Jordan Raup

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The Film Stage
For 232 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 43% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 52% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 4.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Jordan Raup's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 70
Highest review score: 100 A Ghost Story
Lowest review score: 16 The Last Thing He Wanted
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 169 out of 232
  2. Mixed: 59 out of 232
  3. Negative: 4 out of 232
232 movie reviews
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    • 83 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    This collection of lost souls and inquiry into their perspective on life results in a tale of profound authenticity and devastating heartbreak.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 91 Jordan Raup
    Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Hittman has provided an essential, specific look at just one person’s struggle to have control over her own body. By doing so with such a delicate, considered perspective, she’s giving a voice to millions of women going through the same experience. And it’s time to listen.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Zola
    Accompanied by Mica Levi’s score–which mixes fairytale-esque harps to introduce the story and Southern-fried beats and synths as the craziness progresses–Bravo elevates the material and provides a unified, eccentric vision.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Troop Zero
    Troop Zero drowns in its cloying aim to please at every moment. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but that wouldn’t be a problem if its familiar heart and humor landed in any memorable way.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 42 Jordan Raup
    Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
    By lacking a sense of vision in embracing what came before and ignoring the recently laid path for where this story could go, The Rise of Skywalker is not only a disappointing end to this saga–it’s also an ill-fated harbinger for Disney’s future in storytelling.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Little Women
    A thematically rich and acutely moving update for both a new generation and certainly many more to follow.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 91 Jordan Raup
    A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
    It all culminates in a final scene that is as eloquent as it is wise.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Where'd You Go, Bernadette
    One imagines how over-the-top zany this could have been made, had the adaptation been overtly faithful, yet Linklater is able to extract the heart of the story while injecting some of his own characteristic themes.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Booksmart
    It may begin with a scattered, cartoonish approach, but Booksmart eventually blooms into something entirely and beautifully its own.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
    It’s his commitment to the physicality required that signifies a mythic status to both the henchman who have the honor of fighting him and those watching the spectacle on display.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
    The entire saga of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is compelling in showing the burden that journey can take, even if the end results don’t make for Gilliam’s finest hour (or two).
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Missing Link
    Laika’s craft makes the sweet-natured, grand adventure worth going on, but the accompanying dialogue from those leading the journey is ultimately too simple-minded to make a memorable mark.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 42 Jordan Raup
    Captive State
    The groundwork is laid for a rich playground of political intrigue and sci-fi thrills, but Captive State is continually hobbled by acting more like a mouthpiece for the state we are in rather than a memorable genre outing with characters we can root for.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Big Time Adolescence
    As the fun hits a brick wall, the film doesn’t quite have the pathos of other coming-of-age stories like The Edge of Seventeen, more focused on selling the amiable, Superbad-esque hang out vibe that is so attuned to Davidson’s brand of comedy, but when it is time for some comeuppance, it’s easy to feel for both Mo and Zeke.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Clemency
    Clemency is a thoroughly draining experience as if we’re placed in purgatory with no means of escape, but it’s ultimately powerful in the ways it shows how the death penalty has consequences for everyone involved.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 42 Jordan Raup
    Them That Follow
    Them That Follow has a compelling hook, but what’s left is nothing but an unfortunately wasted opportunity.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Fighting with My Family
    Fighting with My Family doesn’t pull too many unexpected punches, but as someone who has never watched a split-second of wrestling in their life, the fact that I was engaged with this underdog story is a testament to the success of Merchant’s first solo directing effort.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 91 Jordan Raup
    American Factory
    Thoroughly engrossing ... The way the directors are able to provide a portrait of empathy on all sides is astounding.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    The Sound of Silence
    Has a compelling hook ... but the follow-through leaves something to be desired.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 91 Jordan Raup
    The Souvenir
    Hogg’s earlier films are striking in their picturesque abstractness as we sit in on conversations from a distance, but the ambition and warmth on display in The Souvenir makes this her greatest achievement.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Report
    While Burns is certainly damning of the forces that let these tactics be utilized, the message of the film is ultimately more about coming clean as a nation for one’s mistakes and the oversight needed between branches to have a government of integrity.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Photograph
    Throughout Photograph, Batra shows a sensitive touch and a patient eye for the subtle rhythms of human connection
    • 78 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Monos
    The viscerality will surely leave one shaken, though they may question if the unceasing sadistic acts on display are worth the experience.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Light From Light
    Those going into Paul Harrill’s second feature looking for frights will be rewarded with something more substantial: an experience rich with atmosphere and humanity, and drama ultimately more enlightening than the cheap thrills that pervade the dime-a-dozen ghost stories we’ve seen before.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Honey Boy
    Whether intentionally intended or not, this earnest endeavor does wonders to enact sympathy and overturn any negative public perception of his outbursts, even if it can feel more like self-therapy than a fully-formed film.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Give Me Liberty
    A kinetic, comedic journey taking place over a day, Kirill Mikhanovsky’s film is a bit too needlessly frenzy as it eventually runs out of steam, but is potent in its exploration of shared cross-cultural experiences.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
    As an oddity of the serial killer genre, some of Berlinger’s choices ring more as engagingly strange than unsuccessful.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Divine Love
    Through his exquisite vision, Mascaro tells a curious tale of spiritual commitment, marital strife, and the blurred separation of church and state, leading to an ultimately surprising, powerful conclusion.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Death of Dick Long
    It may end up playing as a silly lark, but along with dismantling ideas of masculinity, Daniel Scheinert has also created a singularly entertaining crime comedy built on utter idiocy.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 91 Jordan Raup
    Cold Case Hammarskjöld
    [A] thoroughly engrossing documentary.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Little Monsters
    Never truly scary or side-splitting hilarious (aside from one of the single greatest visual jokes I’ve seen in a long while, involving a kindergarten class picture), Little Monsters can often feel toothless in its bite, ending up being a watchable, if watered-down zombie comedy.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Apollo 11
    As we hear the actual recordings of the astronauts communicating with the designated capsule communicator (aka CAPCOM), it gives Apollo 11 an underlying, powerful thread of humanity.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Adam
    While Adam seems almost like a rite of passage before we get more complex trans dramas in mainstream filmmaking, one can’t help but feel frustrated by its missed opportunities.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Green Book
    Farrelly is telling a heart-warming, comical buddy story first and foremost, and Green Book, for better or worse, feels more like a wholehearted familial embrace than a treatise on the state of race in America today.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Tyrel
    Not giving into audience expectations and thus creating something more terrifying in its relatability, Sebastián Silva’s TYREL follows a testosterone-heavy weekend and the anxiety-inducing isolation one character is faced with.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Lizzie
    Rather than focusing on Lizzie as a figure out of a horror movie or creepy folk tale, she is portrayed as a woman who found liberty only through the death of her oppressors.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Girls of the Sun
    While it’s not as stylish as Husson’s Bang Gang, Girls of the Sun is just as assured. There’s a specific political message at its back and it expresses it without compromise for better or worse.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    The Meg
    With The Meg, Turtletaub flounders about, failing to wring out a basic amount of tension in most scenes, leaving us to swim around in circles with only spare, Statham-infused signs of life.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Ant-Man and the Wasp
    Ant-Man and the Wasp may never achieve that level of surrealist humor, but as a series of amusing quips and inventive setpieces, the rest of the Marvel family could learn a thing or two from the scrappy small-scale of their tiniest colleague.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 42 Jordan Raup
    Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
    Like an amusement ride on its last legs, there is no wonder in this world anymore; just the repetition of cheap, worn-out jolts. The park is gone, and with it, so is any semblance of humanity.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Avengers: Infinity War
    This story may be on its last legs, but as table-setting for an even bigger threat, Infinity War daringly leaves more questions in the air. The way this world ends looks to be not with a bang, but a whimper.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Annihilation
    A shimmering example of what Hollywood sci-fi can achieve when the aim is high, Annihilation is a gripping, mystifying adventure and proof that a transportive experience is more rewarding than a story with clean-cut resolutions.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Red Sparrow
    While Red Sparrow ultimately doesn’t earn its all-consuming, grueling dourness, there are a few thrills to be had, and following the best performance of her career last fall, it’s certainly another fearless step forward for Jennifer Lawrence.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 42 Jordan Raup
    The Cloverfield Paradox
    Not containing the wit to be smart, thrilling sci-fi nor the chutzpah to embrace a fun, B-movie shlock vibe, it unfortunately feels like an uninspired TV pilot that any other network would’ve permanently locked in a vault.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
    John Callahan’s life is a fascinatingly complex one, and Phoenix is certainly the ideal actor to portray him, but Gus Van Sant’s maudlin, erratic approach leaves too little of an impression.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Commuter
    If Collet-Serra put Neeson on a merry-go-round and added some danger, I’d gladly show up.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
    The adventure rides on the charisma of the ensemble, who milk the body-switching situation for all it is worth.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    It
    You won’t float off the film’s intended horror high, but the characters will endear you enough to show up for the promised second chapter.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Spider-Man: Homecoming
    Despite succumbing to the seemingly inescapable monotony that pervades most final setpieces in this genre, the film exudes a charismatic quality of nimble fun with its playful direction and lighthearted lead performance.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    War for the Planet of the Apes
    War of the Planet of the Apes has all the bombast and sense of finality seemingly required for the end of a trilogy, but there’s an underlying emptiness that nags with each scene.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Columbus
    Unfolding with a specific eye for grandeur in every space, the images resonate long after the credits roll.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Rough Night
    While Lucia Aniello (one of many from Broad City involved here) brings a certain energy in her directorial debut and the cast do comedically click, Rough Night too often feels watered-down with a blatant disregard for basic logic, resulting in a comedy that’s ultimately more exasperating than clever.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    It Comes at Night
    The details in this post-apocalyptic chamber drama — flat-out horror this is not — are spare, an initially refreshing decision that ultimately results in a rather empty, half-formed narrative.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Katie Says Goodbye
    Everything Roberts wants to convey is obtrusively front and center, leaving little room for the viewer to have any interpretation for themselves.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Trip to Spain
    For fans of the series, The Trip to Spain gives one a wholehearted meal of all they could possibly desire.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    The Lovers
    Featuring superb performances from Tracy Letts and Debra Winger, writer-director Azazel Jacobs has assembled an impeccable ensemble, but his script doesn’t quite have the dramatic acumen to make his Terri follow-up much more than an amusing farce.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Fast Five
    It’s difficult to imagine something funnier, dumber and more action-packed coming from this group.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    All These Sleepless Nights
    Marczak himself, who also plays cinematographer, is wary to delineate the line between narrative and nonfiction, and part of the film’s joy is forgoing one’s grasp on this altering perspective, rather simply getting wrapped up in the immaculately-shot allure of its location.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Life
    Despite a layer of derivative blandness with the formation of its characters and cribbing from sci-fi greats, there’s something downright invigorating about a film without loftier ambitions than providing slasher-in-space pulp.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Little Boxes
    Despite the contrived drama surrounding it, this is a refreshingly uncynical portrait of familial strife.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Beauty and the Beast
    Never genuinely thrilling or sincerely hilarious, Beauty and the Beast ho-hums along until the next needle drop of a prominent musical cue. If Disney believes these tales are as old as time, they ought to have a better reason for bringing them back to life than unimaginatively cashing in on nostalgia.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Beach Rats
    As a hyper-focused, dream-like portrait of a teenager grappling with both the conditions of his upbringing and a newfound identity, Beach Rats feels invigorating at very turn.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Patti Cake$
    While there’s an infectious energy to the process of musical creation and an impressive lead performance from newcomer Danielle MacDonald, the feature debut of Geremy Jasper is ultimately hindered by predictable story beats and a cynical outlook at the world it’s capturing.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Menashe
    Menashe works as both a rare introduction to a way of life largely unseen (or exaggerated by those outside of it) as well as a touching depiction of fighting for what’s most important in life.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Golden Exits
    Considering how Perry intricately carves out the understated instincts of each of these characters, it’s easily his most humane and emotionally complex film.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Marjorie Prime
    Marjorie Prime, a micro-scale sci-fi chamber drama, fascinatingly explores the perception and dissolution of what we remember throughout our lives.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Dayveon
    With the ensemble of mostly non-actors never less than utterly convincing, Amman Abbasi’s debut drama is captivating in its immediacy, despite a script that doesn’t feel fully formed.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Brigsby Bear
    Dave McCary’s directorial debut is a film of imagination, adventure, and discovery, but also one too hesitant to challenge in its tone, traveling down a tiresome path of tropes.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Beatriz at Dinner
    As a film capturing increasing condescension until a breaking point is reached, Beatriz at Dinner impresses with an impassioned performance by Hayek.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    I Am Michael
    The drama’s formal elements aren’t as compelling as the ideas it wrestles with, but it does make for one of James Franco‘s more accomplished and complicated performances.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Wilson
    Despite [Harrelson's] commitment to a lack of civility, there’s a darker film lying in the cynical heart of Wilson, one that gets squandered by its mawkish aesthetic and lack of interest in exploring these characters beyond their crudeness.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Mudbound
    Filled with scenes both broad and understated, Mudbound may take some time to find an engaging rhythm and poignant depth, but once it does, the powerful last act will not be soon forgotten.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Wind River
    Let down by muddy characterization and a choppy directorial style, the drama finally coheres in its final act to deliver the uncompromising thrills that have been Sheridan’s trademark.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 91 Jordan Raup
    Call Me by Your Name
    It’s a film of overwhelming empathy and playfulness as loneliness turns into gratification and desires are slowly manifested into reality.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Berlin Syndrome
    While some of the story’s turns can feel overtly manipulative, Shortland finds a bracing humanity in depicting the perverse situation of Stockholm syndrome.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    The Little Hours
    It’s far from achieving the holy grail of comedy, but as a frivolous, fleeting time, The Little Hours has its charms thanks to the strength of its cast.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Landline
    Landline is a film about many things: sisterhood, infidelity, growing up, marriage, parenting, self-discovery, etc. That it manages to have illuminating insights about each, and none feeling like they are taking the backseat, is a feat unto itself.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    It Happened in L.A.
    As the film progresses and a comedic rhythm clicks into place, L.A. Times blazes its own distinct, disenchanted trail of romance in the modern age.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Ingrid Goes West
    In his directorial debut, Matt Spicer gets right what so many other films commenting on today’s technology obsession fail to capture: the aesthetic appeal of the technology.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Jordan Raup
    A Ghost Story
    The psychological weight of our certain death and the fact that life will go on long after we are departed is difficult to visually convey, but A Ghost Story is one of the most poignant films to ever grapple with this existential question.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Discovery
    By concurrently threading the needle of both the hereafter and emotional breakthroughs for our characters, it can make the plot schematics feel too tidy in their construction, but the journey in finding how these elements fit together is never less than engrossing.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Dean
    by staying true to his offbeat brand of comedy, Martin has something compelling to say about moving on amidst — or perhaps because of — the humor of life.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Assassin's Creed
    Assassin’s Creed bears a jumbled narrative and self-serious approach that ends up feeling far too assaultive on the senses without any genuine pay-off.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    Doctor Strange
    This superhero adventure, like most of Marvel’s output, is well-paced enough with a few interesting ideas up its sleeve (including a refreshing climax featuring anti-destruction) that it should thus hold one’s attention. But for being devoid of a compelling story at its center, one walks away from Doctor Strange feeling as empty as the magic on display.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Buster's Mal Heart
    Despite a committed lead performance and flashes of finding beauty in the bizarre, Buster’s Mal Heart loses confidence as it proceeds, resulting in a journey of half-formed ideas that could’ve used as much focus as Malek’s dead-eyed glance.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Always Shine
    In the end, even with its shaky introduction and unsatisfying climax, Always Shine effectively lingers with a pair of deeply committed performances and Takal’s layered dissection of the vulnerabilities inherent in the world of filmmaking.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    The Light Between Oceans
    As a morality play that will surely leave the audience contemplating what they might have done in the situation, The Light Between Oceans mostly works. As a layered drama with indelible characters and an intricate narrative, it falls short, giving credence to the more contrived climactic moments while losing specificity.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Kubo and the Two Strings
    Steeped in the mythology and fables of Japanese history, it’s another fantastical adventure from the studio with innovation and awe at every turn, despite a story that could benefit from having more specificity and focus.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    The Eagle Huntress
    Along with Aisholpan’s enduring spirit, The Eagle Huntress excels in portraying the beauty and respect the people here have for both the animals and environment.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Pete's Dragon
    In capturing childlike wonder through Pete’s eyes, this film has more than a few heartbreaking moments regarding the definition of a home and the people (or fantastical creatures) that give it life. And by keeping things relatively small-scale, David Lowery’s studio debut retains a personal touch with an unceasing supply of magic running through its lovable, full-hearted soul.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 67 Jordan Raup
    Ghostbusters
    While it doesn’t quite reach the height of laughter or thrills of Feig’s best work, Ghostbusters has a persistent dose of rollicking, scrappy fun that the ideal summer blockbuster should contain — all the way past the last credits.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Free State of Jones
    Free State of Jones has a story worth telling, it just doesn’t know how to effectively do so.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Jordan Raup
    Central Intelligence
    While it fails to deliver convincing action and its comedy feels watered down, Central Intelligence does get the “buddy” aspect correct. Doing their best with a script (also by Ike Barinholtz and David Stasser) that feels all-too-safe, Johnson and Hart manage to prove that a movie can glide by just enough on sheer charisma alone.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 83 Jordan Raup
    Weiner
    Even divorced from scandal, Weiner makes for a captivating, sadly comical look at the machinations of the political process.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Innocents
    Despite an ending that is far too obvious and tidy, Agnus Dei is a moving drama about the struggle to keep one’s faith in the most difficult of situations.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Last Days in the Desert
    By keeping characterization and plotting to a minimum, García has crafted a film in which he invites his audience to bring their own interpretations to the pensive story.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    Don't Think Twice
    While Don’t Think Twice depicts a certain world with incisive specificity, its themes of what success truly means are universal to anyone involved in the arts.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 58 Jordan Raup
    H.
    H. simply doesn’t feel fully formed, keeping us at a narrative distance from its otherwise relatable characters.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Jordan Raup
    The Witch
    Eggers, whose production and costume design background is on full display in the austerely crafted setting, effectively builds the tension of this divine battle, one which isn’t scary, but surely memorable.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 25 Jordan Raup
    Deadpool
    For an 11-year-old sneaking into the theater for his first R-rated movie, Deadpool could prove to be a revelatory trip. For myself, it was an exhausting, grating experience, lacking in wit and cleverness as it crumbles underneath its wall-to-wall torrent of jokes. If this represents a new stage for comic-book adaptations, the future is even more dismal than one could have imagined.
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