Take Me Home Tonight (2011)
Resolutely unfunny riff on 1980s teen comedies has drifting college grad Topher Grace pursuing high school crush Teresa Palmer at raucous party held by twin sister Anna Faris' crass boyfriend Chris Pratt. Polished production and soundtrack leaves game cast straining for empathy.
Take Me Out To The Ball Game (1949)
Colorful and energetic, if somewhat uneven in mood and storytelling, as no-nonsense Esther Williams inherits the Wolves baseball team and needs to whip Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munchin into shape. Frothy song and dance remains enduring.
Take One False Step (1949)
Though title sequence and coda accentuate light-hearted view of fate's dangers, otherwise mundane noir-lite with professor William Powell on the run after disappearance of Shelley Winters. Stakes barely raised, only moderately engaging as plot mechanics creak.
Take Shelter (2011)
Anchored by conflicted Michael Shannon's unnerving doubts over sanity versus apocalyptic future, controlled visuals create increasingly tense atmosphere as relationships fracture with wife Jessica Chastain and rural community. Immaculately conceived despite narrative slightness.
Take This Waltz (2011)
Though it exists in a romanticized city environment, the lustful entanglements of conflicted Michelle Williams, sly Luke Kirby and languid Seth Rogen pierce real emotions. Tenderly directed, with a visually intoxicating sheen, a winning blend of artifice and truth.
The Takeover (2022)
Teenage hacker turned security guru Holly Mae Brood provides energetic presence, uncovering Chinese company plot to steal personal data and framed for murder by AI manipulation. Yet narrative thrills and character jeopardy aren't elevated beyond serviceable chase drama.
A Tale Of Two Cities (1958)
Solidly adapted and produced, story of sacrifice sees dissolute lawyer Dirk Bogarde falls for resolute Dorothy Tutin amidst violence of French Revolution. Unfussy visuals match basic approach, maintaining suitable intimacy without quite piercing emotional heart.
The Tall Man (2012)
Dread atmosphere conjured of damaged mining town where young children are going missing suggests societal and supernatural evil, before rapidly going off the rails. Committed Jessica Biel and polished technique maintains interest, even as twisting narrative flounders.
The Tall Men (1955)
Expansive and sentimental storytelling, as pragmatic Clark Gable clashes with ruthless Robert Ryan and ambitious Jane Russell on epic cattle drive. Mounted on impressive scale against expressive landscapes, languid pace promotes an astute mix of action and humor.
The Tall Target (1951)
Atmospheric, vigorously staged thriller binds noir-tinged visuals to tightly constructed plot, as intuitive Dick Powell suspects Abraham Lincoln assassination plot on train to Washington inauguration. Themes of slavery and impending Civil War provide depth as companion Ruby Dee confronts ingenuous Paula Raymond.
Tamara Drewe (2010)
Slight and undemanding, Gemma Arterton's budding writer returns to her sleepy childhood village and throws lovers into turmoil over the course of a year. With its characters living in a curious bubble, humour bubbles on the surface, while emotion never quite breaks through.
Tangos, tequilas y algunas mentiras (Miles And Lies) (2023)
Bound by need to show family and friends of imminent marriage, unreliable fantasist Cassandra Sánchez Navarro and uncommitted David Chocarro spin through Mexican and Argentinian prejudice and stereotype with agreeable humor. Broadly played by appealing cast.
Tater Tot & Patton (2017)
A conflicted teen and her equally broken uncle learn to heal each other amid flat, endless South Dakota landscapes. Visual style accentuates the intimate, while Jessica Rothe and Bates Wilder convincingly open up the wounded souls. The emotion is true.
Tawny Pipit (1944)
At once embracing the virtues and tradition of bucolic English life as well as the protective wing shown to outsiders, a wryly affectionate look at villagers clashing with wartime bureaucracy when a pair of the titular birds nest nearby. Imbued with observational charm.
Taxi (1998)
Scrappy comedy odd couples speedy, rebellious taxi driver Samy Naceri with floundering, genial cop Frédéric Diefenthal to bring down gang robbing Marseille banks. Minimal style or cohesive tone, fluid action and sporadic laughs exist within agreeably forgettable narrative framework.
Temptation (1946)
Brazen, calculating Merle Oberon ensnares wealthy archaeologist George Brent and escapes disreputable reputation to Egypt, until boredom and affair with Charles Covin turns thoughts to murder. Minor in concept and execution, lead maintains dramatic interest, though thrills are in short supply.
Ten North Frederick (1958)
Polished production gives Cinemascope sheen to intimate drama of frustrated professional ambition and fractured family as Gary Cooper finds last emotional release with Suzy Parker affair. Finely textured lead, though bittersweet narrative feels undernourished.
The Tender Bar (2021)
Gently observant coming of age drama, as Tye Sheridan is pushed by mother Lily Rabe's college expectation and his own creative ambition while finding relief through principled uncle and surrogate father Ben Affleck. Suffused with affectionate glow, carefully controlled and warmly sentimental.
Tenki no ko (Weathering With You) (2019)
Expressive visuals and beguiling use of light provide compelling backdrop for runaway teen in storm plagued Tokyo who meets young girl with mystical ability to conjure sunshine through the clouds. Always embracing even if themes and emotion dissipate as narrative develops.
The Terminator (1984)
Relentless action edited with propulsive intensity, Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg from the future hunts Linda Hamilton in series of violent, exciting set pieces. As ruthlessly effective as titular assassin, time bending thriller retains blunt, dark freshness.
Terminator 2 Judgement Day (1991)
Immensely entertaining, fast paced sequel expands on original's intensity as reprogrammed future cyborg Arnold Schwarzenegger to save mankind from upgraded assassin. Extravagantly designed set pieces and VFX allied to gripping narrative momentum.
Terminator 3 Rise Of The Machines (2003)
Sturdy action punctuates swiftly paced retread as increasingly human Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to battle latest android Kristanna Loken and aid Nick Stahl's future resistance leader. Fleeting humor more pronounced, stunts, VFX and gunfire loud.
Terminator Dark Fate (2019)
Reunion of bitter survivor Linda Hamilton and reformed android Arnold Schwarzenegger provides isolated sparks. Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes kick in with energy. Story remains doleful retread with stifling action, lack of humor and customary time travel twists.
Terug naar morgen (Sum Of Histories) (2015)
Quietly, elliptically effective, twisting time altering narrative remains persuasive as a professor finds a way to send emails to the past and starts changing events. Solid technique, appealing performers, not quite delivering emotional punch.
Testament Of Youth (2015)
Poetic and cruel, intimate and sweeping, a moving look at a generation's youth lost physically and emotionally to World War I's ravages. A luminous, truthful Alicia Vikander is the wounded heart of a story that relentlessly piles on tragedy yet maintains a feminist view.
Les têtes de l'emploi (The No-Job Agency) (2016)
Balance between ironic social commentary and broader character gags never quite clicks as dysfunctional trio Franck Dubosc, Elsa Zylberstein and François-Xavier Demaison are sacked from employment agency for too successfully clearing unemployed. Spirited performances lack cohesion.
Teukbyeolsusa: Sahyoungsuui Pyeonji (Proof Of Innocence) (2016)
Mildly diverting crime drama as cynical former detective turned attorney Kim Myung-Min is persuaded to help innocent man and his daughter, Kim Hyang-Gi. Efficient telling, as Kim Young-Ae's deadly, moneyed corruption is uncovered.
Teuksong (Special Delivery) (2022)
Tightly coiled Park So-dam, expert delivery driver coldly blasting through city streets with callous disregard for law if price is right, finds life upended when package is a kid. Propulsive, kinetic style ends in bloodshed. Finely tuned entertainment.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Affection for 60s setting as bright and infectious as hit song that propels local Erie band to national stardom for flickering moment. Friendship and romance infuse relationships destined for breakup, soft tension more than compensated by charm of storytelling and performers.
That Uncertain Feeling (1941)
Slight, meandering comedy of a marriage under threat from the routine of time, a mix of mannered dialogue and screwball antics. The touch is light and the cast is enjoyable, delivering on sufficient laughs and maintaining interest in a minor effort.
That Wonderful Urge (1948)
Routine romantic comedy as Gene Tierney's wealthy heiress turns the tables on gossip reporter Tyrone Power. The power plays of social and sexual politics never rise above the perfunctory, though minor laughs manage to break through. Both stars remain beautiful.
That's Amor (2022)
Despite appealing central presence of flailing, undecided Riley Dandy, who is back with mom after losing job, leaving unfaithful boyfriend, and breaking foot in same afternoon, fluffy nonsense lacks any real drama. Romance with aspiring chef Isaac Gonzalez Rossi is left to fizzle.
Theater Camp (2023)
Fresh and funny summer escape for precocious kids and failed adults consumed by dream of stage success. Loose, improvisational style extends from ensemble cast to jittery visuals, as putting on show against odds threatens to run out of steam but comes up strong in final act.
Their Finest (2016)
Adeptly made, with a bitter sense of fatality and a committed Gemma Arterton, though the mix of cynical comedy, love story and British perseverance during WW2 doesn't quite jell. Modern stylings prevent a truer sense of period films. The feminist view proves honest.
Thelma (2017)
Told with elegantly unfussy style heightened by evocative aural landscape, tentative student Eili Harboe awakens hidden abilities as she escapes her repressive upbringing. Eerie, gripping narrative provokes surprises and transformative lead with persuasive conclusion.
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
Loose tale of vaudevillian family drifting apart with different ambitions spins a series of Cole Porter songs through extravagant routines and song and dance numbers until reunion with titular song. Winning cast and brightly colored energy.
Thérèse Desqueyroux (2012)
Exquisitely framed and designed, infused with stifled emotion, narrative stagnation tends to also subdue empathy. After Audrey Tautou attempts murder, she suffers mental and physical descent, a compelling performance that looks to compensate the unspoken.
They Live (1988)
Elegantly unsophisticated, polished visuals provide impetus for bluntly effective satiric thriller, as homeless Roddy Piper finds sunglasses that reveal alien control of consumerism is subjugating humanity. Precise pacing elevates astute, enjoyable mix of humor and scares.
They Made Me A Fugitive (1947)
Bitter former RAF pilot Trevor Howard is framed for murder and breaks from jail to seek revenge. Uneasy post-war background, tense, atmospheric visuals and dark characters nicely mesh with twisted, noir narrative. Sally Gray provides gritty support.
They Met In The Dark (1943)
Light espionage thriller collides sparky Joyce Howard and polished James Mason, looking to redeem their characters after dead body goes missing and Nazi spies use harmonica player to smuggle out vital secrets. Limp suspense supplanted by passable romantic sparring.
They Were Sisters (1946)
Never reaching the glorious excesses of period Gainsborough melodramas, the thematic concerns still echo as Phyllis Calvert, Anne Crawford and Dulcie Grey capture the contrasts of freedom and subservience for women in post war Britain. Solid rather than inspired.
The Thin Man (1934)
Carefree attraction between heiress Myrna Loy and private eye William Powell proves irresistible combination, playful and sophisticated as they solve crime in between martinis. Case of missing scientist and money less important than brisk staging and crisp laughs.
The Thing (1982)
Gleefully gruesome creature FX erupt amid chilly, slick visuals as alien presence mutates to consume and imitate scientists on remote Antarctic base. Building tension through claustrophobic paranoia, brutal set pieces and icy soundscape, resolution is bleakly appropriate.
The Thing From Another World (1951)
Told with typically Hawksian, fast paced, over-lapping dialog and a bluntly effective visual style, remote army and scientists in the Arctic find an alien craft buried in the ice and contrive to let a killer escape. Nicely etched characters promote tension and thrills.
Things Heard & Seen (2021)
Amanda Seyfried and James Norton move into a country house whose ghosts mirror their own deteriorating marriage. Chasing thematic and story strands too numerous and ambitious to contain, tension and involvement is diffused, despite technical skill.
Thirteen Lives (2022)
Tightly paced and shot, a gripping account of the Thai rescue of teens from submerged cave system ratchets up the suspense and emotion. Terse Viggo Mortensen and methodical Colin Farrell are among the rescuers, sober style belies intelligent, claustrophobic construction.
This Above All (1942)
Richly designed visuals embrace love story between principled Joan Fontaine and damaged Tyrone Power, drawing on themes of class and duty in face of war's violent scars. Often schematic propaganda doesn't diminish appeal of leads and stirringly ambivalent resolutions.
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016)
Enticingly quirky and playful, embodied by charm of Jessica Brown Findlay, who finds inspiration through gruff neighbour Tom Wilkinson and wonders of nature. Fine balance of metaphor and feeling, aided by humour, tends to flag by third act with a hurried conclusion.
This Happy Breed (1944)
A captivating domestic epic that spans 20 years in the lives of a London family between the world wars. The deft mix of comedy and tragedy is moving, the performers uniformly persuasive and the glorious Technicolor luminescent. Both detail and spectacle perfectly pitched, as well as proof that the country runs on tea.
This Is Christmas (2022)
Wanting to remain optimistic, Alfred Enoch spontaneously breaks silence with fellow commuters to announce Christmas party. Relationship with questioning Kaya Scodelario leads to unremarkable conclusion, yet witty, bittersweet character arcs persuade and emotions resonate.
Thoroughbreds (2017)
As cool and detached as its damaged protagonists, a strangely inert narrative never really pokes beneath the surface either with thrills or laughs. Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy are suitably intense. The widescreen camera never aids the tension.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2022)
Daring yet emotionally scarred smokejumper Angelina Jolie finds redemption in helping young boy on run from assassins who successfully killed his father. Fiery visuals and bloody violence pump up action. Character and story tend to be constricted by engulfing flames.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2021)
Strong cast bring vibrant life to collection of flawed, contradictory characters as small community deals with prejudice and pain in wake of Frances McDormand's determination to find daughter's killer. Bracing sense of humor amid overly schematic narrative maneuvers.
Three Days Of The Condor (1975)
Building from abrupt violence at unremarkable CIA research office, gripping paranoia informs Robert Redford's attempt to escape assassin Max von Sydow and reveal agency corruption. Able support from unknowing Faye Dunaway, traditional thriller structure is fused with coldly detailed anxiety.
Three Little Girls In Blue (1946)
Bright and tuneful comedy, a small inheritance allows June Haver, Vivian Blaine and Vera-Ellen to leave their farm and seek out husbands in Atlantic City. Solid musical sequences, especially elaborate "You Make Me Feel So Young", compensate for final act conventions.
Three Little Words (1950)
Astute blend of comedy sketches, joyous dance numbers and succession of melodic songs, knitted around biopic of songwriters Kalmar (Fred Astaire) and Ruby (Red Skelton). Gorgeous Technicolor evocations of vaudeville and a high kicking Vera-Ellen add to the fun.
The Three Musketeers (1973)
Spirited adventure accentuates throwaway humour as unaffected Michael York seeks to join titular Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay and Richard Chamberlain, and falls for accident prone Raquel Welsh. Loose style and gorgeous design features frames crammed with comic detail and formidable cast. Enormous fun.
Thunder Bay (1953)
Vigorous action pits brawny exploration for Louisiana coastal oil against traditions of local fishing community, as obsessive James Stewart wrestles the elements, locals, and even easygoing Dan Duryea and crew. Robust locations add flavor while wounded Joanne Dru supplies melodramatic resolve.
Thunder Birds (1942)
Gorgeous, burnished Technicolor design and impressively scaled aerial sequences mask rudimentary romantic drama with Gene Tierney pursued by unsure Brit John Sutton and confident US instructor Preston Foster. Unsurprising propaganda beats unify allied forces.
Thunder Force (2021)
Thoroughly undernourished comedy with a curiously anemic atmosphere that neither Melissa McCarthy nor Octavia Spencer can spark life into. Even their genetically modified powers, used to take on Chicago super villains, conspire to produce flat VFX action scenes.
Thunder Rock (1942)
Intimately theatrical yet bracingly cinematic, a compelling individual drama that works equally as propaganda against isolationism. An intense Michael Redgrave is the physically and mentally isolated lighthouse keeper visited by ghosts of history and his own life.
Thunderbolts* (2025)
Sparked by wittily assembled cast, periodically typical barrage of visual effects doesn't prevent likeable focus on group of dissolute, conflicted assassins forced to work together and confront past. Spirited Florence Pugh grounds empathy beyond murky visual palette.
tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
Powered by Andrew Garfield's compelling lead as a songwriter in search of creativity to complete his musical, a visually and emotionally invigorating construction that illuminates the frustration of inspiration. Strong songs and cast sell the energy and compassion.
Ticket To Paradise (2022)
Relying almost solely on easy charm of star duo, bickering, divorced parents Julia Roberts and George Clooney fly to Bali to undermine daughter Kaitlyn Dever's impulsively announced wedding plans. Opulent locations for narrative beats whose contrivances are never in doubt.
Tides (2021)
Intense visuals forge bracing dystopian future as astronaut Nora Arnezeder crash lands on Earth to discover if outer space colony can now return. Themes of social injustice and motherhood jostle with bursts of action amid grungy design, as story eventually runs out of steam.
Tiger Bay (1959)
Gritty locations and atmospheric visuals underpin compelling tale of edgy murderer Horst Buchholz and tense relationship with child witness. John Mills is the dogged detective in sometimes overwrought melodrama grounded by striking, natural Hayley Mills performance.
Tight Spot (1955)
Crisp, confined melodrama mostly played out within a hotel suite as brash, reluctant witness Ginger Rogers is manipulated by attorney Edward G Robinson to testify and Brian Keith is the gruff detective keeping guard. Easy balance between tart dialog and budding suspense.
Till (2022)
Tragic soul of true life murder is ignited by transcendent Danielle Deadwyler, as the trial into her son's lynching in 1950s Mississippi becomes turning point for political awakening. Technically precise, narrative tends to go through the motions and rely on melodramatic turns, even as thematic resonance remains.
Time After Time (1979)
Lively concept pitches Malcolm McDowell's HG Wells into chase from Victorian London to contemporary San Francisco after his time machine is used by fleeing David Warner's Jack The Ripper. Plain style and light threat elevated by humor, Miklós Rózsa's sparkling score and appealingly natural Mary Steenburgen.
Time Freak (2018)
A film as desperate and manipulative as its time traveling hero Asa Butterfield, who keeps on returning to the past to control his relationship with compliant Sophie Turner An unconvincing comedy, romance and sci-fi mashup with characters and narrative marooned.
Time Lapse (2014)
Enjoyably mind-bending time travel thriller centered on a camera that takes a photo 24 hours into the future and how three friends quickly fall apart with greed and violence. Always surprising and made with a smoothly cinematic feel that transcends restricted locations.
A Time To Kill (1996)
Skillfully made, button-pushing morality tale centers on vengeful Samuel L Jackson's court case for murdering men who raped his daughter. Bluntly impactful rather than thoughtfully nuanced, Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock lead a strong, committed cast.
Time Trap (2017)
Technically proficient, narratively jumbled, young cave explorers are lost in time and battle the past and future. Revelations are less surprising than confusing and the story rhythms dry out any tension, denying potentially interesting details from gaining any dramatic impact.
Time Without Pity (1957)
Freddie Francis provides dynamic visuals that aid broken Michael Redgrave's search to prove his son's innocence before he's executed for murder. Exposition tends to be stagey, contrasting with coarse locations. Cast provides typically robust melodramatics.
Timebomb (1991)
Some interesting twists, shoot outs and random sci-fi trappings see watchmaker Michael Biehn turn indoctrinated assassin, on the run with confused psychoanalyst Patsy Kensit. Limited by budget and creativity, only fitfully amusing, with over-acting Richard Jordan in pursuit.
Timer (2009)
Loose romantic comedy flavored with sci-fi concept of implant that tells when true love will occur, sees anxious Emma Caulfield and cynical Michelle Borth as sister roommates dealing with romance even as they wait for fate's decision. For the most part deftly told with satisfying conclusion.
Timescape (1992)
Quietly inventive tale, as tourists from an anodyne future travel back to experience the excitement of 20th century disasters. A persuasive Jeff Daniels determines to save his Ohio town and the narrative supplies pleasing twists, leading to a satisfying ending.
Tirza (2010)
Bracing and confronting, narrative jumps reflect increasingly fractured, desperate psyche of Gijs Scholten van Aschat as he searches Namibia for missing daughter Sylvia Hoeks. Visuals and narrative furnish powerful symbols and conflicting emotions. Not for the squeamish.
To All the Boys: Always And Forever (2021)
Third installment sees unsure Lana Condor facing future college and romantic decisions, while rounding out characters during prom and wedding festivities. Halting interlude of New York realization doesn't detract from smooth production and emotion of dramatically satisfying conclusion.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
After messily considerate Lana Condor's innocent childhood love letters are revealed, she agrees to fake relationship with genially uncomplicated Noah Centineo to make other partners jealous. Widescreen sweep and endearing performers realize bright comedy and romantic leap.
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
Continuing anxious dreamer Lana Condor's high school romance as return of former crush Jordan Fisher sees her question relationship with reliable Noah Centineo. Though central narrative treads water and rhythms are uncertain, character ensemble maintains engaging blend of comedy and drama.
To Be Or Not To Be (1942)
Maintaining a breezy balance between comedy and drama, a satire that skewers actors and Nazis with equal and effective glee. Carole Lombard and Jack Benny lead the terrific ensemble, piling up the laughs on a fragile narrative involving spies and the resistance in occupied Warsaw.
To Catch A Killer (2023)
Slickly realized thriller sees disturbed cop Shailene Woodley's intuitive talent teamed with hardened FBI Agent Ben Mendelsohn to chase down mass shooter. Austere atmosphere is unrelieved, and character detail remains unpersuasive, before story disintegrates during final act.
To Have And Have Not (1944)
Aided by pacy storytelling and tense sequences, weary, calculating fishing captain and smuggler Humphrey Bogart is drawn into aiding French resistance in German allied Martinique. Yet soul remains in chemistry with beguiling, husky Lauren Bacall, firing up a tangible passion amid the guns.
To Keep The Light (2016)
Dramatically considered visuals evoke isolation of edgy lighthouse keeper Erica Fae, battling her sanity and prejudice of 19th century society. Arrival of seaswept survivor Antti Reini stirs revelations and her future determination; central character proves persuasively compelling.
Together (2025)
Benefitting from increasingly twisted effects and leads' easy chemistry, relationship strain between practical teacher Alison Brie and frustrated musician Dave Franco mutates to rabid, body horror attraction. Uneven logic embraces wicked humor and desperate emotion to fitting end.
Tom Horn (1980)
Gritty and artful imagery often feels imbued with melancholy, as Steve McQueen's formidable, fatalistic gunslinger brutally deals with cattle rustlers before squeamish ranchers decide he's outlived usefulness. Unremarkable staging lacks cohesive style, yet lead's violence and vulnerability creates potent character, forever looking to the hills.
Tombstone (1993)
Aggressively cinematic and overtly emotional, a gloriously melodramatic tale that ties appealing performances to polished technical work and a rich, dramatically acute score by Bruce Broughton. A powerful, sensory experience in the cinema, it remains as exciting and moving in any realm.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Buoyed by cast likeability and time travel concept that sees floundering Chris Pratt thrown into the future to fight vicious aliens, but more importantly save the past with resolute daughter Yvonne Strahovski. Big action, soft family dynamics, bloated conclusion.
Tomorrow We Live (1943)
Solidly produced, languidly told, the French underground in a coastal village undermines the German occupants as well as aiding British escapes. Predictable plot twists, but the cast is good, the emotional balance nicely judged and the ending suitably sombre.
Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) (1988)
Celebration of family bonds and power of imagination sees two young sisters move to country to be nearer ailing mother and discover magical creatures in the woods. Benignly rendered visuals aid keenly observed sense of casual humour and wonder.
Tonight And Every Night (1945)
Attractively designed and cast, with some effective songs and energetic dance, Rita Hayworth is part of wartime London theatre that keeps performing no matter German bombings or personal tragedy. Less involving with romantic conflicts, backstage life and conditions maintain interest.
Too Late For Tears (1949)
After stolen money ends up in her car, feverish Lizabeth Scott grows ever more deadly in manipulating and destroying men in her way, diving headlong into noir descent. Tight framing accentuates moral trap, Dan Duryea and Arthur Kennedy get in the way.
Too Late The Hero (1970)
Though story provides scope for jungle action when reluctant Cliff Robertson is assigned to Michael Caine and British patrol penetrating Japanese lines, war ironies and muddled approach contaminate conflicted characters. Solid cast and intense locations aid desperate atmosphere.
Too Many Husbands (1940)
Mischievous Jean Arthur faces a decision on which husband to keep when presumed dead Fred MacMurray returns from desert island after she's remarried his best friend Melvyn Douglas. Amiable talent make for easy watch even as pace remains sluggish.
Tootsie (1982)
Intense, difficult actor Dustin Hoffman has alienated so many he's forced to become Miss Dorothy Michaels and win role on daytime soap. Polished telling and snappy dialogue provides opportunity for plenty of laughs with appealing cast, even if gender politics are soft.
Top Gun Maverick (2022)
Undeniably effective, adrenaline-pumping aerial action allied to seductive visuals and fluid pacing as confident Tom Cruise leads new recruits on impossible mission against anonymous enemy to secure peace. Immaculate performers in sentimental, fantasy world building without a shred of irony.
Total Recall (1990)
Told with blunt, propulsive style, craftily twisting plot manipulates and dazzles viewer as much as construction worker Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose dreams of Mars might be real. Future tech and ragged violence heightened by explosive Jerry Goldsmith score with ironic spins on identity and memory resolving with planetary rebellion.
Total Recall (2012)
Technically immaculate and delighting in detailed world building, both gleaming and dystopian, yet character and narrative remain anemic copies. Glum Colin Farrell is on the run with Jessica Biel from glowering wife Kate Beckinsale as twists fall flat and sustained tension deflates.
Totally Killer (2023)
With accent on comic potential and time traveling wit, pacy serial killer tale features a winning Kiernan Shipka spun back to late 80s with hope of preventing murder of her mom in modern day. Much fun with contemporary attitudes and colorful design, though invention flags during third act revelations.
The Tourist (2010)
Unable to capture needed playfulness, twisting tale of international theft coasts on seductive sheen of Venetian sets and awkward stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. Technically adept, muddled storytelling results in isolated moments rather than cohesive thrills.
A Tourist's Guide To Love (2023)
After unexpected relationship pause, practical travel executive Rachel Leigh Cook escapes to Vietnam to pose as tourist while evaluating local tour company. Evocative locations eventually deliver beyond initial travelogue stylings with pleasingly familiar romantic and character realization.
Tower Heist (2011)
Solid cast largely wasted on fitful comic potential while narrative only picks up pace in later stages during titular event, as luxury apartment building employees seek revenge on condescending businessman Alan Alda who has lost their savings. Easily forgettable even while Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and Téa Leoni add enjoyable zest.
A Town Like Alice (1956)
Told with blunt immediacy and growing tension and despair, Virginia McKenna is among group of women and children forced to walk through Malaya after 1942 Japanese invasion. Emotive and effective, Peter Finch and titular refuge provides hope from suffering.
Tracks (2013)
Strikingly realized, deliberately paced, floundering Mia Wasikowska takes on the blistering Australian horizon in a meditative, thousands of miles journey to the sea with camels. Survivalist character study builds strong emotions and final release is deftly pitched.
Der Trafikant (The Tobacconist) (2018)
Gorgeously designed coming of age drama sees Simon Morzé experience lust for Emma Drogunova and receive advice from Bruno Ganz's playful, melancholy Freud while Nazi nationalism poisons the Vienna. Lightly involving, symbolism never connects.
Tramps (2016)
Innocently urban romantic drama with eager Callum Turner losing the package low-key criminal brother persuaded him to deliver and setting out to find it with disillusioned driver Grace Van Patten. Outcome for lost souls unsurprising, telling primed with energy and smartly attuned visuals. Endearing leads.
Trancers (1984)
Grizzled future cop Tim Thomerson travels back to 80s Los Angeles and gets help from giddy Helen Hunt to prevent a villain changing history and raising a zombie army. With the accent on humor and an appealing cast, the action and narrative zips by with low-budget momentum.
Trancers II (1991)
A belated sequel maintains efforts at humor while increasing the violence, as Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt face not only crazed Richard Lynch's efforts to create a trancer army but also our hero's presumed dead wife Megan Ward from the future. Mildly diverting.
Trancers III (1992)
A Helen Hunt cameo bids farewell as Tim Thomerson flips forward and back in time to combat deranged Andrew Robinson's new army of killers. A franchise running on genre fumes, lacking creativity and budget, still finds time for its leads to have a good time.
The Trap (1966)
Spectacular landscapes, and Robert Krasker's powerful visuals, combine with Ron Goodwin's head-on score to muscular effect. Oliver Reed's French-Canadian trapper and Rita Tushingham's mute wilderness survivor combine well and the wolf attack is savagely thrilling.
Trap (2024)
Technical polish persuades ongoing interest as Josh Harnett's charming serial killer discovers pop concert he attends with daughter is actually elaborate police trap. Yet twisting narrative and revelations quickly snap logic, dissipating tension to leave dry thrills.
Trapped In Paradise (1994)
Strenuously unfunny Christmas tale strands crooked brothers Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey in small town, softened by eccentric community after bank robbery. Never lacking in energy, equally never finds tone or character, leaving isolated gags floundering.
Tread Softly Stranger (1958)
Atmospheric city and industry background provide gritty substance to noir-infused drama as impatient Diana Dors leads brothers George Baker and Terence Morgan to their murderous doom. Sense of impoverished desperation hangs heavy, though thriller aspects remain unpersuasive.
Trial By Jury (1994)
A strong cast strains to make increasingly implausible characters and events into watchable thrills, as demure juror Joanne Whalley is threatened by weary henchman William Hurt on behalf of mob boss Armand Assante. Gabriel Byne is the tortured prosecutor. Nothing rings true.
The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020)
As finely crafted as expected from Aaron Sorkin, with a rounded narrative that though slow to open pays off in the courtroom. An impressive ensemble delivers on the script and the contemporary allusions hit home, though there is a strangely impersonal visual approach. The rousing finale is a divisive matter of taste.
The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
Self-destructive nature of Kate Beckinsale's lawyer neatly mirrors bleak view of justice, where legal corruption abuses innocent and guilty alike. Despite convincingly desperate lead and smoothly told spun story mechanics, court case of convicted Anna Anissimova feels insubstantial.
Triangle (2009)
Brightly staged mystery strands edgy Melissa George and friends at sea, seeking refuge on drifting ocean liner where a killer stalks the corridors as horror tropes fuse with time loop purgatory, narrative ricochets not quite resolved, though entertaining twists provide satisfying payoff.
Trigger Warning (2024)
Muscular style concentrates on stripped down characters and blunt action as taciturn, brutal military operative Jessica Alba returns home to avenge father's death and clean up corrupt community. Dramatically aenemic results resemble low budget 1970s genre effort.
Trio (1950)
Somerset Maugham stories provide unassuming portraits of characters facing turning points in their lives. Detail and subtlety provide the most compelling strengths and gleaming visuals are evocative - and yet individual moments remain more persuasive than the whole.
Triple Frontier (2019)
Robust visuals and solidly athletic cast as confident Oscar Isaac rounds up ex-military buddies Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal to steal fortune from home of South American drug lord. Picks up rhythm as greed contaminates escape, yet misses on delivering dramatic impact.
Troll (2022)
Robustly conceived monster action as Norwegian folklore becomes modern reality when exploitation of mountain range awakes unhappy rock giant. Incredulous Ine Marie Wilmann is a resourceful paleontologist as political and national themes barely crack polished, monochrome VFX surface.
Trucker (2008)
Affecting low-key melodrama, as drifting Michelle Monaghan finds independence threatened when young son Jimmy Bennett comes to stay. Combative relationship is well pitched, though visuals feel too styled and story beats predictable. Fine cast inhabit their characters.
Truly, Madly, Sweetly (2018)
Cookie-cutter romantic comedy about cookies, as typically damaged and opposite characters are forced together over property left in a will and face standard three Act difficulties in business and love. Perfectly harmless, through the paces production.
Trunk (2023)
Polished technique ramps up tension as kidnapped Sina Martens, drugged and missing a kidney, wakes trapped in car hurtling for the border. Mining claustrophobic setting, energy levels flag with unsurprising third act revelations and implausible twists though lead maintains involving intensity.
Trust Me (2007)
Reserved Enn Reitel lives in his own world of impersonations until a newly arrived con man sets up in LA as an agent and accidentally propels him to stardom. Flat style and pacing flails for satiric effect, punctuated by equally mistimed laughs, despite game efforts of cast.
Truth (2015)
Generally absorbing and thoughtful, if sometimes didactic treatment of politics shaping American news when Robert Redford's famed broadcaster and award-winning producer Cate Blanchett are undone by detail rather than honesty. Grounded leads even if perspective feels forced.
Truth Or Dare (2018)
Polished, energetic sheen periodically disguises inherent silliness of teen games that initially intrigue before turning to succession of embarrassing revelations and uninventive deaths. Sparks of tension keep interest in anonymous characters despite confusion and lack of needed wit.
Tulip Fever (2017)
Elegant visuals and immersive design left isolated by contrived tale of affairs and hidden pregnancies in a 17th century Amsterdam obsessed by titular flower. Ripe melodrama feels more fitting for comic potential. Alicia Vikander and Judie Dench left floundering.
Tumbledown (2015)
A bittersweet, compassionate tale of memories, loss and idealism, as reluctant Rebecca Hall accepts eager writer Jason Sudeikis into the world of her late husband, a famous musician. Though the resolution too comfortably conforms to genre, a brittle, astute mix of emotion and humor.
Turn The Key Softly (1953)
Intriguingly low-key and grittily told drama following three women released from prison, though cramming the events into a single day inevitably creates cracks in the narrative. Well shot on London locations and Kathleen Harrison is especially moving.
The Turning Point (1952)
Family and friendship dragged into dark city corruption when enthusiastic new prosecutor Edmund O'Brien vows to clean up crime syndicate. Cynical reporter William Holden, bright girlfriend Alexis Scott and wily crime boss Ed Begley among solid cast in tautly told, bleakly twisting violence.
Twelve Hours To Kill (1960)
Minor thriller sees newly arrived immigrant Nico Minardos witness mob killing and sent to hide out in small town. Cue pursuing hoods, police corruption and romantic interest with Barbara Eden. Little style and piecemeal story strands devoid of drama.
Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
Strong production values and performances provide the bedrock of a surprisingly interior drama that peels away stoicism to reveal the severe stress of bomber pilots in WW2. Particularly impressive is the portrayal of Gregory Peck's psychological snap.
Twentieth Century (1934)
After manipulating unknowing Carole Lombard's acting talent, possessive theatre showman John Barrymore loses his touch when she escapes to Hollywood fortune. Inadvertent reunion on titular train reignites schemes, relations and gorgeous, breathless comedy.
Twilight (1998)
Formidable cast enlivens languid neo-noir as weary Paul Newman investigates blackmail and murder involving faded actors Susan Sarandon and Gene Hackman and ex-cop James Garner. Echoes of past provide thematic strength, though plotting remains distracted and thrills sparse.
Twister (1996)
Immensely enjoyable, concept-driven narrative delights in expansive, fluid visuals and Oklahoma ripping visual effects as reluctant Bill Paxton is once more intoxicated by obstinate Helen Hunt and band of adrenaline-fueled storm chasers. Broad stroke characters freshened by appealing cast and sense of humor.
Twisters (2024)
Variation on original captures engagingly chaotic spirit thanks to dynamic visuals and appealing leads, as instinctive Daisy Edgar-Jones overcomes past tragedy to join Oklahoma storm chasers and find empathy with conceited video blogger Glen Powell. Visceral thrills scaled with blunt emotion.
The Two-Headed Spy (1958)
Subdued, enclosed spy drama with a typically strong Jack Hawkins in the heart of World War II German command, spreading internal sabotage when communication with Britain is cut off. A startling torture scene and tragic relationship with Gia Scala adds heft.
Two Night Stand (2014)
When it strands its attractive couple in a snow-bound apartment, the actors and script shine with a smart mix of laughs and insight. The wraparound is far less convincing, especially the curious coda. Rooted by conventional rom-com boundaries with fresh spins.
Two Thousand Women (1944)
Mostly played for laughs, an intriguing setup allows for a formidable array of British actresses to lift wartime spirits. Narratively awkward, there are persuasive sequences and the characterization of strong, independent women is smart and subversive.
Tystnaden (The Silence) (1963)
Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom are raw and uncompromising as two sisters, the intellectual and the carnal, drifting apart in the silence, while a curious son explores an empty hotel and war looms outside. Captivating, sexual, tense, both tender and searing.