David Hiltbrand

David Hiltbrand

Agrees with the Tomatometer 76% of the time.

Publications:
Philadelphia Inquirer , San Jose Mercury News
Total Reviews:
141

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 141
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
4/4 89% The Trials Of Muhammad Ali (2013) " The documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali is an extraordinarily detailed and textured examination of the man, the time, and the societal forces involved. " — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Sep 27, 2013
3/4 59% Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) " This scrumptious sequel follows the same recipe as the 2009 original." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Sep 27, 2013
3/4 80% Prisoners (2013) " A devastating psychological thriller, Prisoners pulls us deep into our worst fear: the Amber Alert. Then it holds us under." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Sep 19, 2013
2.5/4 33% The Family (2013) " The Family is a film at once strange and intriguing. It can't seem to settle on a tone." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Sep 13, 2013
2/4 60% Riddick (2013) " The first (and one hopes the last) film to borrow heavily from both Alien and Old Yeller." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Sep 5, 2013
0.5/4 3% Getaway (2013) " Don't be alarmed if you walk out of Getaway feeling confused. It's not you. This grainy, clustered video game of a movie makes no sense." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 30, 2013
3/4 64% One Direction: This Is Us (2013) " The fact is that they are as criminally cute as a basketful of puppies. This Is Us manages to frame that boyish appeal astutely ..." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 30, 2013
2/4 12% The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) " The film's primary problem is its premature climax. It goes for the big action crescendo early, then tries to sustain that wild intensity for a solid hour. Admirable, but exhausting." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 21, 2013
60% Mockingbird Lane () " Mockingbird Lane was a sumptuous, spooky, and far more graphic reimagining of Herman, Lily, and their postnuclear family." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 14, 2013
1/4 27% Planes (2013) " Has all the hallmarks of a straight-to-DVD project - inferior plot, dull writing, cheap drawing - perhaps because it was intended for the bargain bin at Target, Walmart, and Costco." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 8, 2013
58% Clear History (2013) " Despite a number of funny lines sprinkled through the script, this History isn't very memorable." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 8, 2013
91% Our Nixon (2013) " The retrieved home movie footage creates a lambent prism through which the '70s seem like a simpler time. It also makes Our Nixon a uniquely dynamic time capsule." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 1, 2013
2.5/4 42% Red 2 (2013) " Enemies and allies have changed sides so many times so randomly, that you're not sure who's fighting whom or why. You just know they all look a little old to be engaged in this sort of reckless behavior." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jul 18, 2013
2/4 65% Turbo (2013) " Let's face it: Kids aren't a very demanding audience. If there's color, movement, and a high quotient of silliness, they're happy." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jul 17, 2013
2.5/4 63% Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (2013) " If you were to judge Let Me Explain purely on its performance portion, filmed at Madison Square Garden during Hart's 2012 tour, the film would merit a full extra star. But at 75 minutes, it feels too skimpy to rave over." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jul 3, 2013
2/4 50% White House Down (2013) " The main flaw of White House Down is that it overstays its welcome, thanks in large part to a silly climax that seems to unfold in three laborious acts." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jul 1, 2013
95% Behind the Candelabra (2013) " This is one of the strangest and strongest TV movies in memory." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted May 27, 2013
3/4 69% Fast & Furious 6 (2013) " The plot and dialogue are still stilted and stupid, but that only proves that Justin Lin, who has directed the last four F & Fs, has his priorities straight." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted May 23, 2013
1/4 5% The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) " A paralyzingly dopey mess, Pluto sat on the shelf for more than a year while Warner Bros. tried to inject some life into it. You might as well try to revive a stuffed moose." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted May 23, 2013
2/4 49% Pain & Gain (2013) " Bay ... doesn't seem to realize the film has gotten away from him. He's still trying to maintain the same jaunty tone even after the content's gone gruesome." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Apr 25, 2013
93% The Central Park Five (2012) " It's a vivid and gripping documentary (although, at two hours, somewhat longer than it needs to be), a grave indictment of a city and a system at the breaking point." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Apr 17, 2013
2/4 46% Bullet to the Head (2013) " Bullet to the Head indicates that we're rapidly approaching an era of big-bang movies with stars on mobility scooters." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jan 31, 2013
88% Crossfire Hurricane () " As the band marks its 50th anniversary, Crossfire Hurricane is a vivid reminder of just how essential, influential, and deliberate they have been." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Nov 16, 2012
2/4 87% Frankenweenie (2012) " Frankenweenie is the apotheosis of goth director Tim Burton's oeuvre: artistic yet sterile, incredibly meticulous and totally misbegotten." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Oct 4, 2012
2.5/4 78% Dredd (2012) " For sci-fi action fans, it's an instant classic." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Sep 20, 2012
2/4 65% The Expendables 2 (2012) " Nice to know America's action stars, no matter how old they get, will never lack for gainful employment." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 22, 2012
1.5/4 49% Hit & Run (2012) " The problem is that Hit & Run can't really settle on a tone. It's a goofy caper that turns savage." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 22, 2012
65% Game Change (2013) " The dramatic re-creations are somewhat uneven: The convention staging is quite convincing, the campaign trail less so." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 6, 2012
2.5/4 77% Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012) " What is worth seeing - and shelling out the 3-D premium for - is Perry's eye-popping showmanship." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jul 5, 2012
1.5/4 25% Wrath of the Titans (2012) " Rarely has a film so equally balanced macho and nacho..." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Mar 29, 2012
25% Act of Valor (2012) " You know who you're supposed to be rooting for because they're the ones wearing uniforms, but it's easy to lose touch with why." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Feb 23, 2012
2/4 66% The Woman in Black (2012) " The Woman in Black has lovely period atmosphere. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much else besides atmosphere." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Feb 2, 2012
2/4 75% Addiction Incorporated (2011) " While its thoroughness is laudable, its pacing is deadly. And the events and attitudes depicted already have become curiously passe in less than a decade." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jan 26, 2012
2.5/4 26% Underworld Awakening (2012) " There's not much to this movie beyond a slick procession of dark, gleaming violence." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jan 21, 2012
2/4 7% New Year's Eve (2011) " This is more of a clown car than it is a movie." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Dec 8, 2011
3/4 60% Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011) " The Fox TV phenomenon is the Lewis & Clark of discovering new revenue streams. And this big-screen iteration is just as buoyant and bright-eyed as the rest of the franchise." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 11, 2011
2/4 52% The Devil's Double (2011) " Tamahori tries to top off this already long Arab immorality tale with gratuitous swirls of romance and heroism." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Aug 4, 2011
1.5/4 14% Zookeeper (2011) " If you've been waiting for Hollywood to produce a romantic comedy with a supporting cast made up of talking animals . . . well, no, even then, Zookeeper will let you down." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jul 7, 2011
89% Buck (2011) " Brannaman is a fascinating character, but Buck is so tightly focused that only avid horse lovers will find it appealing." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jun 23, 2011
2.5/4 19% Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (2011) " A film that's energetic but not entirely engaging, fun but never truly funny." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Jun 9, 2011
2/4 77% Thor (2011) " All the requisite ingredients are wedged in: romance, redemption, a giant invincible robot. But it seems no one was paying attention to overall quality control." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted May 5, 2011
26% Arthur (2011) " The last part of Arthur slogs under an unfortunate burden of sentiment and sincerity." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Apr 7, 2011
46% Soul Surfer (2011) " Just goes to show that the Gospel isn't always right. Faith clearly does not assure a good movie." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Apr 7, 2011
2/4 92% Source Code (2011) " Source Code certainly gives the audience a lot to chew on. But very little of it is digestible." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Mar 31, 2011
2/4 19% Cop Out (2010) " It's tough to screw up an omelet. But it can certainly be done." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Feb 25, 2010
1/4 61% Frozen (2010) " Where are the flying Saint Bernards when you really need them?" — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Feb 4, 2010
2/4 21% Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) " The whole thing is rather insipid. But Thomas makes it smoother and more palatable than it deserves to be." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Dec 23, 2009
1/4 35% The Slammin' Salmon (2009) " You would think any movie with the word "salmon" in the title would have to be funny. Think again." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Dec 10, 2009
2.5/4 66% The Blind Side (2009) " However obvious, The Blind Side is touching -- despite its habit of dropping major character notes into the melody without warning." — Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted Nov 24, 2009
Showing 1 - 50 of 141
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