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Austin American-Statesman

Tomatometer-approved publication.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
My Bloody Valentine (1981) Patrick Taggart It is utterly predictable, utterly average, utterly forgettable.
Posted Jan 29, 2026  Edit critic review
1.5/4
North (1994) Michael MacCambridge All in all it's a pretty depressing spectacle.
Posted Jan 24, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
The American President (1995) Ann Hornaday Annette Bening is just such a star, and The American President belongs entirely to her.
Posted Jan 22, 2026  Edit critic review
2/4
Misery (1990) Michael MacCambridge Misery never succeeds at the crucial task of finding its tone and sticking to it.
Posted Jan 21, 2026  Edit critic review
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) John Bustin For those who need more action to snap up their film fare, there are impressive moments of suspense and a constant feeling of imminent terror, which cannot fail but furnish still another exciting element of interest to an already top-grade film.
Posted Jan 15, 2026  Edit critic review
Bite the Bullet (1975) Patrick Taggart In addition to Brooks' script, stylish direction and some of the prettiest horses ever put before a camera, there also happens to be a cast that seems to have been assembled in a moment of divine inspiration.
Posted Jan 15, 2026  Edit critic review
The Magnificent Seven (1960) John Bustin This story, sprawling over two full hours, takes too long to tell and pauses too frequently to analyze its characters and their motives, but it stirs up considerable interest, some vigorous action and flashes of humor...along the route.
Posted Jan 14, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Chris Garcia You need stamina for long droughts of tedium amid the explosions of enchantment. The movie is three and a half hours long. Mostly it moves. And when it's speeding ahead it does so with witty zest and a visual brilliance that sometimes overpowers.
Posted Jan 14, 2026  Edit critic review
Stand by Me (1986) Patrick Taggart The performances are a revelation.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Chris Garcia Jackson seems to acknowledge the material's stodgy crust of familiarity, and the master visualist cracks it with astonishment. The movie's payoff is grand and marvelous.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Chris Garcia A near-paragon of how fantasy books should be plucked from the page and draped across the screen. Jackson and a fully engaged cast conjure a robustly imagined universe of enveloping enchantment that looks, sounds and moves just right.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
4/4
The Princess Bride (1987) Elise Gibson Check your cynicism at the door, but bring your funny bone and sense of wonder when you go see The Princess Bride.
Posted Jan 07, 2026  Edit critic review
The Sure Thing (1985) Patrick Taggart Reiner is aided enormously by the persuasive performances of Zuniga and Cusack.
Posted Jan 07, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/4
A Few Good Men (1992) Michael MacCambridge An independent production might have avoided rounding off so many edges on Sorkin's script, but neither would it be able to match the entertainment provided by the raw star power of Nicholson, Cruise and the rest of the impressive cast.
Posted Jan 06, 2026  Edit critic review
Death Race 2000 (1975) Lisa Tuttle It's a comic-book story with a comic-book plot, characters and morality, and since it has no pretensions of being anything more meaningful, it can't be faulted.
Posted Dec 21, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Hook (1991) Michael MacCambridge It's a nice try, and there are some enchanting moments. But Hook winds up straining under the weight of Spielberg's grand vision. It's a fairy tale that's been shot like a battle epic, and it's lost much its magic in the making.
Posted Dec 19, 2025  Edit critic review
Christine (1983) Patrick Taggart Just as King's novels has assumed a kind of assembly line superficiality, Carpenter's realization of "Christine" is merely dutiful, as if the mass-production sameness of the story has rubbed off on Carpenter's style
Posted Dec 16, 2025  Edit critic review
Big Top Pee-wee (1988) Patrick Taggart Forget about whether it's good or not; what's mystifying here is why Pee-Wee/Reubens chose this direction.
Posted Dec 11, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
The Abyss (1989) Patrick Taggart The interaction among the many supporting players lends humor and heart to a movie dominated by hardware and technical jargon.
Posted Dec 10, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4
The Abyss (1989) Michael MacCambridge The film remains a breathtaking technical achievement, buoyed by strong performances from both Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.
Posted Dec 09, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
True Lies (1994) Michael MacCambridge The teaming of Schwarzenegger and Curtis is an inspired one, and Cameron proved once again that no director in filmmaking today has a grander contemporary vision.
Posted Dec 09, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Michael MacCambridge Cameron delivers some stunning sequences and Arnold has become a joy to watch; but T2 can't match its original.
Posted Dec 08, 2025  Edit critic review
A Christmas Carol (1984) Diane Holloway It should become a genuine classic.
Posted Nov 26, 2025  Edit critic review
Journey Back to Oz (1974) Steve Hogner The makers of this animated feature have forgotten what made the original so good.
Posted Nov 25, 2025  Edit critic review
The Wiz (1978) Charles Baumhauer The characters move through an increasingly high-powered environment without believingly touching each other or us in more than routine fashion.
Posted Nov 18, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
The Running Man (1987) Patrick Taggart The "satire" on the television age that this movie attempts is incredibly heavy-handed and more than a little mean-spirited.
Posted Nov 06, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Predator 2 (1990) Michael MacCambridge Predator 2, like its predecessor, is a slick, competent, well-paced action film that is limited in its effectiveness because it never bothers to flesh out the details of its horrific story.
Posted Oct 31, 2025  Edit critic review
Predator (1987) Patrick Taggart Predator is nothing more than Commando all over again, only without the sunny presence of Rae Dawn Chong as a beacon of humor and softly stated feminism.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
Dracula (1979) Patrick Taggart John Badham's timid direction leaves us with a Technicolor, Dolby stereo version of a 1930s movie, complete with creaking doors that slam after they are opened.
Posted Oct 21, 2025  Edit critic review
Re-Animator (1985) Patrick Taggart The movie has a terrific sense of humor.
Posted Oct 16, 2025  Edit critic review
Desert Hearts (1985) Patrick Taggart The performances are what carry the film, especially that of Patricia Charbonneau as Cay. She's a flesh-and-blood creature of the kind we've been getting fewer and fewer of lately.
Posted Oct 12, 2025  Edit critic review
Tron (1982) Patrick Taggart The realization of this world is plenty pleasing stuff to watch.
Posted Oct 05, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Casper (1995) Michael MacCambridge The movie is a little bit like its title: amiable but transparent, slightly clever but completely forgettable.
Posted Oct 03, 2025  Edit critic review
Hard Times (1975) Paul Beutel The story of "Hard Times" is man's magazine adventure stuff, but director Walter Hill, is so skillful in his atmospheric depiction of these grotesque hangers-on... that the movie's almost continually absorbing.
Posted Sep 25, 2025  Edit critic review
4/4
Boogie Nights (1997) Alison Macor Like the pulsating backbeat of the disco music that inspired it, Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights throbs with electric performances and a surprisingly human story.
Posted Sep 24, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Spider-Man (2002) Joe Gross Spider-Man is a heroic archetype because he knows his pain is part and parcel of his valor.
Posted Sep 24, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4
To Sleep With Anger (1990) Michael MacCambridge To Sleep With Anger is a brave, compelling film.
Posted Sep 23, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Hard Eight (1996) Rob Patterson Its strengths are those of a stage play, relying on the friction of human interactions to provide the fire. So even if this movie is something of a mood piece that never really bursts into flame, it smolders from start to finish.
Posted Sep 22, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Toy Story (1995) Michael Point So, don't just drop the kids off, but a ticket for yourself and take a look at the (near) future of animation. It won't make you forget past Disney classics, but it will make you look at animation with new and technologically enlightened eyes.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Patrick Taggart It's a smart, funny movie with appeal for anyone with a grown-up sense of humor.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4
Darkman (1990) Patrick Taggart Darkman possesses tons more style and humor than your everyday horror movie... Raimi hasn't lost his subversive edge.
Posted Aug 26, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Requiem for a Dream (2000) Chris Garcia Aronofsky wants to upset us. He does that well. But I'm not sure to what end. His message is a tired one; existential nosedives, especially when drug-fueled, have occupied screens for years. It's the medium itself he so grandly rejuvenates.
Posted Aug 20, 2025  Edit critic review
Cooley High (1975) Patrick Taggart It's all good fun and good acting up until the last ten minutes.
Posted Aug 15, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Pumpkinhead (1988) Patrick Taggart Pumpkinhead is a much-better-than-average monster movie, made so by a decent script, good performances and Winston's knowledge of the narrative mechanics of monster movies.
Posted Aug 13, 2025  Edit critic review
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Patrick Taggart It is the work of a lazy filmmaker, one who means to keep viewers distracted by parading one gross-out gag after another.
Posted Aug 13, 2025  Edit critic review
Little Boy Lost (1953) John Bustin All of this, admittedly sentimental but never maudlin, is neatly handled by Crosby and young Christian Fourcade.
Posted Aug 06, 2025  Edit critic review
The War of the Worlds (1953) John Bustin Though the terrifying effect of the movie version has been somewhat lessened by the frequency of similar interplanetary yarns, it's still a wildly imaginative thing that'll give the science-fiction fans a good workout.
Posted Aug 06, 2025  Edit critic review
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) Patrick Taggart This is, quite simply, one of the dumbest movies of the year.
Posted Jul 30, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Waterworld (1995) Michael MacCambridge Waterworld manages to overcome its most daunting hurdle. It qualifies as a film worth seeing for its own merits, rather than for the witness-to-a-train wreck laughs provided by such other budget-busting disasters.
Posted Jul 28, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) Patrick Taggart The Naked Gun is never really awful, but it's a surprisingly empty movie for one that gets so many giggles out of the audience.
Posted Jul 24, 2025  Edit critic review
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