Tomato 3/4 |
Adam (2009) |
"An admirable dramatic investigation into life with Asperger's and a story with the intelligence not to insult ours." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
An Education (2009) |
"The film's greatest strength may well be how Sarsgaard's David, in concert with Hornby and Scherfig, seduces the audience along with Jenny, promising the world and leaving temptingly unlocked a Pandora's Box of social ambiguity." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2/4 |
Angels & Demons (2009) |
"Try not to giggle when...Langdon is being called in for "[his] expertise, [his] erudition." The guy from Bachelor Party? Just kidding, Tom, we love you--just not in this kind of pricy but conspicuously soulless crap." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
The Answer Man (2009) |
"John Hindman: 'What I want to make fun of is the people who didn't get better; they just learned new words...I have zero tolerance for those people. 'Cause they're...like "Oh, perhaps if you didn't get it yet, it means that you're not ready for it."'" |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Astro Boy (2009) |
"What Astro Boy has in spades are energy, good humor, and the demolition-derby action of a superhero smash-up, reasons enough to recommend it to grade-school boys." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
Avatar (2009) |
"Worth seeing--and, yes, in a theater--for its legitimate "wow factor"...a visually intriguing diversion and instant movie history." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Away We Go (2009) |
"Its dull colors and folk-rock soundtrack...attempt to achieve the oft-chased feel of '70s cinema--in this case, Hal Ashby or Mike Nichols. It's a game try, but the transparently schematic result too often gets under the skin in the wrong way." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
America The Beautiful (2008) |
"The film's examination of our beauty-obsessed culture--however familiar--remains unfortunately necessary." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2.5/4 |
American Teen (2008) |
"More of a marketing sensation than a cinematic one...a documentary shouldn't feel this packaged." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
Appaloosa (2008) |
"Harris has made himself a reputation as a mark of quality...Like Pollack, Appaloosa has the best of both worlds, with Harris both in front of and behind the camera. [Blu-ray]" |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Across the Universe (2007) |
"It's a dicey proposition to reverse-engineer a story, and Across the Universe shows the strain...[nonetheless] a very impressive music-video anthology. [DVD review included.]" |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Volume 2 (2007) |
"Approached with an open mind, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles offers an intriguing angle on one of the greatest characters in modern cinema." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
Alpha Dog (2007) |
"Nick Cassavetes: 'I was diligent in trying not to glamorize these kids. I think that they are portrayed as pretenders...But, you know, with money comes beautiful girls and ennui.'" |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
Alpha Dog (2007) |
"A well-researched model of the true-crime genre...[and] close cinematic relative of Larry Clark's Bully." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
Amazing Grace (2007) |
"A creditable historical drama about those who choose to be in the world, not merely of it." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
Amazing Grace (2007) |
"Ioan Gruffudd: 'You can justify anything in times of war. And I think we see that happening today certainly.'" |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2.5/4 |
American Gangster (2007) |
"Inflated talk of American Gangster as a modern masterpiece--or even an Oscar-worthy picture--ignores the fact that there's not a single memorable setpiece in the film." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2/4 |
Angel-A (2007) |
"The [angel] turns out to be Stuart Smalley, parking André in front of a mirror so he can tell himself he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Arctic Tale (2007) |
"Arctic Tale isn't a documentary. They say it right there in the title, see? It's a tale. [Blu-ray]" |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 1/4 |
Are We Done Yet? (2007) |
"Ostensibly, the message...is the difference between an expensive house and a priceless home, but since the message is taught by a greedy psychopath, it rings a bit hollow." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 1/4 |
The Astronaut Farmer (2007) |
"The perfect film for all those delusional, self-entitled American Idol rejects...darn it, this is America, where any man can lead a horse around his ranch in a spacesuit..." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
Atonement (2007) |
"James McAvoy: 'All the actors stayed in one house together, with some of the key crew members and Joe, the director...I decided not to--partly because I'd been to drama school, and I couldn't be bothered with it...I've lived in a madhouse.'" |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Atonement (2007) |
"In the story's nooks and crannies are ideas to savor...the human-condition horrors of unpassable distances of space, time, and reconciliation." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 4/4 |
Away From Her (2007) |
"A profound and poignant requiem for our preferred human conditions." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
A Scanner Darkly (2006) |
"Richard Linklater brings a new novelty to a Dick adaptation: fidelity to the source." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2/4 |
Accepted (2006) |
"Here's the pitch for Accepted: Animal House meets Ferris Bueller." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Akeelah and the Bee (2006) |
"Dramatically jerry-rigged in every possible way." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) |
"Anthony Horowitz: 'I said to the producers that maybe it would be better to get a fresh pair of eyes and some new ideas. But...[once] I was on board as a writer, then it was harder to shift me off it again.'" |
Peter Canavese |
- |
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) |
"Alex Pettyfer: 'He's a normal guy, you know? An average Joe who has capabilities that are just far out like a little mini--not mini-Bond, but a mini-Jason Bourne, shall we say.'" |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2/4 |
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006) |
"[Rider's] squirrelly film debut amps up Horowitz's wry humor, putting silliness in unintentional competition with the film's action and dramatic elements." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2.5/4 |
All The King's Men (2006) |
"Zaillian sells short the faceoff of shrewd old guard and scrappy proletariat by looking away just when the twain meet." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
American Dreamz (2006) |
"Not everything works in this semi-audacious challenge to the American Dream, but Weitz consistently and amusingly hits the broad side of the barn." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
American Dreamz (2006) |
"Paul Weitz: 'The fact that it's a comedy allows people kind of a pressure release, and they're actually glad to be laughing at the things that they're stressing out about most of the time.'" |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
American Hardcore (2006) |
"Though American Hardcore doesn't achieve a cogent and authoritative history, it succeeds in giving the general impression of the early-'80s hardcore punk scene." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 1/4 |
An American Haunting (2006) |
"On more than one occasion...a girl scrapes her fingernails across a wood floor as an invisible poltergeist attacks her. The wood floor may not be a chalkboard, but it's close enough." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Annapolis (2006) |
"A corny, eighties throwback, with thematic mushiness, regressive sexual politics, and cheesy montages to match." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
The Ant Bully (2006) |
"Has an ace in its anthill...political allegory that separates this one from the pack." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Apocalypto (2006) |
"As in The Passion of the Christ, Gibson's empathy extends only as far as feeling his characters' pain...It is, however, a rip-roaring, ultraviolent action picture." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Art School Confidential (2006) |
"Zwigoff too often picks up his putty knife when he should be running with scissors...doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts, but some of the parts are pretty amusing all the same." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
ATL (2006) |
"It's heartening to be able to report that ATL is as much like Diner as it is like Boys in the Hood....Robinson may overdose on style, but he also respects the homegrown origins of this ATLanta-bred tale." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
A/K/A Tommy Chong (2005) |
"Josh Gilbert's smoothly produced documentary a/k/a Tommy Chong should leave even Nancy Reagan aghast at the unfair trials of comedian Tommy Chong." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3-D (2005) |
"The injury of 3D eyestrain [adds] to the insult of garish production design...[looks] like a 94–minute Saturday-morning commercial for Marshmallow Toast Crunch..." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
Aliens of the Deep (2005) |
"[Though] he's like the Joe Garagiola of the deep...Cameron's unadvisable whims are excusable: as a coffee table book, Aliens of the Deep is a beaut." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 0/4 |
Alone in the Dark (2005) |
"Dear Alone in the Dark,
...It's time for me to start seeing other movies. But I will think of you always, when I sit at the movies, alone in the dark, without you." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat .5/4 |
The Amityville Horror (2005) |
"Begin by blaming leads that lack charisma outside of their model bodies, move on to the cheap technique of pounding soundtrack blasts...arrive at the comically clichéd script." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3/4 |
Apres Vous (2005) |
"Pierre Salvadori's consistently engaging Après vous... begins with an interesting situation and complicates it into delightfully excruciating farce." |
Peter Canavese |
Splat 2/4 |
Are We There Yet? (2005) |
"[Alternates] rocket-fueled slapstick with soft-piano sentiment....Then again, it's not every day you see Ice Cube, on a horse, charging after a train." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
The Aristocrats (2005) |
"Gilbert Gottfried’s version at a Friar’s Roast just after 9/11 reminds us that irony will never be dead. It’s the role of comedy to test our ...boundaries of comfort." |
Peter Canavese |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Ask the Dust (2005) |
"Despite its flaws, this story of love and self-discovery is still more smart, stylish, and sexy than the usual fare." |
Peter Canavese |
- |
Ask the Dust (2005) |
"Robert Towne: 'Self-absorbed, narcissistic, manic depressive, mean-spirited because he's jealous and angry that nobody knows who he is....How can I not identify with that?'" |
Peter Canavese |
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