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Michael Upchurch

Michael Upchurch's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Biography:

Seattle Times movie critic.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
I, Daniel Blake (2016) 92% 3/4 EDIT “Whichever side you come down on, Johns' and Squires' low-key performances are impressive, and the technological/red-tape hurdles their characters face feel stingingly accurate.” – Seattle Times Jun 29, 2017 Full Review New Chefs on the Block (2017) 3/4 EDIT “Do you have to be a little crazy to open a restaurant? This savvy, funny, occasionally repetitive documentary suggests you do.” – Seattle Times Jun 22, 2017 Full Review Pow Wow (2016) 100% 3/4 EDIT “This experimental documentary by Seattle-based director Robinson Devor (Police Beat, Zoo) circles lots of subjects without quite landing on any - but its evocation of a specific place, California's Coachella Valley, is indelible.” – Seattle Times Jun 22, 2017 Full Review Glory (2016) 94% 3/4 EDIT “Stefan Denolyubov, as the linesman, and Margita Gosheva, as his nemesis, are painfully on-target in this Bulgarian satire.” – Seattle Times Jun 20, 2017 Full Review A Date for Mad Mary (2016) 94% 3/4 EDIT “Irish director Darren Thornton, with dynamo Sena Kerslake as Mary, delivers a canny blend of biting comedy and soulful drama” – Seattle Times Jun 20, 2017 Full Review Two Irenes (2017) 3/4 EDIT “Understated performances and a vivid sense of place make this an appealing package.” – Seattle Times Jun 16, 2017 Full Review The Man (2016) 3.5/4 EDIT “Sly performances and a wily script are the draw here. The artwork is big fun, too.” – Seattle Times Jun 16, 2017 Full Review Entanglement (2017) 59% 2.5/4 EDIT “The script isn't great, but the plot turns and visuals can be striking, and Jess Weixler has fun as the bad-girl sister.” – Seattle Times Jun 16, 2017 Full Review The Flowers of Yesterday (2016) 2.5/4 EDIT “A Holocaust-research rom-com may sound like a non-starter - but after several swerving left turns, this German film finds and almost holds its center.” – Seattle Times Jun 16, 2017 Full Review The Winter (2016) 3/4 EDIT “Less a thriller than a gradual unveiling of parallel fates, The Winter examines the tricks of fighting to survive when you don't know exactly who your enemy is or what the rules are.” – Seattle Times Jun 15, 2017 Full Review Nowhere to Hide (2016) 100% 4/4 EDIT “A profoundly brave film.” – Seattle Times Jun 15, 2017 Full Review Hedi (2016) 100% 3/4 EDIT “Actor Majd Mastoura makes pouting, uptight Hedi a completely unpredictable force in the film, while director Mohamed Ben Attia subtly weaves the seismic social changes brought on by the Arab Spring into this sly, poignant drama.” – Seattle Times Jun 15, 2017 Full Review Heal the Living (2016) 91% 4/4 EDIT “Visually extraordinary when it needs to be, and with a laser-sharp focus on its characters' quirks, ethical dilemmas and emotional complications, this French film tells the story of a heart transplant.” – Seattle Times Jun 15, 2017 Full Review Goldstone (2016) 76% 3.5/4 EDIT “My nominee for best overhead shots in world cinema.” – Seattle Times Jun 15, 2017 Full Review Chevalier (2015) 83% 3.5/4 EDIT “The film is impeccably shot - and composer Marilena Orfanou's electronic score vividly suggests a ticking testosterone time bomb. On your mark. Get set. Go see it.” – Seattle Times Jun 9, 2016 Full Review High-Rise (2015) 60% 2/4 EDIT “It has the right look. It has the right sound. But the overly frantic editing job on "High-Rise," a film adaptation of J.G. Ballard's 1975 dystopian satire, may leave some viewers scratching their heads.” – Seattle Times May 12, 2016 Full Review Graffiti Bridge (1990) 18% 1/4 EDIT “Technically, the film is a compendium of stale MTV gimmicks -- dry ice, stylized sets. It's a neo-Expressionist tempest in a teapot.” – Seattle Times Apr 22, 2016 Full Review Rams (2015) 95% 3/4 EDIT “Sigurjónsson's Gummi, with his quiet canniness and his fearful, conflicted feelings about his belligerent brother, is the best reason to watch "Rams."” – Seattle Times Feb 18, 2016 Full Review Red Army (2014) 92% 4/4 EDIT “Wittily edited and beautifully scored, "Red Army" is not just a terrific film but an important one - even if you don't give two hoots about ice hockey.” – Seattle Times Feb 26, 2015 Full Review Cry Baby (1990) 72% 3/4 EDIT “It all adds up to zany, wide-eyed, quintessential Waters havoc -- the "kinder, gentler" 1990s brand, perhaps. But the genuine article, nonetheless.” – Seattle Times Jan 21, 2015 Full Review Let Him Have It (1991) 84% 3.5/4 EDIT “The script, by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, finds enough quirks in its protagonists to lift them above the issues-movie premise. Michael Kamen's atmospheric chamber score is also crucial to the film's success.” – Seattle Times Oct 28, 2014 Full Review Flamenco, Flamenco (2010) 79% 3/4 EDIT “The film creates a visual music as intricate and intense as its musical dramas.” – Seattle Times Sep 18, 2014 Full Review My Own Private Idaho (1991) 81% 4/4 EDIT “One of the most original cinematic talents at work in this country, Van Sant has a knack for pulling disparate elements together and twisting them into wildly funny lyrical odysseys of the mind and heart.” – Seattle Times Jun 2, 2014 Full Review Folks! (1992) 0% 1.5/4 EDIT “The film's appeal will depend largely on whether you feel like laughing at senile dementia and automobile accidents.” – Seattle Times May 4, 2014 Full Review My Cousin Vinny (1992) 85% 3/4 EDIT “The pacing is brisk and the energy of the performances is so palpable that even at its silliest and most contrived, the film is enjoyable.” – Seattle Times Apr 30, 2014 Full Review
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