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Armageddon Time

Drama A semi-autobiographical memoir about growing up in the mid-1980s in the New York borough of Queens.
Author Review
United StatesUnited States
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
"[Gray's] most acutely personal film (...) A work of great love, emotional authenticity and gratitude (...) A thoughtful film laced throughout with small ripple-effect moments that continue to resonate even beyond the end credits"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The Wrap
The Wrap
"A story that is both unsentimental and touching (...) It’s an acerbic, tough look back, which makes it a rarity in a genre that often dons rose-colored glasses"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The Playlist
The Playlist
"A compassionate movie in perpetual contemplation of our collective accounts, both personally, socially and historically (...) Gray's stripped-down drama is a clear-eyed and emotionally intelligent work of great empathy"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Screendaily
Screendaily
"Exceedingly thoughtful and self-critical, this well-acted tale can sometimes be predictable and muddled (...) 'Armageddon Time' is a mournful study of our collective failure to see our own prejudice"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
IndieWire
IndieWire
"A heartbreaking Anthony Hopkins lifts James Gray's exquisite movie memoir (...) 'Armageddon Time' is beautiful and gently stirring in its own way, but it's also about as warm and fuzzy as a prayer shawl"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Variety
Variety
"'Armageddon Time' marks a break from most of what he has done before. It’s a more personal project (...) It's a skillful, exacting, beguiling movie"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
"[It] feels both tenderly observed and acutely, rigorously pessimistic about its moment, as well as ours"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The Guardian
The Guardian
"Hopkins and Hathaway can't save this tale (...) Uncharacteristically syrupy (...) This is weighed down with a sentimental and self-regarding staginess (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"  NEG
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Telegraph
Telegraph
"Gray's most intensely autobiographical work to date (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Total Film
Total Film
"A richly textured, well-performed piece that strains for contemporary relevance, but ultimately feels too safe and too uneventful to resonate (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
SlashFilm
SlashFilm
"At a time when nostalgia reigns supreme in filmmaking, 'Armageddon Time' is a rare and very welcome interrogation of the past"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair
"A despairing, delicate film"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
"A nuanced exploration of situational ethics tinged with guilt, it's a small, near-perfect New York story. And while its director may not say as much out loud, it's also an act of atonement"  POS
United StatesUnited States
IGN
IGN
"'Armageddon Time' gives us a close look at a specific slice of 1980s American life, but fails to launch any satisfying conclusions"  NEU
United StatesUnited States
Deadline
Deadline
"Gray describes the words he wanted this film to convey: love, warmth, humor and loss, but also clearly class and racism (...) Hopkins finds the soul of [the] script and gives it real impetus as only a master can"  POS
United StatesUnited States
rogerebert.com
rogerebert.com
"In 'Armageddon Time', James Gray brings together all the ideas about class, opportunity, the immigrant experience, and life in New York that have run through his films. It's maybe his best movie"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
"A devastating family drama and poignant portrait of young friendship"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Time Out
Time Out
"Charming autobiographical tale (...) It's powerful stuff (...) The coming-of-age tale has been done to death on-screen, but Gray has injected new life into it here –and new thoughtfulness (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
The Film Stage
The Film Stage
"'Armageddon Time' is a quietly seething work, funnier and lighter than anything Gray has made to date, but undergirded with mournful tragedy"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Paste Magazine
Paste Magazine
"A thoughtful examination of one’s own limited perspective of whiteness, expounding upon how a young child’s naivete can be as dangerous as a direct act of prejudice"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Empire
Empire
"Both a coming of age and an exploration of an era, this self-biographical reminiscence feels both regretful and hopeful (...) It’s not sugar-coated, but it’s full of love (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Slant
Slant
"The film has the wispy and delicate feel of memory, though its dexterous narrative architecture provides a sturdy framework atop which Gray's masterfully conjured remembrances can freely drift (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
AV Club
AV Club
"James Gray's most personal film, a semi-autobiographical drama boosted by solid performances from Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway, may also be his best"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Decider
Decider
"It’s an intuitive film, prompting one to ponder how it feels instead of expressing certainties about it"  POS
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The Guardian
The Guardian
"James Gray’s engaging autobiographical tale set in 1980s New York boasts fine performances from Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
"A well-intentioned but dour and heavy-handed American family portrait film (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"  NEU
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
NME
NME
"Superbly marshalled by Gray, the ensemble cast is excellent – though if you had to pick a stand-out, it’d be Hopkins, as the kindly-but-principled grandfather (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"  POS
CanadaCanada
Screen Anarchy
Screen Anarchy
"For most of his filmmaking career, however, Gray has defied expectations and created his own path forward. Now it's resulted in what may be his warmest, truest film yet"  POS
United StatesUnited States
Collider
Collider
"James Gray's semi-autobiographical film is his most personal story yet"  POS
CanadaCanada
Screen Rant
Screen Rant
"[It] excels at capturing naiveté, but under commits to sharing the truths of racial disparity when it comes to the American dream (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"  NEU
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