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John Bustin

John Bustin's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Arabesque (1966) 78% EDIT “It's a deftly done romp all the way through (not the least of the credit going to director Stanley Donen, let me add), and viewers will find it a most engaging entertainment in which gaiety and thrills combine to delightful effect.” – Austin American-Statesman Feb 4, 2026 Full Review The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 93% EDIT “For those who need more action to snap up their film fare, there are impressive moments of suspense and a constant feeling of imminent terror, which cannot fail but furnish still another exciting element of interest to an already top-grade film. ” – Austin American-Statesman Jan 15, 2026 Full Review The Magnificent Seven (1960) 93% EDIT “This story, sprawling over two full hours, takes too long to tell and pauses too frequently to analyze its characters and their motives, but it stirs up considerable interest, some vigorous action and flashes of humor...along the route.” – Austin American-Statesman Jan 14, 2026 Full Review Little Boy Lost (1953) EDIT “All of this, admittedly sentimental but never maudlin, is neatly handled by Crosby and young Christian Fourcade.” – Austin American-Statesman Aug 6, 2025 Full Review The War of the Worlds (1953) 89% EDIT “Though the terrifying effect of the movie version has been somewhat lessened by the frequency of similar interplanetary yarns, it's still a wildly imaginative thing that'll give the science-fiction fans a good workout.” – Austin American-Statesman Aug 6, 2025 Full Review 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 90% EDIT “Probably the quickest and most accurate way to describe 2001: A Space Odyssey is simply by saying that there's never been anything quite like it.” – Austin American-Statesman Apr 9, 2025 Full Review The Conversation (1974) 94% EDIT “Coppola has embellished it with some extremely interesting little touches, both directorially and narratively speaking, that fit together (more or less) to form one of the most unusually absorbing films of the year.” – Austin American-Statesman Sep 24, 2024 Full Review Planet of the Apes (1968) 86% EDIT “The scripters of this new picture, though, aren't anywhere close to Jonathan Swift's league, and as a result, the film turns out to be a heavy-handed, often ludicrous piece whose undeniably valid message is quickly buried under the excesses of the story.” – Austin American-Statesman May 1, 2024 Full Review Jailhouse Rock (1957) 67% EDIT “If there's less music, there's a big bigger story -- a somewhat unfortunate situation since the Pelvis is still a lot handier with a song than with a script.” – Austin American-Statesman Apr 12, 2024 Full Review The Big Heat (1953) 95% EDIT “All the characters are pretty vivid, especially Gloria Grahame as the shady lady, and all benefit from situations stressing realism rather than the usual heroics. A really swift ride from start to finish.” – Austin American-Statesman Apr 11, 2024 Full Review Lady Sings the Blues (1972) 73% EDIT “A sorry mess of a story -- one of those hokey biopics... in which only the talent of Diana Ross stands out. ” – Austin American-Statesman Apr 5, 2024 Full Review Sabrina (1954) 89% EDIT “It's a slender little bit, all right, but it comes out as one of the most diverting things you've seen all season. An appealing hit.” – Austin American-Statesman Mar 28, 2024 Full Review The Searchers (1956) 87% EDIT “[John Ford] has taken an episodic but rather slim story and, with his well known talent for freshening up routine materials, has developed it into a sweeping sort of saga which might be labeled a Western in the grand manner.” – Austin American-Statesman Mar 25, 2024 Full Review Little Big Man (1970) 91% EDIT “A film of considerable merit, certainly, but a number of other flaws that keep it from being the super-Western saga that it might have hoped to be or could have been... You come away feeling a little as if you'd just seen Macbeth played for laughs.” – Austin American-Statesman Nov 10, 2023 Full Review The Last Picture Show (1971) 98% EDIT “It's quite a remarkable film, in virtually every way, created by a young New York director, whose feeling for filmmaking obviously runs both deep and strong, and a young Texas author with equally keen feelings for his land. ” – Austin American-Statesman Oct 26, 2023 Full Review The Exorcist (1973) 78% EDIT “Shorn of all the trappings and removed from all the frenzy, in fact, [The Exorcist] is a very well-made movie -- not entirely a satisfactory one, to be sure, but without question an impressive one. Most important of all, it's also a genuinely scary movie.” – Austin American-Statesman Sep 27, 2023 Full Review Sayonara (1957) 82% EDIT “Seldom has this subject been presented with as delicate a touch or in as attractive a mounting as in "Sayonara."” – Austin American-Statesman Mar 3, 2023 Full Review Flower Drum Song (1961) 79% EDIT “It may not be memorable entertainment for everybody, but it should be pretty happy stuff for most. ” – Austin American-Statesman Feb 27, 2023 Full Review Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) 89% EDIT “Ralph Nelson has directed Sterling's moving, compassionate script with a sensitivity beneath a bleakly realistic, understated style made all the more effective by some inventive touches and some splendid camera work... ” – Austin American-Statesman Feb 8, 2023 Full Review Diabolique (1955) 95% EDIT “A masterly demonstration of screen suspense and terror that you won't easily forget, even though might like to. ” – Austin American-Statesman Jan 31, 2023 Full Review Stalag 17 (1953) 91% EDIT “War pictures have a way of being pretty routine entertainment-- an unfortunate fact due mainly to the almost inevitable formula applied to such stories -- but here's one that ought to bring you to your feet in short order.” – Austin American-Statesman Nov 4, 2022 Full Review The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970) 85% EDIT “It's all rather contrived and hackneyed, and even a devotee of old-fashioned mystery pictures won't get more than a very routine sort of entertainment from it. ” – Austin American-Statesman Sep 26, 2022 Full Review House on Haunted Hill (1959) 80% EDIT “There's a genuine shock here and there, but the initial scare, if any, soon pales after repeated dosage, and the end result is more often tedious than terrifying. ” – Austin American-Statesman Sep 20, 2022 Full Review Bedazzled (1967) 74% EDIT “Rather like a revue comprising a fast series of gags and assorted fun, this story plays the percentages and wins on far more of its jokes than it loses. ” – Austin American-Statesman Sep 15, 2022 Full Review A Man for All Seasons (1966) 89% EDIT “You will feel good for seeing it, and perhaps you'll even be a somewhat better person as a result. It's that kind of experience.” – Austin American-Statesman Sep 7, 2022 Full Review
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