ROTTEN TOMATOES: James Sanford

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Kalamazoo Gazette
www.jamessanford.com

JAMES SANFORD

Agrees with the Tomatometer 80% of the time.

Biography: I began reviewing films for The Grand Rapids Press when I was in high school. I now work for the Kalamazoo Gazette. My website is interbridge.com/jamessanford.

Favorites: Vintage: Broadcast News, Moonstruck, North By Northwest, Vertigo, King Kong (1933), Klute, Breakfast at Tiffany's, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Wizard of Oz, Gunga Din, etc. Recent: Little Children, The Queen, Volver, Jesus Camp, Slither, Children of Men, The Departed, The Painted Veil, Dreamgirls, Casino Royale, Stranger Than Fiction, Babel.

Publications: Entertainment Insiders, James Sanford on Film, Kalamazoo Gazette, rec.arts.movies.reviews

Total Reviews: 1266
Total QuickRatings: 482

Location: Portage, Michigan

BEST REVIEWED FILMS

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

Fresh 4/4	Fresh 93%	The Lives of Others (2006)	" a mesmerizing, heartbreaking thriller" — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jul 29, 2007
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 79%	Little Children (2006)	" it's a marvelously complex piece of work... there's an uneasy undercurrent running through the movie that keeps it from becoming just another skin-deep spoof of suburbia." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Feb 1, 2007
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 97%	The Queen (2006)	" Frears maintains a marvelous balance between comedy and poignancy... 'The Queen' isn't shy about confronting the question that looms over England's future: Has the monarchy outlived its usefulness?" — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Nov 22, 2006
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 86%	Brokeback Mountain (2005)	" ...eloquently sums up and universalizes the hopelessness of Jack and Ennis' situation while showing the staggering cost of hypocrisy and deceit." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jan 20, 2006
Fresh 4/4	Rotten 48%	Rent (2005)	" Viva la vie boheme. ...largely throws out the Hollywood rule book and remains refreshingly true to composer Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-winning original." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Nov 22, 2005
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 88%	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)	" a superb, swiftly paced fantasy that cleverly balances its incredible events with plenty of adolescent aches and pains that even Muggles can identify with." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Nov 17, 2005
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 98%	Murderball (2005)	" tough, touching, exciting and surprisingly hilarious. The men profiled... take competition seriously, talk like jocks and don't shy away from partying or romance." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Oct 19, 2005
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 94%	March of the Penguins (2005)	" Enthralling ...And yes, the close-ups of the baby penguins -- roly-poly masses of fluffy gray feathers crowned by miniature black-and-white masks -- are undeniably adorable." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Aug 5, 2005
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 91%	Kinsey (2004)	" As both a screenwriter and a director, Condon does a first-rate job of making potentially difficult subject matter accessible without rendering it bland." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Dec 27, 2004
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 97%	Sideways (2004)	" Payne shares with the great Billy Wilder the knack for heightening scene after scene with the addition of a few little details that most directors might overlook..." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Nov 23, 2004
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 95%	Hero (2004)	" The images in 'Hero' are often so magnetic you might find yourself forgetting to read the subtitles, but then this is definitely a movie that deserves a second viewing anyhow." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Aug 26, 2004
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 85%	Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)	" the tension Carradine and Thurman generate in the pivotal scene, as bloodlust collides with memories of happier days, is utterly riveting. " — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Apr 15, 2004
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 93%	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)	" While Kaufman has sprung some world-class brainteasers on us before, 'Sunshine' is the first screenplay he's written that hits the heart." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Mar 18, 2004
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 85%	Pieces of April (2003)	" Barely 80 minutes long, this is a movie with the texture of a great short story. ...a comedy -- and a sharp, smart one." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Feb 12, 2004
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 94%	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)	" Jackson does a superb job of wrapping up the saga of the battle for Middle-earth. ...you can't help but gasp at the sheer spectacle of it all. " — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Dec 16, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 98%	Spellbound (2003)	" builds a surprising amount of suspense... It's sometimes agonizing to see these young faces fall as they confront such enemies as "obsimath," "cephalagia" and the dreaded "kookaburra"..." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Oct 16, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 97%	Winged Migration (2003)	" an amazing technical achievement, as the cameras get so close to the birds you would almost swear you could reach out and touch their feathers." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Sep 7, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 94%	American Splendor (2003)	" a one-of-a-kind biography ... The humor comes through because it's never forced; like Pekar's work, it seems drawn from daily life." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Aug 11, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 90%	Whale Rider (2003)	" What can revitalize a broken spirit? The answer lies in the film's lyrical finale, which is dazzlingly staged, and in the exquisite, irresistible 13-year-old Castle-Hughes, whose natural, unfussy performance is something to treasure." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jul 31, 2003
Fresh 5/5	Fresh 98%	Finding Nemo (2003)	" far more sophisticated and ambitious than what typically passes for 'family entertainment.' ...manages to be extremely funny, thrilling and sometimes a little scary as well." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted May 30, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 92%	Talk to Her (2002)	" The offbeat beauty of Almodovar's script lies in its seductive combination of grieving, sensuality, fantasy and passion. Almodovar is incapable of creating dull characters..." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Mar 29, 2003
Fresh 5/5	Fresh 97%	Spirited Away (2002)	" like a combination of 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Alice in Wonderland' retold by a clever storyteller who incorporates his own details, twists and bits of humor into the plot." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Feb 7, 2003
Fresh 5/5	Fresh 87%	Chicago (2002)	" Zeta-Jones, livelier and sexier than she's ever been on screen, and Zellweger, who nails down Roxie's brassiness with aplomb, are a scintillating duo." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jan 25, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 80%	The Hours (2002)	" serves as something of a master class in acting, thanks to the exquisite performances of Streep, Moore, Kidman and Harris and the outstanding supporting cast..." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jan 5, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 91%	Adaptation (2002)	" perplexing, exhilarating and often uproariously funny... its jolting wrap-up is certain to leave you with whiplash of the brain..." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jan 1, 2003
Fresh 5/5	Fresh 96%	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)	" Actually superior to its predecessor... You could hardly ask for more spectacle for your movie dollar. ...sure to be hailed as one of the most thrilling fantasies ever filmed." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Dec 11, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 96%	Bowling for Columbine (2002)	" Moore sees a nation that extols the glories of 'family values' while millions line up to see 'Jackass: The Movie'..." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Nov 2, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 93%	About a Boy (2002)	" Hugh Grant affirms his position as this century's answer to Cary Grant." — James Sanford on Film Posted Jun 3, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 78%	A Beautiful Mind (2001)	" Nash and Alicia are played by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, both of whom give performances that border on the spectacular. Neither has ever been better or created a richer, more multi-layered characterization." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jun 3, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 95%	You Can Count on Me (2000)	" Unconditional love is a beautiful theory, Lonergan suggests, but putting it into practice can be exasperating." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jun 15, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 96%	Dark Days (2000)	" a gripping collection of vignettes that show a side of life most of us will hopefully never have to witness first-hand." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jun 15, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 97%	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (1999)	" like being absorbed into the pages of every adventure story you loved as a child." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jun 15, 2002
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 100%	Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)	" From the opening scene in which he takes on a theater full of pretentious actors to the grand tearjerking finale, Cyrano is always the center of attention, and Depardieu, full of wit, bravado and passion, rises to the challenge." — James Sanford on Film Posted Aug 17, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 91%	Cinema Paradiso (1989)	" an enchanting, sweeping look at post-WWII life, real and reel. It's set mostly in a small Italian village, but the characters, situations and changes it depicts are universal." — James Sanford on Film Posted Aug 17, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 97%	Broadcast News (1987)	" Brooks' screenplay still seems alarmingly timely in its portrait of the blurring of the lines between what is news and what is entertainment. The movie's quietly devastating climax beautifully illustrates the collapse of ethics in TV journalism." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jul 31, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 71%	Plenty (1985)	" The role of Susan is custom-made for Streep and she turns in yet another tour de force. ...Susan is genuinely a puzzlement... You may not like her, but you will not forget her." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jul 31, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 92%	After Hours (1985)	" a comedy that's both uproariously funny (often in a most uncomfortable way) and deeply disturbing at the same time." — James Sanford on Film Posted Jul 31, 2003
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 94%	Reds (1981)	" an epic love story ... As a teenager I saw it four times in the theater (which I now find pretty astonishing, considering the movie is well more than three hours long -- I had a lot more free time in 1981!)" — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jan 12, 2007
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 100%	Jaws (1975)	" Like all the best suspense films, "Jaws" manages to somehow remain amazingly tense, even if you've seen the film before. No wonder so many moviegoers went back for repeat viewings." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jul 27, 2007
Fresh 4/4	Fresh 81%	The Sound of Music (1965)	" established Julie Andrews as a major international movie star. Her radiance and energy fills the screen in scene after scene. She's absolutely magnetic..." — James Sanford on Film Posted Aug 5, 2003
Fresh 5/5	Fresh 86%	Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)	" Adapted from Truman Capote's novella, it's a romance like no other, a story of two people -- who've survived in the big city by selling themselves -- trying to determine the true value of love." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Jul 29, 2002
Fresh 4.5/5	Fresh 90%	Hot Fuzz (2007)	" Outrageously funny... The movies Pegg and Wright are parodying are mindless, yet the movie they've made is marvelously witty." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Apr 27, 2007
Fresh 4.5/5	Fresh 91%	Volver (2006)	" Until now, you may not have considered Penelope Cruz the modern-day successor to Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford. But director Pedro Almodovar's delightful 'Volver' could change your mind." — Kalamazoo Gazette Posted Mar 30, 2007

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4/4	The QueenOffsite
4.5/5	VolverOffsite
3.5/4	Half NelsonOffsite
4/5	The Wind That Shakes the BarleyOffsite
3/4	The PrestigeOffsite
3.5/5	GrindhouseOffsite
2.5/4	A Scanner DarklyOffsite
3/5	Mr. Bean's HolidayOffsite
2/4	Facing the GiantsOffsite
2.5/5	In the Land of WomenOffsite
2/5	Surf's UpOffsite
1.5/4	Deck the HallsOffsite
1.5/5	The Number 23Offsite
1/4	The ReapingOffsite
1/5	PremonitionOffsite
.5/4	Thr3eOffsite
0/4	Pledge This!Offsite

0/4	Pledge This!Offsite
0/4	Date MovieOffsite
0/4	Yor, the Hunter From the FutureOffsite
0/5	The Man Who Wasn't ThereOffsite
0/5	Ghosts Can't Do ItOffsite
0/4	House on Haunted HillOffsite
0/5	From Justin to KellyOffsite
0/5	The Lonely LadyOffsite
0/5	Boat TripOffsite
0/5	The Master of DisguiseOffsite

JAMES SANFORD

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