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Bob Bloom

Bob Bloom

""When the legend becomes fact, print the legend" — The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"

Agrees with the Tomatometer 81% of the time.

Biography:
I was born in New York and am a 1970 graduate of Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, was a bachelor's degree in journalism. I have been working at various newspapers since 1970 and have been writing about the entertainment industry and doing movie reviews since 1977. I am currently the movie critic at the Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Ind.
Favorites:
All-time favorites: Field of Dreams, Singin' in the Rain, City Lights, Casablanca, Adventures of Robin Hood, The Masked Marvel, Adventures of Captain Marvel, 1776, The Maltese Falcon, The Matrix, Jason and the Argonauts and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Publications:
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) , rec.arts.movies.reviews
Total Reviews:
1324
Total QuickRatings:
484
Location:
Lafayette, Ind.

Best Reviewed Films

Showing 1 - 50 of 1473
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
4/4 98% Before Midnight (2013) " The movie is a great romantic story because it bravely displays the downside of love in which two people can expose each other in the most personal fashion yet still remain committed." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jun 13, 2013
4/4 92% No (2013) " "NO" is an inspirational political drama in which the people are roused by the visual to overcome the vicious. " — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Apr 26, 2013
4/4 92% Silver Linings Playbook (2012) " Writer-director David O. Russell keeps the audience guessing. He takes unexpected twists and turns as if defying you to guess what will come next." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 19, 2013
4/4 93% Zero Dark Thirty (2013) " (Jessica) Chastain's powerful performance, for which she deserves a best actress Academy Award, drives the film. She has no private life, no friends. Her obsession drives her." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 12, 2013
4/4 92% Skyfall (2012) " "Skyfall" will take its place among the best of the movies in the 50-year Bond franchise. It is a transitional film, introducing new characters while bidding a sad farewell to some veterans." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Nov 7, 2012
4/4 86% Wreck-it Ralph (2012) " The movie's retro sensibilities will appeal to adults, while the colorful games and characters, as well as the simplicity of the story, will hold the attention of young viewers." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Nov 2, 2012
4/4 96% Argo (2012) " Argo" is a superb drama from a conscientious actor-director who tells his story in a taut, straightforward manner without any gimmicks or tricks." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Oct 11, 2012
4/4 96% Searching for Sugar Man (2012) " Searching for Sugar Man" is a saga about the power of music, living life on one's own terms and the joy of second chances." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Sep 21, 2012
4/4 94% Coriolanus (2011) " In his directorial debut, (Ralph) Fiennes is quite sharp, shooting the battle scenes as if the cinematographers were embedded with his troops and using television broadcasts as a way to advance the story." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Mar 15, 2012
4/4 98% The Artist (2011) " "The Artist" is a delightful treasure. It is a charming mixture of comedy, melodrama and romance that cinema lovers should make a point of experiencing." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 23, 2011
4/4 94% Hugo (2011) " "Hugo" is a movie that children will enjoy, adults will admire and film buffs will cheer. It is a movie that will surprise and delight you with its wonder and awe." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Nov 26, 2011
4/4 96% The Muppets (2011) " "The Muppets" is a movie that will transport some adults back to their childhoods as well as entertain youngsters with its charm and humor." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Nov 23, 2011
4/4 93% Take Shelter (2011) " "Take Shelter" is one of the best movies of the year. In its own understated way, it also is one of the most frightening" — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Nov 11, 2011
4/4 100% Citizen Kane (1941) " There is no doubt that even 70 years after its release, "Kane" still retains the power to hold an audience as it follows the life and death of Charles Foster Kane." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Sep 11, 2011
4/4 82% Super 8 (2011) " What makes "Super 8" so good is that it is told from the viewpoint of the kids, whose emotional honesty bring a sense of reality to this fantasy thriller." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jun 10, 2011
4/4 93% 127 Hours (2010) " It is one of the best films of the year, a gritty and triumphant inspirational story of one man's indomitable will to live despite the slimmest of odds." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 25, 2010
4/4 86% Rabbit Hole (2010) " At times this intimate family drama makes you want to turn away as if you were eavesdropping or prying into the lives of two people whose loss is so palatable that you feel helpless in your inability to reach through the screen to comfort them." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 25, 2010
4/4 90% The Fighter (2010) " The Fighter" is one of the best movies of the year. It is a feature that follows the tenet that the best sports movies are more about people than the athletic contest." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 17, 2010
4/4 96% The Social Network (2010) " The Social Network" is sharp, incisive, insightful and witty. It also touches upon our need -- some may say our addiction -- for human contact, even if it is through a computer." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Sep 30, 2010
4/4 99% Toy Story 3 (2010) " Adults, especially those who had -- or still have -- a favorite toy will grasp the poignancy underlying the entire feature." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jun 18, 2010
4/4 91% Crazy Heart (2009) " The movie serves as a showcase for Bridges. Through his body language and demeanor, you can imagine the toll the years of wear and tear have inflicted." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Feb 10, 2010
4/4 91% Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009) " Director Lee Daniels shows you a world scarier than any imagined for some horror film because it is real -- just outside our doors or around the corner" — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 8, 2010
4/4 91% Up in the Air (2009) " "Up in the Air" belongs to Clooney. He easily fits into a character who is at ease with himself and enjoys living a lifestyle in which he can go about unencumbered." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 22, 2009
4/4 94% The Damned United (2009) " Sheen gives a magnificent performance. His Clough is a character you can neither like nor admire. You watch this walking train wreck in amazement as he continually steps on his own feet with his overactive mouth." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 1, 2009
4/4 94% The Dark Knight (2008) " Ledger is magnificently malevolent. He creates a character who revels in mayhem, a criminal with no agenda other than to spread terror." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jul 17, 2008
4/4 96% WALL-E (2008) " "WALL-E" is a gem and continues Pixar's amazing winning streak of animated hits." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jun 26, 2008
4/4 —— Daredevils of the West () " From start to finish, the chapters roll by offering fans of the genre chases, explosions, gun battles, fistfights and well-done cliffhangers." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jun 9, 2008
4/4 94% Gone Baby Gone (2007) " Gone Baby Gone will haunt you because it does not offer any pat answers or resolutions. It is like real life, complex and messy. " — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Oct 20, 2007
4/4 96% Ratatouille (2007) " In a sense, Ratatouille is a story about fulfilling one's dreams, about going beyond preconceived boundaries and following your heart." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jul 4, 2007
4/4 97% Casablanca (1943) " It is a true timeless classic and will stay so as long as time goes by." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Feb 10, 2007
4/4 91% Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) " The power of Letters is that the screenplay allows the audience to understand the motivation of the Japanese soldiers and, more importantly, empathize with them." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 19, 2007
4/4 73% Flags of Our Fathers (2006) " Flags of Our Fathers is one of the best movies of the year, one which will be hard to ignore come the Academy Award nominations. " — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Oct 20, 2006
4/4 68% World Trade Center (2006) " World Trade Center is a movie packed with emotion. Guaranteed, no one will leave the theater dry eyed." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Aug 9, 2006
4/4 91% United 93 (2006) " ... Paul Greengrass has taken the all-too-familiar events of 9/11 and has created an emotionally charged human drama without stooping to melodramatics or sensationalizing. " — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Apr 27, 2006
5/5 92% The General (1927) " One of the greatest comedies ever produced. It is Keaton at his inventive best." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 27, 2006
4/4 87% Brokeback Mountain (2005) " Lee ... is simply telling a story of the heart, how unpredictable it can be and how empty life can be when individuals don't follow theirs ..." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 21, 2006
4/4 78% Munich (2005) " As he does so well, Spielberg blends action and humanity. You feel sympathy for these men." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 2, 2006
4/4 76% The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005) " It is exciting, a bit scary, offers some touches of humor and brings home a positive message about family, trust and faith." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 12, 2005
4/4 72% Syriana (2005) " It is a mesmerizing global economic and civics thriller that will - or should - start you thinking everytime you turn the ignition in your car." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 12, 2005
5/5 100% Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) (1954) " A masterpiece; a timeless classic; one of the greatest movies ever made." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Feb 11, 2005
4/4 90% Hotel Rwanda (2004) " It should be mandatory for everyone ... to see Hotel Rwanda. The carnage it graphically shows and the lessons it painfully teaches should be burned into every soul. " — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jan 28, 2005
5/5 98% City Lights (1931) " The greatest and most touching finale of any film. Chaplin's masterpiece mixes comedy and sentiment. it makes you laugh, then brings a tear to your eye." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Sep 21, 2004
4/4 95% Hero (2004) " Hero is a poetic masterpiece, a film filled with grace, nobility and action." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Aug 31, 2004
4/4 86% Garden State (2004) " Braff has an ear for dialogue. ... The pauses, the search for words - the right words - overflow from Braff's script. It ... deserves an original screenplay Oscar nomination." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Aug 22, 2004
5/5 100% Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) " A masterpiece of satire, paranoia and straight comedy. One of the all-time classics with a great cast and many memorable moments. Sellers is magnificent." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Jul 31, 2004
5/5 94% To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted May 18, 2004
4/4 94% The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) " Peter Jackson and his ... crew have outdone themselves, completing the ... trilogy with a sweeping epic filled with wondrous effects, blood-curdling battles and ... heart." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 19, 2003
5/5 100% Singin' in the Rain (1952) " The greatest musical ever!! A movie everyone should see over and over again. If it doesn't touch you, check your pulse." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Dec 7, 2003
4/4 95% The Station Agent (2003) " The Station Agent does not overwhelm you. Rather it envelops you like a warm embrace from a loving relative or close friend." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Nov 20, 2003
4/4 82% Thirteen (2003) " If you have teenagers, you will rush home from Thirteen and want to hug them tightly and never let them go." — Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Posted Oct 5, 2003
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