
Whisper it. A Quiet Place Part II might lack the smarts and novelty of its predecessor but it serves up strong set- pieces, Millicent Simmonds shines and Krasinski remains a director to watch.- Empire
- Posted May 18, 2021
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- Ian Freer
It should be a delicious chocolate gateau but Emma. makes heavy weather of Austen’s charmer, delivering a tonally uneven, mostly airless affair. Amy Heckerling’s Clueless — Emma in the Valley — remains the big screen benchmark.- Empire
- Posted Feb 13, 2020
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- Ian Freer
A brilliant Sally Hawkins stands atop Craig Roberts’ perceptive look at mental illness. Small but beautifully formed.- Empire
- Posted Sep 28, 2020
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- Ian Freer
Combining both the universality and specificity of Springsteen’s music, Blinded By The Light is an exuberant anthem to the importance of music, the need to be seen and the hope of new possibilities.- Empire
- Posted Aug 5, 2019
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- Ian Freer
Even if it hits well-worn beats, Come As You Are still shines a light on the oft-ignored sexual wants and needs of the disabled community, with humour, empathy and poignancy.- Empire
- Posted Jul 15, 2020
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- Ian Freer
The movie that really showed Tom Hanks' promise as a deliverer of great comedy and heart-warming pathos.- Empire
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- Ian Freer
This is Steve McQueen’s most accessible film to date, without diluting any of his power. Mixing epic sweep with textured detail, despite an episodic second half it will make even the stiffest upper lip quiver.- Empire
- Posted Oct 30, 2024
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- Ian Freer
If nothing else, Radical Dreamer is a never-ending stream of great anecdotes.- Time Out
- Posted Jan 18, 2024
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- Ian Freer
The film thrives on two performances: Barbaro is terrific as Baez, hypnotic on stage and fiercely charismatic off. And Chalamet inhabits Dylan without ever feeling like a Stars In Your Eyes contestant. From the voice to the charm to the earthiness to the self-centredness (‘You’re kind of an asshole, Bob,’ Baez tells him), Chalamet nails it all. It’s a shame Mangold’s safe flick doesn’t ask just that little bit more of him.- Time Out
- Posted Dec 11, 2024
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- Ian Freer
Anchored by great performances from Liam Neeson and especially Lesley Manville, Ordinary Love is alive to the feelings and moments other hospital dramas overlook. Its accumulation of details form a shattering whole.- Empire
- Posted Dec 3, 2019
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- Ian Freer
Part film industry satire, part winning love story, Benjamin is low-key and shambling but emerges funny, bittersweet and affecting.- Empire
- Posted Jul 14, 2020
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- Ian Freer
Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Portrait’s staid approach doesn’t always cohere into a gripping yarn but it is detailed, boasts a real feel for the fiction and, in-between the two men’s rampant viciousness, emerges as undeniably poignant.- Empire
- Posted Apr 30, 2021
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- Ian Freer
Filmmaker Bob Weide’s relationship with Kurt Vonnegut may detract from a more incisive critical portrait but it is sweetly etched, and the unparalleled access provides a comical, compelling profile of a singular figure in 20th-century American letters.- Empire
- Posted Jul 21, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Togo is in a slightly more sombre register than Call Of The Wild but delivers similar sturdy pleasures; exciting dog-in-peril action and striking landscapes, all anchored by Dafoe’s grounded performance.- Empire
- Posted Mar 25, 2020
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- Ian Freer
It’s a small, lightweight picture but Good Posture is alive to the messy realities of becoming a grown-assed adult, becoming more charming and involving as it goes on. It also suggests a bright future for writer-director Dolly Wells.- Empire
- Posted Oct 1, 2019
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- Ian Freer
Held back by a more conservative aesthetic and emotional approach, One Life comes nowhere near the power and veracity of Steven Spielberg’s film. But it does have an ace in the hole in Anthony Hopkins, whose performance delivers a subtle but profound gut-punch.- Time Out
- Posted Nov 15, 2023
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- Ian Freer
Get Duked channels both Trainspotting and Deliverance to create a scattershot shotgun-blast of gags, gore and bedlam. Winningly performed by its young cast, it’s a (laminated) calling card for director Ninian Doff.- Empire
- Posted Aug 28, 2020
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- Ian Freer
22 July takes a helicopter view of a terrifying, unthinkable tragedy, perhaps flying too high to capture all the nuance, complexities and emotion. Still it has great stretches and a terrific performance by Anders Danielsen Lie.- Empire
- Posted Oct 8, 2018
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- Ian Freer
Centred by a committed, affecting performance by Noomi Rapace, Lamb gets over its longueurs and missteps with interesting ideas, filmmaking craft and a unique tone of voice. Also includes some of the best animal acting of the year.- Empire
- Posted Dec 9, 2021
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- Ian Freer
And Then We Danced is a well-made love story, anchored by a mesmerizing Levan Gelbakhiani and enlivened by electrifying dance numbers.- Empire
- Posted Mar 11, 2020
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- Ian Freer
On a par with "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained," The Hateful Eight starts low-key but ultimately delivers big, bold, blood-soaked rewards. Roll on, QT Western number three.- Empire
- Posted Jan 11, 2016
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- Ian Freer
It’s very conventional in form and dances round his famous temper, but Never Give In touches on topics (class, identity) rare in a sports documentary, etching a moving portrait of a man reflecting on his past at a point when his memory is slipping away from him.- Empire
- Posted May 28, 2021
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- Ian Freer
It says little that is new and lacks heat, but Wilson and Burke inhabit a compelling mismatched couple, with Wootliff finding cinematic ways to get under their skin. A flawed but admirable attempt to take the temperature of a dark, modern relationship.- Empire
- Posted Mar 29, 2022
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- Ian Freer
More engrossing than both "Sully" and "The 15:17 To Paris," Richard Jewell is enlivened by Paul Walter Hauser’s breakout performance yet undone by a lack of subtlety and real dramatic wallop. Solid, dependable, very late period Eastwood.- Empire
- Posted Jan 27, 2020
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- Ian Freer
Although let down by muddled plotting, The Night House is a low-key, well-made thoughtful horror flick, excellently played by Rebecca Hall.- Empire
- Posted Aug 19, 2021
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- Ian Freer
A striking debut from a blistering talent. What it lacks in narrative oomph it makes up for in beautiful imagery, natural performances and a worldview all its own.- Empire
- Posted Apr 13, 2021
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- Ian Freer
Like many sequels, Truth To Power is bigger but messier than its predecessor. While it doesn’t quite deliver the oomph of the original, it is still a timely, persuasive wake-up call.- Empire
- Posted Aug 14, 2017
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- Ian Freer
Dream Horse is predictable and manipulative to a fault but, sparked by Toni Collette, there is a strong sense of sincerity and commitment to the subject matter that helps it across the finishing line.- Empire
- Posted Jun 3, 2021
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