John Nugent

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Empire
For 245 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 54% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 44% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 0.9 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

John Nugent's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 65
Highest review score: 100 Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Lowest review score: 20 The School for Good and Evil
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 104 out of 245
  2. Mixed: 136 out of 245
  3. Negative: 5 out of 245
245 movie reviews
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    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
    Silly, witty, extremely British — this is a family film made with a very Aardman-y kind of craft and care. A good egg.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    American Symphony
    Moving and musical, this is a striking portrait of courage and creativity in the face of some horrific odds chucked at you by life’s lottery.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Rustin
    This welcome spotlight on a lesser-known civil rights hero doesn’t escape the usual biopic clichés — but Colman Domingo’s impressive, deeply layered performance does this corner of history justice.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Wish
    This might not be the venerable animation house at its very best, but it is a reminder of why they have endured for so long. Why change a formula when it’s a winning one?
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Sly
    It might follow a linear storytelling path a little too strictly, but Sylvester Stallone is a bracingly honest documentary subject, and fans in particular will take much from this look at a life and career well lived.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Dream Scenario
    Silly, strange, and very funny, Dream Scenario is a psycho-comic-drama with a peak Cage Renaissance performance powering it. Don’t sleep on it.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Nyad
    A classic American sports movie, with all of its triumphs and clichés — kept afloat by two brilliant, warm lead performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Sumotherhood
    A very silly, sporadically serious hood spoof, with some surprisingly frank discussions of mental health — and a welcome redemptive arc for the multi-talented Adam Deacon.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    The Killer
    A riveting revenge riot, with gobsmacking levels of film craft, and a performance from Michael Fassbender to make your blood run cold. It’s not quite top-tier Fincher, but it comes damn close.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 40 John Nugent
    The Miracle Club
    Some likeable performances — and solid Irish accents — can’t save a dreary parade of clichés. Pray that the Lord forgives these cinematic sins.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 John Nugent
    Killers of the Flower Moon
    Monumental stuff: a story about the deadly legacy of America’s colonial sins, both vast and intimate in scope. Exceptional filmmaking, by an exceptional filmmaker.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    The Old Oak
    A fitting — and frustrating — end to an extraordinary career. Ken Loach’s powerful, poignant storytelling is occasionally stymied by his less subtle impulses.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    No One Will Save You
    A close encounter of the wordless kind, this is a smart and splendidly scary horror sci-fi, with a brilliantly brittle turn from Kaitlyn Dever.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Dumb Money
    With a brisk, biting comic tone and a nice line in righteous anger, Dumb Money skilfully picks up The Big Short’s baton for cinematic-economic takedowns.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    El Conde
    A visually arresting new entry in the Dracula canon; if only the satire was as biting as its unlikely vampire star.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah!
    The rare teen movie that recognises crushes are never as important or powerful as BFFs — and one that marks an intriguing new direction for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Strays
    An exuberantly bad-taste ode to our poochy pals. Dumb & Dumber, but for dogs.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Kandahar
    Gerard Butler proves he has more in the tank than just thoughtless action with this Middle East-set thriller, which is unexpectedly interested in the people and politics behind the usual explosions.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 40 John Nugent
    Gran Turismo
    Despite some warm performances, it’s very hard to ignore the feeling that this is largely just two hours of product placement.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
    Inventively animated, giddily funny, and a surprisingly authentic take on the outsider experience: it is virtually impossible not to be charmed by these reptilian bros.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Talk to Me
    Tense, stressful and savagely staged, this is a scarily good debut from YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou. Be sure to hold someone’s hand while watching.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    The Beanie Bubble
    Sometimes the storytelling can feel like a stretch, but this is mostly a lively, well-told account of a bizarre toy craze gone wrong, and the big personalities behind it.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Smoking Causes Coughing
    Madder than a bag of cats. Quentin Dupieux’s latest is even more absurd — and more pointless — than his film about a sentient car tyre. But it’s cheering to know he is still being allowed to make this sort of bollocks.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 John Nugent
    Flamin' Hot
    The story of how Flamin’ Hot Cheetos came to exist barely demands to be told (if it is even true). But like all good junk food, there are still some guilty pleasures to be had here.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Medusa Deluxe
    Thick with sharpened scissors, and barbers with barbed tongues, Medusa Deluxe is a unique take on the whodunnit mould, and a hell of a debut from British filmmaker Thomas Hardiman.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Asteroid City
    Truly delightful. Wes Anderson leans into his trademark eccentricities for a trip to the desert that won’t win any converts but will keep the Anderson faithful content.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    The Other Fellow
    No Martinis in sight, but this is still an extremely watchable look at a unique naming phenomenon — with surprisingly profound results.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
    Indy’s final date with destiny has a barmy finale that might divide audiences — but if you join him for the ride, it feels like a fitting goodbye to cinema’s favourite grave-robber.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Return to Seoul
    A film that recognises there is no single answer to questions like ‘who are you?’ or ‘where do you come from’. Stirring, constantly surprising stuff — with an arresting debut turn from Ji-Min Park.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 John Nugent
    Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
    By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is a fascinating and funny twin portrait of a Hollywood rise-and-fall, and the realities of living with Parkinson’s. It only confirms what we already knew: Michael J. Fox is one of the greats.
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