John McMurtrie
Tomatometer-approved critic
| Biography: |
San Francisco Chronicle contributor.
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| Publications: | San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 43% | 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
Read More | Posted Sep 1, 2006
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| 2/4 | 50% | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | Posted Feb 28, 2006
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| 3/4 | 61% | 39 Pounds of Love (2005) |
An uplifting documentary.‐ San Francisco Chronicle
Read More | Posted Dec 9, 2005
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| 3/4 | 78% | Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family (2005) |
An often tender and revealing documentary.‐ San Francisco Chronicle
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | Posted Sep 30, 2005
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| 3/4 | 38% | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | Posted Apr 8, 2005
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| 2/4 | 59% | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | Posted Jan 14, 2005
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| 4/4 | 69% | 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
Posted Dec 22, 2004
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| 2/4 | 50% | 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
Read More | Posted Oct 22, 2004
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| 1/4 | 33% | Rockets Redglare! (2004) |
Much of the movie drag.‐ San Francisco Chronicle
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | 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
Read More | Posted Jun 4, 2004
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| 4/4 | 89% | Word Wars (2004) |
One need not play the game, or even own a board, to enjoy this film.‐ San Francisco Chronicle
Read More | Posted May 28, 2004
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