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Karen Martin
Karen Martin's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Year Between (2022) |
It's brutal, cruelly funny, socially relevant, and not the stuff of happily-ever-after fairy tales. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 24, 2022
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The Beauty of Blackness (2022) |
Co-directed by Kiana Moore and Tiffany Johnson, the beautifully photographed pay-for-play production, streaming on HBO Max, is glamorous as well as relevant in its effort to show how beauty is connected to power and whiteness. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 24, 2022
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The Jesus Music (2021) |
What began as a confident, clearly focused and expressed narrative suddenly scatters, as if the filmmakers forgot where it is they wanted to go. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 01, 2021
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Promising Young Woman (2020) |
A shocking revenge fantasy that will break your heart, Promising Young Woman is perhaps a touch too strident (and extreme) for some tastes, but it is an indelible souvenir of our ongoing moment. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Mar 19, 2021
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Mayor (2020) |
A riveting and human portrait of the very likable Musa Hadid... Briskly paced and expertly edited, Mayor is a humbling reminder that not all politicians are cynical opportunists. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Mar 12, 2021
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Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019) |
There's a lot of storytelling along with the music that, along with backstage goofing around, adds to the entertainment value. Not to be missed is a sensational bit of archival footage featuring [Joni] Mitchell playing her new song "Coyote." - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 23, 2021
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Ammonite (2020) |
Ammonite feels a little airless and cool, and it pales in comparison to Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Color, to name but two recent examples of quality arthouse lesbian romance. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 15, 2021
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That Good Night (2017) |
Performances aside, Eric Styles' creaky, sentimental film is mainly of morbid interest. Hurt does well here, but this is not what we should remember him by. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2017) |
Stephen Schible's documentary biography of the great film composer is not only an interesting portrait of an artist but a sensitive and engrossing exploration of the act of creation itself. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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A Regular Woman (2019) |
Sherry Hormann's chilling drama revolves around a free-spirited young woman living with an ultra-conservative Turkish Muslim family in Berlin. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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Blackbird (2019) |
A game attempt to take on a complicated relationship gets stalled by too many plot contrivances in this drama about what's meant to be a sad, sweetly sentimental holiday weekend of goodbyes. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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I Am Woman (2019) |
An unremarkable step-by-step narrative biography of the late Helen Reddy. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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Antebellum (2020) |
A horror movie that, despite an impressive amount of work by the casting director, succeeds only at disappointing its audience because it's distressingly violent without being scary. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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Misbehaviour (2020) |
The reason films, especially comedies, follow formulas is because they work. That's the case with the smartly cast farce Misbehaviour. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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The Argument (2020) |
It takes a while to get where it's going, but patience pays off. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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Hard Kill (2020) |
All you need to know about this lame actioner is that it was filmed in 10 days. And it shows. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 06, 2020
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Cut Throat City (2020) |
Although the plot has too many elements spinning off in all sorts of directions to be truly coherent, and the backdrop deserves a bigger role than it's given, the big-time cast is worth the audience's focus. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 23, 2020
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Black Water: Abyss (2020) |
Engagingly realistic and intermittently scary. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 23, 2020
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The Dog Doc (2019) |
Described by some as a miracle worker and by others as a quack, Dr. Goldstein is known as a pioneer of integrative veterinary medicine. This focused, detailed, and artfully assembled documentary makes an earnest effort to tell us why. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 19, 2020
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Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) |
There's no way anyone would describe this somber film as enjoyable, but its subtlety and clarity succeed in leaving an unforgettable impression. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Apr 10, 2020
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Little Women (2019) |
Credit to the success of Little Women extends from the finely tuned cast to director Gerwig, whose fine-honed skills on both sides of the camera empower her to be the perfect choice to present this story to a new generation. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 27, 2019
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Judd Apatow: The Return (2017) |
Apatow's confident, yet self-deprecating delivery of relatable tales focusing on fatherhood, social media, and growing older make for a comfortable get-together that feels like catching up with a long-lost friend who's skilled at amusing those around him. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 08, 2019
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The Tomorrow Man (2019) |
No doubt this effort is well intended, but the details are too distracting to hold it together. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 07, 2019
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Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer (2018) |
The ending won't be a surprise, but don't expect an overdose of schmaltz. Elliot has the heart of an athlete, the focus of a competitor, and the empathy of a true friend. That's what makes his movie a contender. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Skate Kitchen (2018) |
Skate Kitchen is a highly realistic and believable narrative feature, populated with non-professional actors playing versions of themselves. Not much happens. What does happen is natural and relevant. And the film is terrific. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Beautifully Broken (2018) |
This is not a big-budget Hollywood production. But it has the spirit and ambition to take on such a challenge, and the results, while not perfect, are impressive. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 24, 2018
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McQueen (2018) |
This sort of outside-the-box thinking takes its toll, and after a few too many scenes of McQueen dutifully stitching jackets and struggling to learn his craft, the film explodes into defining the brutal cost of going where few have gone before. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 17, 2018
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An Ordinary Man (2017) |
This character-focused, thoughtful drama moves at a stately pace. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 15, 2018
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Mute (2017) |
Intoxicatingly complicated and spiked with moral ambivalence, Mute is a sci-fi noir that requires concentration. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Mar 02, 2018
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Irreplaceable You (2018) |
What's the best reaction to news that a young adult is the victim of terminal cancer? There are practically endless responses, and it seems most of them are explored -- with great earnestness but little success -- in Irreplaceable You. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Feb 16, 2018
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The Revival (2017) |
The look, achieved by John Wakayama Carey to reflect a simple beauty of the surroundings, is the finishing flourish of a film that delivers a punch nobody will see coming. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 19, 2018
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The Unknown Girl (2016) |
Even the most attentive viewers to start wondering what's on the menu at the pub across the street. Such distracting thoughts may prevent learning the outcome, which bolts into the film at the speed of light, and fades away almost as fast. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 29, 2017
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Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017) |
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond uses that nearly 20-year-old footage, along with contemporary commentary by a handsomely bearded and gracefully aging Carrey, to tell a story of two men who pretty much become one. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 27, 2017
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Mudbound (2017) |
Pop icon Blige, nearly unrecognizable, is a tower of strength and mercy as her character battles to support her besieged family through one hardship after another -- including one that is mercilessly barbaric. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 17, 2017
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Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017) |
Playing a close second in making the film (which is about 15 minutes longer than it needs to be) worth watching is the remarkable footage and photographs of Didion at home and at work. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 03, 2017
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Phoenix (2014) |
Bleak and beautiful, it's a moody drama built on subtle performances and a stunningly well-written script. Setting it apart is an enigmatic ending that allows viewers to come to their own conclusions. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 15, 2016
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The Lady in the Van (2015) |
It's guided by a masterful performer with the unwavering support of a spot-on cast that, like those in the best of Bennett's plays, are all on the same page. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 15, 2016
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Joy (2015) |
Alternately frustrating and disappointing, the film touts its true-story roots. But despite Lawrence's doggedly good-natured work, it's hard to fall in love with a woman and her mop. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 15, 2016
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Sunshine Superman (2014) |
The unabashed freedom and high spirits of the film are almost overshadowed by the brutally sobering ending. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 15, 2016
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The Imitation Game (2014) |
It's an exciting, fast-paced, beautifully photographed and often enthralling race against time, as well as a riveting social commentary on sexism and sexuality. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 15, 2016
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Trolls (2016) |
Where does happiness come from? That's the question at the heart of Trolls, a 3-D feature ablaze with neon color and good cheer from DreamWorks Animation. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 14, 2016
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Maggie's Plan (2015) |
Witty and not afraid to be occasionally awkward, Rebecca Miller's film zips along at a charming pace before stumbling past a perfectly acceptable stopping point and dragging the whole affair out beyond its ability to entertain. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 07, 2016
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The Meddler (2015) |
At its best, it's handsome and occasionally entertaining; at its worst, it's painful to watch, and not in a poignant, life-lesson, human relationship sort of way. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted May 20, 2016
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Testament of Youth (2014) |
Testament of Youth is an exquisitely composed portrayal of the despair and futility of World War I as seen from the rarely revealed viewpoint of an idealistic young woman. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 05, 2015
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20 Feet From Stardom (2013) |
By turns funny, rousing, intriguing, sad and frustrating. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Dec 31, 2013
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Ender's Game (2013) |
The film's complex story of children's natural compassion clashing with the adult-mandated need for decisive power-plays is worthwhile, but it's almost lost in the dazzling display of video-game prowess that dominates most of the screen time. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 19, 2013
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I Do (2012) |
The parade of increasingly traumatic events results in some glum goings-on, so viewers need to hold on to the film's brighter moments. - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 19, 2013
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