Jabaek (Confession) (2022)
Intriguingly set up 'locked-room' murder mystery relies on shifting perspectives to discern unreliable truth as top lawyer Kim Yunjin tries to find out what happened in hotel where executive So Ji-sub is accused of former lover Nana's murder. Smooth style relies on appealing cast as remake's cold plot mechanics are revealed.
Jackpot! (2024)
Returned to near-future Los Angeles to resurrect acting career, Awkwafina reluctantly needs protection by regretful John Cena when she wins $3.6 billion lottery and discovers anyone who kills her can claim the fortune. Mismatched rhythms combine bludgeoning satire and inane physical / verbal comedy with numbingly unfunny results.
Jade (1995)
Strong production values and potent cast mean individual scenes intrigue even as convoluted blackmail and murder plot leads nowhere. David Curuso is the investigating DA , with psychologist Linda Fiorentino as prime suspect. Confusing swirl of sex and politics remains flat.
Jamaica Inn (1939)
After the impressively handled opening shipwreck, a curiously subdued and anonymous drama, especially considering the potential of pairing Charles Laughton and Robert Newton. Production values remain impressive. Maureen O'Hara provides the spark and grit.
Jambokgeunmu (She's On Duty) (2005)
Exaggerated comedy eventually collides with brute action as eager detective Kim Sun-a is forced undercover at high school to track down student Nam Sang-mi's father and bust criminal operation. Patchy humor amid wild swings of tone makes for passing entertainment.
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
The relationships engendered by the discussion group are well drawn and the ensemble cast appealing as their contemporary lives dovetail with the historical novels. Unfortunately, character arcs and emotional beats reveal no surprises or insights.
Jane Got A Gun (2016)
Effective blend of modern revisionism and traditional western, a no-nonsense Natalie Portman enlists hurt ex-lover Joel Edgerton to help protect her home from a violent gang seeking revenge. Revelations and narrative arc are predictable, action is robust, end is satisfying.
Jassy (1947)
Technicolor glories are surprisingly muted in Gainsborough's final costume drama, which lacks the frenzied, dark flights of fantasy and passion that liberated wartime British cinema. Overstuffed with plot, some individual performances and overall design are scant compensation.
Jaws (1975)
Masterfully tailored thriller blends primal hunt for mythic killer with finely honed technique and observation. Family and community dynamics spurs Roy Scheider's quest, Robert Shaw provides seafaring spice and Richard Dreyfuss an edgy intensity. Driven by John Williams' relentless score.
Je suis un soldat (I Am A Soldier) (2015)
Distinctive subject of European dog smuggling becomes tipping point for drifting Louise Bourgoin to find strength. Fuzzy focus and tone between social politics, family drama and thriller menace held together by emotionally compelling lead.
Jenny's Wedding (2015)
With its heart proudly out on its sleeve, the sincere approach results in too many speeches as dutiful daughter Katherine Heigl reveals to her family she's marrying longtime girlfriend Alexis Bledel. A fine cast persuasively sells the laughs and drama.
Jigeum mannareo gabmida (Be With You) (2018)
Smart balance of ethereal and practical, immaculately produced to maximize melodrama and humour, as Son Ye-jin keeps promise to return from the dead to So Ji-sub and son, though she also has to relearn who she is. Highly diverting and affecting,
Jingle Bell Heist (2025)
Agreeably desperate, would-be thieves Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells reluctantly team to rob high end London department store for differing family priorities. Comedic and dramatic beats remain placeholders, safely staged production unable to elevate revenge twists or the expected romantic developments.
John Wick (2014)
Best when establishing assassin etiquette and trading on Keanu Reeves' easy magnetism, as he shoots and stabs revenge on Russian gangsters that killed his dog. Gleaming visuals and flamboyantly choreographed action serves up exhausting succession of violent set pieces.
Johnny Frenchman (1945)
Friction between English and French fishing communities across the Channel is softened by reality of war and romance between loyal Patricia Roc and athletic Paul Dupuis. Lightly piercing prejudice and nationalism, Francoise Rosay and Tom Walls accentuate genial comedy and attractive locations.
Joker (2019)
Bleak visuals aligned with irresistibly off-kilter Joaquin Phoenix conjure flamboyant character study as instability leads to savage violence. Meticulous design mirrors personal and urban decay, effectively unsubtle, claustrophobia accentuated by suffocating soundtrack.
Jolt (2021)
Spiky Kate Beckinsale's anger issues can result in physical retribution, held in check only by dubious doctor Stanley Tucci's self-administered electrical shocks. Self-aware tone piles on whiplash jokes and violence without surprises or logic, spirited performers left grasping.
Jonah Hex (2010)
Swaggering style and dynamic design only compensate so much for dwindling investment in story and character, even allowing for comic book technique. Unapologetic Josh Brolin needs revenge on cruel John Malkovich who intends to blow up Washington. Megan Fox smolders.
Journal d'une femme de chambre (Diary Of A Chambermaid) (2015)
Brooding visuals and edgy mood created by abrupt rhythms without resolve, as indignant Léa Seydoux is sent to French provinces where cruel prejudice is just beneath surface. Attractively designed, moments hum with caustic wit rather than cohere character.
Joy (2024)
True-life basis of intuitive nurse Thomasin McKenzie, impatient scientist James Norton and reserved surgeon Bill Nighy's efforts to perfect IVF receives suitably straight treatment. Yet despite subdued approach to character, and social, religious and establishment hostility over two decade stretch, resolution proves quite moving.
Julie And Julia (2009)
Deftly mounted production sparked by comic eccentricities of Meryl Streep as accidentally influential 1950s recipe writer and humane confusion of Amy Adams' blogger cooking her way through the French meals in 2002. Light drama connects dual lives with enjoyable sense of self-discovery.
Jumanji The Next Level (2019)
In essence, a remake of the 2017 reimagining with the paucity of original ideas tempered by the likeable cast. Interest and comedy further enhanced by Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, yet the narrative mechanics creak too easily into view.
Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring) (1960)
Intense and poetic, the pureness of the visuals contrasts with the savagery of rape, murder and revenge. Max Von Sydow towers over the tight narrative, personifying the guilt and questions of faith that courses through all the characters. Still gripping and vital.
Junior Bonner (1972)
A languid, genial and typically rough-hewn Sam Peckinpah look at the end of the cowboy with a wearily charismatic Steve McQueen determined to best the rodeo bull. Robert Preston, Ben Johnson and Ida Lupino provide fine support amid memories of dust and sweat.
Jurassic Park (1995)
Wonder of reviving majestic and brutal dinosaurs excites millionaire Richard Attenborough, and scientists Laura Dern and Sam Neill, as much as filmmakers intent on action thrill-ride. Cynical Jeff Goldblum supplies sardonic critique of man's God complex and inevitability nature will take revenge. Loose plot provides giddy suspense and chase sequences.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Stripped to basics, plot lands jaded paleontologist Sam Neill on forgotten island of angry dinosaurs where divorced Téa Leoni and William H Macy search for missing son. Piling on action and amping scares, while abandoning character and nefarious scientific backstory, creates disposable, crafted rush.
Jurassic World (2015)
Return to regenerated dinosaur theme park similarly recycles derivative plotting sees work-consumed Bryce Dallas Howard and nephews battle to survive after genetically modified super creature breaks loose. As scientist Chris Pratt races with velociraptors, production is striking even if tension dissipates.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Luxuriating in visual effects expertise and expansive production values, leaden pace only accentuates reliance on set pieces rather than compelling narrative. Character reunions feel crow-barred into customary escape from unleashed dinosaurs and scientific naivety, without needed sense of awe and invention.
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018)
With ethical Bryce Dallas Howard and protective Chris Pratt returning to rescue dinosaurs from mythical island, adventure and awe engineered by robust action and distinct visuals. Back on mainland, character and plot collapses leaving empty thrills.
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Unfussy plotting sees Scarlett Johansson's team seeking dino DNA from research island and, along with family of attacked yacht, surviving usual threats as well as bio-engineered creatures. Dynamically paced set pieces dominate, though crunchy visuals feel set bound and allow only isolated moments of wonder.