Splat C+ |
Facing the Giants (2006) |
"Fitfully entertaining… To reach a broader audience, though, the filmmakers will have to scrap their playbook and learn a whole new set of rules." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D+ |
The Family Man (2000) |
"If it were only predictable, syrupy, and overlong, The Family Man might still be worth watching for the appealing performances from Leoni and Cage." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Fantasia (1940) |
"A joyous experiment in pure animation, an ambitious work of imaginative power, a showcase of cutting-edge technique, and a celebration of great music." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D- |
Fantastic Four (2005) |
"Had the filmmakers deliberately set out to insult, demean, and trample upon Lee and Kirby's legacy, they could hardly have done a more efficient job." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) |
"None of these allegedly "fantastic" heroes has any gravitas… Far from inspiring admiration, they don't rise even to the level of thinking, acting and relating like grown-ups." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Fantastic Voyage (1966) |
"A landmark of 1960s sci-fi… remains compelling entertainment despite dated special effects, deliberate pacing, and indifferent dialogue and acting, thanks in part to the genuine wonder it brings to its premise." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Father Goose (1964) |
"Grant cheerfully plays against a lifetime of typecasting in this modestly entertaining romantic comedy… sparks of more than one sort fly between [Grant] and [Caron]." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Faustina (1994) |
"Belongs on very short list of deeply spiritual portraits of faith and religion, alongside such films as The Passion of Joan of Arc and Diary of a Country Priest." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) |
"L'Chaim! Life itself, joyous and tragic, is the subject of the boisterous, comic, heartbreaking vision of Fiddler on the Roof." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D |
The Fighting Temptations (2003) |
"So woefully misconceived, so completely devoid of even generic, safely banal Hollywood spiritual uplift, that it made me long for the spiritual depth and religious meaning of [even] Sister Act and Bruce Almighty." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) |
"The heroes, though eye-poppingly rendered, remain emotionally as one-dimensional as any computer-game avatar." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
Final Solution (2002) |
"First-time writer-director Cristóbal Krusen avoids the pitfalls with notable restraint, aided by solid performances from well-known South African actors, authentic shooting locations, and attention to historical detail." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Finding Nemo (2003) |
"Another gem, a deeply affecting, stunningly animated father-son fish story that features the first onscreen Pixar dad, and actually focuses on the parent-child relationship." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
Finding Neverland (2004) |
"Barrie's Neverland is a bubble bath with endless castles, clouds and caves waiting to be explored. Forster's is a relaxing hot tub, which is also nice, but not the same thing." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Fires on the Plain (1959) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) |
"Tendentious voiceovers aside, Flags of Our Fathers remains a thoughtful exploration of the tensions and ironies of the cult of heroism." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D |
Flight of the Phoenix (2004) |
"Mirrors the plot of the original point for point. All that's missing is little things like subtlety, nuance, characterization, and human interest." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D |
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) |
"What’s with the film’s odd preoccupation with such adult themes as class, money, and sex?" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Flushed Away (2006) |
"Settles for a more modest level than Aardman's previous efforts. Strong on visual invention and wacky humor but light on story and characterization, it's about on the level of a Blue Sky feature, in particular recalling Robots." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Forbidden Planet (1956) |
"Intriguing, perhaps overrated sci-fi classic that borrows from The Tempest and anticipates 'Star Trek' — but its driving fears are the 'monsters from the id.'" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B- |
The Forgotten (2004) |
"What the father-son bond was to Frequency… mother love is to The Forgotten, a "Twilight Zone" / "X-Files"–esque thriller with a pro-life twist." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
- |
The Four Feathers (2002) |
"Click to view article" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
The Four Feathers (2002) |
"Here's a protagonist who questions the validity of killing people for the sake of an empire, but then decides it's okay to kill those same people for the sake of his own self-respect and that of others." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat F |
Francesco (1994) |
"How has this vibrant human firebrand, this unpredictable, leaping, shouting zealot, been transformed into the sheepish, subdued, self-deprecating cypher played by Rourke?" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Francesco, Giullare Di Dio (1950) |
"A delightfully simple film, as much a tribute to the spirit of humane curiosity in which the film was made as to the heritage of spirituality that is its transcendent theme." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
Freaky Friday (2003) |
"Stories about role reversals are usually about teaching both sides a lesson in humility and appreciation. Here, all the lessons are for frumpy adults who’ve forgotten about rock and roll." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Frequency (2000) |
"Touches upon the profound human longing to escape the constraints of time, to see the wrongs and mistakes of the past somehow set right, redeemed." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Friendly Persuasion (1956) |
"Warm, gently satiric portrait of a family of the "Friendly persuasion" living in the shadow of the Civil War… does justice neither to Quakerism nor to just-war theory, but its warm affection for its subjects makes it worthwhile viewing." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
From the Manger to the Cross (1915) |
"Its strongest images transcend its time period; the minimalistic depictions of the Annunciation and the appearance to Joseph may have influenced Jesus of Nazareth." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Fugitive (1947) |
"John Ford’s underrated adaptation of Catholic novelist Graham Greene’s masterpiece The Power and the Glory… softens and conventionalizes Greene’s difficult parable, but still packs spiritual punch." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
The Fugitive (1993) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
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