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John Larsen

John Larsen's reviews do not count toward the Tomatometer®. This is not a Tomatometer-approved critic, and this critic's reviews are not published on a Tomatometer-approved publication.
Biography:

They're not just moving images, they're a way of life. Fascinated by movies since he was born in a small hospital on the hill in Santa Paula, California, John Larsen has been professionally reviewing movies since 1974. As editor of his high school newspaper, Larsen developed his long-running column, "Light Views, Reviews and Previews." The column moved to the Oxnard College newspaper Campus, which Larsen helped create and served as its first Editor-in-Chief. After graduation, Larsen tagged up with the Ventura County Reporter, a large weekly entertainment newspaper based in Ventura County, California. He has been the film and video editor for the paper for the past twenty-five years. During that time, Larsen's reviews have appeared in numerous publications, television and radio shows, and on-line at eDrive and Hollywood Hotline. He's a Chief Contributor for the Video Movie Guide, the Pasadena Weekly, San Diego City Beat and Santa Barbara Bulletin, and hosts a weekly entertainment review show on KVEN Talk Radio and KBBY Radio. Larsen's "Video Views" column was one of the first columns to exclusively cover video, debuting in 1983. He also writes the syndicated "The Video Closet" column. Larsen spends most of his time in the dark, reviewing more than 400 films every year on screen and video. When he's not watching movies, he spends his time writing them. When he's not working, Larsen enjoys white water rafting (he's been down the Grand Canyon twice), acting, and stand-up comedy. He also writes and produces under a well-guarded alter ego.

Favorites:

FAVORITE MOVIES: The Exorcist, E.T., Field of Dreams, Schindler's List, Mary Poppins, Road to Perdition, Pocketful of Miracles, Pulp Fiction, Psycho, The Searchers, American Graffiti, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Nashville, The Sting, Taxi Driver

Location:

Always Within Striking Distance

Official Website:

http://www.lightviews.com

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
2/5 EDIT “” – Light Views May 2, 2021 Full Review The Number 23 (2007) 7% EDIT “The Number 23 is just a sordid exercise for a comedy actor to stretch his dramatic muscle.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Zodiac (2007) 90% EDIT “Methodical to the point of becoming unnerving, Zodiac meshes fact and supposition into a fascinating exploration of obsession.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Snow Cake (2006) 63% EDIT “Angela Pell's screenplay deals honestly with the characters and situations, and never takes the easy way out.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Red Road (2006) 87% EDIT “Dickie and Curran are brave actors, willing to explore and expose the complexities of their characters on every level.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review The Host (2006) 93% EDIT “Director/co-writer Bong Joon-ho has a lot of fun with the premise, infusing political commentary into the tale of a family brought together by tragedy.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Color Me Kubrick (2005) 51% EDIT “Audacious and funny, Color Me Kubrick takes a small slice out of the entertainment pie to deliver a delicious and filling treat.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Disturbia (2007) 69% EDIT “Disturbia features an extremely likable protagonist in Shia LaBeouf...” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Grindhouse (2007) 84% EDIT “Raging at you harder than a televangelist on an overdose of Viagra, Grindhouse pulverizes the audience with a bombardment of hyper-violence, buxom babes, gnarly zombies, and enough exploitation to fill two movies.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Jindabyne (2006) 65% EDIT “Linney is fascinating as a woman trapped under the weight of loneliness and desperation, willing to make sacrifices for security.” – Light Views Apr 22, 2007 Full Review Norbit (2007) 9% EDIT “Once we've seen Murphy in the fat suit, the joke is over.” – Light Views Feb 20, 2007 Full Review Hannibal Rising (2007) 16% EDIT “You won't need a GPS to know where this plot is headed.” – Light Views Feb 20, 2007 Full Review Ghost Rider (2007) 28% EDIT “Unless I'm rubbing ice cubes across my nipples, I don't like to use the word cool, but "Ghost Rider" is extremely cool.” – Light Views Feb 20, 2007 Full Review Alpha Dog (2006) 54% EDIT “Timberlake is trying to bring sexy back, and after seeing his performance in "Alpha Dog," I can see why it left.” – Light Views Jan 29, 2007 Full Review Smokin' Aces (2007) 31% EDIT “What sounds like an interesting idea goes up in a blaze of bullets as none of the characters exist beyond the film frame.” – Light Views Jan 29, 2007 Full Review Factory Girl (2006) 21% EDIT “Hickenlooper gives "Factory Girl" a distinct Warhol look. It's cutting edge without being cluttered.” – Light Views Jan 29, 2007 Full Review Venus (2006) 88% EDIT “Venus isn't a great movie, but it features a great performance by O'Toole.” – Light Views Jan 8, 2007 Full Review Children of Men (2006) 92% EDIT “Instead of engrossing me with its powerful message and gripping imagery, it just meandered along like my grandfather's Rascal on a low battery.” – Light Views Jan 8, 2007 Full Review Saw III (2006) 28% EDIT “Like an herbal blend of grand guignol and gothic horror, Saw isn't everyone's cup of tea.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review Man of the Year (2006) 22% EDIT “Reminded me of an octogenarian circus spinner. While grounded, she looks terrific, but the moment she tries to elevate herself, she loses her teeth.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review The Guardian (2006) 37% EDIT “There's enough testosterone on display in "The Guardian" to fuel a woman's golf tournament.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review Hate Crime (2005) 6% EDIT “Writer-director Tommy Stovall creates characters who are real and sympathetic.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) 90% EDIT “What makes all of this so funny is being in on the joke.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review The Departed (2006) 91% EDIT “Monahan's screenplay effectively transplants the story from Hong Kong to the mean streets of Boston.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review The Last King of Scotland (2006) 87% EDIT “Forest Whitaker performs the ultimate magic act: he turns a blood-thirsty butcher into a charismatic, empathetic man.” – Light Views Dec 26, 2006 Full Review
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