Noel Murray

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IGN, Los Angeles Times, Polygon, The A.V. Club, The Daily Beast, The Dissolve, The Playlist, UPROXX
For 2,356 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 51% higher than the average critic
  • 10% same as the average critic
  • 39% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 2.7 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Noel Murray's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 Black Narcissus
Lowest review score: 0 Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,214 out of 2356
  2. Mixed: 972 out of 2356
  3. Negative: 170 out of 2356
2356 movie reviews
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    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Perpetrator
    Some movies are meant to be messy, and some messes are strangely alluring.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Aurora's Sunrise
    What sets this film apart from other docu-memoirs is the way Sahakyan articulates how being the spokesperson for an atrocity can foster dissociation.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    All Up in the Biz
    The Biz Markie story is not framed as a tragedy here. It’s a celebration of a lovable weirdo who made people happy.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    A Compassionate Spy
    This absorbing, thoughtful film doesn’t take sides; that’s not James’ way.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Darkness
    Darkness is a harrowing and affecting story about young women trying to hold onto hope across the grim, unchanging days.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    LOLA
    Even with all the metaphysical mayhem, the movie remains rooted in the lives and attitudes of its characters, and in the magnetic performances of Martini and Appleton.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    After the Bite
    If After the Bite ultimately has more questions than answers, it’s only because the film is reflecting the people it’s about, who see existential dangers everywhere and no easy way back to safety.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Susie Searches
    The insights into influencer culture and the thirst for fame in Susie Searches aren’t exactly fresh. But as a Hitchcockian thriller with a slippery hero, this film can be ruthlessly effective.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Mother, May I?
    As an exhibition of visual style and acting prowess, “Mother, May I?” is impressive.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Noel Murray
    The League
    Ultimately, Pollard’s film is equal parts tribute and lament, as complicated as this country.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Insidious: The Red Door
    Having two main characters suffering from hauntings separately works against this movie’s narrative momentum, but it does allow Wilson and Teems to bounce from scare to scare, without much setup — or respite.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Wham!
    Even beyond the lessons learned though, “Wham!” is a treat for fans of ’80s culture. There haven’t been as many eras so filled with big personalities producing enduring work. Wham! walked among those giants, matching them stride for stride.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Here. Is. Better.
    Director Jack Youngelson goes beyond the broad clinical definitions and shows how this condition worms its way into ordinary tasks and interactions, posing challenges that can be hard even for those suffering from PTSD to understand.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Last Autumn
    The Last Autumn mostly documents a way of life before it vanishes: the simple but nourishing meals, the hard manual labor, the neighborly pitching-in and the quiet hours looking out over ocean vistas like no other.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
    What makes this documentary a vital piece of Hollywood history is that it’s not as much about Hudson’s carefully managed public image as it is about the real joy and pleasure he experienced outside the spotlight — living not as some tortured romantic figure, but as someone who savored whatever the shadows could provide.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Nimona
    Nimona is imaginative and boisterous, just like its main character — the kind of inspirational free spirit who gets a kick out of shocking and tormenting anyone who won’t just let her be who she is.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music
    Even if Epstein and Friedman don’t fully document Mac’s vision, they do get across what it was and why it mattered. This movie is a lovingly crafted memento of a remarkable achievement, one that compressed Mac‘s life and much of modern history into 24 hours of wild stunts and show-stopping show-tunes.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    American Pain
    The cold irony that Foster provocatively presents is that if the idiocy surrounding pain clinics hadn’t become too gross and widespread for the authorities to ignore, people like the Georges might still be getting rich off of addiction today.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Horseplay
    This is a darkly astute study of how men in big groups can feel obliged to live up to the expectations of “boys will be boys” whether or not they actually enjoy it — and no matter where it may lead.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Stroll
    With the help of some vivid old photographs, their documentary reconstructs a world that was both darkly dangerous and strangely liberating.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Take Care of Maya
    An absorbing and challenging film, capturing the frustration of being held in limbo by a system that seems to prioritize punishment over appeals.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Sublime
    This is a slight but insightful film that feels very real.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Aloners
    While the message is pat, the way it’s presented is poignant, thanks to an arresting lead performance from Gong, who manages a tricky balance of chilliness and charm.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Brooklyn 45
    Most of what makes Brooklyn 45 so entertaining doesn’t cost a lot of money. It just takes talent, and diligence.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Concerned Citizen
    Concerned Citizen is light on plot but filled with insight into what people expect of themselves and their peers.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Sam Now
    This quietly powerful film is a way for Harkness to reopen some of his family’s wounds, but always with the understanding that the more he pokes and digs, the longer it may take to heal.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Blood & Gold
    Barth’s story is enjoyably twisty, filled with surprises about all the mischief that Elsa’s neighbors have been up to during the war; and Thorwath’s direction is dynamic without going too far over the top.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Bama Rush
    There’s a lot about the whole sorority phenomenon that could never fit within the narrow rectangle of a cellphone app. So “Bama Rush” widens the frame.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Fire that Took Her
    While The Fire That Took Her offers a broader perspective on these kinds of cases, Gillespie always brings everything back to Malinowski and her family, who led full lives before one reckless moment of cruelty changed everything.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Victim/Suspect
    This riveting and righteously furious film is about two subjects: the worrying phenomenon of police departments discrediting and even arresting sexual assault victims; and the more promising trend of journalists doing their own research into cases that may have been closed too hastily.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Love to Love You, Donna Summer
    Williams and Sudano don’t try to sell their audience on Summer as a musician, because the music itself still does that. This is more a portrait of a passionate artist who kept pushing herself and reinventing herself — sometimes at the expense of those who loved her, at home and on the radio.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    The Thief Collector
    This is a beguiling film about two people so charming and disarming that no one suspected them of anything shady when they were alive — although now that they’re gone, the Alters’ many mysteries have the allure of great art.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Film, the Living Record of our Memory
    Though a bit overlong and lacking a strong structure, this frequently fascinating documentary nevertheless shows how cultural ephemera can bring the past to life, in ways both instructional and inspirational.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
    This is an in-depth film about a person many presumed had no depth at all. It’s a cautionary tale — not just for future sex symbols, for those who write about them.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Crater
    In a clever use of metaphor, the filmmakers have built an appealing world of wonders, hidden below the moon’s barren surface — suggesting there are fragments of hope embedded within even the grimmest landscapes.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Five Devils
    The Five Devils saves some of the juiciest revelations for its final act, which can make the comparatively coy first hour feel frustratingly oblique at times. But this alluring and sneakily emotional film is never confusing.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    PET.E.R O'TOOLE: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
    Sheridan doesn’t ignore the ways O’Toole could be destructive, both to himself and to anyone who got close enough to love him.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Ghost of Richard Harris
    What really grounds the documentary is Sibley’s footage of Harris’ sons, Jared, Jamie and Damien, sorting through their father’s effects and sharing their impressions of who he was.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Forger
    What makes this schemer so exciting to watch is that he’s like a lot of guys in their early 20s, regardless of the time and place. He’s an incorrigible hustler, just making moves to get him through the day.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Beyond Human Nature
    Compared to other true-crime docs, “Beyond Human Nature” doesn’t blow the lid off a huge conspiracy or untangle a complicated mystery. But this is a fascinating story with something to say about how the legal system can’t always offer a definitive answer about what’s true.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Winter Boy
    Ultimately, this film celebrates living — including the part that includes taking big swings and making terrible mistakes.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Clock
    While the movie becomes a little repetitious in the middle, it ends strongly with a succession of unforgettable scenes of gruesome body horror. Clock leans too heavily on too-obvious visual metaphors, but it’s still a vivid and visceral explication of one woman’s fears.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Judy Blume Forever
    Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s touching documentary “Judy Blume Forever” is anchored by a comprehensive conversation with Blume, now in her 80s and as disarmingly frank and cheery as ever. She looks back at her life and career, and discusses how they intertwined in ways that inspired her best work.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Longest Third Date
    That disconnect between people’s performative selves and their true selves is the most intriguing part of Longest Third Date because it also speaks to how new couples behave when they’re trying to impress each other.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Country Gold
    Reece’s ideas don’t always fit together neatly, but by gosh he has a lot of them. It’s a treat to watch him play.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now
    This revealing film is filled with pleasant balladry from a likable troubadour; but it also shows what it’s like to sing his little tunes while under unfathomable pressure.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed
    The situation isn’t that catastrophic for Isbell in this film, but in a way that’s what makes it so moving. He’s dealing with the same kind of ordinary disconnects that so many of us do, like trying to focus hard on doing good work while also keeping some of himself open to his loved ones.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis
    It is enlightening, though, to see Pope Francis in so many different contexts. Whether he’s comforting the suffering masses or chastising the powerful for spreading inequality, he models the many ways that rhetoric can work.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Smoking Causes Coughing
    It’s not a criticism to say that Smoking Causes Coughing doesn’t hold together, because cohesion isn’t what Dupieux is going for. He’s more about surprise and delight.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Noel Murray
    Rye Lane
    This is a rom-com with heart, wit and style. But it also shows a clear-eyed understanding that one dreamy day — no matter how epic — is really just a good start.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Refuge
    The best thing about this film is that it doesn’t reduce either man to a stereotype — or even to a pat story of redemption. Bernhardt and Blankenship do what they want the people who watch the movie to do: They observe, they listen and they stay open to accepting people, no matter who they are.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Kubrick by Kubrick
    What emerges won’t be revelatory for anyone who has spent time studying the Kubrick filmography. But it’s still such a rare treat to hear the man himself say anything at all — let alone to hear him talk about why the ideas in his work and the challenges of bringing them to the screen excited him as much as they did his fans.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Unwelcome
    The movie always looks fun, even when it’s shredding the nerves of its characters and audience.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Money Shot: The Pornhub Story
    This is a tricky topic, and Hillinger sometimes strays too far away from it, indulging in sexually explicit digressions that are more titillating than germane. For the most part, though, this is a thoughtful look at a controversy unlikely to fade away, so long as modern technology and prurient interests continue to exist.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    I Got a Monster
    The documentary can feel a little scattered due to its multiple angles, but it remains a fascinating and relevant tale, examining how any criminal justice system built around the idea that cops never lie is ripe for abuse.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Unseen
    The cast and the crew work well together in Unseen, delivering a taut, inventive picture about two young Asian American women helping each other survive one terrible day.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Creeping
    Writer-director Jamie Hooper’s debut feature, The Creeping, is hampered a bit by following the modern supernatural thriller trend toward tying every jump-scare and creep-out to some profound personal trauma. Despite that, the film works quite well, thanks to Hooper’s command of retro horror style
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Please Baby Please
    The movie is in some ways an exaggerated spoof of mid-20th century pop culture — and, in more profound ways, an explication of how greaser fashion, jazz clubs, beatnik poetry and complicated hairdos once gave repressed Americans a vent for their unspoken desires.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Outwaters
    Some may find all this tedious or confusing, but there’s an admirable integrity to Banfitch’s approach. The Outwaters genuinely feels like a first-person perspective on the end of the world.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Bruiser
    If this gently philosophical film has a lesson for Darious — and for us — it’s that life is long and things change. The choices made yesterday don’t always have to define who we are today.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Linoleum
    West has a lot on his mind with this film; and he’s ultimately less interested in explaining everything happening onscreen than in free-associating about the complicated, lifelong relationship between children and their parents. But Gaffigan’s everyman presence and seeker’s soul make him a great vessel for big ideas.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Sharper
    It’s stylish and well-acted, and it does keep viewers guessing. It does its job well. It’s a pretty-looking puzzle.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Nothing Lasts Forever
    Kohn’s talking heads are remarkably animated and, collectively, the interviews present a provocative debate about the meaning of “valuable.”
    • 55 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Blood
    Working from a Will Honley screenplay, Anderson here crafts a thorny horror film that’s unsettling even when Owen isn’t lunging at the necks of babies and old people — because, like King, Anderson and Honey are as interested in life’s everyday bruises as they are in gaping wounds.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Kompromat
    This is a well-crafted chase picture that doubles as a fiery warning about the dangers of an authoritarian government that can create its own reality, with no accountability for mistakes or malevolence.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Legions
    Mixing freaky folklore with slapstick splatter, writer-director Fabián Forte’s Argentine horror film Legions tells a story that spans generations before landing in a surprisingly emotional place.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Sick
    For the most part, Sick is just a slickly formulaic mid-budget horror movie, well-crafted by the screenwriters and directed with style and energy by the skilled John Hyams. But the real-world wrinkles aren’t just a cynical way to make the routine more relevant. They give all the bloody murder a meaning.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Offering
    The plot is pretty routine, but its finer points about religious faith and rituals give the creep-outs and jump-scares real nuance. What makes this such a satisfying horror film is its cultural specificity.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Candy Land
    It’s possible Swab made this film just to tell a story about the more compassionate side of prostitution. If so, the movie’s guilty-pleasure thrills are just a bonus.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Skinamarink
    It’s the kind of movie destined to baffle and irritate as many people as it beguiles.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    200 Meters
    The movie is mostly about Mustafa himself, a loving father and husband who endures whatever he has to in order to provide for his family. But as played by Suliman — with his kind eyes and thoughtful demeanor — Mustafa’s burdens feel especially undue.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Noel Murray
    The Super 8 Years
    This moving, probing, beautifully written film doesn’t completely eschew nostalgia, but like Ernaux’s books, it treats the past as a prism, casting varying light depending on how, when and where it’s held.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle
    “Onoda” is an insightful portrait of fanaticism, illustrating how bad ideas can take root simply because people are naturally resistant to change.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Troll
    Troll has a blockbuster polish without the Hollywood heaviness. The story’s nothing special; but the action is spry, the characters are likable and the emphasis on Scandinavian folklore keeps Troll from becoming just another generic “Godzilla”/“Jurassic Park” riff.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    DIO: Dreamers Never Die
    “Dreamers Never Die” becomes an honest, evocative and at times viscerally exciting look back at one of heavy metal’s headiest and most creative eras.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Hunt
    Hunt works fine as a slam-bang action movie; but at heart it’s more of a cautionary tale.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Blood Relatives
    Segan doesn’t force anything. He takes each situation and imagines what might realistically happen — and then what might happen next. He builds a world that feels real, and anchors it with a relationship so wholesome that its easy to see why a lonely vampire would upend his whole existence to preserve it.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    A Wounded Fawn
    The film is really all of a piece in the way it toys with expectations, keeping viewers off-balance. Stevens and company put the audience in the place of both the predator and prey. They’ve built a clever little anxiety-generating machine.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Santa Camp
    Sometimes challenging and frequently moving, this movie considers the deeper reasons why Santa Claus inspires people — historically and now — while reminding viewers that the only reason traditions are traditions is because someone did them once and then did them again. We can always create new ones.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Noel Diary
    Overall, this picture is a refreshing alternative to the synthetic, simplistic Christmas movies that proliferate this time of year. Ditch the mistletoe and holly and it would still be a well-crafted, well-balanced character sketch, following two lost souls as they discover what they’ve been missing.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Master of Light
    The lingering trauma of Morton’s upbringing is an ongoing challenge for him, even with all of his success; and this quietly moving movie examines how the right opportunities or the wrong expectations can make all the difference in who a person becomes.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter
    What makes this film so fascinating is that its subject remains an enigma: a pioneer who did a lot of good and inspired a lot of people, then faded quietly away, leaving questions about who he really was.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Stutz
    This film has a worthy goal: to change the perspectives of people who might be hurting right now. For those willing to go with its flow, it has a real power.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Bar Fight!
    Bar Fight! is so low-stakes and small-scale that at times it feels more like a TV sitcom pilot than a film. But this would be a pilot worthy of a pickup.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    My Father's Dragon
    The result is something visually dazzling and emotionally resonant, though likely to appeal primarily to youngsters and genre buffs.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Say Hey, Willie Mays!
    This doc is a welcome reminder of how Mays’ very presence in American popular culture was a game-changer, given that only the most virulent of racists could deny his superiority to nearly everyone on the field. It’s also a gift to hear from Mays himself, still kicking at 91.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend
    This is a tumultuous and ultimately tragic tale about the exploitation of athletes.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
    There’s a tear-jerking moment roughly every five to 10 minutes in this movie, as Gomez reveals her essential dilemma of being someone who loves making fans happy and loves being creative but lives in fear — as many people do — of disappointing their benefactors and loved ones.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    I'm Totally Fine
    The leads have a wonderful chemistry, with Bell hitting the right notes of anger and confusion and Morales maintaining the alien’s comic deadpan. Everyone involved has clearly thought through how such a wild fantasy situation might play out — and more importantly, how it would feel.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Enola Holmes 2
    The story’s a bit convoluted, though no more than most detective plots. Ultimately, it’s a solid mystery, explained well by Enola in her fourth-wall-breaking chats with the audience. The pairing of actor and role here is just about perfect, and as much a star-making turn for Brown as her breakout performance in “Stranger Things.”
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Something in the Dirt
    For the first 90 minutes or so, there’s remarkable vibrancy and spontaneity to this picture, as its creators and stars seem to be coming up with their story on the spot, with the cameras rolling. They seem inspired and excited. The mood is infectious.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
    “Black & Blues” isn’t a straightforward biography so much as a collection of engaging anecdotes and keen observations, meant to spark a renewed appreciation for someone too often misunderstood.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Wendell & Wild
    As offbeat and personal as the director’s best.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Slash/Back
    It’s the moments of more personal observation — about how the girls relate to each other, to their elders, and to a culture that’s a sometimes uneasy blend of Canadian and Indigenous — that gives this picture its spark of originality. There are lots of genre movies like this. None are this one.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile
    This profoundly moving movie covers a different kind of success, as a great musician takes pains to make sure her idol receives some proper respect — the only currency that always matters.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday
    This is a movie for adrenaline junkies who want to watch as many slapstick fights as can fit into about 90 minutes of screen-time.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    Old Man
    This film is a superior example of how flavorful dialogue, talented actors and excellent staging can make something familiar really pop.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Noel Murray
    Piggy
    Piggy is a masterful mix of dark comedy, social commentary and raw suspense.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Noel Murray
    The Redeem Team
    It’s more a feel-good recap of an impressive championship run. But the game analysis is keen, and the arc of this story is undeniably inspiring, arguing that victory is sweeter when it springs from a common purpose.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Noel Murray
    To Leslie
    It’s a story often told, but this movie tells it well, energetically dramatizing the in-the-moment experiences Leslie has and showing how they inform the choices she makes. And Riseborough is a dynamo, making sure that even at her worst, Leslie has enough personality and humanity that the audience roots for her just to get through another day.
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