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Contra Costa Times

Tomatometer-approved publication.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
3/4
Hercules (1997) Karen Hershenson The fear is that Disney is throwing all creative ambition out the window in favor of a surefire kid pleaser. The good news is that Hercules is more than that.
Posted Dec 18, 2024  Edit critic review
The Sting (1973) Sidney Graham The plot spirals with surprise after surprise, spinning from a tension between mirth and danger. When danger is most threatening, laughter begins to sound. And every twist produces wonderment and delight like watching a sleight-of-hand artist.
Posted Aug 08, 2022  Edit critic review
Patton (1970) Anne Louise Patton is one of the most brilliant one-man film shows ever produced.
Posted Feb 10, 2022  Edit critic review
A New Leaf (1971) Anne Louise Elaine May underplays Henrietta and steals every scene; hers is a fresh new screen talent. She directed and scripted the picture as well.
Posted Feb 10, 2022  Edit critic review
Grease: Live! (2016) Chuck Barney An ambitious, exuberant and eye-boggling adaptation of Grease.
Posted Feb 01, 2016  Edit critic review
A-
The Dark Knight (2008) Barry Caine It's too long and Nolan tosses in too many twists near the end. But it delivers ongoing adrenalin rushes, mental popcorn to chew over and a rich atmosphere to get lost in. And it's impressive enough to rank as summer's strongest blockbuster.
Posted Aug 20, 2014  Edit critic review
3.5/4
Phil Spector (2013) Chuck Barney Pacino and Mirren make for a dynamic pair.
Posted May 22, 2013  Edit critic review
Behind the Candelabra (2013) Chuck Barney Odds are you won't be able to take your eyes off director Steven Soderbergh's luridly entertaining peek into the relationship between legendary pianist Liberace and his much younger lover, Scott Thorson.
Posted May 16, 2013  Edit critic review
Game Change (2012) Chuck Barney That it works is testament to an astounding, Emmy-worthy performance by Moore, who plays Palin with nuance, and without a trace of parody.
Posted Aug 06, 2012  Edit critic review
The Hunger Games (2012) Randy Myers The futuristic film is just as gripping and moving as the best-seller on which it's based.
Posted Mar 20, 2012  Edit critic review
3.5/4
21 Jump Street (2012) Randy Myers It's a rowdy, massively entertaining ride done with wild wit and creative abandon. Now, bring on the sequel!
Posted Mar 15, 2012  Edit critic review
3/4
Friends With Kids (2011) Randy Myers Westfeldt is so radiant, decent and likable that you, too, will fall in love with her.
Posted Mar 07, 2012  Edit critic review
2.5/4
Project X (2012) Randy Myers Project X is the geeky teenage guy's ultimate fantasy gone insane.
Posted Mar 02, 2012  Edit critic review
3/4
The Woman in Black (2012) Randy Myers Director Watkins and company are masters at getting under our skin and straight into our nightmares.
Posted Feb 01, 2012  Edit critic review
3/4
Red Tails (2012) Randy Myers If you like history served up as engaging entertainment, where the fact is mixed with the fiction and the spectacle with the emotion, strap yourself in, because "Red Tails" is one fun ride.
Posted Jan 19, 2012  Edit critic review
3.5/4
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Randy Myers Fincher has a proven track record sifting through the dark corridors of human nature. Tattoo is welcome addition to that canon, a ripping yarn that never lags during its 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Posted Dec 20, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
Seducing Charlie Barker (2010) Karen D'Souza By the final frame, Charlie isn't the only one who gets his pants charmed off.
Posted Dec 08, 2011  Edit critic review
3.5/4
Hugo (2011) Randy Myers The film demands patience from children and adults alike -- in fact, it's simply too slow for young viewers -- but like great literature, if you immerse yourself in it, the rewards are plentiful.
Posted Dec 01, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
My Week With Marilyn (2011) Randy Myers Just try to peel your eyes away from the blonde bombshell as she wistfully brings Marilyn's help-me vulnerability and sexy allure to life.
Posted Nov 22, 2011  Edit critic review
2.5/4
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) Randy Myers Of the four Twilight movies, Breaking Dawn -- Part I has the most going on and the most going for it.
Posted Nov 17, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
Puss in Boots (2011) Randy Myers I, for one, hope this darn cat and his friends return for another adventure.
Posted Oct 28, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
Margin Call (2011) Randy Myers Margin Call might not always be perfect, but it does a nearly perfect job of painting a Shakespearean portrait of both a financial and human crisis. Let's hope we can learn from it.
Posted Oct 20, 2011  Edit critic review
3.5/4
50/50 (2011) Randy Myers Just like the many bits of advice that are so convincingly strewn throughout 50/50, it emphatically validates one of the most enduring ones: Laughter is indeed the best medicine, especially when the stakes are so high.
Posted Sep 29, 2011  Edit critic review
4/4
Moneyball (2011) Randy Myers Moneyball astutely depicts money as the hot-button dividing line in our culture and reflects the value that true success comes not from wealth, but from having the vision to try something new, and the confidence to pursue it.
Posted Sep 22, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
Contagion (2011) Randy Myers Steven Soderbergh's grim and gripping medical thriller has arrived and it's guaranteed to turn you into a hypochondriac.
Posted Sep 08, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) Randy Myers Just when you thought the housing market couldn't get more frightening, along comes Guillermo del Toro to shiver more timbers.
Posted Aug 25, 2011  Edit critic review
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Randy Myers Like Caesar, this entertaining picture rises to the occasion and resoundingly exceeds expectations.
Posted Aug 04, 2011  Edit critic review
3.5/4
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) Randy Myers The result is a charming romantic comedy that not only restores one's faith in the power of the genre, but may prove one of the summer's best films.
Posted Jul 28, 2011  Edit critic review
B
Horrible Bosses (2011) Randy Myers The raunchy comedy about a trio of fed-up employees who exact revenge on their freak-show employers wickedly doles out the just deserts, and that's what it makes it so much fun.
Posted Jul 08, 2011  Edit critic review
C+
Larry Crowne (2011) Randy Myers In the end, Larry Crowne is watchable and undemanding, but it doesn't leave a lasting impression.
Posted Jun 30, 2011  Edit critic review
D+
The Hangover Part II (2011) Randy Myers We've been on this bender before, and no matter how raunchy and un-PC The Hangover Part II is, there's no disguising that this is just warmed-up leftovers that will leave a nasty taste in your mouth.
Posted May 25, 2011  Edit critic review
C
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Randy Myers No matter how much Cruz and Depp squabble during the quest to find the Fountain of Youth, no real sparks fly.
Posted May 19, 2011  Edit critic review
B
The Beaver (2011) Tony Hicks Gibson's best performance in years saves the picture from its inconsistency. Few other actors could ride out the bumps in plot while delivering a believable performance.
Posted May 05, 2011  Edit critic review
B
Thor (2011) Randy Myers All in all, Thor is good, quick-witted superhero fun -- written, directed and acted by pros.
Posted May 05, 2011  Edit critic review
3/4
Water for Elephants (2011) Randy Myers Elephants might not perform any new genre tricks, but that's OK. After all, a good story is a good story -- be it on the page or up on the screen.
Posted Apr 21, 2011  Edit critic review
B-
Scream 4 (2011) Randy Myers The big question is, has the Scream franchise lost its relevance, especially to a new generation? The answer is: No, but with qualifications.
Posted Apr 13, 2011  Edit critic review
C-
Your Highness (2011) Randy Myers There's a delightful sense of bawdiness in Chaucer and other medieval literature, but vulgarity seems the main intent of Your Highness, and the movie chokes on its own dreary discourtesies.
Posted Apr 07, 2011  Edit critic review
C+
The Adjustment Bureau (2011) Randy Myers Even though [Damon and Blunt] look awfully cute scurrying around the streets of New York City, there's no escaping from the fact that this Bureau winds up merely spinning its wheels.
Posted Mar 03, 2011  Edit critic review
B-
I Am Number Four (2011) Randy Myers On a boring rainy day, you can count on Number Four for some good, dumb fun.
Posted Feb 18, 2011  Edit critic review
A-
Another Year (2010) Randy Myers Year's success rests heavily on its cast's and director's shoulders. And the performers, most stage veterans and Leigh alums, don't disappoint.
Posted Jan 14, 2011  Edit critic review
B+
True Grit (2010) Randy Myers These highfalutin boys sure know how to wrastle up one spitfire of a Western.
Posted Dec 21, 2010  Edit critic review
B+
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) Randy Myers Carrey relies little on his physical theatrics to bring Russell alive, for which we are grateful. That toned-down approach results in one of the comedian's most complex performances yet, even if the shadows from previous roles creep in.
Posted Dec 03, 2010  Edit critic review
B
Love & Other Drugs (2010) Randy Myers Ultimately it's the chemistry -- that old-fashioned key ingredient in any successful love story -- that fires up Love & Other Drugs and reduces minor quibbles to ash.
Posted Nov 23, 2010  Edit critic review
B
The Next Three Days (2010) Randy Myers Faults and all, The Next Three Days is a pleasant surprise this fall -- a thriller that moves us while steering clear of the action cliches.
Posted Nov 19, 2010  Edit critic review
A
127 Hours (2010) Randy Myers If Oscar overlooks Franco, it would be a travesty. It would also be a shame to avoid seeing 127 Hours simply because the subject matter makes you wince.
Posted Nov 12, 2010  Edit critic review
B-
For Colored Girls (2010) Randy Myers No question, Perry's Girls is compelling and powerful. But it's also a missed opportunity, one that fails to fully capitalize on mostly terrific performances and the story's timeless message.
Posted Nov 04, 2010  Edit critic review
B+
Conviction (2010) Randy Myers The movie tells an unbelievable story, one that will outrage and -- yes -- inspire you.
Posted Oct 22, 2010  Edit critic review
B+
Red (2010) Randy Myers The ensemble is terrific. These are pros at work here, and they not only show up the new action-star punks but prove they're far from expendable.
Posted Oct 14, 2010  Edit critic review
B
Secretariat (2010) Randy Myers This is a rousingly entertaining and robustly acted movie with electrifying horse-racing sequences filmed from the jockey's perspective. Now, how cool is that?
Posted Oct 08, 2010  Edit critic review
C+
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) Randy Myers If [Stone] had cut the bull and focused on the bullishness, he might have had a sequel worthy of its original.
Posted Sep 24, 2010  Edit critic review
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