Tomato 2.5/4 |
The Rachel Papers (1989) |
"Certainly fresher and more interesting than much of the teen dreck the United States was putting out at the end of the '80s." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
Radar Men from the Moon (1952) |
"... ridiculously silly yet wildly entertaining ..." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Raise the Red Lantern (1991) |
"A haunting, contemplative study of man's inhumanity to man (or, in this case, woman's inhumanity to woman), as well as the restrictions and feudal intricacies of Chinese society." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Raven (1963) |
"The Raven has some moments when the audio suddenly becomes a bit noisier and less robust, as if it's from a different source print, but it's nothing serious." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Raven (1963) |
"The Raven takes Poe's most famous poem and doesn't so much adapt it as dress it up in a clown nose and silly hat.... it's hard to shake the cognitive dissonance of Jack Nicholson posing like Burt Ward..." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Read My Lips (2002) |
"... a sustained and anxious final half-hour that's damn near as riveting as Hitchcock's best." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Real Genius (1985) |
"What makes it work (and simultaneously cements it as an '80s classic) is Kilmer's appealingly goofy performance -- it's a shame we don't see that side of him much these days." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks (2001) |
"Brooks is the happy-to-be-here studio host, paired with Lane, Broderick, and director Stroman in unscripted moments of background information and personal perspectives.... a day in the life of one of showbiz's happiest collaborations." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Reno 911!: Miami (2007) |
"As always, the most impressive thing about Reno is the cast's stellar improvisational skills. All of them are completely committed to their characters." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) |
"The screenplay is as tight as a right hook from Cassius Clay (who, incidentally, appears here as himself two years before becoming Muhammad Ali) and drives effortlessly toward its somber, heartbreaking conclusion." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) |
"Columbia TriStar's DVD release does this movie proud with a splendid transfer of a beautiful digitally remastered print.... one of the best vintage black-and-white prints to hit disc." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat 2/4 |
Return From Witch Mountain (1978) |
"If you were a fan as a kid, you'll find a certain amount of nostalgic appeal; if not, don't bother." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Return of the Pink Panther (1974) |
"This DVD edition from Universal's Focus Features line ... improves on the ill-favored Artisan disc from 1999. The newly remastered image (2.35:1, anamorphic) is spotless and sharp." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat |
The Return of the Pink Panther (1974) |
"...all the witty improvisational zing of a Celine Dion concert." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Return of the Secaucus Seven (1981) |
"Intelligently written but stuporously paced ..." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato |
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) |
"Columbia TriStar's DVD edition revivifies a good anamorphic transfer (1.66:1) from a new high-def source print.... those bold Hammer colors lack their full luster, but the print is clean with fine definition and contrast." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) |
"...trods off the established path of Frankenstein tropes and eschews routine horrifics by putting a lens on its people rather than on an expected cereal-box monster." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) |
"If Drew Barrymore's enthusiasm were any measure of a movie's quality, Riding in Cars With Boys would sweep the Oscars." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Ring (2002) |
"... a smart, very spooky mystery tale that explores the idea of an urban legend turned real." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Ripley's Game (2002) |
"Malkovich ... is utterly convincing as the mercurial man who can go from delicately sniffing truffles to garroting a Balkan gangster in the blink of an eye." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The River (1951) |
"...the plot is only the bread on which Renoir layers his meditations on life's cyclical flow from birth to death and the changes in between." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The River (1951) |
"In 2004 the original three-strip Technicolor camera negatives received a major restoration. The result is an image that's perhaps more beautiful than Renoir could have imagined." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato 3/4 |
Road to Perdition (2002) |
"A beautifully filmed, lovingly crafted film that tends to get too caught up in how it looks and feels, letting the story suffer a bit in consequence." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Robin and Marian (1976) |
"Despite the battles and feats of derring-do that follow, Robin and Marian never really develops the sense of urgency that cinematic swashbucklers require." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 2.5/4 |
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) |
"Men in Tights isn't one of Mel Brooks' best, but even his so-so comedies are entertaining in a schticky, vaudevillian way." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3/4 |
Robots (2005) |
"For the post-elementary school set, the source of Robots' appeal is its shiny, cog-filled, insanely inventive setting." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Rocky Balboa (2006) |
"It's another Rocky-as-underdog scenario and, written baldly, it sounds like screenplay hell -- but damned if Stallone doesn't make it work." |
Dawn Taylor |
Tomato 3.5/4 |
Roger Dodger (2002) |
"Scott ... has never had a showier, edgier part, and he plays it to the hilt." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Splat |
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) |
"The prose is so purple and the tone so overripe that ... what wants to be mature, sensual romance-novel boilerplate becomes instead a plodding exercise in intriguingly cast camp." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Rory O'Shea Was Here (2005) |
"It would all be a lot more heartbreaking if it wasn't quite so blatant." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Splat |
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) |
"...On stage, the sprightly teleological riffs and bebop dialogue delight as ends in themselves. Here they're leaden and compromised. What happened?" |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) |
"... Image Entertainment's DVD obviously understands this. Instead of an indifferent transfer on a bare-bones disc, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead receives two-disc Special Edition treatment." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Round Midnight (1986) |
"It's a brooding yet warm elegy, as plaintive as a slow, low-toned ballad in a minor key." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
Round Midnight (1986) |
"Sound is very important in Round Midnight, and the new Warner Brothers DVD takes its sound very seriously. With a remastered Dolby 5.1 soundtrack supervised by Hancock, the audio is powerful and flawless." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Royal Family (1977) |
"So while the Kaufman-Ferber script is just a crème de menthe, this particular revival of the 1927 hit is a fine example of how to faithfully bring a stage production to the screen." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat 1.5/4 |
Rules of Engagement (2000) |
"A flag-waving military drama that ultimately buys into a militaristic 'my country, right or wrong' philosophy." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Splat 2/4 |
Running with Scissors (2006) |
"Heavy-handed soundtrack cues, vintage costumes, and rooms overflowing with props can't disguise the fact that the characters, for all their bizarre quirks, don't have much depth." |
Betsy Bozdech |
Tomato |
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) |
"It skewers hawkish reactionism and mob militancy, and its sympathetic portrayal of the beached Russians -- not to mention the panicky buffoonery of the Americans -- probably gave the more rabid Commie-haters conniptions." |
Mark Bourne |
Tomato |
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) |
"MGM's DVD release delivers a good transfer (2.35:1 anamorphic) from a clean and colorful source-print. The audio is fine, but rather thin, in monaural DD 2.0. Extras are the engagingly oddball original theatrical trailer and a 23-minute interview..." |
Mark Bourne |
Splat 2/5 |
Ryan's Daughter (1970) |
"Despite some terrific acting and beautiful scenery, it's a long slog to get through Ryan's Daughter, and it may be a journey best undertaken by only the most tolerant of Lean fans." |
Dawn Taylor |
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