ROTTEN TOMATOES: James Hill

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JAMES HILL

Agrees with the Tomatometer 81% of the time.

Biography: BET.com Entertainment Producer. Currently resides in the Washington, DC area. Married with one child.

Favorites: Recently: Star Wars: Episode 2 Spider-Man Lord of the Rings Memento Blade 2 Overall: Rear Window Mo Betta Blues Raising Arizona Waiting for Guffman Die Hard (1-3) Star Wars (all of them) Terminator 1 & 2 Matrix When Harry Met Sally

Publications: BET.com

Critics' Group: Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association

Total Reviews: 63
Total QuickRatings: 39

Location: DC Metro Area.

LISTING OF ALL REVIEWS & ARTICLES

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Showing 1 - 50 of 63

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date (default)

Fresh	Rotten 42%	Gridiron Gang (2006)	" "Gang" doesn't excel by abandoning formula, it succeeds by making the formula work for the film, not the other way around." Posted Sep 15, 2006
Fresh	Rotten 48%	Idlewild (2006)	" If "Harlem Nights" and "Moulin Rouge" had a baby, it would be the entertaining, uneven but delightful "Idlewild."" Posted Aug 24, 2006
Rotten	Rotten 26%	Waist Deep (2006)	" lets it's booming gangsta rap soundtrack cover up the sad truth that the film doesn't have a real message." Posted Jun 29, 2006
Fresh	Fresh 76%	Superman Returns (2006)	" For young children, and a lot of grown folks, superheroes signify a basic good in their lives -- something "Returns" doesn't forget and, in fact, honors." Posted Jun 29, 2006
Fresh	Fresh 83%	Akeelah and the Bee (2006)	" . . . uniquely thrilling as we watch a young Black girl come alive, not through song or dance but on her own mental steam." Posted Apr 28, 2006
Fresh	Fresh 62%	ATL (2006)	" ATL relishes the fact that most people don't bother to know Black teenager's dreams and hopes, and takes its time to show them in loud, vivid color." Posted Mar 31, 2006
Fresh	Fresh 86%	Inside Man (2006)	" Inside Man is not only one of Spike Lee's best films to date but also his most sure-fire attempt at catching that elusive mainstream audience." Posted Mar 27, 2006
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 27%	Madea's Family Reunion (2006)	" Is "Madea" a postive move? You bet. Positively insulting to anyone who's graduated middle school and read at least one book since." Posted Feb 28, 2006
Fresh	Fresh 81%	Serenity (2005)	" Serenity is damned entertaining and packed to the gills with instantly engaging characters." Posted Oct 9, 2005
Rotten	Rotten 33%	The Gospel (2005)	" . . .the movie never reaches the promised land." Posted Oct 9, 2005
Fresh	Rotten 39%	Man on Fire (2004)	" For those who flinched at watching Denzel go crooked in �Training Day,� you may want to hide under your seat as he goes absolutely twisted here." Posted May 13, 2004
Fresh	Rotten 22%	Van Helsing (2004)	" It�s �Hellboy� with a better pace, but a less likeable, slightly less-human character. " Posted May 13, 2004
Rotten	Rotten 29%	The Punisher (2004)	" For a film about bloody revenge, "The Punisher" is about as mean-spirited as a box of "Hello Kitty" stickers." Posted Apr 16, 2004
Fresh	Fresh 85%	Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)	" It's the original "Volume" turned down, so that you can hear the considerably larger amounts of dialogue. " Posted Apr 16, 2004
Fresh	Rotten 50%	The Passion of the Christ (2004)	" Despite Gibson's efforts to hide Caviezel's European heritage behind a prosthetic nose and darkened eyes, Jesus comes off looking like all other movie depictions-Whitewashed." Posted Feb 27, 2004
Fresh	Fresh 94%	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)	" *Excellent as they may be, the first two films are really opening acts for Return of the King, which expertly knocks down all the pins set up for it.*" Posted Dec 17, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 13%	Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003)	" Cannon doesn't play the new Alvin as just cool, but as a bad caricature of cool - like a White guy playing a Black guy or what a Black adult THINKS Black kids look like today" Posted Dec 11, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 65%	The Last Samurai (2003)	" For all its offensive racial assumptions, stereotypes and White wish fulfillment, it's hard to deny the comfortable narrative of the reluctant hero." Posted Dec 5, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 13%	The Haunted Mansion (2003)	" At this point, you can't really be mad at Eddie for making kid movies seeing as his adult career done dried up long ago (did YOU see "I Spy," "Pluto Nash" or "Showtime?")." Posted Dec 5, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 15%	Gothika (2003)	" the moment you start rubbing two brain cells together, you might find that "Gothika" could be the first big misstep of Berry's post-Oscar career." Posted Nov 21, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 37%	The Matrix Revolutions (2003)	" "Revolutions" is so huge in scope and concept that I almost feel like I'm cheating you out of a proper review as I don't think my brain has finished processing it yet. " Posted Nov 5, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 85%	Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)	" But perhaps the film's greatest achievement is not its celebration of cult film, but the fact that Tarantino has apparently found the street cred he's been searching for as he doesn't use the N-word even once." Posted Oct 10, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 65%	Out of Time (2003)	" But Washington hasn't made a movie like this in a long time, and those hoping that "Time" will be on par with director Carl Franklin's other Denzel detective flick "Devil in a Blue Dress," should be prepared for something a bit different." Posted Oct 3, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 71%	The Rundown (2003)	" "The Rundown" ends up feeling like the first mainstream action flick with Black heroes and a stereotypical White sidekick. That alone is worth paying full price." Posted Sep 26, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 42%	The Fighting Temptations (2003)	" In the end, "Temptations" is neither as funny as "Barbershop" or warm as "Soul Food" and actually works best as a soundtrack than a night at the movies." Posted Sep 19, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 68%	Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)	" Unlike the original "El Mariachi" or "Desperado," there is much more to the plot here and those coming simply to see endless showdowns may feel overwhelmed by the abundance of characters, twists and double dealings." Posted Sep 12, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 22%	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)	" At best, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" is a woefully un-funny and unnecessarily sappy remake of Adam Sandler's dopey yet hilarious "Billy Madison." At its worst "Dickie" is a Pauly Shore film with David Spade stuck in it." Posted Sep 5, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 16%	Civil Brand (2003)	" After two smart acts, the film almost becomes the exploitation flick it so desperately wants to avoid." Posted Aug 29, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 23%	Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)	" Unfortunately, like the first film, "Creepers 2" loses its grip on real terror once we see the monster sprout wings and fly about like a leftover special effect from "Jurassic Park."" Posted Aug 29, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 10%	Marci X (2003)	" Watching Damon Wayans and Lisa Kudrow kiss, repeatedly, is simultaneously the grossest and most subversive thing I have seen in a long time." Posted Aug 23, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 41%	Freddy vs. Jason (2003)	" It's stupid and slightly insulting to those with more than two brain cells to rub together, but don't tell that to the untold thousands who've been waiting to see this movie for the last seven years." Posted Aug 14, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 6%	Gigli (2003)	" No matter which way you pronounce it, 'Gigli' is the Italian word for a 'mediocre film brought down J.Lo and Ben haters.'" Posted Aug 1, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 23%	Bad Boys II (2003)	" To criticize �Boys� would be like spanking your toddler for saying a naughty word at a dinner party. Was it too loud? Maybe. Inappropriate? Probably. But your soul must be dead if you didn't enjoy it." Posted Jul 18, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 16%	The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)	" For all the high-brow literary humor and engaging action scenes, the film gains no momentum and instead cruises along content to have you marvel at its potential." Posted Jul 11, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 78%	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)	" Having no expectations, or even low expectations, works like charm here as "Pirates" successfully sneaks up on you and catches you digging all the swashbuckling, wisecracking and walking skeletons." Posted Jul 9, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 73%	The Matrix Reloaded (2003)	" "Reloaded" knows that adding Jada Pinkett-Smith, Harry J. Lennix, Nona Gaye, Harrold Perrineau, Jr., Roy Jones, Jr. (Yes, that Roy Jones, Jr.) and even Cornel West to the cast won't turn away White audiences." Posted May 15, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 88%	X2: X-Men United (2003)	" Storm falls victim to the same trap that so many other Black characters in ensemble casts fall into - we'll call it the Geordi Laforge factor." Posted May 2, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 30%	Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)	" Malibu gets to the heart of the manner by showing that sometimes Blackness is just an act - a collection of style, slang and movement being packaged and sold to everyone via three-minute music videos." Posted Apr 18, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 21%	Basic (2003)	" a film that has not one, not two but three separate "ah-ha!" moments, which would be excruciating if not for the saving graces of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's relentless charisma." Posted Apr 1, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 7%	Boat Trip (2003)	" Far too much of the film plays like a bad episode of "Three's Company," where assumptions and half-heard conversations reign and no one acts like a real human being." Posted Mar 25, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 29%	Dreamcatcher (2003)	" In fact, having already read the book may be the best reason to see "Dreamcatcher," a wildly, schizophrenic jumble of genres best enjoyed with a little foreknowledge." Posted Mar 25, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 34%	Bringing Down the House (2003)	" The real star of "Bringing Down the House" - Queen Latifah's enormous breasts. Latifah's bosom not only symbolizes the non-threatening, Black femininity that ultimately comforts White folks, but it also serves its main purpose of nurturing White folks in" Posted Mar 7, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 26%	Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)	" Though good action and DMX's improved acting makes "Cradle" the best of the hip-hop/kung fu flicks, the movie still plays like a rehash of bad ideas." Posted Feb 28, 2003
Fresh	Rotten 44%	Daredevil (2003)	" In the end, the film's faults don't necessarily outweigh its triumphs. Instead, you feel like you've been cheated out of a really good time simply because the filmmaker's didn't have the guts to try something new." Posted Feb 14, 2003
Rotten	Rotten 22%	Biker Boyz (2003)	" Alas, the movie takes itself too seriously, too often and is ultimately unsure if it wants to be a bike flick, a hackneyed father-son drama or an expose on Black biker culture. In the end it doesn't achieve any of the goals successfully." Posted Jan 31, 2003
Fresh	Fresh 96%	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)	" When the battle sequence finally hits, your sore butt cheeks will feel vindicated." Posted Dec 17, 2002
Rotten	Rotten 40%	Maid in Manhattan (2002)	" Honestly, at this point in Lopez's career I no longer expect her to marry or co-star with Latino men, but surely there are other White men J.Lo's core audience would enjoy fantasizing about." Posted Dec 13, 2002
Rotten	Rotten 37%	Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)	" This isn't the worst way to be put to pasture, but the crew may want to hang on for one more episode if they can." Posted Dec 13, 2002
Fresh	Fresh 80%	Drumline (2002)	" Perhaps it's cliche to call the film 'refreshing,' but it is. 'Drumline' shows a level of young, Black manhood that is funny, touching, smart and complicated." Posted Dec 13, 2002
Fresh	Fresh 82%	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)	" Where "Stone" was a pretty bauble all dressed up with nowhere to emote, "Secrets" is a genuinely scary sequel that remembers to bring its heart along, too. Scratch that. It brings its guts." Posted Nov 15, 2002

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JAMES HILL

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