Battleship Pretension

Tomatometer-approved publication
Rating Title/Year Author
Headhunters (2011) Rita Cannon The point of Headhunters isn't where you land, but the wild ride taken to get there, and that part of the film definitely delivers. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
The Five-Year Engagement (2012) David Bax The Five-Year Engagement is in many ways the inverse of every Hollywood movie like it. Also, it's really funny. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2011) David Bax For all its bombast, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale doesn't come close to containing 2 1/2 hours worth of insight, much less 4 1/2. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
Sound of My Voice (2011) David Bax Sound of My Voice is the first feature from a young director and these drawbacks are indicative of that greenness. Still, Batmanglij has made a better-than-average genre film that does exactly what genre films are supposed to do. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
Jesus Henry Christ (2011) David Bax That sort of thing felt unnatural in Napoleon Dynamite, eight years ago. Here, it's just embarrassing. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
Iron Man 3 (2013) Scott Nye Most of this film is one big stall, and, as a result of its context, what is otherwise mostly a middling, decently entertaining picture ends up feeling far less than the sum of its parts. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
The Iceman (2012) David Bax Yes, Michael Shannon is great in The Iceman. Yet the fact remains that you can watch him be great in a whole lot of much better movies. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012) Chase Beck Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay only delivers on half the promise that the title makes, there are plenty of mentors, but no real mysteries to speak of. I'm okay with that. EDIT
Posted Mar 4, 2021
Willow Creek (2013) Craig Schroeder Bobcat Goldthwait's Willow Creek is the first film in quite some time to give me those foundation shaking, temperature-changing scares. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
We Are the Best! (2013) Scott Nye The crowd with which I saw it last November was positively vibrating the whole time. The title does not lie. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Obvious Child (2014) David Bax Obvious Child is as successful a comedy as it is an argument for its cause. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Korengal (2014) David Bax There is plenty of frustration to be found in wishing Korengal differentiated itself from its antecedent. But depoliticized and empathetically honest documentaries about those who fight for their country are few and far between. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
The Signal (2014) David Bax For a movie full of surprises in its narrative, there are none beneath its surface. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Young & Beautiful (2013) Scott Nye This is not a mystery or a thriller or a twist-filled mind-bender; it's a film about the mysteries, thrills, and twists of existing in relation to other people. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Last Passenger (2013) David Bax ...the deeper engine of Last Passenger is a humanistic impulse, the belief that we can improve ourselves and our lot by working together and even sacrificing for one another when necessary... EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Bright Days Ahead (2013) Sarah Brinks I think Bright Days Ahead will resonate with people who are nearing or in retirement, but people of all ages can appreciate it as a good film with a good story and strong acting. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Breastmilk (2014) Craig Schroeder Breastmilk will make you raise a fist in feminist solidarity, despite its rigidity and general confusion. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
For No Good Reason (2012) David Bax Steadman and this film glibly admit that everything is getting worse and dying. But that's no excuse for us not to rage with all we have to make things better. EDIT
Posted Mar 3, 2021
Fast & Furious 6 (2013) Scott Nye In an already strong summer, Furious 6 is the best of the bunch thus far, making in images what exists in the heart of every song about owning the road. EDIT
Posted Mar 2, 2021
Before Midnight (2013) David Bax Before Midnight's journey is not only an intellectual one. EDIT
Posted Mar 2, 2021
Venus and Serena (2012) David Bax Occasionally exasperating in how close it comes to being a true portrait of its subjects' inner lives. Yet, confounded at every turn by the practiced deflections of these media-savvy personalities, it never gets below the surface... EDIT
Posted Feb 25, 2021
Bert Stern: Original Mad Man (2011) Sarah Brinks Stern's legacy exists in the hundreds of boxes of breath-taking photos in his studio and office. He lived the life of an artist, often with no limits - unspeakable highs, and tragic lows. EDIT
Posted Feb 25, 2021
Aftershock (2012) Matt Warren In the age of premium TV and limitless web entertainment options, the one thing the movies still have going for them is Spectacle. Aftershock delivers spectacle-of the B-movie extraction, to be sure, but Spectacle nonetheless. EDIT
Posted Feb 25, 2021
Sightseers (2012) Matt Warren This is a unique movie, and one worth seeing if you're the kind of person who likes sour candy. Don't go to the beach house or your friend's mom's cabin up in Big Bear. Stay at home and enjoy being alone. EDIT
Posted Feb 25, 2021
The Patience Stone (2012) David Bax The process is all too artificial, ultimately doing a disservice to those whose lives it attempts to reflect. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) Matt Warren Don't think of it as a Best Picture wannabe, think of it as a socially-conscious picture book-something with a Caldecott medal on its cover to place on Barnes & Noble endcaps during Black History Month. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Fruitvale Station (2013) Dayne Linford Ultimately, Fruitvale Station is a great film because it sticks to a single core concept - the portrayal of a single life, the mundane, difficult, and sublime nature of which was lost in the media controversy and the ensuing riots. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013) Craig Schroeder Muhammad Ali was and still is charismatic. The Trials of Muhammad Ali is not. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013) David Bax Everything is relentlessly grim and dour without earning the weight to make that mean something. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Austenland (2013) David Bax Unfortunately, Hess and company weren't nearly as interested in Austen as they were in a thousand other boring romantic comedies. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
In a World ... (2013) Tyler Smith ...most directors' first films do not have the basis of quality that this movie has. I'm excited to see her next film, but, in the meantime, we have In a World... If you have the opportunity to see it, I recommend that you do. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Low & Clear (2012) Craig Schroeder Filmmakers Khalil Hudson and Tyler Hughen are humanists; J.T. and Xenie are fisherman. Low & Clear is a concise, emotive study on each. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Good Ol' Freda (2013) Rita Cannon Kelly's stories are often delightful. Combine that with tons of rare photos and great music from the Beatles and other bands of the era, and you have a breezy, amiable doc that leaves you with a smile on your face. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
My Father and the Man in Black (2012) Sarah Brinks Even with the distracting narration My Father and the Man in Black is a well made documentary with details about both Saul Holiff and Johnny Cash that until now were lost to the annals of time. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
I Declare War (2012) Aaron Pinkston I can certainly see the value of the film's ideas on paper, but in practice none of it quite works. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
You're Next (2011) David Bax Laughs are only a fraction of the responses you'll hear if you see this with an audience, which I suggest you do. Applause, gasps, cheers, whatever sound people make when they are grossed out; not a scene goes by without a hearty reaction from the crowd. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Drinking Buddies (2013) Scott Nye While I hope the traditional romantic comedy will continue to return in evermore-grand quality, this is a welcome diversion, and a lovely film all its own. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Short Term 12 (2013) Rita Cannon It's a perfect example of the raw emotion and attention to detail that make Short Term 12 such a moving, unforgettable experience. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Wadjda (2012) Josh Long Films like these are insightful and useful instruments for change. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Riddick (2013) Sarah Brinks It is a fun action movie with a recognizable hero and some good action scenes. I would argue that it is the weakest of the trilogy just because the first act is so CG driven and thus uninteresting. However, when it hits its stride it is a lot of fun. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2012) Matt Warren The problem with Partly Fiction is that the filmmakers were depending on Harry Dean Stanton's inherent coolness to carry the film. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Mother of George (2013) David Bax Dosunmu and editor Oriana Soddu are clearly fans of Young's work as well, since they choose to let each shot linger. The film's laconic cadence is enchanting at first but eventually the pace begins to betray the thinness of the material. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Thanks for Sharing (2012) Rita Cannon There's nothing wrong with shifting between comedy and drama, even with such serious subject matter, but as we near the end of Thanks For Sharing, the shifting gets less graceful and becomes more of a lurch. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
The Family (2013) Sarah Brinks The stakes in this film are completely backwards. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
The Muslims Are Coming! (2012) Patrick Felton If nothing else, the film acts as a superb calling card and character study for this very singular group of comedians eager make people laugh regardless of race creed or political affiliation. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) Aaron Pinkston There are moments in Insidious: Chapter 2 that really work - a few big ideas, a few small moments. As a whole, and especially as a sequel, though, there is more harm than good. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Zero Charisma (2013) Aaron Pinkston Whether or not you consider yourself a nerd (or whether society considers you a nerd), Zero Charisma will work. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) Scott Nye Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn (working from a script by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Erica Rivinoja) have expanded on it nicely, crafting a film that feels like the natural successor to the original without simply rehashing its story. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Augustine (2012) Sarah Brinks Augustine is a slow but never boring film that examines a real life doctor and his quest to improve neurology and a patient who challenges him personally and professionally. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021
Milo (2013) David Bax Take it from me. Bad Milo is one problem you should ignore. EDIT
Posted Feb 24, 2021