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J. Don Birnam

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

I am a lifelong fan of all forms of cinema from historical epics to classics from the 1940s through the 1970s. I am a voting member of the New York Film Critics Online group and of the Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. I love attending film festivals over the world, travelling, and I sometimes moonlight as a lawyer. I am a fan of international and LGBT films. I was born and raised mostly in Mexico.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
& Sons (2025) 7/10 EDIT ““& Sons” then becomes something a bit more (if not a lot more) than just a tome on the effects of isolation and abandonment. It’s almost as if it’s a story about different kinds of survival.” – Next Best Picture Sep 23, 2025 Full Review The Blue Trail (2025) 100% 6/10 EDIT ““The Blue Trail,” despite its many narrative flaws, stands out for a striking visual style and ability to ask uncomfortable questions about aging and autonomy.” – Next Best Picture Sep 17, 2025 Full Review La Grazia (2025) 81% B+ EDIT “La Grazia clearly sets out to tell us something very profound and meaningful about life. It does not quite succeed in telling a story for the ages, but it does create a convincing character that convinces you there may still be good in the world.” – ComingSoon.net Sep 11, 2025 Full Review I'm Still Here (2024) 97% A EDIT “By the time the credits roll, I’m Still Here leaves an emotional imprint about the importance of not forgetting the atrocities of the past and the power we have to overcome them.” – LatinaMedia.Co Sep 11, 2025 Full Review This Is Not a Drill (2025) 8/10 EDIT “This movie convinces you that small changes are possible, but systemic big ones are impossible. In that way, “This Is Not a Drill” itself turns out to be mildly inspiring—but never groundbreakingly so.” – Next Best Picture Sep 11, 2025 Full Review The Captive (2025) 71% A EDIT “This is a layered cinematic experience that both entertains and provokes, encouraging audiences to reconsider the line between historical truth and artistic invention—and whether these mundane distinctions even matter.” – AwardsWatch Sep 11, 2025 Full Review It Was Just an Accident (2025) 97% A EDIT “Panahi explores tried but true philosophies of righteousness and morality. None of it is particularly new or even that insightful, but it is so timely in 2025, and told in such a different manner, that it is stunningly effective” – AwardsWatch Sep 11, 2025 Full Review Tuner (2025) 97% D EDIT “The filmmakers behind this project take the conception of fine-tuning way too far when it comes to the film’s script and story, with the end result a product that is so tightly wound it ends up sounding entirely off key.” – AwardsWatch Sep 11, 2025 Full Review Train Dreams (2025) 95% A- EDIT “Through very simple, mundane moments, Train Dreams portrays an encyclopedic understanding of life. A song sang next to a fire, an encounter with a fugitive, a sleepy afternoon by a meadow.” – AwardsWatch Sep 9, 2025 Full Review California Schemin' (2025) 95% 4/10 EDIT “Unfortunately, James McAvoy never decides what kind of story he wants to make, and the turbulent film that results ends up being difficult to swallow.” – Next Best Picture Sep 8, 2025 Full Review Sacrifice (2025) 38% B- EDIT “... it doesn’t quite reach its full potential, as a lot of its own depth is given up at the altar of these tawdry spectacles. It has a lot to say, and it is biting in its commentary. It lands a lot of clever lines and laughs, but never a knockout punch.” – AwardsWatch Sep 7, 2025 Full Review The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (2025) 95% A- EDIT “The result is a poetic western that explores not just identity and belonging, but the resilience that makes us human. Its dedicated artistry is a true testament to the bounty of Chilean cinema today.” – AwardsWatch Sep 7, 2025 Full Review Maddie's Secret (2025) 88% C+ EDIT “And so it is that Maddie’s Secret is at its best during its many, hysterical comedic moments. Early is a talented comedian and he plays Maddie with hilarious sincerity and seriousness.” – AwardsWatch Sep 5, 2025 Full Review John Candy: I Like Me (2025) 89% 8/10 EDIT ““John Candy: I Like Me” is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Candy’s humor remains fresh, and his movies are beloved as ever. The film makes you want to revisit his work, always a sign of an effective documentary.” – Next Best Picture Sep 5, 2025 Full Review Karl (2025) 7/10 EDIT “The film may not reveal anything startlingly new about him, but perhaps that is because, in some sense, we already knew everything there was to know. He wanted to be unknowable, and even in death, he gets the final say.” – Next Best Picture Sep 3, 2025 Full Review H Is for Hawk (2025) 77% 6/10 EDIT “Whatever one makes of the title, Claire Foy's performance alone is reason enough to see it. She soars in a role that proves once again why she is among the finest actors working today.” – Next Best Picture Sep 3, 2025 Full Review The Secret Agent (2025) 98% A- EDIT “When all is said and done, The Secret Agent will prove to be one of the most emotionally surprising and intensely thrilling movies of the season.” – AwardsWatch Aug 30, 2025 Full Review Never Let Go (2024) 57% 7/10 EDIT “It may not keep you guessing, but it will keep you anxious and edgy for a good 100 minutes.” – Next Best Picture Sep 17, 2024 Full Review Sharp Corner (2024) 92% 5/10 EDIT ““Sharp Corner“ has an intriguing and admittedly creepy premise. Its execution, too, is effective, but the big swing ultimately yields nothing of true value.” – Next Best Picture Sep 10, 2024 Full Review The Penguin Lessons (2024) 78% 7/10 EDIT “It is not a literal masterpiece like the poems of Lord Byron that Tom teaches. Rather, a family-friendly tearjerker, like so many animal films with facile lessons, is all it is and aspires to be like so many before.” – Next Best Picture Sep 10, 2024 Full Review Without Blood (2024) 36% B- EDIT “There are plenty of reasons to watch Without Blood, principal among them the expert performances by Hayek and Bichir, two of Mexico’s most experienced and renowned actors.” – AwardsWatch Sep 9, 2024 Full Review Nightbitch (2024) 60% B EDIT “eller and Adams are content to reduce Nightbitch into a far more familiar, if still slightly edgy dramedy. A modern combination of Bad Moms with Kramer v. Kramer, with a series of dead animals on the porch and some serious growling mixed in between.” – AwardsWatch Sep 8, 2024 Full Review We Live in Time (2024) 79% C EDIT “Given the stacking of cliché upon cliché, it is also hardly surprising that the script makes little attempt to give these characters any originality, or any real conflict among them (beyond the obvious problem set out at the beginning).” – AwardsWatch Sep 7, 2024 Full Review Presence (2024) 88% B EDIT “There will not be a single jump scare, not a single beheading or special effect of blood gushing. Indeed, Presence hardly involves death at all. The end result is, magically, still terrifying.” – AwardsWatch Sep 6, 2024 Full Review Emilia Pérez (2024) 71% A EDIT “By the time Emilia Pérez is over, you will have seen an exacting analysis of modern Mexican society, and a thoughtful study about the search for and the affirmation of identity.” – AwardsWatch Sep 3, 2024 Full Review
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