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Grant Watson

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Grant Watson is a film critic based in Melbourne, Australia. He currently reviews contemporary and classic film for his own website FictionMachine, as well as the film review websites FilmInk and VCinema. Between 2003 and 2009 he wrote the film column The Bad Film Diaries for the science fiction journal Borderlands; for which he was awarded the William Atheling Jr Award for Science Fiction Criticism and Review on two occasions. He has also previously worked as the screen events manager at Western Australia's Film and Television Institute, where he curated numerous film programs and retrospectives.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
The Three Musketeers (1993) 33% 6/10 EDIT “This is commercial cinema in its most generic and functional form, like the film equivalent of fast food.” – Fiction Machine Jan 28, 2026 Full Review Weathering With You (2019) 91% 8/10 EDIT “If it fails to match Your Name in quality, that failure is marginal. It is still a hugely accomplished film.” – Fiction Machine Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Beast of War (2025) 89% 7/10 EDIT “The concept is simple, easy to sell to an audience, and it unfolds in a brisk and efficient 83 minutes. This is a film that does precisely what it claims to do, which is an approach I will always appreciate.” – Fiction Machine Jan 26, 2026 Full Review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 93% 10/10 EDIT “There is still a final instalment to be made and released, but for now this is the best of the entire 28 Days Later franchise. If DaCosta was not already on your radar of directors to follow, she absolutely should be now.” – Fiction Machine Jan 25, 2026 Full Review Princess Arete (2001) 8/10 EDIT “Princess Arete found popularity in Japan upon release for its strong central character and feminist themes, which is not a surprise. It also tells a wonderful fantasy story with a rich sense of wonder and a patient, gentle delivery.” – Fiction Machine Jan 22, 2026 Full Review Primate (2025) 79% 5/10 EDIT “If "chimpanzee rampage in a rich family’s backyard" sounds like it might appeal, there’s a proper chance that it might. One must not be too picky, though.” – Fiction Machine Jan 21, 2026 Full Review Saw IV (2007) 19% 8/10 EDIT “Undoubtedly one of the best and most effective sequels ever produced. It takes a well-developed and familiar formula, and innovates wildly. It plays unexpected technical and narrative tricks.” – Fiction Machine Jan 19, 2026 Full Review Is This Thing On? (2025) 86% 4/10 EDIT “Is This Thing On? is far from being a terrible movie, but it is important to note it is hardly a great one either. For one of Hollywood’s more enthusiastically celebrated actor-turned-directors, it a surprisingly mediocre work” – Fiction Machine Jan 18, 2026 Full Review The Secret Agent (2025) 98% 10/10 EDIT “The film marks the pinnacle of a four-film journey from Mendonça Filho’s 2012 debut Neighbouring Sounds, through the drama Aquarius (2016) and the thriller Bacurau (2019), and now to this – his most mature and well-crafted work to date.” – Fiction Machine Jan 16, 2026 Full Review The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) 94% 8/10 EDIT “While Miyazaki’s fingerprints may be all over the film’s aesthetic, it very much finds its own identity, pace, and tone. This is truly superb animated filmmaking.” – Fiction Machine Jan 15, 2026 Full Review The Tall Men (1955) 80% 8/10 EDIT “Even by 1955 standards, Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men feels a little bit outdated. Despite that, its high production values, lush widescreen photography, and winning performances make it one of that year’s most entertaining westerns.” – Fiction Machine Jan 12, 2026 Full Review Men (2022) 69% 7/10 EDIT “I came to Men for Garland’s strong reputation, but I stayed for the eerie and effective folk horror.” – Fiction Machine Jan 12, 2026 Full Review Apache Woman (1955) 3/10 EDIT “Whether the result of poor talent, sloppy direction, or a sheer lack of time (likely all three), the acting in Apache Woman is regularly under-par and often actively risible.” – Fiction Machine Jan 10, 2026 Full Review The Extraordinary Miss Flower (2025) 91% 6/10 EDIT “Some viewers will likely adore its creativity and joie de vivre. Others will be repelled by the artificiality. Whoever is left in-between is going to look on with bemusement.” – Fiction Machine Jan 10, 2026 Full Review Summer Blooms (2018) 6/10 EDIT “A film that will entertain fans of the genre while making no sort of long-term or broader impact at all. This is forgettable comfort cinema: an entertaining watch while it’s playing, but easily dismissed once done.” – Fiction Machine Jan 7, 2026 Full Review Caught Stealing (2025) 85% 8/10 EDIT “One can feel the influence of Aronofsky’s personal style between the margins – when the film goes dark, it seems particularly grim – but all in all it is a well-crafted genre confection and a real crowd-pleaser.” – Fiction Machine Jan 6, 2026 Full Review Presence (2024) 88% 8/10 EDIT “It is a difficult combination of elements to comfortably watch. That the two sides actually work together feels like a minor miracle, but it also feels as if this is a trick that is only going to work once.” – Fiction Machine Jan 4, 2026 Full Review Billy Elliot (2000) 85% 8/10 EDIT “While the core focus on the film on uplifting themes like choosing one’s own destiny and artistic expression, its situation within the 1984 miner’s strike delivers a texture and a tone that elevates the entire film.” – Fiction Machine Jan 3, 2026 Full Review Titane (2021) 90% 9/10 EDIT “It starts neck-deep in French extremity – furious energy, sex and violence, transgressive provocation – and then pivots over 108 minutes into unexpected tenderness and warmth. ” – Fiction Machine Jan 1, 2026 Full Review Paper Marriage (2024) 6/10 EDIT “Paper Marriage is a decently made light drama, but with American cinema shifting so aggressively from mid-budget films to low and high extremes it is becoming easier and easier for these sorts of modest independents to get overlooked.” – Fiction Machine Dec 30, 2025 Full Review The Woman in Black (1989) 100% 8/10 EDIT “ While the rest of this 1989 made-for-TV film is an effectively played and composed period ghost story, it is in individual moments that it transcends its overall production and becomes something enormously effective.” – Fiction Machine Dec 29, 2025 Full Review Starve Acre (2023) 81% 5/10 EDIT “It is cursed by a slow, somewhat tedious pace and an oblique, maddeningly vague attitude to its narrative and back story. Sometimes you can simply obfuscate too much, and any mystery you are attempting to generate is simply going to be off-putting.” – Fiction Machine Dec 28, 2025 Full Review Insidious: The Last Key (2018) 34% 6/10 EDIT “The film takes its sweet time in getting started, with an opening hour that tests the viewer’s patience and suffers from a distinct lack of suspense. When matters shift suddenly – and potently – it is a different matter.” – Fiction Machine Dec 26, 2025 Full Review The Triplets of Belleville (2003) 94% 8/10 EDIT “22 years after its original release it remains an absolute delight: in equal measures absurd, charming, strange, and unsettling.” – Fiction Machine Dec 26, 2025 Full Review Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) 56% 6/10 EDIT “Prequels represent terrible filmmaking. Sequels create drama and suspense; prequels deliver trivia.” – Fiction Machine Dec 20, 2025 Full Review
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