Mark R. Leeper Movie Reviews & Previews

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Mark R. Leeper

Agrees with the Tomatometer 76% of the time.

Biography:: In and out of science fiction circles Mark and Evelyn Leeper are one of the best known writing couples on the Internet. Mark became an avid science fiction fan at age six with TV's "Commando Cody." Both went to the University of Massachusetts in 1968. There Mark introduced Evelyn to the Science Fiction Society and fandom. Both were active members and officers of the society. In 1978 they founded the Bell Labs Science Fiction Club and their own weekly fanzine, now called the MT VOID (pronounced "Empty Void"). In the early 1980s their writing found its way to the Internet where Mark is now the longest-running regularly published film reviewer. They are widely traveled. Mark is best known for his film reviews and analysis, his weekly editorials, his travel writing, and for fannish origami.
Favorites:: QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1968), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, SCHINDLER'S LIST, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
Publications:: Dog Pile , Mark Leeper's Reviews , rec.arts.movies.reviews
Critics' Group:: Online Film Critics Society

Total Reviews:: 1746
Total QuickRatings:: 134

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 51 - 100 of 1746

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
7/10	74%	Prometheus (2012)	" It promises to give us at least science fictional explanations for some of the great questions of human existence, but it never has the courage to answer those questions." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jun 10, 2012
6/10	68%	Extraterrestrial (2012)	" It is a comedy written for an adult audience that does not pander to an "adult" audience." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jun 5, 2012
8/10	——	Norman Mailer: The American (2012)	" Staccato and compelling, this fast-paced biography recounts some of his views and opinions--writings that alienated people and won supporters." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 13, 2012
—	34%	Burke and Hare (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted May 8, 2012
6/10	93%	Marvel's The Avengers (2012)	" While the film lacks the visual imagination of THOR or the period feel of CAPTAIN AMERICA, it has more of a sense of structures on a huge scale being blown up by even bigger explosions." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 7, 2012
9/10	——	Vynález zkázy (The Fabulous World of Jules Verne)(A Deadly Invention) (1958)	" Showing great imagination on a tiny budget Zeman emulates the look of the lithographs of Verne's early editions" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 27, 2012
5/10	60%	From the Other Side (De L'autre Cote) (2003)	" This film goes for more of a stylistic effect leaving the political impact secondary. A more effective approach would have made this much more the film that was needed." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 19, 2012
7/10	92%	The Cabin in the Woods (2012)	" This may be the most creative American horror film in decades." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 17, 2012
6/10	55%	Downtown Express (2012)	" The film stars two virtuoso musical performers, one in rock and one in classical music. The plot is minor, but the music is a major--perhaps the major--attraction." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 11, 2012
5/10	7%	Losing Control (2012)	" The tone and pacing and even the characters are inconsistent, but still writer/director Valerie Weiss gives the film some wit, some humorous situations, and a refreshing dash of real science." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 6, 2012
—	98%	Project Nim (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Apr 5, 2012
7/10	43%	From Time to Time (2012)	" a reminder of how enchanting a fantasy can still be if not taking over by digital imagery, if it has a few interesting characters and a few nice touches of plotting" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 29, 2012
—	84%	The Tree of Life (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Mar 23, 2012
7/10	51%	John Carter (2012)	" It is fascinating to spend time with this visualization of Burroughs's Mars/Barsoom." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 12, 2012
—	81%	Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Mar 10, 2012
7/10	——	The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)	" presumably the tightness of the Royal Albert Hall stage and the inability of the producers to modify the theater created technical problems that may have been imperfectly overcome." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 9, 2012
8/10	90%	London River (2011)	" Though the arc of the story is fairly predictable, Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyate bring humanity to their roles." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 7, 2012
7/10	——	Shadow of Afghanistan (2012)	" This film concentrates on a world with which United States policy is intimately connected, but a world that remains largely unknown and misunderstood by the American public." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 5, 2012
8/10	99%	A Separation (2011)	" Farhadi does not talk down to his viewer, and he trusts his audience to make their own decisions." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Feb 26, 2012
8/10	——	No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008)	" ...traces the two men's careers from photographing together the 1956 Hungarian Uprising to filming between them many of the most important and influential films of the late 20th century." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Feb 26, 2012
—	100%	Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Feb 22, 2012
—	82%	Trollhunter (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Feb 22, 2012
—	——	Little Senegal (2001)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Feb 22, 2012
7/10	94%	The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)	" By being less bizarre than SPIRITED AWAY and having more of a human center to the film, THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY is one of Studio Ghibli's best efforts to date." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Feb 20, 2012
7/10	65%	The Woman in Black (2012)	" [Watkins] orchestrates the film nearly perfectly so that it does just what a ghost story should do, no more and no less." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Feb 16, 2012
6/10	85%	Chronicle (2012)	" Even if McGrain were wrong on most of his charges, he is probably right on a few, and that is a sobering thought. The question is which ones." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Feb 6, 2012
7/10	93%	Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011)	" still does not have the hang of what made the TV show so good." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 14, 2012
5/10	——	The Forgotten Bomb (2012)	" the right issues at the right time, but it is at least in part the wrong film to bring those issues to public attention" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 9, 2012
—	82%	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Jan 5, 2012
6/10	49%	Sleeping Beauty (2011)	" This is a strange film that gets into issues of the meaning of sex, of male fantasy, even of feminism." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 1, 2012
7/10	34%	Burke and Hare (2011)	" Not a first-ranked film, but for fans of horror or even just comedy, BURKE AND HARE is will worth seeing." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 19, 2011
8/10	98%	The Artist (2011)	" The novelty fades and one might be watching a somewhat run of the mill silent. Still the experience brings back memories of some great silent movies." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 19, 2011
7/10	84%	My Week with Marilyn (2011)	" The cast is amazing and the situations often funny and often touching, but the film could have used some sort of revelation about its title character." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 18, 2011
7/10	64%	Miss Minoes (2011)	" MISS MINOES is a simple, innocent story seated in Dutch village life, a charming holiday choice for family viewing." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 18, 2011
9/10	94%	Hugo (2011)	" Beautifully filmed in 3D it, turns into an education for the viewer on a subject near and dear to director Martin Scorsese's heart." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 15, 2011
5/10	25%	Now & Later (2011)	" The politics is probably more entertaining than the sex and neither is particularly new and exciting." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 7, 2011
6/10	87%	The Strange Case Of Angelica (2010)	" Some dreamlike photography and a soothing musical score are pluses but slow, draggy telling is likely to frustrate the viewer." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 5, 2011
9/10	77%	The Last Circus (2011)	" a sensational surreal horror/comedy fairy tale co-written and directed by Basque auteur Alex de la Iglesia" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 29, 2011
5/10	44%	J. Edgar (2011)	" Not really a convincing and three-dimensional portrait of the life of Hoover." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 28, 2011
6/10	81%	Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (2011)	" a complex portrait of a man ill-used by humanity in his youth and in this elder years still dedicated to convincing humanity to save itself." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 25, 2011
7/10	89%	The Descendants (2011)	" Well-acted and touching with a mild eye for human foibles, this is one of the better-written films of the year." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 23, 2011
8/10	84%	The Tree of Life (2011)	" Yes, it is a very strange film but, cutting Malick some slack for artistic license, his film is also compelling and hypnotic." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 15, 2011
7/10	98%	Project Nim (2011)	" It is the sad story of an animal whose fate is left in the hands of people--some well-meaning, some not so much--who are error-prone, unprepared for dealing with a chimpanzee, and often uncaring." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 14, 2011
7/10	82%	The Way (2011)	" This is a quiet, warm film that some will find actually spiritual. " — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 9, 2011
7/10	——	Kosmicheskiy reys: Fantasticheskaya novella (Cosmic Journey) (1936)	" This certainly should be a milestone in the history of the science fiction film." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Oct 31, 2011
7/10	95%	Moneyball (2011)	" There are lots of films about baseball and only a handful of films about mathematics--even fewer showing mathematics in a favorable light." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Oct 24, 2011
7/10	93%	50/50 (2011)	" Jonathan Levine directs a film that may be one of the year's best but still makes one yearn for the serious and uncompromising films of the 1950s and 1960s." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Oct 13, 2011
—	——	Johnny Be Gone ()	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Oct 11, 2011
6/10	93%	Drive (2011)	" Refn's style is to draw out scenes to make a slow film punctuated with strong violence." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Oct 6, 2011
6/10	100%	Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2011)	" The music will not appeal to all, but the documentary moves and covers the material." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Sep 30, 2011
7/10	82%	Trollhunter (2011)	" TROLLHUNTER is an unexpected pleasure for viewers who can shudder at the horrific aspects while still appreciating the humor." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Sep 29, 2011
7/10	——	Little Senegal (2001)	" [Kouyate's] performance is a little flat, but he is more than made up for by the human thunderstorm that is Ida." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Sep 23, 2011
8/10	85%	Contagion (2011)	" CONTAGION demonstrates that science fiction can be used in film for a more serious purpose than telling a superhero story." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Sep 16, 2011
7/10	82%	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)	" The film has a hackneyed "the-bad-guys-are-us" plot on which to hang some interesting special effects." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Aug 23, 2011
8/10	96%	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)	" a very substantial fantasy film, perhaps even beyond the level of one of the LORD OF THE RINGS films. With one major omission the series comes to a satisfying and frequently spectacular conclusion." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jul 31, 2011
6/10	——	Test Pilot Pirx (Test pilota Pirxa) (1979)	" This Eastern European co-production has engaging ideas floating around, but feels off-balance through the entire story." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jul 22, 2011
7/10	93%	Midnight in Paris (2011)	" This is [Allen's] most satisfying film in decades, a film with wit and ideas that is primarily about romanticism, illusion, and nostalgia." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jul 4, 2011
4/10	73%	Romeo & Juliet in Yiddish (2011)	" The story has running some real comic possibilities, but few make it to the finish line" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jul 2, 2011
9/10	100%	Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness (2011)	" A portrait of a people living in constant hardship and keeping themselves sane with a bit of humor. The telling is as sweet as honey cake and as bitter as horseradish." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jul 2, 2011
6/10	82%	Super 8 (2011)	" SUPER 8 seems intended to be little more than a nod to films like THE GOONIES. It certainly does not rise above them in spite of better special effects." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jun 16, 2011
7/10	88%	X-Men: First Class (2011)	" very nicely envisioned with impressive SPFX, until the climactic 1962 battle which jumps (or teleports past) the shark. Still, it is the best of the "X-Men" films" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jun 8, 2011
7/10	97%	Queen Of The Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us? (2011)	" an education on bees and their relation with humans, shown with beautiful photographic color as well as creative animation" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jun 6, 2011
7/10	96%	One Lucky Elephant (2011)	" It is a statement on the relationship of humans and animals." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jun 4, 2011
2/10	71%	Hello Lonesome (2011)	" Reid wears a lot of hats in making his first feature film and can wear them proudly to see the result." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 22, 2011
6/10	77%	Thor (2011)	" The real star of this show is Bo Welch whose production design is original and different enough to steal the show from the actors." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 11, 2011
4/10	——	Johnny Be Gone ()	" A downer of an experience, JOHNNY BE GONE has a rising tension until it gives forth a intense release." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 10, 2011
6/10	67%	Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (2011)	" [Cross] tells us of his self-redemption and his explanation of the principles is mostly entertaining, though eventually repetitious. The case histories he presents are effective and even sometimes moving." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 4, 2011
6/10	36%	Meeting Spencer (2011)	" The material Mowbray's film is familiar and the characters are thin, but the dialog is crisp and witty." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 4, 2011
6/10	71%	Hanna (2011)	" Complex puzzle pieces fit together to make an overly simple and familiar picture. It only seems complex because Wright does not play fairly with the viewer." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted May 1, 2011
5/10	72%	Paul (2011)	" Director Greg Mottola did not understand what makes a Simon Pegg comedy funny. And neither did Simon Pegg or co-writer Nick Frost. " — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 13, 2011
-1 out of -4..+4	——	True Believers: In This Place (1986)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Apr 12, 2011
6/10	91%	Source Code (2011)	" A fast-paced sci-fi thriller that keeps the viewer too busy to realize where the ideas just do not work." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 8, 2011
7/10	70%	Limitless (2011)	" A bracing story that examines what intelligence will and will not buy and what is the effect that such a drug would have on society" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Apr 7, 2011
—	——	Unearthly Stranger (1964)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Apr 4, 2011
+1 out of -4..+4	——	My Family's Secret ()	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Apr 4, 2011
6/10	14%	Cat Run (2011)	" Made for today it just is more chaotic, has more nudity, and had more violence including some slightly nauseating scenes of torture. Otherwise the film is funny and fun, a fast, entertaining ride." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 30, 2011
8/10	83%	The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)	" This is a tightly-written thriller that at the same time creates a tricky legal puzzle." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 25, 2011
6/10	50%	Cannes Man (1995)	" Though some of the bits are funny, this is a film that would probably work for an insider in ways that might go right past an outsider." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 21, 2011
6/10	100%	Nostalgia for the Light (2011)	" Do not expect a lot of scientific knowledge, but the political message is strong and sincere." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 18, 2011
—	——	Uncorked (2010)	— rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Mar 16, 2011
7/10	73%	The Adjustment Bureau (2011)	" This is not the Philip K. Dick story it was supposedly based on, but it does look at engaging philosophical questions that a film like IRON MAN would never even think of." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 11, 2011
8/10	88%	The Desert Of Forbidden Art (2011)	" a remarkable story of heroism and of defiance of tyranny." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 10, 2011
8/10	80%	Barney's Version (2011)	" Paul Giamatti gives a strong, multilayered performance of a selfish, but not uncommon man." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 9, 2011
8/10	88%	Rango (2011)	" This is a smart, hip comedy that works for adults and youngsters alike." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 6, 2011
6/10	74%	The Human Resources Manager (2011)	" As a portrait of a very diverse set of people coming together in a single story, the film is amusing." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Mar 4, 2011
8/10	90%	The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010)	" The story has a delicate bittersweet tone much too rarely present in contemporary films." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Feb 7, 2011
5/10	75%	Cold Weather (2011)	" There is a decent story at the center of COLD WEATHER. Unfortunately, it is only about a half-hour long." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 28, 2011
6/10	——	Song At Midnight (Ye ban ge sheng) (2007)	" The first fully sound version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ... Expect a version fundamentally different from Western interpretations of the story." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 24, 2011
4/10	——	El Superstar: The Unlikely Rise of Juan Frances (2010)	" Norman Lear should have been able to introduce the Frenches to someone who could have gotten more humor out of the premise." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 13, 2011
8/10	94%	The King's Speech (2010)	" A rich and warm study of the royal family of England. This is one of the best-written films of the year." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 6, 2011
6/10	80%	Made in Dagenham (2010)	" NORMA RAE actually makes you angry at the factory and its conditions, while MADE IN DAGENHAM just leaves you miffed. It is ever so much more delicate and reserved." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Jan 3, 2011
7/10	——	Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2009)	" This is a serious and worrying documentary. " — rec.arts.movies.reviews Posted Dec 27, 2010
8/10	96%	True Grit (2010)	" It is not clear we needed another adaptation of the Charles Portis novel, but the production is first rate. It has more texture and more edge." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 21, 2010
7/10	89%	Let Me In (2010)	" On one hand it is probably the best vampire story ever to come from Hammer with the most interesting vampire plot... But is so similar a remake so soon really a film that is needed?" — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 15, 2010
6/10	38%	Casino Jack (2010)	" There is something fascinating in seeing a really successful criminal mind doing his thing." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 15, 2010
8/10	81%	Four Lions (2010)	" Parts of the film are very funny and parts are misfires. But even on the misfires one almost feels one should laugh just to support the very idea of the film." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 8, 2010
4/10	50%	Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)	" [The film] makes an attempt at mystical magic, but it never overcomes the obstacles that the it sets for itself." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 6, 2010
7/10	87%	Black Swan (2010)	" The film is strange and beautiful to look at, but it also treads the melodramatic edge of a horrific surrealism." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Dec 2, 2010
7/10	72%	Monsters (2010)	" The story is told with a naturalistic style and with the actors improvising with non-actor locals. In the end the film is really about people and not special effects." — Mark Leeper's Reviews Posted Nov 29, 2010

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