Leigh Paatsch

Leigh Paatsch

Agrees with the Tomatometer 79% of the time.

Publications:
Courier Mail (Australia) , Daily Telegraph , Daily Telegraph (Australia) , Herald Sun (Australia) , New York Post
Total Reviews:
389

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 51 - 100 of 389
Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
1.5/5 26% Wrath of the Titans (2012) " A mumbling, stubbly Worthington phones in his effort from a long way away. It's as if he just stepped off Man on a Ledge and landed in a leather tunic." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Mar 30, 2012
3/5 50% Mirror Mirror (2012) " In its best moments, Mirror Mirror works quite well in a Tim Burton-lite kind of way. The production design is always imaginative, and just a touch strange." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Mar 28, 2012
3.5/5 85% The Hunger Games (2012) " Overall, a solid and sometimes spectacular effort that promises even better things to come." — Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Posted Mar 20, 2012
4/5 85% 21 Jump Street (2012) " Make no mistake, there is a fresh, focused and undeniably funny comedic sensibility that stays to the fore throughout." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Mar 15, 2012
2/5 51% John Carter (2012) " John Carter's hard-to-follow story and terrible dialogue leaves it on par with that cheesy Flash Gordon remake from the 1980s." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Mar 9, 2012
2.5/5 59% Any Questions for Ben? () " I sense that others who similarly fell hard for the soulful sincerity of The Castle and The Dish will feel a little quizzical about the comparative slickness of Any Questions for Ben?" — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Feb 10, 2012
2/5 57% Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) " For the most part, the sludgy re-processing of the original leaves everything looking as if it was lensed through a wet, worn sock. Only one sequence -- the epic pod race on the planet Tatooine -- goes close to making any worthwhile use of the 3D format" — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Feb 9, 2012
1/5 17% A Few Best Men () " The set-up is simple enough at best. The execution is simple-minded at worst." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Feb 7, 2012
3.5/4 56% Albert Nobbs (2012) " This ripping period drama is led with distinction by Glenn Close in an unorthodox part she has been developing for three decades." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jan 5, 2012
3.5/5 90% Attack the Block (2011) " When the going gets tough. Attack the Block hangs as tough as any modern thriller should." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Dec 1, 2011
37% Restless (2011) " Gus Van Sant staggers back and forth across that line like a drunk with a busted stopwatch." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Dec 1, 2011
1.5/5 3% Jack and Jill (2011) " How will future generations judge us for the huge box-office love we've shown Adam Sandler over the years? " — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Dec 1, 2011
3/5 74% Burning Man (2012) " The resounding positive of Burning Man is the first-class performance of Goode in the lead role, which truly leaves a lasting mark whenever the film takes its biggest risks." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 17, 2011
4/5 75% The Tall Man () " A fascinating work which will provoke much debate for some considerable time to come." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 17, 2011
24% Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) " OK, Twilight fans! Come and get it! Your second-last instalment in the saga is being served just the way you like it: drab to the eye, bland on the palate, and room-temperature at all times." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 16, 2011
3.5/5 —— Fastest () " The lasting worth of Fastest is its forensic analysis of the many nuts, bolts and spanners-in-the-works of a typical MotoGP season." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 10, 2011
2/5 50% Fighting Fear () " If you can wait until Fighting Fear hits DVD or TV -- it would have fared better as a one-hour TV special -- you won't be missing much." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 10, 2011
2/5 78% Santa's Apprentice (L'apprenti Pere Noel) () " Cheap, cheerful and utterly forgettable C-grade cartoon." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 9, 2011
3.5/5 68% Our Idiot Brother (2011) " While no one would hail Our Idiot Brother as the most accessible movie comedy of 2011, it is definitely the one most comfortable in its skin." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 3, 2011
1/5 17% I Don't Know How She Does It (2011) " This sappy, crappy and condescending chick flick has been slapped together for those wishing to bask in the cinematic afterglow of the ever-radiant Sarah Jessica Parker." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 3, 2011
3.5/5 47% Anonymous (2011) " Though Anonymous is historical hogwash of the highest order, it is never less than highly entertaining." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Nov 3, 2011
4/5 100% Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard () " An amazing documentary about the late Australian musician Rowland S. Howard." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 27, 2011
3/5 36% In Time (2011) " After teasing us with big statements about immortality and how we all waste so much precious time, it is disappointing to see Niccol's ideas shrink to nothing but gunfights and car chases." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 27, 2011
3.5/5 85% George Harrison: Living In The Material World () " Though the film will resonate more with Beatles tragics ahead of the general public, Scorsese mounts a powerfully persuasive argument for a reassessment of Harrison as a musical force in his own right." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 20, 2011
4/5 93% Midnight in Paris (2011) " His assembly of a beautiful montage of Parisian scenery that precedes the opening credits sets the unique tone Allen chases to perfection." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 20, 2011
2/5 24% The Three Musketeers (2011) " Though all the right names, places and times are present and correct according to the ancient blueprint dictated by author Alexandre Dumas, the simple swashbuckling vibe of the original tale is rarely captured." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 20, 2011
3.5/5 68% Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) " The big-money scares definitely pay their way, but so too do the many smaller, subtler janglings of the nerves." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 20, 2011
3/5 85% Contagion (2011) " While Contagion would never be classified as entertaining or enlightening, it does make an impact." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 20, 2011
2/5 26% The Cup (2012) " The Cup has certainly been released at the right time to cash in on Spring Racing Carnival fever. But not all paying punters will be pleased with the final dividend returned." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 13, 2011
3/5 36% The Thing (2011) " Aside from the fine anchoring work taken on by Winstead and Edgerton, the standout aspect of The Thing is its wide array of forcefully frightening special effects." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 13, 2011
3.5/5 60% Real Steel (2011) " Real Steel should not work on any level, but it succeeds on many, thanks to its appealing, unpretentious and deceptively involving approach to its tale." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 6, 2011
2/5 70% The Hunter (2012) " What is intended as haunting and unworldly comes off as stilted and phony. Only the evocative cinematography of Robert Humphreys gives any hint as to what may have been." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 6, 2011
3/5 83% Caught Inside (2012) " So when Caught Inside finally descends into an expected them-versus-him free-for-all in the final act, it is Oxenbould's wickedly wonky way with an improvised line that keeps the whole thing fresh." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 6, 2011
3/5 71% Footloose (2011) " The glue subtly holding everything together for Footloose is the intelligent and atmospheric direction of Craig Brewer, best known for his superb handling of the cult classic Hustle and Flow." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Oct 6, 2011
4/5 98% Project Nim (2011) " A bizarre, captivating and somewhat sad new documentary." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 29, 2011
3/5 78% Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) " In a world goofily guffawing at the likes of Horrible Bosses, The Change-Up, Johnny English Reborn and Bad Teacher, an un-stupid movie such as Crazy, Stupid, Love is conspicuously going against the flow." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 29, 2011
3/5 73% The Whistleblower (2011) " While the facts of the case demand this film can do no more than administer one big booster shot of buzz-kill, it is Bolkovac's ferocious will to right so many wrongs (expertly channelled by Weisz) that keeps you glued to the screen." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 29, 2011
73% The Whistleblower (2011) " While the facts of the case demand this film can do no more than administer one big booster shot of buzz-kill, it is Bolkovac's ferocious will to right so many wrongs (expertly channelled by Weisz) that keeps you glued to the screen." — Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Posted Sep 28, 2011
1/5 4% Abduction (2011) " The electricity of the Twilight phenomenon may have zapped Taylor Lautner to super-stardom, but it ain't gonna keep him there. Sadly, it is already apparent the 19-year-old shall never learn to act in his, yours or any other lifetime." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 22, 2011
2/5 23% Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D (2011) " Now then, what of the movie? Well, it stands a better chance of getting up your nose than crummy old AromaScope, that's for sure." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 22, 2011
2.5/5 38% Monte Carlo (2011) " The film's tween-age target demographic will be perfectly content with what they see here. " — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 22, 2011
4/5 96% Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) " There is nothing gimmicky about Herzog's use of 3D in Cave of Forgotten Dreams. The depth of field afforded by the 3D format gives the viewer an uncanny spatial awareness of the site." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 22, 2011
1/5 38% Johnny English Reborn (2011) " Moderately funny if you still laugh at people walking into stuff, falling off stuff, and having their private parts inadvertently collide with stuff. Chillingly unfunny if you don't." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 15, 2011
2.5/5 58% The Eye of the Storm (2012) " Like the central figure in this ambitious adaptation of the celebrated Patrick White novel, The Eye of the Storm coughs a little, splutters a lot and then finally passes away." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 15, 2011
3.5/5 80% God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (2011) " The result of two long years spent with the heavy metal godfather, this compelling and well-constructed documentary lures the real Ozzy out of his cartoon shell." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 15, 2011
2.5/5 23% The Smurfs (2011) " It is something of a relief that this energetic kids flick is partially better than it had any right to be." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 15, 2011
3/5 90% Face to Face (2013) " With the ensemble cast all instinctively attuned to Williamson's clever contrasting of the realities on the factory floor with the delusions of head office, Face to Face stares down doubters with pure intent." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 8, 2011
4.5/5 87% Submarine (2011) " A uniquely strange, yet totally accessible comic sensibility, fused by a brilliant script to a brace of pitch-perfect performances seals the deal." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 8, 2011
2/5 14% Zookeeper (2011) " Just who will be amused by James mugging and hugging his way into the heart of a good woman (Rosario Dawson? In your dreams, Kevin!) is a question that simply cannot be answered." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 8, 2011
3/5 80% Life in a Day (2011) " Not all of this stuff will totally grip you with its urgency or relevance, but not a second of it (yes, even that fellow contemplating his laundry list) will wear out its welcome." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 2, 2011
1.5/5 79% Chalet Girl (2011) " Chalet Girl is a pedestrian affair that limply modernises the Cinderella fairytale for fun and profit." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 2, 2011
2.5/5 61% Final Destination 5 (2011) " As sick and sorry as some of the outcomes prove to be in FD5, there can be no denying there is often some wild imagination and genuine inspiration in play." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 2, 2011
1/5 36% One Day (2011) " The most desperate, cloying weepie seen in many a long time." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 2, 2011
3.5/5 76% The Help (2011) " Superbly cast and effectively scripted, The Help has been designed to forge a direct connection with the viewer on an emotional level." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Sep 2, 2011
3/5 71% Friends With Benefits (2011) " Friends With Benefits is exceptionally entertaining. Definitely one for date-movie devotees." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 25, 2011
3.5/5 84% Beginners (2011) " A beautifully understated piece of filmmaking and a playfully inventive style of storytelling are combined to great effect in Beginners." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 25, 2011
2/5 16% Priest (2011) " At the very least, the film's herky-jerky mood swings will keep viewers on their toes long after they become bored with the main plot." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 25, 2011
3/5 70% Horrible Bosses (2011) " As far-fetched and filthy-minded as the film often gets, there is a subversive universal appeal in play that keeps lingering doubts at bay." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 25, 2011
4/5 95% The Guard (2011) " A shifty, cunning and gloriously off-kilter affair." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 25, 2011
2.5/5 24% Conan the Barbarian (2011) " The very fact no attempt is made to hide the over-acted performances and under-developed storyline will sit perfectly fine with fans of this kind of junk." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 19, 2011
1.5/5 44% Cowboys & Aliens (2011) " Overall, a dull, overblown and forgettable farrago." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 19, 2011
4/5 81% Red Dog (2012) " This superb all-ages picture gets everything right: from the all-important combo of casting and scripting, right through to its unfailing ability to please a crowd every which way." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 4, 2011
4/5 82% Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) " This surprise reboot -- 10 years after the great Tim Burton bungled the same job -- is surprisingly good." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Aug 4, 2011
1/5 0% Big Mamma's Boy () " It doesn't matter if you get Big Mamma's Boy confused with Martin Lawrence's terrible Big Momma's House franchise. The overall outcome for this cringe-inducing comedy is about the same." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jul 28, 2011
96% Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) " Though it does indeed hurt to say goodbye, almost all Potter fans will agree this emotion-charged farewell has been handled to perfection." — News.com.au
Posted Jul 12, 2011
4/5 89% The Trip (2011) " Though the film is genuinely blessed by the inspired improvised banter of its stars, it is the melancholy air of the movie's quieter moments that really get you in." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 30, 2011
2/5 36% Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) " While Dark of the Moon isn't a tired movie experience -- the wizardry has moments of near-Avatar brilliance -- it can be a tiring one." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 30, 2011
5/5 84% The Tree of Life (2011) " If you believe cinema can still be a valid form of personal expression, then you must see The Tree of Life. It does not get any more expressly personal than this." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 30, 2011
0/5 49% Sleeping Beauty (2011) " A hideous arthouse snoozer, Sleeping Beauty strikes the rare double of being as pretentious as it is puerile." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 22, 2011
3/5 81% Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) " The upgrade to 3D is worth while, the story is a solid refinement of the best bits from before and the balance between light humour and darker drama is quite well maintained." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 22, 2011
2.5/5 38% Cars 2 (2011) " Too much of the movie putters along on autopilot." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 22, 2011
3.5/5 82% Super 8 (2011) " The lasting charm of Abrams's work here is the warmth he finds in the youthful and awkward protagonists of Super 8." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 9, 2011
2/5 63% Here I Am () " The tedious direction of Beck Cole mistakenly assumes mood matters more than character development." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 2, 2011
3.5/5 88% X-Men: First Class (2011) " Factor in top-notch special effects and a spectacularly gripping finale, and you've got one of the best action releases of 2011." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 2, 2011
3/5 94% Los ojos de Julia (Julia's Eyes) (2011) " The anchoring performance of Rueda is what keeps this second-hand material fresh and forcefully involving." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 2, 2011
3/5 88% Cane Toads: The Conquest (2012) " While Lewis can rarely resist cracking a joke at the expense of the cane toad phenomenon, he is always careful to ensure that his film educates as it entertains." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Jun 2, 2011
34% The Hangover Part II (2011) " What can be believed as reliable word-of-mouth is that The Hangover Part II will not leave fans with a sore head or a sorry frame of mind." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 25, 2011
3/5 84% Angel & Tony (Angèle et Tony) () " Debutante writer-director Alix Delaporte keeps our eyes fixed firmly on the title characters, releasing information about what might be keeping them together on a teasingly selective basis." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 19, 2011
4/5 86% The Snowtown Murders (2012) " A gut-wrenching authenticity and damaged grace that cannot be denied." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 19, 2011
2.5/5 13% Main Street (2011) " While Main Street does have its merits, the production (which ironically experienced its own share of financial hardships before and after shooting) feels ever so slightly unfinished." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 19, 2011
1.5/5 33% Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) " This fourth episode is being pitched as a reboot of the franchise. Nothing could be further from the truth." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 19, 2011
1/5 34% Burke and Hare (2011) " This unfunny farce stinks to high heaven." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 12, 2011
3/5 87% Mad Bastards () " Thankfully, a resounding emphasis on authenticity and an infectiously motivated cast of amateurs carries this heartfelt drama across the line." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 12, 2011
2/5 26% Your Highness (2011) " The movie coughs, splutters and nods off on the job repeatedly -- as if everyone hit the weed so hard they forgot there were cameras rolling." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 12, 2011
2.5/5 66% Insidious (2011) " Insidious is happy enough with elevating your breathing pattern every now and then, as opposed to choking you outright with one shock after another." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 12, 2011
3/5 61% Water for Elephants (2011) " A deceptively enjoyable, very old-fashioned romantic drama." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 12, 2011
2.5/5 59% La Rafle (2012) " An incongruously glossy production design and some ungainly performances from experienced leads such as Jean Reno and Melanie Laurent put a further drain on The Round Up's reserves of goodwill." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 4, 2011
3/5 15% Something Borrowed (2011) " As odd as it seems, Something Borrowed grows on you as it wears on, primarily because its characters are relatively unlikeable for a film of this type." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 4, 2011
4.5/5 91% Source Code (2011) " Do not miss Source Code if you can at all help it. As a modern motion picture, this really is the complete package." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted May 4, 2011
2.5/5 78% Fast Five (2011) " At the very least, petrol-headed punters won't be left fuming by what whizzes past in a blur here." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 21, 2011
3/5 77% Thor (2011) " While the plotting of Thor is decidedly cheesy, the action sequences it spawns -- particularly whenever tensions heat up with those terrifying Frost Giants -- hold their own in awesome fashion." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 21, 2011
3/5 47% Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (2011) " The film is funny and lively enough (particularly when the visuals are switched to Kinney's famous stick-figure illustrations) to win over any newcomers to the fold." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 14, 2011
3/5 53% Brighton Rock (2011) " The new version of Brighton Rock definitely makes for curious viewing -- almost in a Cockney Coen brothers kind of way -- but presents an often erratic experience as well." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 14, 2011
2/5 37% Mars Needs Moms (2011) " If Mars Needs Moms had not have been produced using the mo-cap process -- which still hasn't fixed the problem where some folk have a spooky, neither-alive-nor-dead look -- it might have stood more chance of finding an audience." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 14, 2011
3/5 58% Scream 4 (2011) " Well paced and shrewdly written, Scream 4 works just fine as both a whodunnit and a who's-gonna-get-it-next." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 14, 2011
2.5/5 72% Paul (2011) " It is not that Paul is in any way a bad movie. It is just a very average one. " — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 14, 2011
1.5/5 26% Hop (2011) " A clunky, mirth-challenged mix of live action and animation, Hop should be bounced to the back of the family's to-do list in the coming holiday period." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 8, 2011
1.5/5 23% Sucker Punch (2011) " Consider yourself punched, sucker." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 8, 2011
2.5/5 84% My Afternoons with Margueritte (2011) " Perfectly pleasant, if mildly underwhelming French feel-gooder." — Herald Sun (Australia)
Posted Apr 8, 2011
Showing 51 - 100 of 389
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