Critics » Joshua Starnes
Joshua Starnes

Joshua Starnes

Agrees with the Tomatometer 75% of the time.

Publications:
ComingSoon.net
Critics' Group:
Houston Film Critics Society
Total Reviews:
417

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 417
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
9.5/10 98% Gravity (2013) " On the outside Gravity is much like the rest of its ilk - a diagram of the intensity of the human survival instinct; on the inside it is a meditation on the attraction and horror of isolation told with such grace as to take your breath away." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Oct 3, 2013
6.5/10 33% The Family (2013) " The Family is filled with Besson's signature visual wit, boasting occasionally sharp satire aimed equally at both sides of the Atlantic, but he lets us down in the end through the deadly combination of broad characters and a rambling narrative." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Sep 20, 2013
9.5/10 99% The Wizard of Oz (1939) " MGM's fantastic IMAX 3D conversion for the The Wizard of Oz's 75th anniversary underlines rather than obscures most of the film's visual pleasures, reminding us (if we'd managed to forget) just how glorious L. Frank Baum's strange world is." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Sep 20, 2013
8/10 60% Riddick (2013) " Vin Diesel and David Twohy's Riddick sees the filmmakers and their creation on a search to return the anti-hero to his roots after the operatic excess of his last outing and, despite a few pitfalls along the way, they largely succeed." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Sep 6, 2013
5/10 74% The Grandmaster (2013) " The Grandmaster lacks focus or drive as director Wong Kar-wai flails among the elements of Ip Man's life for something to hold onto and comes up with little except that late in life he taught Bruce Lee." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Sep 3, 2013
6.5/10 12% The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) " There's enough of a glimmer that future stories can do away with the gristle and get into the meat of the thing, but you've got to get through City of Bones first which might not be worth it unless you're already invested in the series." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Aug 22, 2013
7.5/10 69% The Wolverine (2013) " For all the up and down The Wolverine is definitely more up than down more of the time... It still doesn't feel like the definitive adventure for the character, but there's potential for the character still." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Aug 16, 2013
6.5/10 38% Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) " With a complete change in creative personnel and adjusted expectations Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is a noticeable improvement over the first adventure, but it's still awkward and unsure of itself." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Aug 16, 2013
6.5/10 68% Elysium (2013) " If you can't ignore the ham-handedness of the message, which moves quickly from not far off-base to way, way over the top, it might be just too much for you." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Aug 16, 2013
5.5/10 26% Jobs (2013) " Stern and company have managed the task of taking an actually interesting narrative and draining it like a vampire, with nothing to show for their results but a wasted two hours. That's some sort of feat, but it's not a good one." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Aug 16, 2013
7.5/10 62% Scenic Route (2013) " When Scenic Route works it really works, and it's definitely a trip worth taking." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 26, 2013
6/10 14% R.I.P.D. (2013) " If it sounds like Men in Black with ghosts instead of aliens that's because that's exactly what it is, just with a bit less wit and slickness." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 24, 2013
6/10 42% Red 2 (2013) " It's like the first RED only less so." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 19, 2013
7/10 31% The Lone Ranger (2013) " It wouldn't work as well as it does if Hammer and Depp didn't play off one another as well as they do. But work it does, in a sort of shambling, Frankenstein manner that seems like it should fall apart at any moment but doesn't." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 2, 2013
6.5/10 64% Epic (2013) " Sure there's not much original here ... but it's well done, and that can't always be expected. Like a dandelion thistle, Epic is light and fluffy and quickly lost in the breeze." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 27, 2013
5/10 19% The Hangover Part III (2013) " These movies are done. They are past done. Yes, The Hangover was a genuinely funny movie, but the warm feelings towards a well done piece of entertainment are not enough to make Part III anything more than rote." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 27, 2013
5/10 87% Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) " Far from going where no one has gone before, this Star Trek is only interested in retreating along its old tracks." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 27, 2013
7/10 67% World War Z (2013) " Even with the botched ending there's a lot to like about the film, but World War Z stinks with the rot of missed opportunity." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 27, 2013
5/10 50% White House Down (2013) " Yes, there is some enjoyment to be had from White House Down if only from how inept it is." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 27, 2013
6/10 56% Man of Steel (2013) " There is a lot to like about Man of Steel ... but it could be better. There is a lot of room to grow and hopefully the next try will be better yet." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 13, 2013
5/10 49% The Great Gatsby (2013) " Gatsby waivers and wanders, overblown and overdone and about twenty minutes too long." — ComingSoon.net
Posted May 9, 2013
8 79% Iron Man 3 (2013) " Iron Man continues to set the bar for Marvel's solo superhero films through a combination of wit, charm and out and out entertainment." — ComingSoon.net
Posted May 1, 2013
7.5/10 7% The Big Wedding (2013) " The Big Wedding is not a classic, or even really memorable, by any means, but considering the pit it starts at, it gets off light. And that's better than usual." — ComingSoon.net
Posted May 1, 2013
6/10 79% 42 (2013) " 42 is enjoyable as hagiography goes, but for a genuinely important subject it has all the density of a soufflé. " — ComingSoon.net
Posted Apr 12, 2013
7/10 32% Gangster Squad (2013) " Those looking for the depth and complexity of the best of the genre are in the wrong place, but take Gangster Squad for what it is and it's not a bad way to spend an evening." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
5/10 60% The Last Stand (2013) " As action movies go, it's okay. There are some good ideas underneath and an attempt develop them, but only an attempt. And though time has moved on, Schwarzenegger himself hasn't. As a hero's triumphal return goes, it's more of a whimper." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
6/10 46% Bullet to the Head (2013) " At its ridiculous best Bullet reminds us why we liked Stallone in the first place. But time has moved on, for him and for us and there's a point where looking back this way stops being entertaining and starts to become sad." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
4/10 13% Safe Haven (2013) " It's typical comfort food filmmaking and that's exactly what Safe Haven is: a mouthful of cotton candy. Empty, overly sweet, and likely to kill you from diabetes." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
7.5/10 52% Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) " The only thing holding it back is the look of the effects. There's no way around it - Digital Domain's work on the Giants is substandard and all the scenery chewing of Bill Nighy (as the voice of the head giant) can't disguise the fact." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
7/10 —— Go For Sisters (2013) " Go for Sisters is a showcase for the best and worst of Sayles' work taking a melodramatic plot and adding layers of character into it, using genre as platform to explore different cultures and the way they bounce off one another." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
8/10 98% Mud (2013) " As fable like as Mud can be, with its good luck charms and wards against werewolves and demons and men who salvage using homemade diving bells, at its heart it is about real people going through real things." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
7.5/10 69% V/H/S/2 (2013) " If it's not great V/H/S/2 is still a vast improvement over the first; brutal and efficient and immensely entertaining." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
7/10 84% Much Ado About Nothing (2013) " As a modern version of Shakespeare goes Ado has a lot to recommend it and is worth seeing for Fillion's performance alone." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
9/10 98% Before Midnight (2013) " A grown up, mature work in every sense of the phrase Before Midnight is that rare sequel among sequels - the one which continues to better that which has come before it." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
6/10 62% Evil Dead (2013) " Beyond the basic plot and the return of a few of the most well-known sight gags from the first two Evil Dead films, it is generally its own animal." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Mar 18, 2013
6/10 15% Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) " Playing his film with a constant wink and nod Wirkola spends Hansel & Gretel's running time balanced on a knife's edge and juggling flaming chainsaws while doing it. He never falls although he does frequently stumble quite badly." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jan 25, 2013
9/10 93% Amour (2012) " Amour is not an easy film by any stretch of the imagination, but for those in search of art without pretension or affectation, this is the way it's done." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Dec 12, 2012
8/10 88% Django Unchained (2012) " Tarantino definitely has a point to make about slavery, and it is there, but it is well hidden behind a stout curtain of fun, which is ultimately what you'll get from Django Unchained." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Dec 12, 2012
8/10 89% Lincoln (2012) " One of the best acted films of the year." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Nov 2, 2012
7/10 33% The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) " If it's not quite as deep as it would like, Timothy Green does what it sets out to do better than most." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Oct 15, 2012
7/10 38% Here Comes the Boom (2012) " It will help a lot if you like Kevin James, because you're going to be spending the entire film with him, but he's a likeable guy and Here Comes the Boom puts its best assets to work and only occasionally falls victim to its worst instincts." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Oct 15, 2012
5/10 81% Pitch Perfect (2012) " Pitch Perfect isn't particularly bad. It isn't particularly anything. And that's what's most disappointing about it. That so many talented people could have worked so hard to produce something so... nothing." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Oct 15, 2012
7/10 85% End of Watch (2012) " Not many character-oriented thrillers like this get made, however, so it's nice to be able embrace the ones that do, if you can handle the eccentricities." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Oct 15, 2012
6/10 56% The Bourne Legacy (2012) " As mindless entertainment goes, Legacy is better than most with good dialogue and excellent character work from Renner. But it's incomplete and ultimately unable to carve out an identity of its own." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Aug 10, 2012
8/10 77% Killer Joe (2012) " A little more time and a little more money might have turned Killer Joe into something truly great, or it might have ruined it, overwhelming the delicate chemistry with surface glitter. We'll never know." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 19, 2012
9/10 88% The Dark Knight Rises (2012) " What flaws The Dark Knight Rises has are few and far between, with most of it hitting just the right note as it prances between the darkest depths and the most hopeful highs like a cat on a hot tin roof." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 19, 2012
8/10 73% The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) " I'm not convinced we actually needed a completely re-launch of the Spider-Man series just 10 years and three films after it started, but if we have to have one, The Amazing Spider-Man is a good one to have." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 5, 2012
7.5/10 80% Magic Mike (2012) " A good script, sure direction, and a star turn by Tatum may not be enough to make it 'the Citizen Kane of stripper movies' but you do get isn't half bad." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jul 2, 2012
7/10 78% Brave (2012) " On the surface, Brave does everything right. It is well thought out, well executed with a great deal of charm and humor... But for all that effort and skill, the end result is just... ehh." — ComingSoon.net
Posted Jun 25, 2012
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