David Parkinson
Select another critic »For 355 reviews, this critic has graded:
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39% higher than the average critic
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4% same as the average critic
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57% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 7.8 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
David Parkinson's Scores
- Movies
- TV
Average review score: | 72 | |
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Highest review score: | Odd Man Out | |
Lowest review score: | Tommy's Honour |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 207 out of 355
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Mixed: 148 out of 355
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Negative: 0 out of 355
355
movie
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
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- David Parkinson
Despite the nobility of its intentions and commitment of its cast, this would-be treatise on gig economical iniquity winds up patronising the very ‘invisible people' it's supposed to be championing.- Empire
- Posted May 25, 2022
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- David Parkinson
Showing how paradise can be hell, this audiovisual treat is spiritedly played by its leads and bristles with a brooding menace that can't quite disguise the story's essentially melodramatic nature.- Empire
- Posted Apr 6, 2022
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- David Parkinson
Filmed over 13 days in Tuscany and based on genuine Balkan Route testimony, this is an innovative, immersive insight into the migration crisis that also reveals much about human depravity.- Empire
- Posted Mar 15, 2022
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- David Parkinson
Moving and atmospheric, this quest tale is among the best of its kind.- Empire
- Posted Jan 11, 2022
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- David Parkinson
Full of fascinating behavioural insights and moments that are both hilarious and adorable, this studied treatise on the personality and emotionality of domestic animals should provide plentiful food for thought.- Empire
- Posted Jun 7, 2021
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- David Parkinson
This study in chaos and calculation not only makes for harrowingly compelling viewing, but it also exposes the apathy of an international community that simply turned the other way.- Empire
- Posted Jan 26, 2021
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- David Parkinson
Combining widescreen lyricism and neo-realist intimacy, this is a poignant reflection on the stark situation awaiting so many migrants who risk everything to reach a false paradise. The methodology occasionally feels calculating, but the intentions couldn't be more sincere, as the struggles are destined to continue once the cameras leave.- Empire
- Posted Dec 17, 2020
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- David Parkinson
With each subplot reinforcing the simmering sense of unease, this compelling recreation of a pernicious period soberingly exposes the ease with which morality can become a casualty of human nature.- Empire
- Posted Sep 6, 2019
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- David Parkinson
Instructive, insightful and inspiring, Maiden is a rousingly riveting record of a remarkable accomplishment that says as much about British bloody-mindedness as it does about feminist fortitude and underdog pluck.- Empire
- Posted Mar 7, 2019
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- David Parkinson
Regardless of the skittish structure and illegible subtitles, this is a valuable reflection on an incalculably influential career, which serves as a timely reminder about the pitfalls of artistic tyranny.- Empire
- Posted Jan 28, 2019
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- David Parkinson
Challenging the truism that you can never go home, this doesn't entirely integrate its political subtext. But the storylines are involving, the setting is picturesque and the performances are impeccable.- Empire
- Posted Jan 9, 2019
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- David Parkinson
Baalsrud never claimed to be a hero and the emphasis of this gripping reconstruction rightly falls on the resourcefulness, courage and self-sacrifice of those who epitomised the spirit of resistance.- Empire
- Posted Jan 2, 2019
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- David Parkinson
The spirits of the old masters pervade this disquieting but deeply moving drama. But Kore-eda stands alone as the chronicler of family life in a country facing an identity crisis.- Empire
- Posted Nov 28, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Tempering its flights of fancy with moments of whimsical humour and kid’s-eye realism, this thoughtful treatise on growing pains reveals a realist side of Japanimation that’s all too rarely seen.- Empire
- Posted Nov 5, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Echoes of Dog Day Afternoon and Locke reverberate around this claustrophobic thriller, which is tautly plotted, precisely paced and grippingly played by Jakob Cedergren and his unseen co-stars.- Empire
- Posted Oct 29, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Abetted by Nicolaj Brüel's prowlingly ominous camerawork and Dimitri Capuani's soul-destroying interiors, Garrone proves once again that even the lowest-rung southern Italian gangster can't afford a shred of human decency.- Empire
- Posted Oct 15, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Whether rediscovering La France périphérique or hurtling through the Louvre, Varda and JR make a surprisingly empathetic team and their collaboration is as provocative as it is poetic and poignant.- Empire
- Posted Sep 24, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Chekhov is notoriously difficult to film and this adaptation boldly taps into the play's mordant wit. But the fidgety and over-emphatic visuals detract from the themes and the stellar performances.- Empire
- Posted Sep 10, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Impeccably performed by its young leads and nurturing supporting cast, this deeply personal picture particularly impresses in the closing scenes, which are quietly devastating in their intimacy, insight and truth.- Empire
- Posted Jul 16, 2018
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- David Parkinson
This director's cut might smack of self-indulgence, but it also says much about love and loss and the language of an artform that flirts with realism while remaining an illusion.- Empire
- Posted Jun 4, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Thrillingly capturing both time and place and fizzing with non-judgemental empathy and cinematic flair, this is a magnificent debut that catapults Laetitia Dosch into the front rank of French actresses.- Empire
- Posted May 24, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Detached, but never dispassionate, this may not be Andrew Haigh's best film. But its slow-burning authenticity suggests a versatility to go with his acuity for credible characters in recognisable situations.- Empire
- Posted May 7, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Knowingly blending realist grit with generic guile, this unrelentingly tense account of a fragmented family living in constant fear thoroughly merited the Best Director prize at the Venice Film Festival.- Empire
- Posted Apr 16, 2018
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- David Parkinson
Pondering everything from free expression and sexual harassment to bourgeois guilt and migrant rage, this superbly acted saga may not always hit the target. But it unerringly leaves its mark.- Empire
- Posted Mar 19, 2018
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- David Parkinson
It feels more like a ciné dissertation designed to showcase Zvyagintsev’s appreciation of the medium than an original piece of cinema.- Empire
- Posted Jan 18, 2018
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- David Parkinson
A fascinating life is reduced to a series of skittishly edited and visually stylised vignettes that do scant justice to Marie Curie's scientific achievements and Karolina Gruszka's laudably intense performance.- Empire
- Posted Nov 27, 2017
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- David Parkinson
A fascinating topic is attenuated by conservative storytelling and sketchy characterisation. Nevertheless, the sense of place is as assured as the vigilant performances, while the defusing sequences are genuinely suspenseful.- Empire
- Posted Aug 7, 2017
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- David Parkinson
Telling an unfamiliar tale in a highly predictable manner, this is a laudable, but lightweight tribute to golf's founding fathers.- Empire
- Posted Jul 10, 2017
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- David Parkinson
Despite a wonderfully witty voiceover and the bullish playing of a willing ensemble, this bawdy romp consistently stumbles over its more contrived excesses.- Empire
- Posted Jun 13, 2017
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- David Parkinson
It's more than a little precious, but it's also sincere, touching and astute in its insights into social geography and human nature.- Empire
- Posted Jun 12, 2017
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