Jason Buchanan Movie Reviews & Previews

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Jason Buchanan

Agrees with the Tomatometer 66% of the time.

Publications:: TV Guide's Movie Guide

Total Reviews:: 80

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 80

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
3/4	77%	Iron Man 3 (2013)	" The longest film in the series by a handful of minutes, Iron Man 3 certainly doesn't feel like it thanks to its briskly paced screenplay and the wise decision to place some of Iron Man's most heroic moments toward the end of the movie." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted May 2, 2013
2/4	8%	The Big Wedding (2013)	" Though the seasoned cast are certainly game, the heartfelt nature of Zackham's screenplay and the message that sometimes we must lie in order to protect our loved ones combine to make this one strange stew in which the various ingredients clash." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 26, 2013
2/4	47%	The Lords of Salem (2013)	" Zombie's moody shocker finds the part-time singer still floundering to find his voice as a filmmaker while offering clear-cut evidence that it takes more than a deep love of the horror genre to become a great horror director." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 19, 2013
2.5/4	76%	It's a Disaster (2013)	" Despite the strength of his writing and his cast, Berger still falters when it comes to the final act." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 19, 2013
2.5/4	56%	Oblivion (2013)	" Oblivion may not qualify as "great" science-fiction cinema, but it's still a big step up from your typical, big-budget Hollywood fare." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 18, 2013
2.5/4	72%	Red (2010)	" A playful action blockbuster with a top-shelf cast and a refreshingly unconventional concept." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 15, 2013
3.5/4	73%	Iron Man 2 (2010)	" Despite being more traditional in structure and theme than the original, Iron Man 2 offers just about everything anyone could ask for in a superhero spectacular, and then some." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 15, 2013
3.5/4	79%	Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)	" A whizz-bang, retro-futuristic adventure that mercifully eschews the brooding Dark Knight trend to offer an exhilarating thrill ride that perfectly captures the enduring optimism of the 1940s." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 12, 2013
3/4	68%	Trance (2013)	" While we may not be able to trust any of the characters in Trance, we can certainly count on the filmmakers to deliver a story that holds us transfixed from start to finish." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 12, 2013
2.5/4	59%	Detour (2013)	" A deeply immersive exercise in low-budget suspense from start to finish. " — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 8, 2013
2/4	62%	Evil Dead (2013)	" This flesh-rending retread simply doesn't recapture the ferocious energy of the low-budget fright-fest that set Sam Raimi down the yellow brick road to Hollywood." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 5, 2013
2.5/4	93%	The Sapphires (2013)	" Despite the prosaic plot and reserved approach taken by Blair, Briggs, and Thompson, it's tough to get cynical about such a warmhearted picture that strives to tell so uplifting a story." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Apr 5, 2013
3/4	94%	Room 237 (2013)	" The beauty of Room 237, however, doesn't lie in the validity of any one of the commentators' thoughtful (and occasionally well-informed) speculations, but instead in that mysterious grey zone between an artist's intentions and audience interpretation." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 29, 2013
2/4	28%	G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)	" If you're going to start applying concepts like logic, plausibility, and classical filmmaking techniques to this explody distraction, you'll probably end up laughing your way out of the theater before the main "plot" is even revealed." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 28, 2013
3/4	66%	Spring Breakers (2013)	" An audacious, sun-kissed nightmare that folds the director's familiar flair for the surreal into a narrative framework that results in his most coherent (and accessible) picture to date." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 22, 2013
3/4	39%	The Call (2013)	" It's precisely the kind of tense fare that plays best to a crowded house, and benefits greatly from the direction of a filmmaker who knows how to tighten the screws on his squirming audience." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 15, 2013
2.5/4	60%	Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)	" Fortunately for everyone involved, Raimi has enough gas in his creative tank to keep Kapner and Lindsay-Abaire's script afloat in the run-up to Oscar's showstopping performance in the big finale." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 7, 2013
2/4	52%	Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)	" Jack the Giant Slayer feels too compromised to be truly memorable -- like a film created by a conservative committee rather than a director with real vision." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 1, 2013
2.5/4	67%	Stoker (2013)	" Elegant direction helps to elevate a lackluster screenplay, but a game cast play things a bit too cool for comfort in Stoker." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Mar 1, 2013
3/4	58%	Snitch (2013)	" It may not mean much in terms of action, but what Snitch lacks in explosions, it more than makes up for by delivering a message that needs to be heard." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Feb 22, 2013
3.5/4	94%	Slumdog Millionaire (2008)	" A great movie is something more than the sum total of all its parts, and here, the elements all come together to form a feature that speaks a universal form of optimism that isn't likely to get lost in translation." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Feb 20, 2013
1.5/4	20%	Identity Thief (2013)	" Identity Thief feels painfully misguided for nearly every one of its interminable 108 minutes." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Feb 8, 2013
2.5/4	47%	Bullet to the Head (2013)	" This is hard-R action done old-school style. If that's your game, then gather up and throw in." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Feb 4, 2013
2.5/4	40%	Parker (2013)	" Statham stands as one of the few contemporary action stars with the personality and physicality to carry a big-budget shoot-'em-up. Here, he also successfully manages to make a character already played memorably by some pretty talented actors all his own." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 25, 2013
2.5/4	59%	The Last Stand (2013)	" Schwarzenegger's legacy deserves better than this, and so do his fans." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 18, 2013
3/4	65%	Mama (2013)	" Much like the way a neglected child still looks up to the flawed parent who gives it their best, many horror fans will still love Mama, regardless of her shortcomings." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 18, 2013
3/4	32%	Gangster Squad (2013)	" A pulpy action throwback that effortlessly achieves its goal to entertain thanks to a top-shelf cast, dazzling direction, and a fast-paced screenplay chock-full of snappy 1940s-style patter." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 11, 2013
3/4	76%	The Bay (2012)	" Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli helps that old dog Barry Levinson learn some new tricks in The Bay." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 8, 2013
3/4	79%	The Grey (2012)	" Carnahan's gripping yet grim thriller is either a masterpiece of reflective cinema, or a bleak, inexcusably nihilistic bid to transcend movie tropes by alienating the audience." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 8, 2013
3/4	86%	The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)	" The Pirates! Band of Misfits is cinematic booty that shines like gold." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 7, 2013
3/4	94%	The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)	" With The Secret World of Arrietty, Yonebayashi proves himself to be not just a worthy successor to Miyazaki, but an accomplished visionary in his own right." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 7, 2013
3.5/4	95%	The Imposter (2012)	" With his first feature doc, Layton proves himself not only adept at seeking out such true-life tales, but also telling them with the flair of a naturally gifted storyteller." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 7, 2013
3/4	81%	The Impossible (2012)	" It's a truly visceral piece of filmmaking, but alas, it's hindered more than helped by a certain composer's shameless attempts to get our tears swelling right along with his overwrought strings." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 4, 2013
2.5/4	88%	Django Unchained (2012)	" We're left with an overindulgent shadow of what could have been a much better film." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Jan 4, 2013
2/4	61%	Jack Reacher (2012)	" A mediocre Tom Cruise mystery thriller that's entertaining in the moment but instantly forgettable." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Dec 21, 2012
3/4	66%	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)	" If The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is any indicator of things to come, this trilogy could be every bit as wondrous and exciting as the one that preceded it." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Dec 13, 2012
2.5/4	4%	Playing for Keeps (2012)	" It could be just the kind of pleasant surprise that leaves your inner cynic at a momentary loss for words." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Dec 7, 2012
3/4	88%	Life of Pi (2012)	" A stunningly gorgeous adventure drama with a rich spiritual subtext." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Nov 30, 2012
3/4	74%	Rise of the Guardians (2012)	" Like a treasure hidden in plain sight, this is one film that will no doubt be cherished by children and adults who are fortunate enough to recognize its enchanting glimmer." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Nov 30, 2012
3/4	86%	Wreck-it Ralph (2012)	" Through it all, the animators fill Wreck-It Ralph with playful sight gags and smart video-game references that will delight savvy viewers, but aren't so inclusive that they can't be enjoyed by non-gamers." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Nov 2, 2012
2.5/4	33%	Chasing Mavericks (2012)	" Like most amateur surfers, Hanson and Apted get off to a shaky start in Chasing Mavericks; but once they find their balance, they ride the incredible wave of Moriarity's uplifting tale with the sure footing of the seasoned pros they truly are." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 26, 2012
2/4	31%	Total Recall (2012)	" A remake that's well-worth missing." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
3/4	93%	Looper (2012)	" Much as he did in Brick, Johnson creates a carefully drawn world in Looper that exists by its own particular set of rules." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
1/4	16%	The Watch (2012)	" The aliens may be not of this Earth, but the jokes in this lifeless sci-fi comedy are so lazy they never even manage to lift off." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
2.5/4	87%	ParaNorman (2012)	" For moviegoers who tend to look down their nose at horror films, ParaNorman offers proof positive that the genre that gets us screaming can also have real substance." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
2.5/4	43%	Hotel Transylvania (2012)	" The concept of monsters as the good guys and humans as the villains is nothing new in the realm of movies, but Tartakovsky keeps things moving along at a satisfying pace as the stellar voice cast have a field day with their iconic characters." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
2.5/4	82%	Seven Psychopaths (2012)	" For those who aren't averse to a bit of gallows humor, Seven Psychopaths is just original and morbid enough to be genuinely memorable." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
3/4	96%	Argo (2012)	" If there's one lesson to be gleaned from director Ben Affleck's relentlessly tense, painstakingly detailed Argo, it's that we should consider the possibility that our history has been manipulated more than many of us would care to admit." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012
3/4	61%	Tai Chi Zero (2012)	" An energetic martial-arts romp with a stylish steampunk twist, Tai Chi 0 assaults the viewer with frenetic fight scenes, audacious video-game-inspired graphics, and nearly enough goofball humor to have it qualify as a comedy." — TV Guide's Movie Guide Posted Oct 19, 2012

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