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Whelan Barzey

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Whelan Barzey is a UK-based film journalist, interviewer, and self-proclaimed ‘reluctant chatty patty’. He is committed to creating an industry where all film lovers feel heard (it’s okay to have never seen The Godfather). His words can be found in publications such as Time Out, the BFI, Empire, The British Blacklist; and his voice on podcasts and rapping along to his favourite Hip Hop artists.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025) 95% 5/5 EDIT “The Voice of Hind Rajab’s release during the ongoing humanitarian crisis moves it beyond documentation and into an essential act of intervention.” – Time Out Dec 29, 2025 Full Review Novocaine (2025) 81% 3/5 EDIT “‘Painful to watch’ isn’t often a term of praise, but this action-comedy about a man who loses the ability to feel physical discomfort channels its unusual, nerve-numbing premise into a fun and oddly romantic ride.” – Time Out Jul 28, 2025 Full Review Smile 2 (2024) 86% 3/5 EDIT “It’s tamer than its deeply unsettling predecessor, but still unhinged enough to keep you nicely on edge.” – Time Out Oct 17, 2024 Full Review My Favourite Cake (2024) 100% 4/5 EDIT “My Favourite Cake is radical and heartwarming. Above all, it’s a reminder that in a world where everyone is scrutinised and judged, pure love remains timeless.” – Time Out Sep 11, 2024 Full Review Fly Me to the Moon (2024) 66% 3/5 EDIT “Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum provide star power to a wholesome Space Age romcom.” – Time Out Jul 9, 2024 Full Review Sing Sing (2023) 97% 4/5 EDIT “Colman Domingo shines in this love letter to uncaged male vulnerability.” – Time Out Jun 20, 2024 Full Review Dream Scenario (2023) 91% 4/5 EDIT “Nicolas Cage is everywhere all at once in this dark and brilliantly doolally satire. ” – Time Out Dec 1, 2023 Full Review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) 95% 92.9/100 EDIT “Unapologetically heavy-handed with its stylistic approach, Across the Spider-Verse is a beautifully crafted love letter to every era of Spider-Man’s meaningful history.” – The British Blacklist Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Time (2020) 98% 5/5 EDIT “For all its indignation, Time is fuelled by only the most positive energy. It’s a deeply personal and intimate film with a universal message: there is nothing more valuable than time, but there is also nothing more powerful than love. ” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Soul (2020) 95% 3/5 EDIT “If anything, Soul is guilty of over-ambition. The wizardry and wit are there, but it lacks Pixar’s usual deftness in making complex themes sing for youngsters. ” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Akilla's Escape (2020) 80% 3/5 EDIT “It’s an uneven puzzle: eye-catching but not entirely convincing when put together.” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Joyride (2022) 51% 2/5 EDIT “It’s only fitting that Emer Reynolds’ Joyride opens in a bustling Irish bar, because suspending disbelief for this madcap caper definitely requires the kind of open-mindedness that only multiple Guinnesses will provide.” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review What's Love Got to Do with It? (2022) 71% 3/5 EDIT “The non-judgmental message – that there are endless routes to finding love and that no one owns the map – may not be revolutionary, but Jemima Khan’s modern, personal spin on the concept gives it a likeable new freshness. ” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review A Bunch of Amateurs (2022) 100% 3/5 EDIT “Films about filmmaking are often arthouse in style and niche in appeal, but Kim Hopkins’ documentary is just the kind of scrappy, everyman story that will go down a treat for the masses. ” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Cairo Conspiracy (2022) 85% 3/5 EDIT “Refreshingly, the Swedish-born director opts against picking from the low-hanging fruit of indicting Islam and hones in on the fallibility of human nature and our weakness for earthly desires instead.” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Godland (2022) 92% 3/5 EDIT “You’d be hard pressed to find a more immersive Winter Wonderland experience than Godland.” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Pretty Red Dress (2022) 85% 4/5 EDIT “Warm, self-assured and free-flowing, Pretty Red Dress is the long overdue expansion of Black masculinity that the big screen has been crying out for. It’s about daring to be different, but mostly just yearning to be understood.” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Chevalier (2022) 76% 3/5 EDIT “There are hints of greatness in Chevalier, but it’s worthier of polite applause than a standing ovation.” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review They Cloned Tyrone (2023) 95% 5/5 EDIT “Wildly funny, They Cloned Tyrone’s satirical unpacking of the Black community’s cornerstones – food, music and religion – thrillingly tackles the uncomfortable idea that outsiders gain more from these institutions than the Black community itself. ” – Time Out Jul 25, 2023 Full Review Name Me Lawand (2023) 100% 4/5 EDIT “Name Me Lawand suggests that non-verbal communication even trumps the spoken word as a means of human connection, because love, friendship and kindness will always be understood with an open heart.” – Time Out Jul 6, 2023 Full Review Father Stu (2022) 42% 2/5 EDIT “Well-intentioned but ultimately mishandled, it commits the cardinal sin of indecisiveness, middling out in a purgatory of daddy issues and Sunday service pamphlets.” – Time Out May 19, 2022 Full Review The Lost City (2022) 78% 4/5 EDIT “Not since Muhammad Ali and George Foreman have heavyweights been this entertaining in the jungle.” – Time Out Mar 30, 2022 Full Review Hostile (2021) 4/5 EDIT “More than simply a documentary, Sonita Gale’s film is call to action that brings the humanity to the forefront and cries out for a more compassionate approach from legislators to those who need our care.” – Time Out Feb 7, 2022 Full Review A Journal for Jordan (2021) 39% 2/5 EDIT “A Journal For Jordan is probably better suited to the page than the screen.” – Empire Magazine Jan 20, 2022 Full Review Encanto (2021) 92% 4/5 EDIT “You will be humming 'Welcome to the Family Madrigal' -- expositional but infectious -- all the way home. The characters are infectious, too, and well-drawn, enriching Encanto's world with gifts that extend far beyond their bestowed powers.” – Time Out Dec 2, 2021 Full Review
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