Rob Owen
Tomatometer-approved critic
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Pale Blue Eye (2022) |
The Pale Blue Eye is a character-driven two-hander that’s worth seeing, though some casting choices betray eventual plot turns. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Dec 23, 2022
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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) |
Throw in some jammin’ holiday tunes performed by The Old 97’s and this Marvel-ous treat from writer/director James Gunn proves an entertaining enough diversion regardless of the degree of your devotion to the MCU.
- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Dec 13, 2022
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A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) |
A Christmas Story Christmas recycles elements of the original in ways that are occasionally clever but mostly uninspired. What works best is the new plot, which proves more heartfelt than super-sad, and deploys some familiar characters in new ways. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Nov 22, 2022
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Spirited (2022) |
If you’re re-telling the umpteenth version of the same story, it shouldn’t take more than two hours to do it regardless of the detours and small surprises plotted. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Nov 22, 2022
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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) |
A must-see for Weird Al fans who haven’t been treated to significant Weird Al-style comedy in a movie since 1989’s UHF. Fans of absurdity and parodies also might enjoy it, but the 2010 Funny or Die short serves up a lot of the same comedic beats. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Nov 04, 2022
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Dear Zoe (2022) |
A pleasant, heart-warming movie that, while about grief, doesn’t succumb to it. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Nov 03, 2022
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God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty (2022) |
Viewers tuning in should prepare themselves: it’s a spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine (the cultural-historical-political background) go down. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Oct 27, 2022
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Werewolf by Night (2022) |
Werewolf by Night requires no knowledge or understanding of the Marvel multiverse, it’s just an entertaining, 52-minute program shot in the style of classic Universal Studios monster movies. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Oct 06, 2022
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Anything's Possible (2022) |
It’s a nice movie that offers a warm embrace, which means it won’t be edgy enough for some viewers. And that’s OK. As the first major trans teen rom-com, the film could never be everything to everyone. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Jul 20, 2022
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The Adam Project (2022) |
It’s a fairly entertaining flick for the whole family thanks largely to Reynolds’ performance and his chemistry with Scobell. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Mar 11, 2022
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Being the Ricardos (2021) |
It's all... fine, an OK behind-the-scenes look at the couple who made one of TV's all-time best comedies. But Being the Ricardos is not an awards-worthy classic of cinema. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Dec 10, 2021
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Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) |
Written with an exacting knowledge of the ride by Bill Baretta, Kelly Younger and director Kirk Thatcher, Muppet Haunted Mansion is the first Disney+ Muppets show to do right by the Muppets. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Oct 05, 2021
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The Guilty (2021) |
At a svelte 90 minutes, The Guilty easily holds viewers' attention thanks to Fuqua's dexterity in building tension and Gyllenhaal's constricted-ball-of-energy performance. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Sep 30, 2021
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Cinderella (2021) |
Does the world really need another Cinderella movie? Writer/director Kay Cannon, with an assist from Pittsburgh native Billy Porter as the Fab G, delivers a spirited, modern, musical "Cinderella" that proves it has a reason to exist. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Sep 02, 2021
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Worth (2020) |
Worth grows somewhat repetitive, but it's a thoughtful, moving, adult drama that's ultimately worth watching. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Sep 02, 2021
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Sweet Girl (2021) |
Sweet Girl delivers a gorgeous video postcard of Pittsburgh, but as a movie, it's pretty meh. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Aug 20, 2021
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Jungle Cruise (2021) |
Could have been a fun Indiana Jones-style adventure, but instead is an over-long, CGI/green screen slog that recycles almost all the bad jokes/puns skippers use on the Magic Kingdom ride within the movie's first 15 minutes. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Jul 30, 2021
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Friends: The Reunion (2021) |
This nostalgia- fest, with a pretty standard group interview conducted with kid gloves by James Corden, doesn't probe very deeply... Still, it's warm and perfectly pitched to the sitcom's legion of fans. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Jun 02, 2021
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Attack of the Murder Hornets (2021) |
Filmmaker Michael Paul Stephenson not only scores points on style but also substance, revealing the character of a state scientist and citizen scientists as well as the impact of greed on scientific research that comes in a last-act twist. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Mar 04, 2021
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Soul (2020) |
Soul is more abstract than past Pixar movies, but just as entertaining. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Dec 28, 2020
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The Prom (2020) |
The Prom offers an uplifting celebration of love, identity and tolerance, a cheerful, upbeat respite from the major bummer that is our pandemic-plagued present. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Dec 10, 2020
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Happiest Season (2020) |
Packed with a recognizable roster of supporting actors, Happiest Season is more blandly heartwarming than it is a generator of big belly laughs (this isn't Christmas Vacation), a decent enough diversion. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Nov 30, 2020
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Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) |
With a sumptuous color-saturated Steampunk production design, Jingle Jangle is both overlong and at times underdeveloped... Still, the musical numbers and choreography are high-caliber efforts that make this family-friendly effort worthwhile. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 13, 2020
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Roald Dahl's The Witches (2020) |
After a rousing early stretch, The Witches takes a colder turn before a sunny-again conclusion that feels rushed and incomplete. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Oct 22, 2020
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Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) |
Often screamingly funny as it bounces from one cringe-comedy setup to the next, often at the expense of random real people and a few bold-faced names. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Oct 22, 2020
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A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020) |
Some of the appreciation for this special can be chalked up to nostalgia, but this West Wing special also delivers a patriotic balm with entertaining calls to vote, delivered with clever word play, that substitute for commercials. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Oct 22, 2020
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(undefined) |
It felt like time well spent because it retells such a powerful story of heroism in the face of terror. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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| Posted Sep 16, 2020
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You Don't Know Jack (2010) |
Viewers may not know Jack at the beginning of the film, but they have a somewhat better sense of this enigmatic character by the end. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 10, 2020
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Temple Grandin (2010) |
Temple Grandin turns out to be the kind of biopic Hollywood rarely makes anymore: It's positive, revealing and surprising; an intelligent period piece without sex or violence that's virtually free of profanity. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 30, 2020
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Greyhound (2020) |
Greyhound, directed by Aaron Schneider, is a sufficient exercise in efficient tension-building -- the running time is just 90 minutes -- elevated by Hanks' performance and impressive CGI wartime effects. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jul 09, 2020
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Irresistible (2020) |
Irresistible sometimes strains with the obvious jokes it hangs around Gary's persona, but the movie also delivers its share of surprises and proves far funnier than Carell's disappointing Netflix misfire "Space Force." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 25, 2020
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Cinema Verite (2011) |
It dwells too long on the setup and doesn't spend nearly enough time on the public response to the program and the impact that reaction (much of it negative) had on the Louds. Clocking in at just about 90 minutes, the film feels like it ends too quickly. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 03, 2020
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Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009) |
The new "Battlestar Galactica" is joyless, somber and a little boring. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 22, 2020
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Prayers for Bobby (2009) |
Prayers for Bobby is not a great movie, but it is a worthwhile one with a purpose beyond mere entertainment. It should be required viewing for any parent who considers disowning his or her gay child. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Oct 03, 2019
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Let It Shine (2012) |
[A]n enjoyably upbeat TV movie set in the worlds of hip-hop, rap and gospel music. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Sep 27, 2019
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Descendants (2015) |
At 111 minutes, Descendants feels too long and overly tactical. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Sep 09, 2019
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(undefined) |
Lively, fast-paced and full of laughs, this new special showcases Ullman at her schizophrenic best. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Aug 06, 2019
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Deadwood: The Movie (2019) |
(Deadwood: The Movie) belatedly puts the "Deadwood" story to bed in a manner that's appropriate, rewarding and surprisingly emotional. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 29, 2019
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The Mists of Avalon (2001) |
This feminist retelling of the Arthurian legend is dark, kinky and violent. It's also more entertaining, intriguing and thought-provoking than those godawful NBC miniseries of recent years. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 08, 2019
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My House in Umbria (2003) |
My House in Umbria is not sexy, not cutting edge; it does not "push the envelope." It tells a simple story about love and hope, sadness and loneliness. In the current coarse pop culture climate, that makes "Umbria" the riskiest type of film of all. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 04, 2019
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Born Rich (2003) |
Johnson directs, produces and narrates the program, and the fact that he's willing to explore issues of wealth and what it means earns him some admiration right off the bat. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 04, 2019
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Saving Jessica Lynch (2003) |
Handsomely produced and legitimately emotional at points, "Saving Jessica Lynch" isn't a great film, but it is decent. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 04, 2019
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(undefined) |
Is "The Reagans" a hatchet job? Yeah, a little. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 03, 2019
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Foster (2018) |
It's about time for a quality drama that explores the foster care system from all angles and perhaps in so doing encourages more adults with a stable home life to consider fostering. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 01, 2019
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Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story (2018) |
If the goal was to goose the drama, "Escaping the Madhouse" falls well short of its intent. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jan 18, 2019
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United We Fan (2018) |
For anyone who has ever written to a network on behalf of a low-rated program, "United We Fan" will strike a chord. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 29, 2018
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Instant Family (2018) |
Although "Instant Family" takes more than an instant to rev up the funny, the film crescendos well, ultimately maximizing the humor, reality and drama that are all present in real-world foster parenting scenarios. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Nov 16, 2018
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Too Big to Fail (2011) |
If not for the seriousness of the situation - the potential for a new Great Depression - Too Big to Fail could play as a black comedy. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 25, 2018
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Recount (2008) |
There's no suspense about the outcome, but following the twisted, oftentimes maddening journey to that point is filled with tension and dark humor. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted Jun 13, 2018
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(undefined) |
Warm, welcoming and occasionally tear-jerking, this three-hour production goes down like a warm glass of milk at bedtime. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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| Posted May 09, 2018
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