Martin Tsai

Select another critic »
Collider, Los Angeles Times, The A.V. Club, TheWrap
For 318 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 35% higher than the average critic
  • 12% same as the average critic
  • 53% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 16 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Martin Tsai's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 50
Highest review score: 100 The Emperor's New Clothes
Lowest review score: 0 Christmas Eve
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 318
  2. Mixed: 131 out of 318
  3. Negative: 96 out of 318
318 movie reviews
view
per page
    • 81 Metascore
    • 100 Martin Tsai
    Top Spin
    Top Spin grips, exhilarates and breaks hearts like the 1994 film "Hoop Dreams."
    • 78 Metascore
    • 100 Martin Tsai
    Welcome to Leith
    This cautionary tale couldn't be more timely or essential.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 100 Martin Tsai
    The Emperor's New Clothes
    Advocacy documentaries simply don't get better or more compelling than this.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 Martin Tsai
    Turning Red
    We all need a little reassurance once in a while to stay true to ourselves, and Turning Red is speaking directly to generations of Asian women in the diaspora when they need to hear this the most.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 91 Martin Tsai
    Happening
    The real reason Happening manages to be so persuasive is because it tells such a vivid, intimate and relatable story, whether as a viewer it has happened to you or someone in your life, or your biggest fear is that it will.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    Little Hope Was Arson
    The film's exploration of the tenuous bonds within a community will surely prompt serious soul-searching.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    Plot for Peace
    It's just as thrilling as it is edifying.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    What's Love Got to Do with It?
    Everything about this one is lovely and magical, but it’s also deeply heartfelt.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    The Mermaid
    Crass and macabre, yet big-hearted, it makes a wonderfully adult bedtime story.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    Lost in Hong Kong
    This rollicking crowd-pleaser might just be smart and substantive enough to be one of the year's best.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    Predestination
    The Spierig brothers have deftly fashioned an unpredictable thrill ride, and the joy is to fit together all its puzzle pieces.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    The Inspection
    The director hits no false notes. He knows firsthand the feelings each scene should convey, but he also has the skills to render them accurately.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Martin Tsai
    Crush the Skull
    Easily the most thrilling thriller in recent memory, Crush the Skull seems destined for cult status.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 85 Martin Tsai
    Next Goal Wins
    Next Goal Wins is [Waititi's] best and most crowd-pleasing effort to date.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Fort Bliss
    Despite what seem like the trappings of a Lifetime movie, writer-director Claudia Myers presents us with an unflinching and complex character study of an imperfect woman.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Uzumasa Limelight
    Drenched in nostalgia, this loving tribute to the unsung heroes of cinema has immense appeal.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Nas: Time Is Illmatic
    Since many of the themes from Illmatic have become mere clichés in contemporary rap, this film serves as a reminder of the potential and the promise that hip-hop truly holds.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers And The Emergence Of A People
    Some of the black photographers' works here are breathtaking — and may prompt you to hunt down Willis' book for the coffee table. But there's so much more to take away from Harris' documentary.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    25 to Life
    Brown spent nearly four years so that we would witness Brawner's transformation firsthand. Rather than the after-school special that this film easily could have been, we get so much more out of it.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Gangs of Wasseypur
    Impressively, Gangs of Wasseypur manages its sprawling story lines deftly and maintains a brisk pace throughout its daunting length. The performances are uniformly excellent, even if no character in Part 1 is at all likable.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Saving Mr. Wu
    As can be gleaned from snippets of news footage shown during the end credits, Ding has done an outstanding job re-creating the events and conveying the complexity and prudence of the cops' investigative chess moves.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Famous Nathan
    Filmmaker Lloyd Handwerker treats the project as genealogy rather than corporate image-making. And with home movies and private interviews at his disposal, no one is better equipped to tell this story.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Dream Scenario
    Although its internal logic and messaging are at times muddled and not fully formed, Dream Scenario still proves immensely entertaining.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Dalíland
    It’s based on historical facts and real-life characters, yet it feels timeless and allegorical. It’s indisputably Harron’s best, and she deftly locates stately classicism amid the crass and the banal, and vice versa.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    Bikes vs Cars
    Although the film qualifies as an advocacy documentary, director Fredrik Gertten has put in the time to capture how these cities' unique scenarios unfold to mount a compelling case against the powerful automotive, oil and construction lobbies.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Martin Tsai
    PK
    A biting, whip-smart satire on the thorny subject of organized religion, the Bollywood musical "PK" enlightens and provokes through outrageous slapstick.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Martin Tsai
    Bitterbrush
    Bitterbrush director Emelie Mahdavian allows you to tag along with two range riders, listen in on intimate conversations, and bask in spectacular and sometimes unforgiving nature as you observe their way of life.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 75 Martin Tsai
    Downton Abbey: A New Era
    Downtonians will likely feel all too happy to visit this cast of characters again, and here Fellowes reminds us how we got so invested in their lives in the first place.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Martin Tsai
    Accepted
    Accepted ultimately arrives at a conclusion about the harmfulness of the “model minority” narrative without necessarily deploying the exact term, as it highlights the fact that these inspirational stories about marginalized people pulling themselves up by their bootstraps are often used to allow systemic inequities to fester.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Martin Tsai
    Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
    It’s an intimately scaled film that still demands to be seen on the big screen; never once does it leave the impression that it would be best suited for a streaming platform. Hyde’s refined and attentive direction, Bryan Manson’s crystal clear cinematography, and Stephen Rennicks’ sparkling score have done wonders cultivating the sensual tone and texture.
prev
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »