John McMurtrie

John McMurtrie
Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:
San Francisco Chronicle contributor.
Publications: San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald

Movie Reviews Only

T-Meter Title | Year
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 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 62% 39 Pounds of Love (2005) An uplifting documentary. - San Francisco Chronicle EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 9, 2005
3/4 79% 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 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 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 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 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