Roger Catlin

Roger Catlin
Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications: Salon.com, Hartford Courant, rogercatlin.com, TV Insider, Omaha World-Herald, TV Worth Watching

movie Reviews Only

T-Meter Title | Year Review
100% United Skates (2018) Amid it all are the joyful expressions on wheels, reflective of different cities and regions. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 19, 2019
100% Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me (2017) A complete look at [Sammy Davis, Jr's] many sides, from the pint-sized tap whiz to adult crooner and foundry-breaker. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 19, 2019
91% RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017) The great, untold story of Native American pioneers of rock 'n' roll should be shown to every misguided MAGA-hat wearing student at Covington Catholic High School. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 31, 2019
100% Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018) The strong documentary "Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists"...makes a strong case that Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill...each offered some of the best journalism of the late 20th century with work that championed the poor and voiceless. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 30, 2019
82% Brexit (2019) Benjamin Cumberbatch is very good as usual as a single minded organizer who wants to break from the staid conservative politicians who have failed on the issue for years. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 22, 2019
100% Momentum Generation (2018) The film by Michael and Jeff Zimbalist is full of awesome surf footage on huge waves, but also a lot of emotional reminiscing among its stars, which include Taylor Steele, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado and about a dozen more. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 11, 2018
100% Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland (2018) A documentary on the case Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland... puts a face on the Black Lives Matter struggles and is enhanced by her many encouraging (and not necessarily anti-cop) messages on her video blog. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 4, 2018
100% Flight of the Conchords: Live in London (2018) Now a little greying, they are typically deadpan in their patter, which is as amusing as the songs. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 8, 2018
82% The Oslo Diaries (2018) An enlightening documentary that goes behind the secret, even illegal, negotiations that came the closest to finding peace in the Middle East. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 13, 2018
27% The Last Sharknado: It's About Time (2018) What once was camp is now just atrocious. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 21, 2018
64% Believer (2018) Dan Reynolds, frontman of the group Imagine Dragons, acts like he deserves a big pat on the back for not adhering to the discriminatory policies of the Mormon Church in which he was raised. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 26, 2018
75% Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (2017) Working with the family of the musician, there are a lot of revealing home movie and archival footage and the words of Coltrane - from interviews or writings - are spoken with cool authority by Denzel Washington. - TV Worth Watching EDIT
Read More | Posted Jun 12, 2018
99% The Tale (2018) Most of all it plays like an off-putting Lifetime movie, but with a better cast (Ellen Burstyn, Common, John Heard, Frances Conroy and Elisabeth Debicki). - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted May 29, 2018
100% Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2018) Lucky thing that somebody put to film the agreeable tour of the Dos Amigos, in "Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life"... But there are a lot of grins in the banter, songs, bits and dances. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted May 25, 2018
32% Fahrenheit 451 (2018) Some of Ramin Bahrani's film is so dull, though, it may leave you wanting to read a book instead. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted May 21, 2018
No Score Yet The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish! (2018) If you're going to wade into the royal wedding at all, my preference hands down is "The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish"... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted May 21, 2018
81% Tiny Shoulders, Rethinking Barbie (2018) The documentary... takes an awful long time telling the story of Mattel doing something they should have done a long time ago: ditch the preposterous body type of its Barbie doll for different sizes and shapes. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 27, 2018
96% Elvis Presley: The Searcher (2018) Director Tom Zimny keeps the focus either on vintage clips or newly filmed, lovingly shots crawling over every inch of Graceland. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 16, 2018
95% Andre the Giant (2018) Mostly we marvel at him the same way we would by paying 50 cents at the side show. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 16, 2018
69% Paterno (2018) Al Pacino has specialized in playing actual people for HBO films, from Roy Cohen to Phil Spector, Jack Kavorkian and now Joe Paterno, in an understated and effective portrayal of the beloved Penn State coach... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Apr 16, 2018
91% Arthur Miller: Writer (2018) ... the comprehensive documentary "Arthur Miller: Writer" (HBO, 8 p.m.) the author of "Death of a Salesman" and so many other works is warm, thoughtful and expansive, probably because he's talking to his daughter [director Rebecca Miller]. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Mar 19, 2018
100% Notes From The Field (2018) Amid her riveting performances are many of the still indelible images from recent incidents. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 26, 2018
100% Trouble No More (2017) ... with some driving performances from Toronto interspersed with brief sermon interlude, written by Luc Sante and delivered by Oscar nominee Michael Shannon, of all people. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 26, 2018
No Score Yet Word Is Bond (2018) ... a thoughtful exploration of hip hop... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 16, 2018
69% Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars (2017) It's quite a portrait, with a terrific soundtrack. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 12, 2018
89% May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers (2017) ... a strong music biography... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 29, 2018
98% I Am Not Your Negro (2017) It's an imaginative look not only at the intellectual powerhouse of writer James Baldwin, as seen on TV interviews and in speeches, but also his own words from an unpublished manuscripts... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 16, 2018
88% David Bowie: The Last Five Years (2017) It's a thoughtful look back at a formidable artist. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 9, 2018
No Score Yet The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004) If this poor stab at Indiana Jones is the best material [Noah Wyle] can find, he's better off at the hospital. - Hartford Courant EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
No Score Yet A Very Married Christmas (2004) A dour film about divorce at the holidays that can't be dressed up by music or misleading promotion as "a lighthearted holiday story.'' - Hartford Courant EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
No Score Yet Mitch Albom's 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven' (2004) But as its ponderous, simplistic tales play out, you find yourself counting down how many more people he'll still have to meet in heaven before the three hours are over. - Hartford Courant EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
72% The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'' is the rare celebrity bio that rises above its limitations to approach the magic of its subject matter. - Hartford Courant EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
No Score Yet America: The Story of Us (2010) Still, the most troubling part comes when the first talking head heard is that of Donald Trump. Are we comfortable learning our American history from the likes of Trump, Michael Douglas and Diddy? - Hartford Courant EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 2, 2018
No Score Yet Panama's Animal Highway (2017) There's enough activity on Panama to supply a whole series on Panama's Animal Highway. For now, enjoy what they've packed into an hour. - TV Worth Watching EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 14, 2017
89% The Problem with Apu (2017) The film is an interesting door to a useful discussion about portrayals of people on TV... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2017
100% Baltimore Rising (2017) ... the documentary by Sonja Sohn and Mark Levin that covers the event in a manner nobody has quite done before. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2017
90% Gerald's Game (2017) There's no paranormal activity at work in this Stephen King-inspired film, but Gerald's Game is just as nightmarish. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Oct 4, 2017
No Score Yet Year of the Scab (2017) "Year of the Scab" benefits from a wealth of period sports news footage on news conferences and games... - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 13, 2017
77% My Love, Don't Cross That River (2016) My Love, Don't Cross That River is a simple and profoundly moving examination of a couple that's been together 75 years. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 11, 2017
93% Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny (2016) What makes filmmaker Richard Linklater stand out as a subject is his own ambivalence to anything approaching being called a "Master." - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Sep 1, 2017
92% Raising Bertie (2017) By keeping talking heads - and most authority figures outside of moms, Saunders and other teachers - out of the film and letting the young men speak and dream of their future show glimmers of hope and an indomitable spirit, even in the bleakest prospects. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Aug 28, 2017
89% Tour De Pharmacy (2017) The piece has a roaring sophomoric quality and quite a fixation on penises, but generally gets to the comic finish line. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jul 10, 2017
100% Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017) Questions are raised in Erin Lee Carr's creepily fascinating Mommy Dead and Dearest. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted May 15, 2017
82% Casting JonBenét (2017) Fascinating. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted May 1, 2017
93% Tickled (2016) It's a fascinating tale, that is followed by the shorter addendum, The Tickle King, about what happened when the principals showed up to disrupt festival screenings. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 27, 2017
99% Tower (2016) It gains impact when it begins to show many of the eyewitnesses and victims in some case, who in some cases are reuniting 50 years after that hot afternoon to recollect the story. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 15, 2017
100% Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) (2017) If you didn't know much about the band before, you'll be a fan soon enough. That's before the horror of the attack is recalled. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Feb 14, 2017
82% By Sidney Lumet (2016) It's a great body of work and a satisfying biography. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Jan 3, 2017
100% Every Brilliant Thing (2016) There's no denying the generosity and depth of empathy found in audiences such as the ones filmed for this remarkable film. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Dec 29, 2016
90% Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing (2016) Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing is both a comprehensive look at the reprehensible act of terrorism at the worldwide event, but a deeply human one, that follows a trio of families... even as they try to move past it. - rogercatlin.com EDIT
Read More | Posted Nov 21, 2016