ROTTEN TOMATOES: Joe Williams

JOE WILLIAMS

Agrees with the Tomatometer 79% of the time.

Biography: I am the film critic for the daily St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Favorites: It's a Wonderful Life, Quadrophenia, Lost in America, The Graduate, Days of Heaven, The Heartbreak Kid, Apocalypse Now, Gangs of New York, Love with the Proper Stranger, The Party, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, Memento, Waking Life, Amelie

Publications: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Total Reviews: 110
Total QuickRatings: 24

Location: St. Louis, MO

LISTING OF ALL REVIEWS & ARTICLES

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Showing 1 - 50 of 110

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date (default)

Fresh 3/4	Fresh 92%	Tokyo Sonata (2009)	" Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa cut his teeth on horror movies, and his flattened, formal style mines the horror in everyday urban life." Posted Jul 9, 2009
Rotten 1/4	Rotten 9%	I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)	" *Suffering through I Love You, Beth Cooper* is like being locked in detention with five idiots misquoting The Breakfast Club.**" Posted Jul 9, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Fresh 69%	Bruno (2009)	" *Although Br�no* is sometimes a wickedly funny flick, the dubious techniques and repellent protagonist produce fewer real laughs than its predecessor.**" Posted Jul 9, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Fresh 96%	Tulpan (2008)	" *The latest import from the steppes of the former Soviet empire is Tulpan, a bittersweet slice of life with a sweet center.*" Posted Jul 3, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Rotten 46%	Whatever Works (2009)	" *30 years after he wrote and shelved this script, the conceptual creakiness of Whatever Works* might have been redeemed only by the director in the starring role.**" Posted Jul 3, 2009
Rotten	Rotten 44%	Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)	" *With its three-dimensional action and two-dimensional feelings, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs* is warmed-over nonsense.**" Posted Jul 1, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 87%	O'Horten (2009)	" This yarn about a train conductor whose life goes off track is Nordic to its bones: efficient, humane and droll in small measures." Posted Jun 26, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Fresh 97%	Food, Inc. (2009)	" In exposing the unsavory practices of agribusiness, the muckraking documentary Food, Inc. cuts to the bone." Posted Jun 26, 2009
Fresh 2.5/4	Rotten 44%	My Sister's Keeper (2009)	" *Although the compelling courtroom drama gets forgotten for much of the movie, My Sister's Keeper* also is relatively realistic about the physical and emotional toll of disease.**" Posted Jun 26, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Rotten 46%	Management (2009)	" The trademark hitch in Aniston's line delivery is an effective shorthand for taking a leap of faith. In the case of both her character and her career, Management represents an admirable choice." Posted Jun 26, 2009
Fresh 2.5/4	Rotten 19%	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)	" *The spectacular Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen* is a triumph of the producers' creed: Pound the senses, simulate emotion and milk the golden calf of the familiar like a mechanical farmhand.**" Posted Jun 23, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 67%	The Merry Gentleman (2009)	" That this gloomy movie partly succeeds is a credit to the sharp dialogue, the fine cast and the directing debut of a reluctant star." Posted Jun 17, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Rotten 17%	Year One (2009)	" *On the surface, it resembles Monty Python's Life of Brian.* Yet underneath, there's cheap material. Sometimes, it briefly gleams; but in the final reckoning, it's dull.**" Posted Jun 17, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Fresh 86%	Tyson (2009)	" Some documentaries grow in the shadows; others demand to be made. The story of boxer Mike Tyson, powerfully recounted in a new film, is as rich as a Dickens novel." Posted Jun 11, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Fresh 95%	Fados (2009)	" The effect is a coldly theatrical counterpoint to the hot-blooded sentiments. MORE REVIEWS bullet See an archive of recent movie reviews bullet Joe's Movie Lounge blog bullet Reel Time forum bullet Movie showtimes bullet Movie theaters" Posted Jun 11, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 78%	The Hangover (2009)	" *The payoff to the mysteries isn't nearly as interesting as the setup, and the ending of the movie is disappointingly squishy. But while it's riding a hot streak, The Hangover* is a rush.**" Posted Jun 4, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 92%	The Lemon Tree (2008)	" *The pungence of Lemon Tree* is in the surreal moments that capture the pervasive unease in Gaza, and in the quiet strength of Abbass' performance.**" Posted Jun 4, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 12%	My Life in Ruins (2009)	" My Life in Ruins comes close to being a Greek tragedy, but the actors never let the film die." Posted Jun 4, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Rotten 28%	Land of the Lost (2009)	" Audiences of a certain sort will be dumbstruck by how high the silliness gets piled; but whether or not you're puffin' stuff, you'll likely get lost in laughter." Posted Jun 4, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Fresh 62%	The Brothers Bloom (2009)	" Although it's got a strong cast and visual panache, Johnson willfully dispenses with the caper complications that might have made it more fun." Posted May 28, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Rotten 25%	Little Ashes (2009)	" Little Ashes is stylish enough to beguile and bold enough to provoke, but it's not bright enough to illuminate." Posted May 28, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Rotten 58%	The Girlfriend Experience (2009)	" Like an X-ray, the focused power of sex, lies and hi-def video cuts to the bone." Posted May 21, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Rotten 44%	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)	" The cheeky attitude and charming effects make it more entertaining than the original, notwithstanding some clumsy humans who almost break the spell." Posted May 21, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Rotten 38%	Gigantic (2008)	" Zooey Deschanel is the most delightful young actress in Hollywood." Posted May 21, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 32%	Terminator Salvation (2009)	" Terminator Salvation is a tale told idiotically, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Posted May 20, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 77%	In a Dream (2009)	" Because Jeremiah lacks the investigatory zeal to pursue the subplots, which also include his father's madness and his older brother's drug addiction, this lovely film is more evocative than illuminating." Posted May 14, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 76%	Shall We Kiss? (2008)	" This quintessentially French bonbon is both sweet and dry, with just enough complexity to confound the fast-food appetite." Posted May 14, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Rotten 37%	Angels & Demons (2009)	" *The problem here, as in The Da Vinci Code, is that the puzzles don't invite the viewers' involvement.*" Posted May 14, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Fresh 95%	Star Trek (2009)	" *The wit and youthful energy that's been infused into the new Star Trek* should enable this venerable franchise to live longer and prosper more handsomely.**" Posted May 8, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 18%	Next Day Air (2009)	" *From the violent opening to the nihilistic ending, Next Day Air* is so cynical that its few laughs are a release of tension.**" Posted May 8, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Rotten 55%	Lymelife (2009)	" The offbeat Lymelife is so clearly leeching off other suburban-dysfunction films that it could have been titled The Lice Storm." Posted May 8, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Fresh 63%	Enlighten Up! (2009)	" The premise ends up muddling a movie that might have been enlightening." Posted May 8, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Rotten 46%	Battle for Terra (2009)	" *A middling movie, an admirable effort that looks much better than Star Wars: The Clone Wars* but won't incite similar battles, pro or con.**" Posted Apr 30, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 28%	Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)	" Despite inducing some guilty grins, McConaughey's character is unforgivably shallow. The likable Garner has little to do except wait for his inevitable breakthrough." Posted Apr 30, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 36%	X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)	" The clich�d script doesn't develop the secondary characters or the critical theme of the mutants' alienation. (Several of them don't even have any dialogue.)" Posted Apr 30, 2009
Fresh 3/4	N/A	Flicker (2009)	" Thanks to this trippy flick, his revolutionary ideas live on, like a ghost in the machine." Posted Apr 23, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 15%	The Informers (2009)	" *An outbreak of '80s nostalgia is the best explanation for The Informers, a worse movie based on a worse Bret Easton Ellis book.*" Posted Apr 23, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 85%	Earth (2009)	" The many filmmakers spent five years on this impressive project. They�ve given us glorious images of an Earth that most of us have never seen. Let�s hope that the means to understand it will be included on the DVD." Posted Apr 23, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 56%	17 Again (2009)	" The movie manages a few good jokes about inappropriate flirtations, but it never addresses the bigger questions of why the marriage went wrong or what Mike is supposed to be doing about it." Posted Apr 16, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Fresh 89%	Sin Nombre (2009)	" It gives a caravan of migrants human faces, compelling motivations and dramatic challenges that transcend borders." Posted Apr 16, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 35%	The Edge of Love (2009)	" The Edge of Love is literate and often lovely to look at, but unless you're requesting an off-key bohemian rhapsody, do not go gentle into that good theater." Posted Apr 16, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 74%	Tokyo! (2009)	" *Although each portion of Tokyo!* has a distinct flavor, this sampler of undercooked fish stories has a cumulative effect, one that is trippy if not toxic.**" Posted Apr 9, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 46%	Hannah Montana The Movie (2009)	" Cyrus has maintained an honorably wholesome image, and this feature-length spinoff of the sitcom does nothing to hurt it. But it also does nothing to help Cyrus or the audience evolve." Posted Apr 9, 2009
Fresh 2.5/4	Rotten 51%	Observe and Report (2009)	" Observe and Report is the evil twin of Paul Blart, which had a soft heart but no nerve. This flick is almost criminally cynical, but delinquents will think there's something arresting about a movie whose mission is disturbing the peace." Posted Apr 9, 2009
Rotten	Rotten 35%	Alien Trespass (2009)	" Alien Trespass earns some style points, but the substance is Dullsville." Posted Apr 2, 2009
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 84%	Cherry Blossoms (2009)	" A uniquely poignant meditation on mortality." Posted Apr 2, 2009
Fresh 3/4	Fresh 89%	Everlasting Moments (2009)	" The three principal actors are powerfully effective, particularly Heiskanen." Posted Apr 2, 2009
Rotten 2.5/4	Fresh 88%	Adventureland (2009)	" Although this '80s flashback has an appealing sheen of sweetness, it sticks so closely to the rhythms of remembrance that it lacks dramatic impact. We've heard this story too many times before." Posted Apr 2, 2009
Rotten 2/4	Rotten 18%	The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)	" The combination of emotional impact and brutal imagery is initially potent, but the second half of the movie wallows in occult cheese that�s hard to swallow." Posted Mar 26, 2009
Fresh 3.5/4	Fresh 82%	I Love You, Man (2009)	" *The key to the success of I Love You, Man* is that both actors deliver recognizably human performances within the formulaic structure.**" Posted Mar 19, 2009

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4/4	March of the Penguins Offsite
A	Good Night. And, Good Luck Offsite
A-	Cars Offsite
3.5/4	Wedding Crashers Offsite
B+	Tim Burton's Corpse Bride Offsite
3/4	War of the Worlds Offsite
B	Reel Paradise Offsite
2.5/4	Madagascar Offsite
B-	Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny Offsite
2/4	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the... Offsite
C-	Deception Offsite
1/4	Super Capers Offsite
D	V For Vendetta Offsite

4/4	Cherry Blossoms Offsite
A	Man On Wire Offsite
4/4	Trouble the Water Offsite
A	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Offsite
A	I'm Not There Offsite
A	I'm Not There Offsite
A	The Queen Offsite
A	Borat: Cultural Learnings of America... Offsite
A	Brokeback Mountain Offsite
A	Good Night. And, Good Luck Offsite

D	V For Vendetta Offsite
1/4	I Love You, Beth Cooper Offsite
1/4	Super Capers Offsite

JOE WILLIAMS

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