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Adam Fendelman

Agrees with the Tomatometer 76% of the time.

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

Total Reviews:: 218

Location:: Chicago

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Showing 1 - 50 of 218

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
3.0/5.0	55%	Oblivion (2013)	" An ostentatious steak dinner in the special effects department never makes up for a story that tastes more like cheap ramen noodles." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Apr 20, 2013
2.0/5.0	27%	21 And Over (2013)	" We feel manipulated into giving "The Hangover" masterminds our 10 bucks again while getting an immature regression back to what appears like a college film made by college film students." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Mar 3, 2013
2.5/5.0	58%	Snitch (2013)	" Dwayne Johnson doesn't just want to be The Rock. And perhaps he is more after all. Despite his professional wrestling fame, "Snitch" is Johnson's plea to be respected as a true, dramatic actor." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Feb 21, 2013
2.5/5.0	30%	Broken City (2013)	" "Broken City" safely navigates shallow waters and floats by as a mediocre thriller without emerging as a standout crime film or a total flop." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jan 20, 2013
2.5/5.0	61%	Jack Reacher (2012)	" While Jason Bourne could dogfight Reacher with his man sack squished in a vice grip and the safety left on his Sig 228 gun while smoking some serious Maui wowie reefer, "Jack Reacher" has one twist you'd never expect: its star isn't its title character." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 20, 2012
2.0/5.0	25%	Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)	" "Paranormal Activity 4" plays to people who are unwilling to think, don't want to or actually can't engage a well-constructed and deep plot that delves beyond surface-level door slams and quick "boo!" scare-and-jump scenes." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 20, 2012
4.5/5.0	63%	Sinister (2012)	" I never look at Rotten Tomatoes until after I publish my review. My reviews agree with the Tomatometer 77% of the time. While "Sinister" is fresh here based on 100+ reviews, it's only barely so at 63%. That's wrong. This is the best horror film of 2012." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 13, 2012
2.5/5.0	59%	10 Years (2012)	" "10 Years," which should have abandoned its attempted comedy and focused on its somewhat effective drama, unintentionally backfires by proving that a real-life Hollywood couple has less on-screen chemistry than two actors who've practically never met." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 22, 2012
2.0/5.0	39%	The Possession (2012)	" Just a nugget of truth doesn't amount to a true gold rush. Whether or not you believe in the "true story" on which this film is "based," that real-life backstory is more titillating than its cinematic dybbuk dramatization." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 2, 2012
4.0/5.0	65%	The Campaign (2012)	" This primarily predictable film is nonetheless a deliciously side-splitting meal that mostly maintains its delicacy throughout while only infrequently pausing to chew on some unwanted fat." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 10, 2012
4.5/5.0	87%	The Dark Knight Rises (2012)	" Pour one part Michael Bay (eye candy) plus another part Quentin Tarantino (rich writing) and the resulting mutation is Christopher Nolan and his near-perfect Batman conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies of all time." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 20, 2012
2.5/5.0	48%	Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)	" Too often a film fails on its ability to skillfully write, portray or act out a compelling story, but its redeeming savior is expensive special effects. Viewers deserve the total cinematic package and they don't get it here." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 31, 2012
4.0/5.0	34%	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	38%	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
2.0/5.0	51%	John Carter (2012)	" There's no surer-fire way for a film to ink its own $250-million obituary than by contrasting itself to two of Hollywood's most titanic films when it only has half the heart, soul and story of either one." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Mar 10, 2012
2.0/5.0	85%	Chronicle (2012)	" This film's fanboy ejaculate loves you short time as it spews the buildup of what could be interpreted as a "story" and ultimately ends without one." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Feb 3, 2012
2.5/5.0	51%	Contraband (2012)	" A film can't just rely on the surefire ingredients a big-budget film needs to become a box-office success. This film did, and because "Contraband" played it too safe and didn't take risks, its surefire bet misfires." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jan 14, 2012
3.5/5.0	80%	Young Adult (2011)	" You can typically always hear Diablo Cody's unique, pop-culture writing style directly through her characters. But not this time. Mavis' journey from immaturity to immaturity parallels Cody's maturation as a writer." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 9, 2011
2.0/5.0	24%	Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)	" The bloated franchise's worst film without question, the fourth "Twilight" popcorn flick is a futile exercise on the disappointment of anti-climactic waiting. It doesn't sparkle or shine. It flickers, and then disappointingly dies." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Nov 18, 2011
3.5/5.0	60%	Real Steel (2011)	" Big Hollywood names aside (Jackman, Spielberg and Zemeckis), this family film overcomes an initially harebrained-sounding plot with just enough thrill, modern-day ocular wizardry and heart-warming emotion to convert most initial skeptics into believers." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 8, 2011
3.0/5.0	90%	The Lion King (2011)	" While "The Lion King" is one of the best Disney movies of all time, "The Lion King 3D" is a manipulative exploitation to bring paying parents back with their kids merely through the sexiness of today's 3D fad." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Sep 17, 2011
2.0/5.0	45%	30 Minutes or Less (2011)	" Devastatingly mistaking makeshift witticisms for authentic philistine comedy translates into a film that's unfunny as a used tampon is appetizing." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Aug 11, 2011
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
2.5/5.0	38%	Cars 2 (2011)	" "Cars 2" is a Honda needing a body shop as compared to the pristine Ferrari that was "Cars". It's an unequal Pixar blend for adults and kiddies that never evolves into the storytelling success of its predecessor." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jun 24, 2011
3.0/5.0	34%	The Hangover Part II (2011)	" Business and creative people go together as well as fine wine at a burger joint. For this sequel, the brass beat out the artists and afford us the double-edged sword of the same exact formula from two years ago." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 26, 2011
3.5/5.0	77%	Thor (2011)	" While initially it might feel nonsensical for a superhero to derive supreme power from a hammer forged out of a dying star, the way "Thor" wields its supremacy makes mince meat out of humdrum guns, knives and swords." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 7, 2011
2.5/5.0	61%	Water for Elephants (2011)	" Based on the spinal column of a richly worthwhile novel, a catastrophically miscast lead duo and a vegetarian screen story only serve up scant droplets from this tale's oceanic potential." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Apr 22, 2011
2.0/5.0	70%	Limitless (2011)	" While so many films have already taken us down this rabbit hole, "Limitless" will be remembered for forgetting to make us care we've fallen down it the second we leave the theater." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Mar 18, 2011
1.5/5.0	11%	Red Riding Hood (2011)	" Hardwicke's "Red Riding Hood" proves the "Twilight" formula isn't always a surefire bet. While it wasn't a comedy (and should have been), its only redeeming quality is it's funny to mock." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Mar 10, 2011
2.5/5.0	32%	I Am Number Four (2011)	" Thankfully for Chicagoans this film doesn't star Brett Favre because of his numerical jersey affiliation, but with a story this weak, that stretch wouldn't be too far." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Feb 18, 2011
2.5/5.0	53%	The Mechanic (2011)	" Despite all his high-octane assignments, the only imperfection Statham receives is the crow's feet on his face. That's because his invincible shield protects him from all the rest of the body-razing annihilation that his person should have endured." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jan 28, 2011
2.5/5.0	44%	The Green Hornet (2011)	" Seth Rogen's character should have evolved with humility and authenticity by relinquishing his bogus stranglehold as The Green Hornet and becoming The Guy Who Smokes a Fat Blunt Better Than You But Only Kicks Ass Like Your Great Grandma." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jan 15, 2011
3.0/5.0	51%	Tron Legacy (2010)	" On a 10-point meter comprised of visuals and story where ideally each would consume five points equally, "TRON: Legacy" tips the scale in the tech department with eight while only leaving two for humanity." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 17, 2010
1.5/5	20%	The Tourist (2010)	" The epic fail of "The Tourist" starts with its name, which should have been "Pay $10 Just to Gawk at Angelina Jolie's Pretty Face Even Though You Can Get Online Porn For Free"." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 10, 2010
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
3.5/5.0	59%	Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)	" Paranormal Activity 2 returns to theaters with content and panic tactics that are much of the same. That said, the main difference is the film's masterful exploitation of one of the most emotionally scary instruments you could imagine: a baby." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Oct 23, 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
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
2/5	63%	Predators (2010)	" Since these aliens just live to parachute humans into their game preserve, you're left thinking they instead play canasta, cuddle with one another and hop through open fields like bunny rabbits because they sure haven't evolved to modern expectations." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jul 11, 2010
2.0/5.0	35%	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)	" Another video game adaptation fail, but the blockbuster time drain isn't entirely in vain. Its mindless entertainment is excellent background noise for making out at home." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 29, 2010
3.5/5	73%	Iron Man 2 (2010)	" Iron Man 2 does what it can within the confines of what it has to do. The Hollywood machine has trained us to have certain expectations for blockbuster sequels and this film neither deviates nor blazes new territory." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted May 7, 2010
2.5/5	32%	The Lovely Bones (2009)	" Interview with Rose McIver of The Lovely Bones: "It was terrifying to see [Stanley Tucci] transform on screen into someone so utterly different from himself."" — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Apr 23, 2010
2.5/5	27%	Extraordinary Measures (2010)	" Harrison ford interview: "I didn't make this film because I'm a crusader for righteous health care or I wanted to indict the pharmaceutical industry or to make a film about Pompe disease. I wanted to be fair and entertaining."" — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Jan 25, 2010
3.5/5	70%	Sherlock Holmes (2009)	" Instead of relying of high-tech gadgetry and big-budget Hollywood CGI, Guy Ritchie's gritty Sherlock Holmes does what major films often don't: delivers big-payoff action sequences merely utilizing the body and mind." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 27, 2009
2.5/5	23%	The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)	" "There's not a bigger '**** you!' from Hollywood than when they say: 'Eh, we're not going to release this film,'" "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" star Sean Patrick Flanery said in an interview." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Dec 8, 2009
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
2.5/5.0	27%	The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)	" New Moon knows what it is, what it isn't and how to quench fans. It can't say the same, though, for outsiders." — HollywoodChicago.com Posted Nov 20, 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

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