Ross Bradford - Top Movie Picks

Is he a madman or a genius? You decide.

Ross Bradford's Top Movie Picks (See Ross's Picks Archive)

2011 Reviews

J Edgar B+ An intense performance from Leo. (Review November 2011)

Anonymous A-. Old Will would appreciate the masquerade I’m sure. (Review October 2011)

Dream House B. Shutter Island meets the Sixth Sense in suburbia (Review October 2011)

Contagion B. The horror builds, society is about to collapse then… it all gets resolved rather quickly. (review Sept 2011)

Cave of Forgotten Dreams A Finally a good reason to film in 3D! (review Sept 2011)

Whistleblower B+ Some very intense moments, not for the squeamish. (review Sept 2011)

Submarine B The Parents are a scream. (review Sept2011)

Tree of Life A- Ever pine for those long ago summers and the people we used to love and still do? (review August 2011)

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 B+ All’s well that ends well. (review August 2011)

Transformers, Dark Side of the Moon F Blow up this Franchise! (review August 2011)

Meek’s Cutoff A- Not your father’s Western but perhaps your Great-Great Grandparents West. (review August 2011)

Midnight in Paris A- Owen is the new Woody. (review June 2011)

X Men: First Class B Indeed first in the class of X Men movies. (review June 2011)

The Conspirator A- Fine courtroom drama from a time not too far removed from our own. (review May 2011)

Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides B Those Mermaids are super cool. (review May 2011)

Daydream Nation B+ Who would be a teenager in a small northern Ontario town? (review May 2011)

Win Win B+ Yes it is a winner (review April 2011)

Jane Eyre B+ A worthy adaptation (review April 2011)

Limitless B+ A fun romp. (review April 2011)

Of Gods and Men A How did the Oscars miss this one? Sublime (review April 2011)

The Kids are Alright B+ And so is this film. ( review April2011)

The Adjustment Bureau B- Emily and Matt have their charms, but this one is more of a rental. (review March 2011)

Incendies A Twist upon twist, the images will haunt for some time. (review March 2011)

The Eagle B Old fashioned adventure. CGI is not always necessary. ( review March 2011)

The Fighter A- Christian Bale at the top of his game! (Review Jan. 2011)

True Grit A Jeff Bridges out dukes the Duke (Review Jan 2011)

The Black Swan B+ Black indeed (Review 2011)

Tron: Legacy C+ Special effects are not a substitute for a decent script! (Review Jan 2011)

The King’s Speech A- I do think Colin will make friends with Oscar in the near future. (Review Jan 2011)

2010 Reviews

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader B And young Will Poulter steals the show! (Review Dec. 2010)

Red A- Let’s hear it for the old gang! (Review Nov. 2010)

Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 A- Admit the splendid scenery Dobby proves to be the unlikely hero! (review Nov 2010)

Paranormal Activity 2 B At least we know where Katie went after. (Review Oct 2010)

Never Let Me Go B+ Carey Mulligan is always worth watching. (Review Oct 2010)

Secretariat B You know what will happen, but has some excitement nonetheless. ( Oct 2010)

The Town A- Maybe Ben Affleck can act as well as direct! (Oct 2010)

The American A- The American has a very European vibe. (Review Sept 2010)

Get Low B+ Couldn’t be more perfectly cast. (Review Sept 2010)

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work C+ I just prefer the younger funnier Joan Rivers. (Review Sept 2010)

Inception A- Was it still a dream? See it and decide for yourself. (Review August 2010)

Winter’s Bone A Life in the Ozarks can chill the bone. Perfectly caste and executed. (Review August 2010)

Salt C+ Not the female Jason Borne they hoped for. (Review August 2010)

Cyrus B+ Every time I see Marisa Tomei on screen I fall in love with her! (Review July 2010)

The Secret in Their Eyes A- An Argentine Gem. (Review July 2010)

Knight and Day B- Not as bad as you might think. (Review July 2010)

Splice B+ Sarah Polley seldom disappoints. (Review June2010)

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo A- Yeah, the sequel is coming! (Review June 2010)

Sex and the City II D Cringe worthy! (Review June 2010)

Robin Hood B+ Max Von Sydow steals the show! (Review May2010)

Ironman 2 C+ Even Downey’s quips can’t save this one! (Review May2010)

The Trotsky B+ Who knew a Trabant would turn out being cool! (Review May 2010)

Gunless B Who knew a Gunslinger could be so charming! (Review May 2010)

Clash of the Titans C. See what happens when you have some good actors encumbered by a silly script! (Review Apr 2010)

The Runaways B. Looks like that young Dakota is growing up! (Review Apr 2010)

The Blind Side B+. You want heartwarming you got heartwarming. (Review Apr 2010)

The Last Station A- Magnificent performances by a couple of veteran actors. (Review Feb 2010)

Shutter Island B+ A twist that makes sense. (Review Feb 2010)

Crazy Heart A- You don’t always get a second chance. (Review Feb 2010)

Edge of Darkness B+ A pretty darn good thriller (Review Feb2010)

Creation A- A touching look at Darwin’s family life. Ever wonder why it took him so long to finish “The Origins…”? (Review Jan 2010)

The Lovely Bones B+ Saorise Ronan the best actress of her generation?. (Review Jan 2010)

Book of Eli B- Road Warrior meets Fahrenheit 451! Promising start turns into a weak ending. (Review Jan 2010)

Sherlock Holmes B+ A fresh take on the old detective. Definite chemistry between the two leads. (Review Jan 2010)

Young Victoria B Probably not the Victoria you have in mind. (Review Jan 2010)

Up in the Air A- Should be up for a few Oscar nods. (Review Jan 2010)

An Education A- Carey Mulligan shows her mettle. (Review Jan 2010)

2009 Reviews

Invictus B+ Slows a bit in the middle then a rollocking good time once the World Cup starts!

Twilight Saga: New Moon D+ Dull, boring, then more dull, boring! (Review Dec 2009)

The Road A- Desolation, Inhumanity and a glimmer of hope! (Review Nov 2009)

Pirate Radio B. There is always some middle age man out there, trying to spoil our fun! (Review Nov 2009)

A Law Abiding Citizen C. Charles Bronson does revenge much better! (Review Nov 2009)

Paranormal Activity B+. Don’t live with chicks that are possessed! (Review Nov 2009)

Zombieland B. Inspite of the horror, a Zombie attack can lead to some serious laughs! (Review Oct 2009)

Informant B+. Guess who looks good with a seventies style mustache? (Review Sept 2009)

Inglourious Basterds A-. A glorious piece of work. (Review Sept 2009)

District 9 A. We are the bad guys! (Review Sept 2009)

500 Days of Summer A-. Everyone has experienced a Summer in their lives. (review August 2009)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince B+. I still think Severus Snape is on the side of good. (review August 2009).

Orphan C- Maybe you shouldn’t adopt this one. (review August 2009)

Hurt Locker A Choose what you love. (review July 2009)

Moon A - GERTY is no HAL, but this picture does credit to the genre. (review July 2009)

Public Enemies B- There is a better movie in there somewhere. (review July 2009)

Whatever Works C+ Only works when Larry David is on. (review July 2009)

The Taking of Pelham 123 B Looks like Travolta had fun with this one (review June 2009)

Easy Virtue B+ Jessica holds her own with Kristin. (review June 2009)

The Hangover B- I cringed, but I laughed. (review June 2009)

Away We Go B+ Sometimes you can go home after all. (review June 2009)

Gomorrah A- Not your father’s Godfather. (review May 2009)

Terminator Salvation C- Rent the DVD, turn off the sound, watch the show. It will make more sense that way. (review May 2009)

Shall We Kiss B The French do like to intellectualize romance, don’t they? (review May 2009)

Star Trek B+ This crew deserves a sequel. (review May 2009)

Angels and Demons C+ Lost me with the parachuting priest. (review May 2009)

Lymelife B+ Some of the Culkin boys can actually act. (review May 2009)

State of Play Grade: B+ The third act gets a bit preachy, but otherwise a fine suspense drama. (review Apr 2009)

Adventureland Grade: A- It’s nice to see “Freaks and Geeks” still lives on. (review Apr 2009)

Knowing Grade: C+ As far as apocalyptic movies goes it is a bit better than “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. (review Apr 2009)

Defiance Grade: B- Strangely unmoving for what should be a compelling story. (review Apr 2009)

The Wrestler A. Mickey Rourke, the thinking man’s Rocky. (review Jan 2009)

Revolutionary Road B. The crazy man turns out to be the sanest of them all. (review Jan 2009)

Gran Torino B+. Dirty Harry takes his final bow? (review Jan 2009)

Slumdog Millionaire A. At least the ending is an antidote to these troubling times. (review Jan 2009)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button A-. Would it really be better to be born old and age in reverse? It would seem life would still be bittersweet. (review Jan 2009)

The Reader A- This could be the role that gets Kate her Oscar. (review 2009)

2008 Reviews

Australia 4/5 Stars. Let young Brandon Walters sing you to him. (review Dec 2008)

The Day the Earth Stood Still 3/5 Stars. I’m afraid it does stand still. (review Dec 2008)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 4/5 Stars. What a horrific and moving ending! (review Nov 2008)

Rachel Getting Married 4/5 Stars. Should Hathaway get an Oscar nod? Yeah probably. (review Nov 2008)

Tell No One 4/5 Stars. Coolest foot chase ever. (Review Nov 2008)

Blindness 4/5 Stars. Only spoilt by an ending which is too sweet for such a dark film. (Review Oct 2008)

Elegy 5/5 Stars. Who says Penelope Cruz can’t act in English? (Review Oct 2008)

Passchendaele 4/5 Stars. Sure it plays like a made for TV movie, but it would be a pretty good one at that. (Review Oct 2008)

The Duchess 3/5 Stars. Doesn’t really amount to much more than a period piece soap. (Review Oct 2008)

Burn after Reading 4/5 Stars. Even in comedy the Coen brothers tip their dark side. (review Sept 2008)

Vicky Christina Barcelona 4/5 Stars. Woody is on a roll. (review Sept 2008)

Savage Grace 4/5 Stars. Excellent cast delivers with some darn uncomfortable scenes. (review Sept 2008)

Dark Knight 4/5 Stars. Heath turns what was a cartoon character into something dark and sinister. A memorable movie villain, but really was there anything memorable about this film?(review August 2008)

My Winnipeg 3/5 Stars. Maddin is best when he sticks to the style of the 20’s and 30’s. Like the séance scene at the Masonic temple that passes for the legislature. More of that in the future please. (review August 2008)

Brideshead Revisited 4/5 Stars. Actually came up with a better ending than the miniseries. (review August 2008)

X-Files: I want to believe 4/5 Stars. I believe fans of the show won’t be disappointed. (review July 2008)

Hancock 3/5 Stars Couldn’t quite make up its mind whether it was a comedy or action picture. Should have stuck with the first option. (review July 2008)

Get Smart 4/5 Stars The new 86 and 99 find some of that old chemistry (review July 2008)

Mongol 4/5 Stars Who would have guessed you would wind up cheering for the young Genghis Khan(review July 2008)

The Happening 3/5 Stars. Uneven script, uneven performances. (Review June 2008)

The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian 5/5 Stars. Will each episode continue to be better than the last? (Review June 2008)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4/5 Stars. Pretty much what you’d expect from Indy and there’s nothing wrong with that. (Review June 2008)

Son of Rambow 4/5 Stars. A sweet and sentimental ending, and there’s nothing wrong with that (Review June 2008)

Ironman 4/5 Stars Robert Downey Jr. can do the wise cracking super hero routine. (review May 2008)

Fugitive Pieces 5/5 Stars It was not all sweetness and light for the survivors. (review May 2008)

Deception 3/5 Stars. The plot “twists” really aren’t that deceptive. (review April 2008)

The Counterfeiters 4/5 Stars. What would you do to survive? (review April 2008)

Smart People 4/5 Stars. Smart cast. (review April 2008)

Leatherheads 4/5 Stars. Sure we may have seen it all before, but this homage to the past is pleasant enough fare. (review April 2008)

21 2/5 Stars. No luck charm. (review Mar 2008).

10,000 B.C. 3/5 Stars. The Mammoths were pretty cool. (Review Mar 2008)

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day 4/5 Stars. Who says they can’t make screwball any more? (review Mar 2008)

In Bruges 5/5 Stars. Colin Farrell knows how to do twitchy. (review Feb 2008)

The Savages 4/5 Stars. Well acted gloom. (review Feb 2008)

There will be Blood 5/5 Stars. In spite of what you may hear the ending was just about right. (review Jan 2008)

Atonement 4/5 Stars. Saorise, Romola and Vanessa who can choose who did the better job? (review Jan 2008)

Juno 5/5 Stars. Chalk one up for the two Canadian Kids. (review Jan 2008).

Charlie Wilson’s War 4/5 Stars. Makes you nostalgic for the good old days of the cold war. (review Jan 2008)

2007 Reviews

Golden Compass 4/5 Stars. I haven’t read the books so I quite enjoyed it. (review Dec 2007)

I am Legend 3/5 Stars. Samantha the dog steals this one. (review Dec 2007)

No Country for Old Men 5/5 Stars. Meet Anton Chigurh, the most chilling psychopath since HAL 9000. (review Nov 2007)

American Gangster 4/5 Stars. A good but not great Godfather for the 2000’s. (review Nov 2007)

Darjeeling Limited 4/5 Stars. Listen up, Wes Anderson’s three best films are: Darjeeling Limited, Rushmore and Bottle Rocket, can we agree on that? (review Nov 2007)

Michael Clayton 4/5 Stars. What happens when you try to “Fix” a fixer? Wilkinson steals this one from Clooney. (review Oct 2007)

The Assassination of Jesse James, by the Coward Robert Ford 5/5 Stars. Remember those great movies they used to make in the seventies, this one might just top those. (review Oct 2007)

Gone Baby Gone 4/5 Stars. Casey shows which brother is the better actor. (review Oct 2007)

The Seeker, The Dark is Rising 3/5 Stars. Eccleston was much more engaging as the Doctor. (review Oct 2007)

2 Days in Paris 4/5 Stars. Who would guess that Chandler’s creepy roommate could pal a romantic leading man? With Julie Delpy no less! (review Oct 2007)

Eastern Promises 4/5 Stars. Yes, the knife fight scene is everything you’ve heard about. (review Sept 2007)

3:10 to Yuma 4/5 Stars. An existentialist western?? Works pretty well with Christian and Russell. (review Sept 2007)

Interview 3/5 Stars. Doesn’t quite ring true. (review Sept 2007)

The Last Legion 3/5 Stars. The search for the new Gladiator continues. (review Aug 2007)

Stardust 5/5 Stars. A Princess Bride for the 2000’s. (review Aug 2007)

Becoming Jane 4/5 Stars. Was Jane’s life really like this? Probably not but diverting all the same. (review Aug 2007)

Bourne Ultimatum 4/5 Stars. A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. (review August 2007)

Sunshine 4/5 Stars. Outshines Armageddon (review August 2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 4/5 Stars. I like the darker Harry. (review July 2007)

Black Book 4/5 Stars. Verhoeven should stay close to his roots. (review July 2007)

Live Free or Die Hard 3/5 Stars. Too much suspension of disbelief required. (review 2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 4/5 Stars Better than part 2! (review June 2007)

La Vie en Rose 4/5 Stars You won’t regret watching Marion Cotillard’s performance. (review June 2007)

Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer 3/5 Stars. Not that fantastic. (review June 2007)

Paris Je t’aime 4/5 Stars. Je T’aime the vampire episode. (review June 2007)

Away from me 4/5 Stars. Christie has more ”it” than stars half her age. (review May 2007)

Waitress 4/5 Stars. What might Adrienne Shelly have become as a director…? (review May 2007)

The Hoax 3/5 Stars. Alfred Molina steals this one. (review May 2007)

Fracture 4/5 Stars. Sir Anthony does not disappoint. (review Apr 2007)

Amazing Grace 4/5 Stars. Albert Finney the best of a fine ensemble cast. (review Apr 2007)

Next 3/5 Stars. Yes, lets move on quickly. (review Apr (2007)

The Host 4/5 Stars. Homer Simpson meets Godzilla and all set in Korea! (review Mar 2007)

Lives of Others 4/5 Stars. Why did Ulrich Muhe not get an Oscar nomination? Why didn’t he win?? (review Mar 2007)

300 3/5 Stars. Style over substance, but we knew that already. (review Mar 2007)

Days of Glory 4/5 Stars. A North African “Saving Private Ryan”. Not bad for all that. (Review Mar 2007)

Breach 4/5 Stars. Once again Cooper does his stuff. (review Feb 2007)

Hannibal Rising 2/5 Stars. Just what was that look on Gaspard’s face??? (review Feb 2007)

The Painted Veil 5/5 Stars. Story telling at its old fashioned best. (review Jan 2007)

Notes on a Scandal 4/5 Stars. The formidable Dame Dench will give you the shivers. Were you naughty as a school child? (review Jan 2007)

The Good Shepherd 5/5 Stars. Not boring at all. Matt can carry a film. (review Jan 2007)

Children of Men 3/5 Stars. “28 Days Later”, meets “1984”, meets “The Pianist”. Not as original as it thinks it is. (review Jan 2007

Volver 4/5 Stars. Penelope does it better in Spanish. (review Jan 2007)

Pan’s Labyrinth 5/5 Stars. Beware the Pale Man. The best of 2006 in any language. (review Jan 2007)

The Last King of Scotland 4/5 Stars. Forest pretty much has to carry this one, and he can carry the load. (review Jan 2007)

Letters from Iwo Jima 5/5 Stars. Sentiment aside, shouldn’t Clint really win the Oscar. (review Feb 2007)

Ross Bradford's Top Picks of the 20th Century

Greatest Movies:

Intolerance (1916)

Napoleon (1927)

City Lights (1931)

Philadelphia Story (1940)

Casablanca (1942)

A Touch of Evil (1958)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Henry V (1989)

Glory (1989)

Prospero's Books (1991)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Regeneration (1997)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Thin Red Line (1998)

Last Night (1999)

Sixth Sense (1999)

Ride with the Devil (1999)

The Next 25:

The Gold Rush (1925)

All quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Alexander Nevsky (1938)

Maltese Falcon (1941)

Laura (1944)

The Searchers (1956)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

War and Peace (1967)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Deer Hunter (1978)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Romeo is Bleeding (1993)

Greatest Movie Soundtracks:

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

American Graffiti ( 1973)

The Great Gatsby ( 1974)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Manhattan (1979)

All that Jazz (1979)

Cotton Club (1984)

Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Oh Brother Where Art Thou ( 2000)

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