John McMurtrie

Tomatometer-approved critic

Biography:

San Francisco Chronicle contributor.

Publications: San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald

Movie Reviews Only

Movies
TV

	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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 1, 2006
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 18, 2006
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted May 26, 2006
2/4	39%	American Gun (2006)	It's a bit like watching a weaker version of Crash, with fewer coincidences. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 21, 2006
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 7, 2006
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 31, 2006
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 17, 2006
2/4	88%	The Ister (2004)	A film about profound ideas deserved more imagination. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 15, 2006
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Feb 28, 2006
3/4	61%	39 Pounds of Love (2005)	An uplifting documentary. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 9, 2005
3/4	78%	Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family (2005)	An often tender and revealing documentary. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 2, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 2, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 14, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 11, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 7, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 30, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 2, 2005
3/4	100%	McLibel: Two Worlds Collide (2005)	A stirring and sometimes funny film. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 10, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 8, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 28, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Jan 14, 2005
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 22, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 22, 2004
1/4	33%	Rockets Redglare! (2004)	Much of the movie drag. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 8, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 3, 2004
3/4	74%	This Old Cub (2004)	A heartfelt tribute to both the player and the man. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 13, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 11, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 6, 2004
1/4	28%	Proteus: A Nineteenth Century Vision (2004)	The movie's pretty much a stinker. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 30, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 9, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 2, 2004
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 EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 4, 2004
4/4	88%	Word Wars (2004)	One need not play the game, or even own a board, to enjoy this film. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT Read More \| Posted May 28, 2004