What About Bob, 81%
Murray, with his curious blend of pathos and aggressiveness, is terrific, and so is an acutely uptight Dreyfuss, never once copping a plea for our sympathy.
- Richard Schinkel, TIME magazine
Sleepless in Seattle, 74%
Sleepless in Seattle is as ephemeral as a talk show, as contrived as the late show, and yet so warm and gentle I smiled the whole way through.
- Roger Ebert
We fall -- and I think a lot of people will fall hard for this movie -- even though we know we shouldn't.
- Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Total Recall, 79%
Consensus: Under Paul Verhoeven's frenetic direction, Total Recall is a fast-paced rush of violence, gore, and humor that never slacks.
A worthy entry in the dystopian cycle launched by Blade Runner, this seems less derivative than most of its predecessors yet equally accomplished in its straight-ahead storytelling, with plenty of provocative satiric undertones and scenic details.
- Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Recall is full of the musclebound action that [Schwarzenegger's] fans presumably enjoy. It also means that this Mars-bound movie is violent, nasty and expensive (it cost Tri-Star well over $60 million).
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
There may be people who overlook the Arnold Schwarzenegger performance in Total Recall who think he isn't really acting. But the performance is one of the reasons the movie works so well.
- Roger Ebert
TOTAL RECALL is based on the story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick and was a big box-office hit
500 Days of Summer, 87%
" Finally, a romance that understands we mark our lives by our scrapes with love, and our defeats, rather than simply white-wedding-cake success."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
American Teen, 71%
" What makes Nanette Burstein's movie so powerful is its uncanny sense of familiarity. Watching them, we are transported into a humming, philosophical reverie about ourselves."
- Desson Thompson
Washington Post
Fogetting Sarah Marshall, 84%
" Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a refreshingly tender treatment of love gone wrong -- we mean, for a movie that's got enough lowdown sexual content to start its own Kinsey Report."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Blindsight, 98%
" Blindsight makes us consider an apparent paradox that, for the blind, is the philosophical starting point of their day: how to see things the human eye won't register."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Eastern Promises, 89%
" Eastern Promises, a chilly character thriller set in the Russian underworld of London, has elements of murder mystery and gangster melodrama. But in director David Cronenberg's hands, it's a search for moral bearing in a dark and desperate world."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Death at a Funeral, 63%
" Death at a Funeral shows us how funny farce can be -- even with the hokiest of premises -- in the hands of the British."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 77%
" [The filmmakers] have transformed J.K. Rowling's garrulous storytelling into something leaner, moodier and more compelling, that ticks with metronomic purpose as the story flits between psychological darkness and cartoonish slapstick."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
The Namesake, 85%
" Like the best-selling novel it's based on, The Namesake chronicles two generations of an Indian immigrant family with compelling flow."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Avenue Montaigne, 74%
" Avenue Montaigne, a delicately charming fable set in Paris, offers the kind of experience we secretly crave when we visit any great city: meaningful encounters with its people."
- Desson Thomson
Washington Post
The Net, 30%
[Bullock] now pulls off the neat trick of making me care about her character in "The Net," which is an assembly of Hitchcock situations in search of a story.
- Ebert, 3/4 stars
Rocky (1976), 93%
Consensus: This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone's script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints.
Showing posts with label rotten tomatoes roundup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rotten tomatoes roundup. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Comedy Roundup: Delirious, Waitress, Ghost Town
State and Main, 87%
Consensus: State and Main offers plenty of wit and laughs in its lampoons of the movie industry.
Waitress, 89%
Consensus: Sweet, smart, and quirky, Waitress hits the right, bittersweet notes through this romantic comedy through its witty script and a superb performance by Keri Russell.
Ghost Town, 85%
Consensus: Ricky Gervais' consistently sharp performance and beautifully dry execution transform this otherwise mainstream comedy into an endearing, funny, and altogether snappy romantic comedy. With ghosts.
Delirious, 85%
Consensus: A funny, energetic satire of the paparazzi life and the entertainment industry, Delirious is another winner for indie helmer Tom DiCillo.
(Directed Living in Oblivion)
The Aristocrats, 80%
Consensus: Can a joke stand up to repeated tellings? Hilarious and revealing of the way comedy works, The Aristocrats demonstrates that it's possible.
Original Kings of Comedy, 86%
Consensus: If you want lots of laughs and don't mind some profanity, The Original Kings of Comedy can deliver.
Consensus: State and Main offers plenty of wit and laughs in its lampoons of the movie industry.
Waitress, 89%
Consensus: Sweet, smart, and quirky, Waitress hits the right, bittersweet notes through this romantic comedy through its witty script and a superb performance by Keri Russell.
Ghost Town, 85%
Consensus: Ricky Gervais' consistently sharp performance and beautifully dry execution transform this otherwise mainstream comedy into an endearing, funny, and altogether snappy romantic comedy. With ghosts.
Delirious, 85%
Consensus: A funny, energetic satire of the paparazzi life and the entertainment industry, Delirious is another winner for indie helmer Tom DiCillo.
(Directed Living in Oblivion)
The Aristocrats, 80%
Consensus: Can a joke stand up to repeated tellings? Hilarious and revealing of the way comedy works, The Aristocrats demonstrates that it's possible.
Original Kings of Comedy, 86%
Consensus: If you want lots of laughs and don't mind some profanity, The Original Kings of Comedy can deliver.
Friday, October 9, 2009
RT Roundup: Intolerable Cruelty, Syriana
Intolerable Cruelty, 75%
Consensus: Though more mainstream than other Coen films, there are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle like old-time movie stars.
Shattered Glass, 91%
Consensus: A compelling look at Stephen Glass' fall from grace.
Syriana, 73%
Consensus: Ambitious, complicated, intellectual, and demanding of its audience, Syriana is both a gripping geopolitical thriller and wake-up call to the complacent.
Consensus: Though more mainstream than other Coen films, there are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle like old-time movie stars.
Shattered Glass, 91%
Consensus: A compelling look at Stephen Glass' fall from grace.
Syriana, 73%
Consensus: Ambitious, complicated, intellectual, and demanding of its audience, Syriana is both a gripping geopolitical thriller and wake-up call to the complacent.
Friday, September 25, 2009
RT Roundup: Last Samurai, The Prince of Egypt
The Last Samurai, 65%
Prince of Egypt, 79%
Blood Diamond, 62%
What About Bob?, 81%
Dead Man Walking, 94%
Prince of Egypt, 79%
Blood Diamond, 62%
What About Bob?, 81%
Dead Man Walking, 94%
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Roundup: Mental floss articles, some history
mental_floss Blog » Why Does Bottled Water Have an Expiration Date?
- A 1987 NJ state law required all food products sold there to display an expiration date of two years or less from the date of manufacture.
- The plastic that water is packaged in — usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for retail bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for water cooler jugs — is slightly porous, so the water can pick up smells and tastes from the outside world.
mental_floss Blog » 7 Civil War Stories You Didn’t Learn in High School
- Lincoln proposed voluntary emigration to Central America, seeing it as a more convenient destination than Liberia. This idea didn’t sit well with leaders like Frederick Douglass, who considered colonization to be “a safety valve…for white racism.”
mental_floss Blog » When Did Women Start Shaving Their Pits?
American women had no need to shave their underarms before about 1915 – after all, who ever saw them? Even the word “underarm” was considered scandalous, what with it being so near certain other interesting body parts. Then came the sleeveless dress. An ad in the fashion mag Harper’s Bazaar decreed that to wear it (and certainly to wear it while participating in “Modern Dancing”), women would need to first see to “the removal of objectionable hair.” They didn’t need much convincing, and by the early ’20s, hairy underarms were so last decade, at least in America.
Shaving the nether regions. . . .
Was it porn actresses who started this one? GIs concerned about disease? The Brazilians? Nah. For hundreds of years, the bikini wax has been a common practice among a group more often associated with extreme modesty: Muslim women. In much of the Middle East and North Africa, brides-to-be remove all their body hair before the wedding night. Yes, all of it. Frequently, they stick with the aesthetic
after marriage – and some men do likewise.
mental_floss Blog » 6 Presidential Siblings and the Headaches They Caused
- Neil Bush
- Roger Clinton
- Hugh and Tony Rodham
mental_floss Blog » 11 Notable Presidential Pardons
mental_floss Blog » 5 Famous Actors & The Roles They Turned Down
- Will Smith could have been Neo in The Matrix
- Cary Grant could have been James Bond in Dr. No
- Sean Connery could have been Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (He had never read the Tokien series and said he didn't understand the script.)
mental_floss Blog » How Ex-Presidents & Prime Ministers Make Their Money
About New Buicks. . .
Unless you're receiving mail from the AARP, chances are you've never looked at a Buick and said the words, "Oh, I gotta get me one of those!" There was a time when that wasn't the case, when Buick represented something other than your grandfather's car. Something a respected doctor might have. What's old is new again, and Buick's going to easily lure in new blood with this LaCrosse.
- A 1987 NJ state law required all food products sold there to display an expiration date of two years or less from the date of manufacture.
- The plastic that water is packaged in — usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for retail bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for water cooler jugs — is slightly porous, so the water can pick up smells and tastes from the outside world.
mental_floss Blog » 7 Civil War Stories You Didn’t Learn in High School
- Lincoln proposed voluntary emigration to Central America, seeing it as a more convenient destination than Liberia. This idea didn’t sit well with leaders like Frederick Douglass, who considered colonization to be “a safety valve…for white racism.”
mental_floss Blog » When Did Women Start Shaving Their Pits?
American women had no need to shave their underarms before about 1915 – after all, who ever saw them? Even the word “underarm” was considered scandalous, what with it being so near certain other interesting body parts. Then came the sleeveless dress. An ad in the fashion mag Harper’s Bazaar decreed that to wear it (and certainly to wear it while participating in “Modern Dancing”), women would need to first see to “the removal of objectionable hair.” They didn’t need much convincing, and by the early ’20s, hairy underarms were so last decade, at least in America.
Shaving the nether regions. . . .
Was it porn actresses who started this one? GIs concerned about disease? The Brazilians? Nah. For hundreds of years, the bikini wax has been a common practice among a group more often associated with extreme modesty: Muslim women. In much of the Middle East and North Africa, brides-to-be remove all their body hair before the wedding night. Yes, all of it. Frequently, they stick with the aesthetic
after marriage – and some men do likewise.
mental_floss Blog » 6 Presidential Siblings and the Headaches They Caused
- Neil Bush
- Roger Clinton
- Hugh and Tony Rodham
mental_floss Blog » 11 Notable Presidential Pardons
mental_floss Blog » 5 Famous Actors & The Roles They Turned Down
- Will Smith could have been Neo in The Matrix
- Cary Grant could have been James Bond in Dr. No
- Sean Connery could have been Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (He had never read the Tokien series and said he didn't understand the script.)
mental_floss Blog » How Ex-Presidents & Prime Ministers Make Their Money
About New Buicks. . .
Unless you're receiving mail from the AARP, chances are you've never looked at a Buick and said the words, "Oh, I gotta get me one of those!" There was a time when that wasn't the case, when Buick represented something other than your grandfather's car. Something a respected doctor might have. What's old is new again, and Buick's going to easily lure in new blood with this LaCrosse.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Rotten Tomatoes Roundup: 90's Action Movies
Listed in ordered of the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Terminator 2, 97%
Hard Boiled, 94%
The Fugitive, 94%
Face/Off, 93%
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage play cat-and-mouse (and literally play each other) against a beautifully stylized backdrop of typically elegant, over-the-top John Woo violence.
Out of Sight, 92%
El Mariachi, 92%
Speed, 90%
Mask of Zorro, 85%
Goldeneye, 80%
Clear and Present Danger, 80%
Total Recall, 79%
Air Force One, 78%
This late-period Harrison Ford actioner is full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills.
Cliffhanger, 78%
The Professional, 74%
Under Siege, 74%
Enemy of the State, 70%
True Lies, 68%
Ronin, 68%
This is comparable to French Connection with great action, dynamic road chase scenes, and solid performances.
The Rock, 66%
Independence Day, 62%
Broken Arrow, 59%
Mission Impossible, 56%
Con Air, 55%
The Mummy, 54%
Lethal Weapon 4, 54%
Payback, 51%
Armageddon, 48%
Die Hard 3, 45%
Last Action Hero, 33%
Eraser, 32%
U.S. Marshalls, 24%
On Deadly Ground, 00%
Terminator 2, 97%
Hard Boiled, 94%
The Fugitive, 94%
Face/Off, 93%
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage play cat-and-mouse (and literally play each other) against a beautifully stylized backdrop of typically elegant, over-the-top John Woo violence.
Out of Sight, 92%
El Mariachi, 92%
Speed, 90%
Mask of Zorro, 85%
Goldeneye, 80%
Clear and Present Danger, 80%
Total Recall, 79%
Air Force One, 78%
This late-period Harrison Ford actioner is full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills.
Cliffhanger, 78%
The Professional, 74%
Under Siege, 74%
Enemy of the State, 70%
True Lies, 68%
Ronin, 68%
This is comparable to French Connection with great action, dynamic road chase scenes, and solid performances.
The Rock, 66%
Independence Day, 62%
Broken Arrow, 59%
Mission Impossible, 56%
Con Air, 55%
The Mummy, 54%
Lethal Weapon 4, 54%
Payback, 51%
Armageddon, 48%
Die Hard 3, 45%
Last Action Hero, 33%
Eraser, 32%
U.S. Marshalls, 24%
On Deadly Ground, 00%
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Rotten Tomatoes Roundup: James Bond films
Goldeneye (1995), 80%
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), 56%
The World is Not Enough (1999), 53%
Consensus: This Bond flick focuses a little too much on action, with a plot too weak for the movie's length.
Die Another Day (2002), 59%
Casino Royale (2006), 94%
Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007. But scribes also note "Casino" is hardly morose, with enough stunning action sequences and in-jokes to please the diehards. Some pundits even go so far as to say that Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Sean Connery.
---------------
Dr. No (1963)
From Russian With Love (1963), 96%
Goldfinger (1964), 96%
Thunderball (1965), 91%
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), 56%
The World is Not Enough (1999), 53%
Consensus: This Bond flick focuses a little too much on action, with a plot too weak for the movie's length.
Die Another Day (2002), 59%
Casino Royale (2006), 94%
Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007. But scribes also note "Casino" is hardly morose, with enough stunning action sequences and in-jokes to please the diehards. Some pundits even go so far as to say that Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Sean Connery.
---------------
Dr. No (1963)
From Russian With Love (1963), 96%
Goldfinger (1964), 96%
Thunderball (1965), 91%
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Rotten Tomatoes Roundup: Bambi, Millions, Flash of Genius
Star Trek, 95%
Star Trek reignites a classic franchise with action, humor, a strong story, and brilliant visuals, and will please traditional Trekkies and new fans alike.
Flash of Genius, 58%
The touching underdog story of a single guy against a massive corporation, Flash of Genius is a well-paced and well-written tale with a standout performance by star Greg Kinnear.
-- Saw this on 5/15/09
-- On video 2/19/09
Millions, 88%
A charming children fable even adults can enjoy.
-- Saw this on 5/16/09
Shine, 90%
Roger Ebert, 4 stars
the magic of Shine doesn't lie in its subtext or theme so much as its collective performance. The movie does what any great musician should: It lifts an idea to the heights of ecstasy; it sells its song.
- Washington Post
Waking Life, 80%
The talky, animated Waking Life is a unique, cerebral experience.
A Scanner Darkly, 67%
A faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, A Scanner Darkly takes the viewer on a visual and mind-blowing journey into the author's conception of a drug-addled and politically unstable world.
-- Bought this on 5/16/09
Bambi, 89%
Elegantly animated and deeply touching, Bambi is an enduring, endearing, and moving Disney classic.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, 80%
Jungle Book (1994), 94%
Roger Ebert *** Stars
What's hard to understand is why the producers would want to pass off "Rudyard Kipling's the Jungle Book" as a children's movie, when it holds up perfectly well as a competent example of the "Gunga Din" and "Indiana Jones" genre. The special effects are convincing, the performances are forthright, and the direction, by Stephen Sommers, recalls his energetic, lighthearted "The Adventures of Huck Finn" (1993). It's a good film, in its way, and I hope the right audience finds it.
- Roger Ebert
---------
X-Men, 80%
The story is faithful to the comic books and, while the movie may be too Wolverine centered, it packs a freaky punch that is sure to excite the average summer moviegoer.
X-Men 2, 88%
An improvement on the first movie in the franchise, X2 gives viewers more of what they want.
X-Men 3, 56%
Director Brett Ratner has replaced the heart and emotion (and character development) of the previous X-Men films with more action and explosions. The film should still provide ample entertainment, but viewers may truly wish this to be the Last Stand.
-- Just like the 3rd installment of Spider-Man, I found most of this movie lacking.
---------
Spider-Man, 90%
Not only does Spider-Man provide a good dose of web-swinging fun, but it also has a heart, mainly due to Maguire.
Spider-Man 2, 93%
A nimble sequel that improves upon the original.
Spider-Man 3, 62%
Though there are more characters and plotlines, and the action sequences still dazzle, Spider-Man 3 nonetheless isn't quite as refined as the first two.
-- I agree. There was something lacking about the third movie. Hopefully the fourth one meets the bar of the first two movies.
Star Trek reignites a classic franchise with action, humor, a strong story, and brilliant visuals, and will please traditional Trekkies and new fans alike.
Flash of Genius, 58%
The touching underdog story of a single guy against a massive corporation, Flash of Genius is a well-paced and well-written tale with a standout performance by star Greg Kinnear.
-- Saw this on 5/15/09
-- On video 2/19/09
Millions, 88%
A charming children fable even adults can enjoy.
-- Saw this on 5/16/09
Shine, 90%
Roger Ebert, 4 stars
the magic of Shine doesn't lie in its subtext or theme so much as its collective performance. The movie does what any great musician should: It lifts an idea to the heights of ecstasy; it sells its song.
- Washington Post
Waking Life, 80%
The talky, animated Waking Life is a unique, cerebral experience.
A Scanner Darkly, 67%
A faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, A Scanner Darkly takes the viewer on a visual and mind-blowing journey into the author's conception of a drug-addled and politically unstable world.
-- Bought this on 5/16/09
Bambi, 89%
Elegantly animated and deeply touching, Bambi is an enduring, endearing, and moving Disney classic.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, 80%
Jungle Book (1994), 94%
Roger Ebert *** Stars
What's hard to understand is why the producers would want to pass off "Rudyard Kipling's the Jungle Book" as a children's movie, when it holds up perfectly well as a competent example of the "Gunga Din" and "Indiana Jones" genre. The special effects are convincing, the performances are forthright, and the direction, by Stephen Sommers, recalls his energetic, lighthearted "The Adventures of Huck Finn" (1993). It's a good film, in its way, and I hope the right audience finds it.
- Roger Ebert
---------
X-Men, 80%
The story is faithful to the comic books and, while the movie may be too Wolverine centered, it packs a freaky punch that is sure to excite the average summer moviegoer.
X-Men 2, 88%
An improvement on the first movie in the franchise, X2 gives viewers more of what they want.
X-Men 3, 56%
Director Brett Ratner has replaced the heart and emotion (and character development) of the previous X-Men films with more action and explosions. The film should still provide ample entertainment, but viewers may truly wish this to be the Last Stand.
-- Just like the 3rd installment of Spider-Man, I found most of this movie lacking.
---------
Spider-Man, 90%
Not only does Spider-Man provide a good dose of web-swinging fun, but it also has a heart, mainly due to Maguire.
Spider-Man 2, 93%
A nimble sequel that improves upon the original.
Spider-Man 3, 62%
Though there are more characters and plotlines, and the action sequences still dazzle, Spider-Man 3 nonetheless isn't quite as refined as the first two.
-- I agree. There was something lacking about the third movie. Hopefully the fourth one meets the bar of the first two movies.
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