ROTTEN TOMATOES: Movie Reviews & Previews

Critics » Adam Fendelman » Fresh

Send Email

Adam Fendelman

Agrees with the Tomatometer 76% of the time.

Publications:: HollywoodChicago.com
Critics' Group:: Chicago Film Critics Association

Total Reviews:: 206

Location:: Chicago

Best Reviewed Films

Showing 1 - 50 of 206

Previous | Next

Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
5/5	86%	Inception (2010)	" After thinking it'd take "a couple months" to ink, director Christopher Nolan took eight years to painstakingly write the "Inception" script. And you can tell. It's his first pure masterpiece." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 15, 2010
5/5	94%	The Dark Knight (2008)	" With only three short words comprising the film's enigmatic title, it also boasts three epic claims to fame: the role of a lifetime for the late Heath Ledger, one of the best films of 2008 and one of the greatest superhero films of all time." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 18, 2008
5/5	96%	WALL-E (2008)	" Though perfection in film is a highly unlikely proposition, WALL-E indeed has become 2008's first perfect film and one of the best Pixar projects of all time." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 2, 2008
5/5	88%	Kung Fu Panda (2008)	" In this summer movie season of old men with whips, gals in stilettos and superheroes a go-go, you may ask: "Where's the cartoon?" (Speed Racer doesn't count.) Indeed, the most highly anticipated animation event of the summer is Kung Fu Panda" — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jun 6, 2008
5/5	68%	Redbelt (2008)	" David Mamet combines his famous rat-a-tat dialogue rhythms with a story that he describes as 'American samurai'. This collaboration of Mamet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and the purity of martial arts join forces for a captivating and one-of-a-kind film experience." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 13, 2008
5/5	98%	The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) (2007)	" We see bittersweet and beautiful emotions running throughout the film. These are spread from the small victories in human connection to the shared passion that the language of music conjures up." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Mar 18, 2008
4.5/5	98%	Up (2009)	" A symphonic balance of captivating silence and clever dialogue, belly-laugh humor and tear-in-the-eye despair, fast-paced action scenes and scenes slowed for their precious detail, Up orchestrates its talent into one truly unforgettable piece." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 28, 2009
4.5/5	54%	Choke (2008)	" Standing and pacing during our interview, Sam Rockwell made a hilarious theatrical moment out of his frustration while lighting a cigarette. He talked about his latest characterization, which is a challenging performance channeling an Oedipal personality." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 26, 2008
4.5/5	100%	Man on Wire (2008)	" The story that looks back at the incident plays like a great caper film. The operation to get into the tower and string the wire was a combination of ingenuity, planning and exquisite timing since the top of the building was still a construction site." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 18, 2008
4.5/5	76%	Une Vieille Ma�tresse (The Last Mistress) (An Old Mistress) (2007)	" The cynicism and fire of the film all emerges from the heat of Asia Argento. In giving a truly fearless performance as the title character, she uses her body and audacity to tweak the upper-class society that can't take their eyes off her." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 21, 2008
4.5/5	71%	Wanted (2008)	" With curving, clinking and kissing bullets, Wanted indeed does Chicago proud. And Angelina Jolie sells it. And Morgan Freeman is ominous. And in his body of work, James McAvoy -- the star of this orgasmic summer blockbuster -- becomes a man." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 2, 2008
4.5/5	94%	My Winnipeg (2007)	" This is an achingly beautiful film full of black-and-white images working as both stark reality and soft-focus dreams. Maddin contemplates the far-off sense of leaving Winnipeg and seeks renewal through an anti-nostalgic look back at it." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 1, 2008
4.5/5	53%	The Promotion (2008)	" This notable, Chicago-filmed comedy was inspired by the true events of director Steve Conrad seeing a store employee at a Chicago chain armed only with a yellow courtesy vest break up some unruly loiterers in the parking lot." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jun 6, 2008
4.5/5	86%	Meduzot (Jellyfish) (2008)	" Shira Geffen's script is a poignant intersection of the regrettable past and the transitions that must occur to move on. In this 60th-year celebration of Israel, this film feels like the whole country." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jun 3, 2008
4.5/5	84%	Constantine's Sword (2007)	" Former priest and author James Carroll is simply pointing out that the use of cover up and propaganda -- whether it's aimed at another religion or another country -- is still represented at the point of a sword. That sword is shaped like a cross." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jun 1, 2008
4.5/5	77%	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)	" Despite some things that make you go 'hmmm' with an unexpected twist of plot events, this is the real Indiana Jones deal. The spirit is spot on and Hollywood this time has fantastically exhumed its venerated roots." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 23, 2008
4.5/5	66%	The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)	" The decision to go 'PG' issued a renewed faith that Hollywood can spit out a money-generating product without having to spew gallons of blood and blow stuff up. But that didn't come without great scrutiny and much editing." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 16, 2008
4.5/5	48%	Before the Rains (2008)	" Set among the first wave of nationalism that led to India's independence, this highly symbolic story is tautly constructed to create high-wire tension between the oh-so-white British colonialists and the traditional Indian ways." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 13, 2008
4.5/5	89%	The Visitor (2008)	" The Visitor is America working out the demons of Sept. 11, 2001. Director Thomas McCarthy brilliantly focuses on characters who love life despite the less savory circumstances surrounding them." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Apr 20, 2008
4.5/5	98%	Blindsight (2006)	" Blindsight is a film that not only every skeptical teen should be forced to swallow in the high school repertoire but also anyone in need of self-reflection in their lives should go and see." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Apr 10, 2008
4.5/5	79%	Teeth (2007)	" In one of the great light bulb ideas that could only happen in association with making movies, along comes Teeth to bite us hard. If you think the rhetorical illustration of the events defy logic, just wait to actually sink your own teeth into it." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Mar 26, 2008
4.5/5	65%	Be Kind Rewind (2008)	" Michel Gondry's latest cinematic breakthrough Be Kind Rewind grants passage into his magical imagination and proves yet again he's one of today's artistic giants." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Feb 22, 2008
4.5/5	62%	Diary of the Dead (2007)	" This is serious stuff that's done with serious �lan from a young cast. There is sensational exhibition in Romero's filming technique, and in pushing the zombie envelope, the director makes a poignant statement on our selfish, fear-based society." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Feb 18, 2008
4.5/5	97%	Once (2007)	" Though the trailer for Once might pique your curiosity, you don't know the freight train of raw emotion that's about to blindside you." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 24, 2007
4.5/5	94%	Gone Baby Gone (2007)	" Ben Affleck declares his rightful place as an auteur with his own artistic vision and storytelling ability. More than just showing promise, his Gone Baby Gone directorial debut promises great things for his future as a filmmaker." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 19, 2007
4.5/5	94%	Juno (2007)	" Juno is the first LiveJournal or Blogger film. Its dialogue doesn't just call out to be read. It's like hypertext that calls to be clicked on." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 16, 2007
4.5/5	96%	The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)	" Seth Gordon's feature-length documentary about obsessive arcade gamers could possibly be the most entertaining thing you could do on a Saturday night." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 21, 2007
4.0/5.0	35%	Battleship (2012)	" Despite the blockbuster mistake of allowing Rihanna to make her big-screen debut, "Battleship" succeeds where it absolutely must: It's one of the best, most entertaining popcorn flicks ever." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 17, 2012
4.0/5.0	31%	Detention (2012)	" Kahn's fast-paced, Aaron Sorkin-like "Detention" deserves cult-hit status. Just as "The Social Network" embodies our Facebook culture, this SXSW film-festival favorite rewrites today's high school movie bible." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Apr 13, 2012
4.0/5.0	79%	Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)	" This film succeeds where most comic book adaptations fail: a love story you actually feel, a mostly cohesive story and a believable superhero who manages to inspire all without being too far out of reach." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 23, 2011
4/5	79%	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)	" While this Harry Potter is the most murky and forlorn so far, its most grave battle is the internal question between the corporate and creative types. We know why the seventh film was extricated into two, but should it really have been?" — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Nov 22, 2010
4.0/5.0	93%	127 Hours (2010)	" While Danny Boyle's directorial range is wide, he says each project holds one central tenant near and dear: life-affirming themes. But what you've never seen Boyle do is a true story -- that is, until now." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Nov 11, 2010
4/5	94%	The Town (2010)	" When Ben Affleck's playing the role of the filmmaker on subject matter he cares about most, we now see two examples of films that literally are made because he's monopolizing the most important elements of their creation." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 18, 2010
4/5	91%	Up in the Air (2009)	" Director Jason Reitman is becoming like a fine wine. And in Up in the Air, he has managed to pour a likely Oscar contender on prescient subject matter while continuing to display his directorial range." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 5, 2009
4/5	81%	Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)	" Even a rhythmless zombie will be able to siphon Michael Jackson's prowess now. And this time, this is it. If you thought the king of pop wouldn't deliver on his latest bout of 50 sold-out worldwide concerts, think again." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 28, 2009
4/5	73%	Where the Wild Things Are (2009)	" Interview: From the looks of things, you'd think Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze is more than just Max Records' director. You'd think Jonze was his 12-year-old star's father, too." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 16, 2009
4/5	89%	A Serious Man (2009)	" A Serious Man isn't the story of Joel and Ethan Coen's lives. But you might not know it. While the brothers continue to turn their films into Hollywood gold, this 1967-set black comedy is among the more personal projects in their repertoire." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 11, 2009
4/5	88%	Inglourious Basterds (2009)	" 'I've had no issues in working with the Weinsteins. They're ma boyz!,' Tarantino exclaimed in our Chicago interview both with anticipated media training but also with genuine indebtedness to the brotherly duo. 'They're coming back in a big way.'" — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 20, 2009
4/5	68%	Public Enemies (2009)	" Despite some minor strikes and overlooking a yawn of a performance by Christian Bale, Public Enemies indeed stars two decisive characters among 2009's best so far: Johnny Depp and the meticulously recreated environment that is Chicago itself." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 1, 2009
4/5	72%	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)	" It turns out that skipping a 'blowout' garage sale she was planning paid off for up-and-coming actress Taraji P. Henson after all, she told HollywoodChicago.com in a Chicago interview after netting her Benjamin Button role." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 24, 2008
4/5	98%	The Wrestler (2008)	" 'That became a big reason why I wanted to make the film: the forgotten talent of Mickey Rourke,' director Darren Aronofsky said in an interview with HollywoodChicago.com. 'No one had gotten to see him be sympathetic and lovable in a role for a while.'" — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 23, 2008
4/5	78%	Doubt (2008)	" Adapted from the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, Doubt makes for a great story and magnificent on-screen performance, but not the full cinematic experience that separates a stage production from a moving-picture show." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 11, 2008
4.0/5.0	94%	Milk (2008)	" Just as Tom Hanks put a face to AIDS in 1993's Philadelphia, Sean Penn has now put a face to gay rights as Harvey Milk in the new Gus Van Sant true-story film Milk." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Nov 27, 2008
4/5	51%	What Just Happened? (2008)	" Proving that truth is stranger than fiction, this farcical narrative delves into how egos essentially run Hollywood and how those egos are largely attached to dysfunctional human beings." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 17, 2008
4/5	46%	Lakeview Terrace (2008)	" Already an important and controversial American playwright, Neil LaBute is looking to make the same individual mark as a director in films. His most recent effort is an incisive and poignant meditation on race, class and gender relations in America." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 22, 2008
4/5	82%	Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)	" While legendary filmmaker Woody Allen can't always be equated with sheer genius and is more accurately described as a hit-or-miss proposition, this sorely undermarketed film serves as unquestionable retribution for his recently questionable work." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 15, 2008
4/5	87%	Frozen River (2008)	" In this interview, Frozen River star Melissa Leo from the TV show Homicide discusses why she channeled John Wayne for this role and how she captures the desperation and strength of a woman with everything to lose." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 14, 2008
4/5	83%	Tropic Thunder (2008)	" While Tropic Thunder is an offensively complicated picture that certainly has figured out to whirl about a laugh around every corner, so does its complication sometimes force the story to tug about in many different directions." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 13, 2008
4/5	78%	Baghead (2008)	" In this interview, filmmakers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass talk about the road to their first distributed feature, the process of their filmmaking and the meaning of the term mumblecore." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 6, 2008
4/5	35%	Space Chimps (2008)	" The beauty of this rather conventional, kiddy adventure is that it revels in not taking anything seriously. The script is peppered with stupid physical comedy, silly puns and dry witticisms on the concepts of space and monkeys." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 20, 2008

Showing 1 - 50 of 206

Previous | Next

Sort by Rating:

Sort results by this critic's rating. This option is only available for critics with a rating system (4 star, letter grade, 1-10, etc.)
Sort by T-meter:

Sort results by the Tomatometer (percentage of critics recommending a certain movie)