John McMurtrie

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:
San Francisco Chronicle contributor.
Publications:
San Francisco Chronicle,
Miami Herald
Movie Reviews Only
T-Meter | Title | Year | Review | |
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1/4 | 47% | Two Drifters (2006) |
An overwrought weepie, it may be inspired by the recent dramas of Pedro Almodóvar, but it comes off as Almodóvar Lite -- muy lite. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 1, 2006
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2/4 | 53% | Darshan, The Embrace (2006) |
A loose and often not-so-engrossing assortment of scenes intended to showcase Amma's hold on her followers. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 18, 2006
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2/4 | 73% | Clean (2005) |
Despite Cheung's efforts (she won the best actress award at Cannes in 2004) and a strong and subtle supporting performance by Nick Nolte, the story could have used a good dose of adrenaline to keep it from often seeming lifeless. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted May 26, 2006
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2/4 | 39% | American Gun (2006) |
It's a bit like watching a weaker version of Crash, with fewer coincidences. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 21, 2006
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4/4 | 89% | Sir! No Sir! (2006) |
The voices of the veterans alone, however, make this an important and poignant film that can speak to any generation. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 7, 2006
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3/4 | 68% | Evil (Ondskan) (2006) |
Wilson, who plays Erik, had never been in a film before Evil -- which was nominated for a best foreign-language Oscar in 2004 -- and there's no reason that he can't make many more of them. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 31, 2006
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1.5/4 | 37% | Sorry, Haters (2005) |
It's a well-meaning but ultimately feeble and misguided attempt to say something profound about the aftereffects of the 2001 attacks on New York. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 17, 2006
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2/4 | 88% | The Ister (2004) |
A film about profound ideas deserved more imagination. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 15, 2006
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3/4 | 96% | Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea (2004) |
Although the lake may be slowly dying, it is still beloved by a motley bunch of eccentrics who are profiled in the highly entertaining documentary Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Feb 28, 2006
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3/4 | 62% | 39 Pounds of Love (2005) |
An uplifting documentary. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 9, 2005
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3/4 | 79% | Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family (2005) |
An often tender and revealing documentary. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 2, 2005
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3/4 | 56% | Naked in Ashes (2005) |
An inspirational and cautionary film that documents the hermetic lives of a handful of Indian yogis. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 2, 2005
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4/4 | 96% | Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) |
Using well-chosen clips from roughly 200 films, many of them obscure, Andersen makes a powerful and impassioned case for reassessing his beloved city. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 14, 2005
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3/4 | 93% | Henri Langlois: The Phantom of the Cinematheque (2004) |
A treat for anyone who's passionate about films or who's ever wanted to learn more about them. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 11, 2005
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2/4 | 50% | 24 Hours on Craigslist (2004) |
A fun and free-form celebration of the site's communal spirit and only-in-San Francisco ethos. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 7, 2005
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3/4 | 81% | Keane (2005) |
Lewis delivers a convincing, powerful and highly nuanced performance as a man who's fighting desperately to keep his illness in check and lead a normal life. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 30, 2005
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3/4 | 40% | Margaret Cho: Assassin (2005) |
If Margaret Cho's act shows no signs of getting old, it's because the world is kind enough to provide her with sufficient lunacy to fill countless concert tours. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 2, 2005
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3/4 | 100% | McLibel: Two Worlds Collide (2005) |
A stirring and sometimes funny film. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 10, 2005
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0/4 | 36% | Ethan Mao (2004) |
It'd be unfair to reveal whether Ethan's prayers go answered, but viewers can take comfort in knowing that their own prayers will be: Yes, this movie, eventually, comes to an end. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 8, 2005
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2/4 | 58% | Fear X (2003) |
The story, in the end, is less than satisfying and, unfortunately, doesn't match the movie's eerie style. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jan 28, 2005
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1/4 | 53% | Alexandra's Project (2003) |
De Heer, who also wrote the script, would have us believe that a wife who's tired of her oblivious bloke of a husband could suddenly become conniving and cruel, coolly defending her actions with twisted logic that's sold as feminism. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jan 14, 2005
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4/4 | 70% | In the Realms of the Unreal (2005) |
A thoughtful and inspired exploration of the man's life and leaves the viewer with a sense of wonder about the lives of countless people with unknown talents that deserve recognition. - Miami Herald
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| Posted Dec 22, 2004
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2/4 | 51% | Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004) |
As a film it plays like a heavy-handed morality tale one might come across on a middling cable network. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 22, 2004
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1/4 | 33% | Rockets Redglare! (2004) |
Much of the movie drag. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 8, 2004
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2/4 | 47% | Ja zuster, nee zuster (Yes Nurse! No Nurse!) (2004) |
A pleasant enough movie whose overt charm sometimes works against it. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 3, 2004
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3/4 | 74% | This Old Cub (2004) |
A heartfelt tribute to both the player and the man. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 13, 2004
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3/4 | 83% | Hijacking Catastrophe (2004) |
Though unabashedly one-sided, the documentary avoids being didactic and makes its case clearly and forcefully. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 11, 2004
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1/4 | 7% | Kaena: The Prophecy (2004) |
The monsters are derivative, the attempts at humor are mostly feeble and the story, in the end, lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 6, 2004
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1/4 | 28% | Proteus: A Nineteenth Century Vision (2004) |
The movie's pretty much a stinker. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 30, 2004
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2/4 | 85% | Dyskoloi apohairetismoi: O babas mou (Hard Goodbyes: My Father) (2003) |
A tender, gently paced coming-of-age movie whose strength is its young lead actor. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 9, 2004
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1/4 | 21% | Adored: Diary of a Porn Star (2003) |
This clumsy, self-indulgent film veers from comedy to tragedy and is told in flashbacks, with treacly diary entries and unconvincing 'testimonies' from friends providing a window into the past. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 2, 2004
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1/4 | 27% | A Day Without a Mexican (2004) |
The tone is often that of a preachy after-school special, down to the instructional messages that regularly flash across the screen. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 4, 2004
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4/4 | 88% | Word Wars (2004) |
One need not play the game, or even own a board, to enjoy this film. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted May 28, 2004
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