Marsha McCreadie
Marsha McCreadie's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Arizona Republic
Film Journal International
RogerEbert.com
New York Press
Marsha McCreadie has written four books on women and film before becoming pleasantly obsessed with the documentary form and writing Documentary Superstars, interviews with prominent documentary filmmakers. She was the staff film critic at the Arizona Republic for many years, currently reviews for Film Journal International, and her film articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles times, Film Comment, sensesofcienma, and many other Googleable publications. Her interest in film started as a child when her mother, a disappointed actress, took her to Saturday double features as a child in a tiny village in upstate New York, reminding her to always comb her hair before going to the ladies room, because a producer might be in the lobby. It?s been a push-pull between cinematic fantasy and reality ever since.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Platoon (1986) |
I didn't take a single note during the screening of Platoon: It's that engrossing, that overwhelming. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Aug 23, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Last Emperor (1987) |
The movie, however, belongs to John Lone. Like all great actors, he's a chameleon, and his occasional nobility as the Emperor is brilliantly, comically, contrasted with his Westernization as a playboy. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Aug 02, 2022
|
|
|
|
Terms of Endearment (1983) |
Though the sudden shift into Love Story territory may have the clang of soap opera for some, it's an effective twist. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Jul 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Amadeus (1984) |
What has happened in the long-awaited, much-acclaimed Miloš Forman film, with its script by Shaffer, is that the popularization has gone so broad and so far afield of its elevated subject as to make that subject seem ridiculous. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Jul 11, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) |
All that the very talented director Martin Scorsese has done is to show the Word made Flesh. And -- humble agnostic that I am -- I thought that was the whole idea of Christianity anyway. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted May 04, 2022
|
|
|
|
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) |
You always knew he had it in him: Jack Nicholson makes a most astounding, alarming and totally charming devil in The Witches of Eastwick. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Apr 21, 2022
|
|
|
|
Three Men and a Baby (1987) |
I'm willing to bet that Three Men and a Baby will top the holiday roster of popular movies. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Apr 19, 2022
|
|
|
|
Poltergeist II (1986) |
As technically clever as the special effects are, they are oddly unthreatening. You would almost swear they were done with tongue planted firmly in cheek. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Nov 01, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) |
After you see the film, certain aspects of machismo will be forever fixed in your mind, satirized and better understood. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Paris, Texas (1984) |
The movie belongs to Stanton, of course, and it's hard to think of any other actor who can go from Chaplinlike outcast to tragic hero in the space of a feature film. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Oct 07, 2021
|
|
|
|
El Norte (1983) |
There is no question El Norte is one-sided, even propagandistic and sentimental at times, but its emotional and visual power supersedes some of its predictability. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Aug 03, 2021
|
|
|
|
Baby Boom (1987) |
Baby Boom is so far into the realm of fable as to be a cartoon, or a wish fulfillment. It's as if Frank Capra had read Ms. and missed the point. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Jun 24, 2021
|
|
|
|
The Secret of My Success (1987) |
The Secret of My Success delivers, and in the fairy tale realm of wish fulfillment, this is what counts. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Jun 09, 2021
|
|
|
|
Target (1985) |
Standard as it is, Target still manages to be entertaining and fun, and it contains a fine performance by Gene Hackman, a guy who always manages to keep his cool no matter what he's cast in or as. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted May 26, 2021
|
|
|
|
Out of Africa (1985) |
Out of Africa may remind you of inheriting a wonderful piece of Victorian bric-a-brac from a beloved but long-lost great aunt. It's absolutely beautiful, special and odd... but what on earth to do with it -- or, in this case, to think about it? - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted Jan 11, 2021
|
|
|
|
Reckless (1984) |
Youth on the run can be a whole lot of fun, but Reckless, by first-time filmmaker James Foley, is a particularly dreary affair. - Arizona Republic
Read More
| Posted May 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
Gurukulam (2014) |
Spirituality plus good deeds continue a tradition of East Indian introspection in Gurukulam. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Jun 03, 2016
|
|
|
|
Rabin in His Own Words (2015) |
A kind of diary from the other world, Rabin in His Own Words is narrated by the man on whose life it is based, in a rapid-fire march through time. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted May 05, 2016
|
|
|
|
Funny Bunny (2015) |
A messed up mélange which manages to mislay a few themes along the way. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Nov 12, 2015
|
|
|
|
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (2015) |
The overall picture is of her essential vulnerability, with the most insightful probes coming from actress Mercedes Ruehl, who played her onstage, and from Guggenheim herself. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Nov 03, 2015
|
|
|
|
He Named Me Malala (2015) |
He Named Me Malala is much more effective than any essay or political speech on the destructive nature of what the Taliban is attempting to do. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Oct 01, 2015
|
|
|
|
Tango Negro, The African Roots of Tango (2013) |
Passionate, polemical, and not just a little bit pedantic. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Aug 13, 2015
|
|
|
|
Steak (R)evolution (2014) |
Even at its overlong over two hours, Steak only gets occasionally repetitive ... - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Jul 14, 2015
|
|
|
|
Jimmy's Hall (2014) |
Like the shot of folks on bicycles pedaling away in support of their folk hero Jimmy at the film's conclusion, it's real populism at work. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Jul 01, 2015
|
|
|
|
Dancing Arabs (2014) |
Traditional coming-of-age films like A Borrowed Identity don't often come from Israel, which is one of the film's points. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Jun 23, 2015
|
|
|
|
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) |
This Sundance Award-winning comedy-drama handles two incredibly difficult topics-cancer and male/female friendship (sans sex)-with charm, insight and humor. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Jun 11, 2015
|
|
|
|
Testament of Youth (2014) |
Without the epic sweep of a Doctor Zhivago, it's an intellectual and emotional landscape Vera traverses: grief to survival and, finally, pacifism. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Jun 02, 2015
|
|
|
|
In the Name of My Daughter (2014) |
Can such a film be anything other than exciting? Yes. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted May 12, 2015
|
|
|
|
Marie's Story (2014) |
Rivoire is a revelation - showing what it's like to be in, and then break out of, a world of total darkness and silence. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Apr 28, 2015
|
|
|
|
Adult Beginners (2014) |
Married-in-real-life screenwriters Liz Flahive and Jeff Cox can do poignant (not tossing family memorabilia) and clever (connecting Skype, hairspray, and stepparents), though the humor is intermittent. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Apr 22, 2015
|
|
|
|
Tangerines (2013) |
Small in scale if huge in heart and scope, Tangerines uses four characters to limn the religio-nationalistic hostilities unleashed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Apr 14, 2015
|
|
|
|
Serena (2014) |
A hot leading couple, illegitimacy, a vengeful heroine, great period costumes... Why did Serena turn out so bad? - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Mar 26, 2015
|
|
|
|
She's Lost Control (2014) |
With some shrewd and swift twists and turns, She's Lost Control [...] is part women's picture, part sex thriller. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Mar 19, 2015
|
|
|
|
Seymour: An Introduction (2014) |
For his debut as a documentary director, Ethan Hawke picked retired concert pianist Seymour Bernstein as a subject. He was a good choice. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Mar 12, 2015
|
|
|
|
Three Hearts (2014) |
Gainsbourg - intuitive, wispily evanescent but strong - is the movie's pulsating impulse, even off-screen. - Village Voice
Read More
| Posted Mar 10, 2015
|
|
|
|
All the Wilderness (2014) |
[Instead of being] "yet another" coming-of-age/identity-quest film [...] All the Wilderness is interlaced with literate and interesting characters. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Feb 20, 2015
|
|
|
|
One Small Hitch (2013) |
This mildly if not wildly amusing rom-com brings up one big question: If you pretend to be someone, will that identity wrap around you and claim you? - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Feb 06, 2015
|
|
|
|
Black Sea (2014) |
Even with its modes in patchwork style, Black Sea generally holds your attention for most of its nearly two hours. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Jan 20, 2015
|
|
|
|
Stones in the Sun (2012) |
Taking no sides and every side, Stones in the Sun is a powerful tripartite narrative from Haitian filmmaker Patricia Benoit, using her own family history. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Nov 20, 2014
|
|
|
|
Pulp (2014) |
A farewell concert film so entertainingly enthusiastic that it seems like an exciting greeting. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Nov 19, 2014
|
|
|
|
Love Hunter (2013) |
All else rings true: creativity versus personal commitment, sacrifices for your art which might not pan out, the scintillating but sometimes scuzzy New York scene. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Nov 16, 2014
|
|
|
|
On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter (2014) |
The continual reference to family values is laid on way too thick, selling the sport as if it were a wholesome cheerleaders' rally. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Nov 07, 2014
|
|
|
|
Actress (2014) |
Using these sequences, letting things be unresolved yet still relatable to anyone of any age, sex or career stage, was a great creative decision. Brandy becomes us. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Nov 06, 2014
|
|
|
|
Goodbye to Language (2014) |
In Goodbye to Language 3D is a new inspiration [for Godard], used for artistic, fun-of-filmmaking reasons. That alone is cause for celebration. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Oct 30, 2014
|
|
|
|
The Book of Life (2014) |
This animated feature is tricky to get into, but soon enough becomes a colorful pinata spreading goodies hither and yon. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Oct 16, 2014
|
|
|
|
Dracula Untold (2014) |
But for a walk on the wild side with a dangerous rake, look elsewhere. As one of the characters in the film says, the world (at least the movie world) doesn't need a hero, it needs a monster. Got that right. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Oct 09, 2014
|
|
|
|
Bang Bang (2014) |
Bang Bang! is way too long, even if its concluding song-and-dance number(s) provide a fitting whoopdedo. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Oct 03, 2014
|
|
|
|
The Song (2014) |
Watching The Song is like listening to rock music on a religious station; you think, "Not bad for Christian radio." - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Sep 26, 2014
|
|
|
|
This Ain't No Mouse Music! (2013) |
The visionary entrepreneur as cuddly, creative curmudgeon, Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records is the subject of This Ain't No Mouse Music!, a loving documentary about America's nearly lost music... - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Sep 26, 2014
|
|
|
|
Two Night Stand (2014) |
These two are nice, though, which is nice. But the film is a date you won't want to repeat, despite its sparkly out-of-left-field conclusion. It's just another casual encounter, not a lasting thing. - Film Journal International
Read More
| Posted Sep 25, 2014
|