Critics » Robert Roten
Robert Roten

Robert Roten

"Most editors are failed writers, but then, so are most writers -- Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965)"

Agrees with the Tomatometer 74% of the time.

Biography:
After graduating from the University of Oregon with a journalism degree, I wrote for several newspapers in Oregon, Michigan and Wyoming, writing news stories, columns, editorials and movie reviews. I started my movie review web page in 1996. I retired from newspapers in 2000, but continue to write reviews online. I was elected president of the Laramie Film Society in 2000 and continue to serve in that capacity. I am also the webmaster for the Laramie Astronomical Society and Space Observers (LASSO: www.lariat.org/LASSO/index.html).
Favorites:
Favorite Movies: Lawrence of Arabia, Casablanca, Dr. Strangelove, Tootsie, Groundhod Day, Citizen Kane
Publications:
Laramie Movie Scope
Critics' Group:
Online Film Critics Society
Total Reviews:
2882
Total QuickRatings:
503
Location:
Laramie, Wyoming

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 2882
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
B 83% Don Jon (2013) " This is a very funny, well-written film. Unlike most romantic comedies, it is both thought-provoking and introspective." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Oct 3, 2013
B+ 88% Rush (2013) " In most films about car racing, the story seems to be neglected, an afterthought. Not so in this excellent drama about the rivalry between two great race car drivers." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Oct 3, 2013
B 80% Prisoners (2013) " All these nagging little problems, plot holes, inconsistencies, are a bother, but the overall strength of the film overpowers these things." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Sep 24, 2013
B 89% The World's End (2013) " To me, it is not quite up to the level of their previous films ('Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz') but it is still good enough to recommend." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Sep 18, 2013
C 26% Jobs (2013) " It reminds me of a similar film, 'The Social Network,' which is the better movie, but these two films tell essentially the same story." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Sep 10, 2013
C+ 60% Riddick (2013) " Not a great movie, but it is a decent summer action film, and there haven't been many of those this year." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Sep 10, 2013
B 75% You're Next (2013) " While I didn't like 'You're Next,' I think it was pretty well made and it did what it was supposed to do. It scared me and repulsed me a little." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Sep 2, 2013
C+ 58% Red State (2011) " The acting in this film is excellent, especially by Parks and by Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, who plays Sarah Cooper, another gun-toting true believer in the church. John Goodman also is very good as an ATF agent." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 23, 2013
C 30% Kick-Ass 2 (2013) " Like many sequels, 'Kick-Ass 2' falls short of the original. It fails to achieve that delicate balance, achieved so well in the original film, of comedy and violence." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 22, 2013
B 73% Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) " Despite the awkward, narcissistic title and the oddity of seeing John Cusack playing Richard Nixon, Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan and Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan, this is a good film." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 22, 2013
B 64% Epic (2013) " The story has a nice combination of reconciliation, drama and humor. There are some very funny jokes and pratfalls in the film. The kids in the audience laughed at the jokes aimed at them, but this film works for adults too." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 22, 2013
C 64% Drive, He Said (1971) " I think the film is a mess. Even though I was there where and when it was filmed, and I went through some of the same stuff these characters did, I couldn't relate to it." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 22, 2013
C+ 68% Elysium (2013) " This is a big budget science fiction film with some good special effects and plenty of action. It is not the film it should have been, given the talent and money that went into it, but it does have some provocative ideas." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 15, 2013
B 63% 2 Guns (2013) " This kind of cop buddy story has been used successfully many times before. It is a well-worn formula, but it works if you have the right combination of actors. Washington and Wahlberg are the right combination." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 9, 2013
B 86% The Conjuring (2013) " It stretches the truth far beyond the breaking point, but it is also creepy, scary and well-constructed." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Aug 1, 2013
C+ 69% The Wolverine (2013) " Slow-moving and introspective, a bit too slow-moving, but it works well enough to be entertaining." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jul 29, 2013
B 42% Red 2 (2013) " This film is loaded with top acting talent. There is also plenty of action and the pace of the film is fast. There are strong characters and a breezy humor to lighten the mood. This is an enjoyable, entertaining summer film." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jul 22, 2013
B 75% Despicable Me 2 (2013) " I think this is a fine animated comedy for kids, and parents can sit through it without despair. It just doesn't quite fit the adult audience quite as well as the first one did." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jul 18, 2013
B 72% Pacific Rim (2013) " A mixture of popular action genres, with robots, mind-melding and monsters. There is a nice mix of elements. The heroes include a woman and two nerdy scientists. It is not just simple explosions, anger and testosterone." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jul 16, 2013
C 31% The Lone Ranger (2013) " It does have some entertainment value, but what is most notable in this movie are all the missed opportunities to make it a better film." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jul 11, 2013
C+ 50% White House Down (2013) " I think "White House Down" is a little better than "Olympus Has Fallen." The plot of each of these films is far-fetched, but "White House Down" has the more interesting characters and doesn't take itself so seriously." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jun 30, 2013
C+ 67% World War Z (2013) " By the end, I was impressed with the epic scale of the story, the expensive special effects and the high production values, but I also had a distinct feeling of 'is that all there is?'" — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jun 24, 2013
B 56% Man of Steel (2013) " I like this latest version of Superman. I was expecting a darker, more depressing movie with the sado-masochistic overtones, of say, the recent Batman movies. Thankfully, this superhero movie is more upbeat than I expected." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jun 20, 2013
C 84% This Is the End (2013) " Too bad this film comes across more like a reality TV show, 'Big Brother Apocalypse', than a movie. Actors, playing themselves, come across as awful people. You begin to wonder: How close is this to the way they really are?" — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jun 14, 2013
B 50% Now You See Me (2013) " I love magic, and films about magic, like 'Houdini,' 'The Prestige' and 'The Illusionist.' This is a film about magic. Although it is pretty high tech, a lot of the magic tricks in it are very traditional, based on trickery and misdirection." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Jun 12, 2013
B 69% Fast & Furious 6 (2013) " If you've seen the previews to this film you might be wondering if the action scenes in the film are as ridiculous as they seem to be in the trailers. In fact, they are, but strangely enough, they work pretty well." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 30, 2013
C 27% Escape From Planet Earth (2013) " Chalk this one up as a decent kiddie film which takes aim at adults, but misses the target." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 20, 2013
A 82% Mildred Pierce (1945) " Considered a film noir classic, it is more of a soap opera, despite the fact that the story revolves around a murder mystery. It is a story which artfully combines cynicism and sentimentality." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 20, 2013
B 87% Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) " A tribute to excess, but in a good way, sort of." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 20, 2013
B+ 98% Mud (2013) " 'Mud' is a standout film in this 'coming of age' genre mainly because of its central character, one tough, warm-hearted, stubborn little kid who believes in the power of love, above all else." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 14, 2013
B 49% The Great Gatsby (2013) " I haven't seen any of the other Gatsby adaptations, but it is safe to say none of them look as colorful and jazzy as this one. This one is like combining the July 4 celebration in Washington with Mardi Gras in New Orleans." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 13, 2013
B 79% Iron Man 3 (2013) " Not as good as the first Iron Man film, but better than the second, this Iron Man sequel is a mixed bag of comedy and action, but it works well enough." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted May 4, 2013
B 54% Oblivion (2013) " This big budget, epic science fiction film is engaging enough most of the way, although it does wander in the final act until it finally ends up where you thought it would after some plot twists that are mildly annoying." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Apr 27, 2013
B 79% 42 (2013) " The story is compelling. The acting is good and the historical period, including the old ball parks, are recreated very convincingly. The baseball scenes are well done." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Apr 19, 2013
C+ 69% The Croods (2013) " This is a very nice little family film with excellent visuals and interesting characters." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Apr 8, 2013
C+ 28% G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) " The plot is just a thin outline providing opportunities for lots of shootouts, explosions, chases, kung-fu fighting and massive destruction (including the destruction of a major world city). But that is what you buy your ticket to see, after all." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Apr 4, 2013
C 9% The Host (2013) " The story concept is interesting, but it gradually runs off the rails and doesn't end up being as good a story as it should have been." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 31, 2013
C 47% Olympus Has Fallen (2013) " Impressive special effects and action scenes, including knocking off the top of the Washington Monument, blowing up one of the wings of the White House, but it can't overcome a dumb plot and lack of interesting characters." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 29, 2013
C 44% The Call (2013) " If the last act of the film had been as good as the first act, this would be a good film, but it sure takes a wrong turn at the end." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 22, 2013
B 52% Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) " The acting and screenplay are solid and the special effects are of high quality. Director Bryan Singer (the first two 'X-Men' movies) has a good track record with big budget action films like this, and does a fine job here." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 15, 2013
B 59% Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) " There is also a message. This time it is not 'There is no place like home.' It is more like 'If we believe in ourselves and work together, with courage, we can do anything.' Nice message, that." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 15, 2013
C 88% In Darkness (2012) " The effect of all this slow-moving redundancy is like 'Schindler's List' on sleeping pills. It turns a tale of improbable rescue and survival into a boring homework assignment." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 7, 2013
B 20% The Boondock Saints (1999) " Willem Dafoe's portrayal of the conflicted homosexual FBI agent is overacted to such an extent that it is hilarious, amazing and entertaining. His is an unforgettable character." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Mar 7, 2013
C 13% Safe Haven (2013) " This romantic film has a few too many creepy elements in it. Granted, the creepy elements aren't as creepy as those in the popular 'Twilight' series, but they are creepy enough to upset the whole mood of the movie." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Feb 28, 2013
B 55% Snitch (2013) " When I saw this film I was reminded of a documentary film I saw last year called 'The House I Live In' which explores the disaster of America's War on Drugs. Based on a true story, 'Snitch' explores some of the same issues." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Feb 26, 2013
B+ 84% Side Effects (2013) " I'm not a big fan of psychological dramas, but this is an exceptionally good one. It keeps you guessing right up to the end. I'm not a big fan of Jude Law, either, but he does a good job in this film." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Feb 26, 2013
B 46% Beautiful Creatures (2013) " There are some impressive special effects in the film, but these are used sparingly. The main story is the love affair, and it is surrounded by so much acting talent that the rest of the story works." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Feb 26, 2013
C+ 14% A Good Day To Die Hard (2013) " There is plenty of action in this film, but the characters are a bit sketchy. There is so much backstabbing and doublecrossing that you tend to lose patience with the story." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Feb 26, 2013
B 95% The Thief of Bagdad (1924) " This new high definition home video release of the 1924 classic silent film appears to be a high quality digital restoration the film with a quality musical soundtrack." — Laramie Movie Scope
Posted Feb 15, 2013
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