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JAMES BERARDINELLI Movie Reviews

477 reviews, averaging 65.6% positive
page 1 of 24
James Berardinelli's reviews, by date ascending
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1.

Youth in Revolt

Reel Views
01/05/10 Good (Not Great) "...the tone is uneven, the satire is blunt, the comedy rarely generates more than feeble laughs, and the lead character never comes fully to life."
2.

Leap Year

Reel Views
01/06/10 Moderate "By the time the lovers are going through the motions of succumbing to Cupid, there's neither heat nor passion. We believe the dislike at the onset but not the romance..."
3.

Daybreakers

Reel Views
01/08/10 Very Good "...loaded with impressive touches... it's refreshing to discover directors who return to the old school concepts as an inspiration for something different..."
4.

The Book of Eli

Reel Views
01/13/10 Good (Not Great) "For about 3/4 of the running length, the movie holds together reasonably well... Unfortunately, it all falls apart during the final half hour..."
5.

Wonderful World

Reel Views
01/15/10 Moderate "...lightweight and inconsequential... Although the story is derivative and not entirely credible, the main problem germinates from unconvincing performances."
6. 01/21/10 Moderate "...a generally insipid feel-good production that's high on sentiment and manipulation but low on genuine drama and good acting."
7. 01/27/10 Moderate "...the final product lacks momentum and direction... instead of a tense, tightly-plotted thriller, we're saddled with a lumbering misfire."
8.

When in Rome

Reel Views
01/28/10 Good (Not Great) "...finally provides Bell the opportunity to exude a little of that 'Veronica Mars' charm on the big screen."
9. 02/02/10 Very Good "Both Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren are in top form. Scenes in which they appear, either with each other or in the company of other actors, are often electrifying."
10. 02/04/10 Very Good "...intellectually flat but viscerally involving... The story is far from airtight but it's good enough to get the viewer from Point A to Point B, which is all that's necessary..."
11.

Dear John

Reel Views
02/05/10 Moderate "...pretty much what one would expect from an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel: a high-profile downer of a Harlequin romance.... lays it on thick..."
12.

Fish Tank

Reel Views
02/09/10 Outstanding "The characters feel real. They talk like real people. And, most importantly, they do not seem to be acting to conform to the contortions of a script.... compelling drama..."
13.

The Wolfman

Reel Views
02/11/10 Moderate "...between the restrained, atmosphere-soaked Universal horror classic and the grotesque likes of 'An American Werewolf in London' and 'The Howling.' It doesn't work."
14.

Valentine's Day

Reel Views
02/12/10 Moderate "...feels like a parade of famous faces, not a motion picture. And, while a few of the skits show glimmers of promise, many are time wasters."
15. 02/16/10 Very Good "Polanski can still craft compelling thrillers.... It's an 'adult' thriller as opposed to one designed for viewers suffering from ADD."
16.

Shutter Island

Reel Views
02/18/10 Very Good "...addresses some powerful, disturbing concepts but, despite effective performances by the leads, the movie's psychological impact is minimal."
17. 02/24/10 Very Good "...more uncompromising than most.... Not cheerful material, to be sure, but memorable stuff..."
18.

Cop Out

Reel Views
02/25/10 Moderate "...does a lot of things but none of them well. The comedy is lukewarm. The action is boring.... And the dramatic elements, lightweight though they may be, fail to resonate."
19. 02/25/10 Good (Not Great) "...the fast pace and generally sympathetic characters will keep most viewers interested, at least until the final 30 minutes when it begins to wear out its reputation..."
20. 03/02/10 Good (Not Great) "Fuqua's goal is to do something meaningful with a familiar genre, but his decision to employ so many stale conventions is one of the things that dooms the effort."

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Friday, May 24
Fast & Furious 6 77.7% May 24
Epic (2013) 66.6% May 24
The Hangover Part III 63.2% May 23
3 Geezers! 5.8% May 22
A Green Story 30.3% May 24
Alyce Kills 62.5% May 24
Before Midnight (2013) 97.5% May 24
Charge 75.0% May 23
Fill the Void (Lemale et ha'halal) 82.4% May 24
Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself 72.9% May 22
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks 72.5% May 24
Friday, May 31
After Earth nr May 31
Now You See Me (2013) nr May 31
American Mary 66.6% May 31
Hannah Arendt 65.6% May 29
I Do (2013) 54.5% May 31
Shadow Dancer (2013) 73.3% May 31
The East 89.1% May 31
The Kings of Summer 75.0% May 31
Friday, June 7
The Internship (2013) nr Jun 7
The Purge nr Jun 7
Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie nr Jun 7
Dirty Wars 83.0% Jun 7
Much Ado About Nothing (2013) 95.6% Jun 7
Passion 53.5% Jun 7
Rapture-Palooza nr Jun 7
Syrup nr Jun 7
Tiger Eyes nr Jun 7
Violet & Daisy 58.0% Jun 7
Wish You Were Here (2013) 72.7% Jun 7
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet (Vous n'avez encore rien vu) 71.1% Jun 7
Friday, June 14
This Is the End nr Jun 12
Man of Steel (2013) nr Jun 14
Berberian Sound Studio 76.8% Jun 14
Storm Surfers 3D 79.5% Jun 14
Stuck in Love nr Jun 14
The Bling Ring 65.6% Jun 14
Vehicle 19 25.0% Jun 14
Beyond
Don Jon 55.6% Oct 18
Battle of the Year nr Sep 13
Ain't Them Bodies Saints 86.3% Aug 16
Crystal Fairy 65.0% Jul 12
Fruitvale Station 89.3% Jul 26
I'm So Excited! 54.7% Jun 28
In a World... 81.5% Aug 9
Inside Llewyn Davis 79.8% Dec 6
Lovelace 73.5% Aug 9
Prince Avalanche 77.9% Aug 16
The Attack (L'attentat) 62.8% Jun 21
The Hunt (Jagten) 71.3% Jul 12
The Spectacular Now 82.2% Aug 2
The Way, Way Back 87.6% Jul 5
Touchy Feely 61.5% Sep 6
V/H/S/2 68.3% Jul 12
Wadjda 90.1% Aug 30
You Will Be My Son (Tu seras mon fils) 71.3% Sep 13
Young & Beautiful (Jeune et Jolie) 81.6% Aug 21