Tomato B+ |
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) |
"Not a Fractured Fairy Tale, not an ironic deconstruction … but a sincere morality tale in a folk storytelling mode, with dark themes to do the Grimm Brothers proud." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
Teacher's Pet (2004) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
Tears of the Sun (2003) |
"In the absence of any larger drama of characters or exploration of moral issues, the horror seems manipulative rather than dramatically justified." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
The Ten Commandments (1956) |
"As much a testament and a fixture of traditional American ideals and affections as a courthouse display of the stone tablets, and as weighty and solid." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
The Ten Commandments (2007) |
"Shamelessly rips off interpretive conceits and even specific dramatic beats from The Prince of Egypt." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B- |
The Terminal (2004) |
"Wobbles between plotlines and characters that make emotional sense and ones that don't… remains passably entertaining, but doesn't bear much thinking about afterwards." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) |
"Against all odds, a smart, rousing extension of Cameron's paranoid fantasy that not only meshes seamlessly with the past and future continuities of the earlier films, but actually advances the apocalyptic mythology." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) |
"A credible effort to honor the original while contributing something new. Derrickson effectively builds and sustains a sense of thoughtful tension - until the screenplay lets him down." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
The Polar Express (2004) |
"Santa's home is not a magical fairyland, merely a quaint European-style city with winding cobblestone streets and — I am not making this up — canned Christmas muzak." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Searchers (1956) |
"The Searchers's reputation is so widely accepted that it's a surprise to discover that the film, and Wayne's character, are more complex than the reputation suggests." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Therese (1986) |
"Built of fleeting minimalist vignettes, almost snapshots, glimpses of its subject rather than an integral portrait. Is the final explanation from below or from above?" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Thérèse (2004) |
"Reverent, uplifting, straightforward biopic that will be enjoyed by Catholics… lacks the psychological depth and spiritual insight [of] Story of a Soul." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
The Thief of Bagdad (1924) |
"Unprecedented special effects and sets… perhaps the first great achievement of cinematic epic mythopoeia, and the forerunner to the likes of The Lord of the Rings." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) |
"Not quite as charming or magical as the original…best are Abu's adventures with Ingram's baleful genie, whose meeting on the beach with Abu is an unforgettable highlight." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) |
"Not quite as charming or magical as the original…best are Abu's adventures with Ingram's baleful genie, whose meeting on the beach with Abu is an unforgettable highlight." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) |
"Though not always faithful in small things, Things We Lost is faithful in much. The individual moments are sometimes off, but the large emotional resonances are right." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
Thirteen Days (2000) |
"A fitting dramatic tribute to the deadly brinksmanship that pulled us back from the edge during the most volatile two weeks of the Cold War." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B- |
The Three Musketeers (1921) |
"Exuberantly embraces the melodramatic absurdities of Dumas's moral universe [though] Don Q Son of Zorro did better with this kind of sophisticated European intrigue." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) |
"A raucous danse macabre in jumping jazz rhythms… and, perhaps most surprisingly, a touching portrait of tragedy, doomed love, empathy, and sacrifice." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat D |
The Time Machine (2002) |
"Pitiful entertainment, succeeding neither as spectacle, as action-adventure, or as love story." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
Titanic (1997) |
"Perhaps the most melancholy thing about Titanic is its celebration of romantic ideals to the exclusion of such self-denying virtues as honor, duty, and heroism." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
To Be or Not to Be (1942) |
"The famed "Lubitsch touch," whatever it really was, was never put to a more formidable test… the last hour is satiric perfection." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
To Have and Have Not (1945) |
"[Bogey & Bacall's] onscreen chemistry is palpable, all but overshadowing the fictional back story that made Rick and Ilsa's dance in Casablanca so memorable." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Top Hat (1935) |
"The quintessential Fred-and-Ginger vehicle… typically escapist Depression-era fare… [but] whenever Fred and Ginger are in motion, the magic is timeless." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato C+ |
Tortilla Soup (2001) |
"Isn’t the delicacy that Eat Drink Man Woman was… But on the level of comfort food this remake is enjoyable enough." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
Touching the Void (2004) |
"Forget Cast Away. Forget Alive. Touching the Void may be the most harrowing, dazzling, haunting survival story ever filmed." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Toy Story (1995) |
"Moviemaking alchemy — a breathtakingly perfect blend of wide-eyed childhood wonder and wry adult humor, yesteryear nostalgia and eye-popping novelty." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
Toy Story 2 (1999) |
"Pixar's gold standard for storytelling sophistication… not only their best all-around film, but one of the best films ever made, period." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat 2.5/4 |
Trade (2007) |
"Trade needed to be the United 93 of the human trafficking crisis. It's closer to being the World Trade Center." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
The Train (1965) |
"How do you weigh the cultural heritage of a nation against the value of human life? A wholly persuasive, intelligent thiller crisply directed by Frankenheimer." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C- |
Training Day (2001) |
"Abruptly shifts gears, switching from character-driven issue-oriented thriller to formula action-driven cop flick." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A+ |
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) |
"Riveting, downbeat, and surprising, a gripping adventure and one of Hollywood's most resonant morality tales… a smart, remorseless story of gold, greed, guns, and guile." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Treasure Planet (2002) |
"By following its story as closely as they have, the filmmakers have retained much of what made the novel a classic." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) |
"A gentle Catholic counterpoint to angry Marxist peasant cinema… acutely aware of harsh economic and social injustices, but devoid of violent revolutionary spirit." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Troy (2004) |
"Not a story of heroes and villians, of good triumphing over evil, but of flawed, selfish men locked in a deadly struggle in which there can be no winners, only losers." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
The Truman Show (1998) |
"A deceptively simple fairy tale; a hilariously subversive satire… and finally an elegant parable about truth and happiness with evocative religious resonances." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A- |
Tsotsi (2006) |
"Hood avigates this mine field with sure instincts… He doesn't tell, but shows; his characters never become too lucid or articulate, avoiding the danger of didacticism or moralizing." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B |
Tuck Everlasting (2002) |
"Together with this spring’s The Rookie, Tuck Everlasting represents Walt Disney Pictures’ best work in years." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato C+ |
The Tuxedo (2002) |
"Yet another flawed but serviceable vehicle for Jackie Chan’s unique style of action comedy." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Twentieth Century (1934) |
"Often credited as the first screwball comedy… an acerbic satire of show-business ego and superficiality." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C |
Twilight (2008) |
"Is there something darker: an unhealthy fascination with unwholesome relationships and bad boys, perhaps mixed with a Nightingale/Stockholm-syndrome desire to "save" them?" |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato A |
Twilight Samurai (2004) |
"Deeply humane… a bittersweet, eloquent tribute to a man who is bent but not crushed beneath the weight of his various competing duties." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Tomato B+ |
Two Brothers (2004) |
"Annaud's skill and subtlety elevate what is basically a fable-like throwback to the sort of live-action features Disney made in the 50s... so far the year's best family film." |
Steven D. Greydanus |
Splat C+ |
Two Weeks Notice (2002) |
Click here to see the review. |
Steven D. Greydanus |
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