Splat |
Hairspray (2007) |
"Based on John Waters’ 1988 satire of civil rights-era nostalgia, this movie-musical adaptation makes the same mistake as the 2002 Broadway incarnation -- it domesticates Waters’ parodistic anarchy into general-audience silliness." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
Hamlet 2 (2008) |
"Not caustic nor sentimental, Hamlet 2’s sharp, wily social lampoon gets funnier as it goes along; expanding its focus outside the high school sphere to comment on the probability of luck, failure, hope for all the characters." |
Armond White |
Splat |
The Hand of Fatima (2009) |
"For all its earnestness, however, The Hand of Fatima feels a little too thematically diffuse to leave a distinct impression." |
Matthew Connolly |
Splat |
The Hangover (2009) |
"Rising-star Bradley Cooper and gang represent the dirtbag element that has become acceptable in contemporary comedy." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) |
"Joe Swanberg’s charming comedy Hannah Takes the Stairs marks the Chicago-based filmmaker’s third feature, but his first to land theatrical distribution." |
Eric Kohn |
Splat |
The Happening (2008) |
"A better title for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening would be Nonsense. It’s like an amusement park ride that has no reason for being -- and no meaning -- besides visceral excitation. Only difference is that The Happening isn’t fun." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) |
"It is a rare blessing to have movies like Happy-Go-Lucky and Rachel Getting Married arrive back to back." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) |
"By the time the relatively brief movie finally (and happily) ends in a flurry of True Love and an exhale of stale smoke, you’re ready to embrace your own drug of choice." |
Mark Peikert |
Splat |
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) |
"Astoundingly unimaginative, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ruins the idea of popular entertainment." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) |
"Despite the smooth transition of the wondrous Potter mythology from Rowling’s pen to the screen -- thanks to the efforts of several talented filmmakers -- the gradually unfurling plot remains grounded in routine." |
Eric Kohn |
Splat |
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (2008) |
"That Nov. 23, 1968 contest throws filmmaker Kevin Rafferty a potentially great subject. Rafferty catches it, runs with it and then fumbles." |
Armond White |
Splat |
The Headless Woman (2009) |
"Martel is a very minor art-filmmaker. Not especially insightful, she exemplifies the second-rate aesthetics of underdeveloped cultures. Her over-subtle approach hides the superficiality of her dull, dull style." |
Armond White |
Splat |
The Heartbreak Kid (2007) |
"We deserve better than this and expect better from the Farrellys." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Hearts and Minds (1975) |
"Davis’ visual argument overwhelms rationality.This was the beginning of Red/Blue antagonism -- turning benighted patriotism against an opponent’s humanity." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
Hell Drivers (1957) |
"The working-class personal/political tension leads to a splendidly drawn immigrant characterization by Herbert Lom and the human drama of Baker dangling from a precipice. Both remain memorable." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Hell Ride (2008) |
"Too-aptly named, Hell Ride packages so many hipster clichés that it never picks up speed and is no fun." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
"The Golden Army's insultingly simplistic cast of a thousand Bosch and Star Wars creatures distracts from the identity-crisis that ought to be the point of a second installment and a larger vision." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) |
"It's not serious enough to be anything more than gee-whiz fun whose gentle touch is more slight than light by the end." |
Simon Abrams |
Tomato |
Herb & Dorothy (2009) |
"Ultimately, the tale is inspiring: Why can’t we all be like the Vogels and become great collectors?" |
Jerry Portwood |
Splat |
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) |
"HSM3 is now about indoctrinating a captive audience to buy hype and follow consumerist routine. It might make millions, but it’s a betrayal." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
Holding Trevor (2007) |
"In Holding Trevor, there’s a depressed form of anger bubbling beneath the surface." |
Mark Peikert |
Tomato |
Honeydripper (2007) |
"It’s time to acknowledge John Sayles’ dependable good intentions. His latest film, Honeydripper, may have slipped through the cracks of December’s big-ticket releases, but it’s easily Sayles’ best film in a good while." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Hostel: Part II (2007) |
"Sadly, the director’s proven creative finesse has given way to boring self-imitation. Hostel: Part II gives us the same premise as the first film, changing genders and little else." |
Eric Kohn |
Tomato |
The Hottest State (2006) |
"Having written the source material, Hawke had veto power of his characters’ individual quirks before he put them in front of a camera. Perhaps it’s this degree of control that keeps the temperature in State just right." |
Eric Kohn |
Tomato |
The Hottie & the Nottie (2008) |
"I wouldn’t say it’s particularly good, but certain measured elements of the genre create something surprisingly passable." |
Eric Kohn |
Splat |
Hounddog (2008) |
"As anyone could have predicted about a movie that generated so much negative buzz for its depiction of the rape of a young girl in rural Alabama during the 1950s, Hounddog is entirely underwhelming." |
Mark Peikert |
Splat |
The House Bunny (2008) |
"The House Bunny stays simplistic just like Legally Blonde. Anna Faris deserves better." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
How She Move (2008) |
"How She Move has the distinction of being the most visually stylized movie yet made about the hip-hop generation." |
Armond White |
Splat |
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) |
"By some bizarre alchemy, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People has been translated to the screen as a Judd Apatow romantic comedy crossed with The Devil Wears Prada." |
Mark Peikert |
Splat |
Humpday (2009) |
"Humpday typifies the low-level indie film where characters talk out silly ideas they don’t believe in anyway, just the pop confusion in their heads." |
Armond White |
Splat |
Hunger (2008) |
"As prison-movie machismo, Walter Hill’s Undisputed is better; as visual art, Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments is superior." |
Armond White |
Splat |
The Hunting Party (2007) |
"The Hunting Party, a misguided espionage spoof directed by Richard Shepard, needlessly insists on the veracity of its plot— -- and that tactic leads to its undoing." |
Eric Kohn |
Tomato |
The Hurt Locker (2009) |
"So far, the best fiction films about the Iraq War are Nick Bloomfield’s Battle for Haditha, Irwin Winkler’s Home of the Brave and John Moore’s allegorical Flight of the Phoenix remake. It’s sufficient praise to say The Hurt Locker joins that short list." |
Armond White |
Tomato |
Husbands (1970) |
"The history of American male aggression and insecurity comes filtered through Cassavetes, Falk and Gazzara’s bravado. Better than authentic, they’re fascinating." |
Armond White |
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