Splat C- |
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) |
"A hodgepodge, combining elements of The Lion King, Joe vs. the Volcano, Happy Feet and some romantic comedy that I'm sure must exist but which I haven't yet identified." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D |
The Magdalene Sisters (2003) |
"Whatever value the film might have had as an exposé of social sin is undermined by its prejudicial stereotyping of every single nun and priest. Instead of a morally serious film about a corrupt institution… it becomes mere agitprop." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato C+ |
Maid in Manhattan (2002) |
"An updated "Cinderella" story, Maid in Manhattan makes agreeably diverting viewing for most of its running time, though after the magic runs out at midnight the movie meanders through an autopilot resolution that lacks a glass slipper." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
A Man Escaped (1956) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
A Man for All Seasons (1966) |
"Fiercely intelligent, deeply affecting, resonant with verbal beauty and grace." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat F |
Man on Fire (2004) |
"Shamelessly manipulative and sadistically violent… a new low for both Washington and Scott, and one of the nastier bits of business in quite some time." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Man on the Train (2003) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) |
"What a peculiar genius was A.A. Milne… Milne's distinctive voice retains its quality in with a clarity and integrity exceeding that of any other author Disney adapted." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
March of the Penguins (2005) |
"To human observers, the ways in which animal behavior variously resembles or contrasts with human behavior is an inexhaustible source of fascination." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
The Mark of Zorro (1920) |
"You haven’t seen Zorro until you’ve seen Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as Zorro in the 1920 silent swashbuckling classic The Mark of Zorro… It’s amazing how far we haven’t come." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Mark of Zorro (1940) |
"Powers can't match [Fairbanks'] astonishing acrobatics and doesn't try — but the rousing climactic duel against Basil Rathbone's villainous Captain Esteban, one of the best swordfights ever filmed at that time, almost makes up for it." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Mask of Zorro (1998) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) |
"A film that spurns condescension and pandering, made with the novels' own flawless authenticity… characters who talk and argue like grown-ups and like men of their time." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D |
Match Point (2005) |
"Lacks precisely what is, at least arguably, the most haunting element in [Crimes and Misdemeanors]: its sense of genuinely conflicted existential drama." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Matchstick Men (2003) |
"In the end, the film’s biggest surprise isn’t any of its twists and turns, but how much we finally care about the characters and their ultimate fates." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
- |
The Matrix (1999) |
"I've lost track of how many readers have written to me asking me to review The Matrix, but it's safe to say that such requests have outnumbered similar requests for all other movies combined." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
The Matrix (1999) |
"The most influential action movie since Star Wars." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) |
"Takes us deeper into the mythology underlying The Matrix, in the process confirming something I realized years ago: The underlying mythology was never what was interesting about The Matrix in the first place." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) |
"Neo's messianic abilities, the war against the machines, the freeing of mankind, the irrelevant characters — practically nothing pays off in a satisfying way." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D+ |
Mean Girls (2004) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
The Medallion (2003) |
"For the first time in years, the lameness of the surrounding product finally drags Jackie down, instead of him managing to rise above it… I even enjoyed The Tuxedo [more than this], and nobody liked The Tuxedo." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
Memento (2001) |
"Intriguing and accomplished as it was, Memento left me unpersuaded that this trip was really necessary." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Men In Black (1997) |
"Smarter, leaner, funnier, and more human than most entries in the genre, relying less on spectacle than on the chemistry of the two leads and the wit of the script for its appeal." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
Men in Black II (2002) |
"Men in Black was a witty parody of "X-Files" paranoia and pop mythology. Men in Black II is a parody of the original Men in Black, but not a witty one." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Metropolis (1927) |
"Surreal, sprawling, operatic, drawing on biblical and medieval imagery as well as H. G. Wells… Lang's influential pulp allegory colonized a new realm of the imagination." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
The Mexican (2001) |
"Even the film’s fatuous advertising blurb (“Love with the safety off”) combines romance and firearms, gunplay and foreplay." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Microcosmos (1996) |
"Astonishingly up-close and personal look at an infinitesimal world as alien as anything captured by the Mars rovers… a world of strange fascination and unexpected beauty." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Mighty (1998) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B- |
A Mighty Wind (2003) |
"Like all of Guest's films, the improvisational humor is hit and miss… When it clicks, though, it can be really funny." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat F |
Million Dollar Baby (2004) |
"Deeply troubling and potentially gravely harmful artifact of the culture of death." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
Millions (2005) |
"A rare, special family film: a parable rather than a morality tale; a film that combines high ideals and hard realities; a story of faith in something more than Santa Claus." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
- |
Minority Report (2002) |
"Red-carpet photos and quotations from the New York premiere of Minority Report, with Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Kathryn Morton, Patrick Kilpatrick, and Colin Farrell." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Minority Report (2002) |
"The ideal marriage of bravura storytelling, rip-roaring action, dazzling visuals, moody atmosphere, masterful effects, and evocative social and philosophical implications." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Miracle (2004) |
"An accessible, meticulous, rousing tribute to the legendary game that should both please mainstream audiences and hold up to aficionado scrutiny." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Miracle at St. Anna (2008) |
"As is often the case, Lee seems to relish biting off more than he can chew, and the ambition and scope of this effort is worth the bits that don't quite fit." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Miracle Maker - The Story of Jesus (2000) |
"Quite simply one of the most genuinely profound and noteworthy depictions of the gospel story of all time, in any medium." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952) |
"Never quite emerges from the shadow of the earlier, superior The Song of Bernadette, but ups the ante with sterner opposition… and a more dramatic climax." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Miracle of Saint Therese (1959) |
"Blending historical drama with elements of documentary, the film effectively brings the saint's story and spirituality to life… Beautifully shot in black and white." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Miracle Worker (1962) |
"Beautiful black-and-white cinematography, startling performances, and harrowing physicality… the cathartic final scene is nothing short of transcendent." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
- |
The Missing (2003) |
"Click to view article" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D+ |
The Missing (2003) |
"Where The Searchers challenged assumptions and attitudes still current in 1956, Howard's film embraces, if not panders to, politically correct current attitudes…" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Mission (1986) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
Mission: Impossible (1996) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
Mission: Impossible II (2000) |
"Becomes disastrously bogged down in an interminable second act that is joyless and inert and from which it doesn’t begin to recover for over an hour." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
Mission: Impossible III (2006) |
"Competent, disposable entertainment… in the post-007 world of Jason Bourne, that may not be enough." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Mister Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) |
"Much of the Blandings’ dissatisfaction is of their own making, as they discover that realtors can be shrewd, mortgages can be complicated, and everything costs twice as much as you initially expect it to." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Modern Times (1936) |
"A worthy last hurrah for an immortal character, for a great body of work, and for a whole era of cinema." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999) |
"The edifying, at times wrenching story of the 19th-century 'Apostle to the Lepers'… an inspiring, challenging depiction of Christian service and charity." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Monsieur Beaucaire (1946) |
"Above-average Bob Hope costume comedy… borrows its title and inspiration from a silent Rudolph Valentino romance-drama, but transforms the original premise of a duke disguised as a barber into a farce about a real barber and a duke switching places." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
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