|
5/10
|
63%
|
Hitchcock (2012) |
"
Like an episode of Hitchcock's TV show, HITCHCOCK is entertaining but not great art. "
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Dec 10, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012) |
"
Stoppard's touches serve only to pull the viewer away from the story and act as a distraction. "
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Nov 29, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
87%
|
Life of Pi (2012) |
"
a visual feast, well acted and with very fine use of 3D, but the story itself does not reach profundity and instead seems flat and a little pretentious."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Nov 25, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012) |
"
Spielberg respects his audience's intelligence enough to tell the complex story and maintain a great deal of historical accuracy."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Nov 19, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012) |
"
This is a strong, fast, and sexy action story that gives us something different from the Bond films we have seen before."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Nov 13, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
96%
|
In the Family (2012) |
"
Will remind viewers of the emotional tugs of a KRAMER VS. KRAMER."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Nov 9, 2012
|
|
9/10
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
This is a film that runs the gamut from grim to absurd."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Oct 17, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
87%
|
Frankenweenie (2012) |
"
Burton only occasionally improves on what was in the 1984 version."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Oct 15, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
53%
|
Simon and the Oaks (2012) |
"
Though the story does not seem to go into new or even unexpected territory it is engrossing and ultimately affecting."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Oct 8, 2012
|
|
9/10
|
85%
|
The Master (2012) |
"
the film has a lot to say about the nature of religious belief, the personalities of radical followers and generally the functioning of cults"
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Oct 3, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
93%
|
Looper (2012) |
"
Rian Johnson makes a loud, dark, highly stylized film that looks good but whose ideas do not really bear close examination."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Oct 3, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
87%
|
Arbitrage (2012) |
"
You will learn more about arbitrage from this review than you will from ARBITRAGE."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Sep 30, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
——
|
Adventures In Plymptoons! (2012) |
"
the crazy mind of man with a unique genius for bringing impossible ideas out from his subconscious and onto the theater screen."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Sep 24, 2012
|
|
4/10
|
39%
|
The Possession (2012) |
"
Borndel delivers just what is expected for a visual horror film, but besides the reference to dybbuks, there is nothing at all new or fresh."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Sep 12, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
22%
|
Serving Up Richard (2012) |
"
something of a mixed bag of an apparently whimsical film title and concept, some over-the-top gory images, and a serious conflict of attitudes and acting."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Sep 5, 2012
|
|
4/10
|
56%
|
The Bourne Legacy (2012) |
"
It is really just another action chase story with a science-fictional MacGuffin concept that could have even been an afterthought."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Aug 15, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
——
|
Sedona (2012) |
"
If like me, you think that things like vortices and Chi are so much flap-doodle, then you have to suspend disbelief or you will miss much of the point of the film"
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Aug 15, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
22%
|
True Wolf (2012) |
"
as compelling as seeing the wolf is, the film is at its best when discussing the general issue of overcoming the hatred of adversaries and the prejudices that the adversaries' children have learned from their parents."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Aug 9, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
62%
|
It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl (2012) |
"
This documentary of the life of Theodore Herzl is full of information and at the same time is disappointingly dry and un-engaging."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Aug 6, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
75%
|
The Intouchables (2012) |
"
This is a film that has everything it should need for a warm, moving experience--everything but enough of the unexpected."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jul 26, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
88%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
"
The film has more action, more special effects, and more mystical philosophy than THE DARK KNIGHT, but less intelligence."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jul 22, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
——
|
The Detective's Lover () |
"
It overcomes its meager budget and is sufficiently well-written to give the viewer that "what the heck is going on" feeling."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jul 19, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
43%
|
Patriocracy (2012) |
"
This film is a diagnosis of the problem without much in the way of a cure, though it does propose some solutions and tries to be optimistic about them."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jul 9, 2012
|
|
—
|
66%
|
The Woman in Black (2012) |
—
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
——
|
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies (2008) |
"
If you are interested in Pickford herself or just in the early history of the Hollywood film industry, this is an enthralling documentary."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jun 20, 2012
|
|
7/10
|
78%
|
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) |
"
Perhaps only one of the stories rises above cliche, but they are all told well with the total being more than the sum of the parts"
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jun 18, 2012
|
|
8/10
|
90%
|
Portrait of Wally (2012) |
"
A complex legal controversy is made enthralling and not infrequently shocking."
—
Mark Leeper's Reviews
Posted Jun 13, 2012
|
|
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
|
|
—
|
33%
|
Burke and Hare (2011) |
—
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted May 8, 2012
|
|
6/10
|
92%
|
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
|
|
—
|
82%
|
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
|
66%
|
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
|
48%
|
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
|
33%
|
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
|
43%
|
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
|
82%
|
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
|
94%
|
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
|
84%
|
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
|
87%
|
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
|
72%
|
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
|
71%
|
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
|
92%
|
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
|
