Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Penthouse Video Long Road Productions,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for momentary language and some violence
 
Year of Release
1993
 

 
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
starring Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn, James B Sikking, directed by Alan J Pakula, written by Alan J Pakula, mystery, thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Brian Lowry, Derek Adams, Janet Maslin, Roger Ebert, Quentin Crisp, Nick Rogers, Malcolm Johnson, Quentin Curtis, Dennis Schwartz, PG-13, conspiracy, legal brief, Supreme Court justices, killers, New Orleans, journalist, government conspiracy, Alan J Pakula, Pieter Jan Brugge, English, 1993, Surround, Stereo
 

Cast & Crew

Julia Roberts

Denzel Washington

Sam Shepard

John Heard

Tony Goldwyn

Darby Shaw

Gray Grantham

Thomas Callahan

Gavin Vereek

Fletcher Coal

Julia Roberts – Darby Shaw
Denzel Washington – Gray Grantham
Sam Shepard – Thomas Callahan
John Heard – Gavin Vereek
Tony Goldwyn – Fletcher Coal
James B. Sikking – FBI Director Denton Voyles
Alan J. Pakula – Director/Producer/Writer
Pieter Jan Brugge – Producer

 

Alan J. Pakula

Alan J. Pakula

Alan J. Pakula

Pieter Jan Brugge

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Alan J. Pakula
 
Writer(s)
Alan J. Pakula
 
Producer(s)
Alan J. Pakula, Pieter Jan Brugge

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Brian Lowry

Derek Adams

Janet Maslin

Newsweek

Chicago Reader

Variety

Time Out

New York Times

THE PELICAN BRIEF
 All Critics (54) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (25)
 Pakula’s always had a cool style, tending toward solemnity, but let’s face it, All the President’s Men this movie is not. You wish he’d have a little more fun with the pulpy material.
 
 May 3, 2018
 
 David Ansen
 Newsweek
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s too bad that Pakula allows this 1993 movie to dawdle after its climax, but prior to that he’s adept at suggesting unseen menace and keeping things in motion.
 
 March 30, 2009
 
 Jonathan Rosenbaum
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Pakula has improved on Grisham’s book by excising much of the detritus, crafting a taut, intelligent thriller that succeeds on almost every level.
 
 November 5, 2008
 
 Brian Lowry
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 An old hand at this sort of thing, Pakula goes through the motions, but not much more.
 
 February 9, 2006
 
 Derek Adams
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 As the film piles on shovelfuls of further exposition, Mr. Washington and Ms. Roberts are left to look terrific and recite perfunctory lines.
 
 May 20, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/5
 
 Janet Maslin
 New York Times
 TOP CRITIC
 A clever device to take your mind off your problems for 141 minutes.
 
 January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Roger Ebert
 Chicago Sun-Times
 TOP CRITIC
 The movie has a foolish ending, but it is worth seeing.
 
 May 26, 2022
 
 Quentin Crisp
 Christopher Street
 Not on par with Alan J. Pakula’s preeminent paranoid cinema. But depicting a POTUS at odds with his FBI director and creating obstruction of justice concerns aligns it with Pakula’s other preternaturally predictive potboilers.
 
 June 24, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Nick Rogers
 Midwest Film Journal
 Both Roberts, with her intense fragility, and Washington, with his thoughtful heroism, prove invaluable in pulling us into the heart of the film.
 
 May 3, 2018
 
 Malcolm Johnson
 Hartford Courant
 It all sounds thrilling enough. So why is it so dull? Chiefly because of a central flaw in Grisham’s writing, which Hollywood is unable to smooth out — its grinding pedantry.
 
 December 12, 2017
 
 Quentin Curtis
 Independent on Sunday
 A juicy conspiracy theory thriller.
 
 March 7, 2017 | Rating: B-
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
 A routine thriller, curiosuly disappointing from Alan Pakula that even stars like Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts can’t rescue
 
 June 18, 2011 | Rating: C
 
 Emanuel Levy
 EmanuelLevy.Com…

 

Plot
Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed. Now a college professor, who clerked for one of the two men and who is also having an affair with one of his students, is given a brief by her that states who probably wanted to see these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by it. One of the president’s men who read it is afraid that if it ever got out, the president could be smeared. So he advises the president to tell the director to drop it, which he does. But later the professor and the girl were out and he was drunk and when he refused to give her the keys, she stepped out of the car. When he started it, it blew up. She then discovers that her place has been burglarized and what was taken were her computer and her disks. Obviously, her brief has someone agitated. She then turns to her boyfriend’s friend at the FBI. He agrees to come meet her but before he does, someone shoots him and takes his place. At the meeting, he was about to kill her when someone shoots him. She then decides to turn to Gray Grantham, an investigative reporter, who was contacted by someone who says he has info on the killings but backed out at the last minute. He then meets her and tells her what her brief is, and basically, the man she suspects is a good friend of the president, and is trying to manipulate the outcome of a trial that is now before the Supreme Court. Grantham tells her that her brief can harm the president and although all they have are theories, he asks her to help him, but she wants to leave the country. Then Grantham’s editor tells him that they have nothing, that he should drop cause the man she implicated is extremely powerful. Grantham is about to drop it when she says that she will help him. But can they stay alive?
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels notes that Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington are a “compelling team” in The Pelican Brief.
 

 
Alan-J.-Pakula.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Twentieth Century Fox, Brandywine Productions, Pinewood Studios,
 
Distributor
TriStar Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Mount Falzarago, Dolomites, Italy
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence and language
 
Year of Release
1993
 

 
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
 
Keyword(s)
starring Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, directed by Renny Harlin, written by Michael France, action, adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Christopher Harris, Steven Rea, Jay Boyar, Anthony Lane, Alistair Lawrence, MPAA rating R, produced by Alan Marshall, Renny Harlin, outdoor thriller, mountain rescuer, criminals, $100 million stash, plane crash, Rocky Mountains, stranded hikers, violent robbers, missing loot
 

Cast & Crew

Sylvester Stallone

John Lithgow

Michael Rooker

Janine Turner

Rex Linn

Gabe Walker

Eric Qualen

Hal Tucker

Jessie Deighan

Richard Travers

Sylvester Stallone – Gabe Walker
John Lithgow – Eric Qualen
Michael Rooker – Hal Tucker
Janine Turner – Jessie Deighan
Rex Linn – Richard Travers
Caroline Goodall – Kristel
Alan Marshall – Producer
Renny Harlin – Producer, Director
Michael France – Writer

 

Renny Harlin

Michael France

Alan Marshall

Renny Harlin

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Renny Harlin
 
Writer(s)
Michael France
 
Producer(s)
Alan Marshall, Renny Harlin

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
1 win & 12 nominations total
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
 

Top Reviews

David Ansen

Christopher Harris

Jeff Shannon

Steven Rea

Jay Boyar

Newsweek

Globe and Mail

Seattle Times

Philadelphia Inquirer

Orlando Sentinel

CLIFFHANGER
 All Critics (55) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (18)
 Cliffhanger does its damnedest to see that the audience gets its money’s worth of thrills. But for all the state-of-the-art stunt work, the movie has little personality; it’s ice cream without flavor.
 
 April 10, 2018
 
 David Ansen
 Newsweek
 TOP CRITIC
 it has truly awe-inspiring stunts and special effects and many of its suspense sequences will leave you with your heart in your mouth.
 
 August 3, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Christopher Harris
 Globe and Mail
 TOP CRITIC
 The fact that so much money was lavished on such a thick-headed project represents the height of fiscal ineptitude, but this is the kind of roller-coaster ride for which eager audiences will gladly check their brains at the turnstiles, so go figure.
 
 August 3, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Jeff Shannon
 Seattle Times
 TOP CRITIC
 The cinematography and gravity-defying stunt performances are exhilarating. The story, alas, is pure routine.
 
 August 3, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Steven Rea
 Philadelphia Inquirer
 TOP CRITIC
 Some movies get you so excited – so revved up on action and thrills — that you almost feel like you’re flying. Cliffhanger makes you feel like you’re dropping.
 
 August 3, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Jay Boyar
 Orlando Sentinel
 TOP CRITIC
 That rasping tension is soon smoothed away, as the plot sets off on its daft and hackneyed course.
 
 August 3, 2013
 
 Anthony Lane
 New Yorker
 TOP CRITIC
 The main thing that lets Cliffhanger down is a plot as thin as the high-altitude air that surrounds it.
 
 June 9, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Alistair Lawrence
 Common Sense Media
 An admittedly frivolous yet highly entertaining action-heavy survivalist thriller.
 
 September 11, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 …Cliffhanger kicks off with an enthralling sequence detailing a perilous rescue attempt within the aforementioned Rocky Mountains.
 
 May 20, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 If you’re a Stallone fan and a 4K enthusiast, this is a must-see for the sheer wonderment of the visuals. If you’re one of those who can take or leave Sly and is nonplussed on 4K, there’s really not much on offer for you here.
 
 November 14, 2018 | Rating: 6/10
 
 Andrew Pollard
 Starburst
 Its special effects and scenery tower over its dialogue, its plotting and its character development, which are near rock bottom.
 
 April 10, 2018
 
 Malcolm Johnson
 Hartford Courant
 There’s a visceral charge to the high-altitude chase scenes, but the thriller ultimately falls flat, even on its own limited terms.
 
 August 3, 2013
 
 David Sterritt
 Christian Science Monitor…

 

Plot
Whilst crossing a ledge, 4000 feet above the earth, Gabe’s friend’s equipment fails to work and she slips out of his hand, falling to the ground. Almost a year later, Gabe is asked to go back to the same mountain range and rescue a group of ‘stranded’ people. The only catch is that these so called ‘stranded’ people are in fact looking for three boxes filled with $100,000,000 and they need a mountain ranger to lead them to them!!
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film Cliffhanger on Fresh Kernels.
 

 
Renny-Harlin.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Partizan Films, Partizan
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
The Tombs – 1226 36th Street NW, Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
R
 
Year of Release
1990
 

 
Genre(s)
Horror
 
Keyword(s)
starring George C Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif, Jason Miller, Nicol Williamson, Scott Wilson, Carter DeHaven, James G Robinson, directed by William Peter Blatty, written by William Peter Blatty, horror, R rating, box office performance, $25.0M gross USA, reviewed by Anton Bitel, A.A Dowd, Kim Newman, Robert C Cumbow, Owen Gleiberman, Variety Staff, David Nusair, Michael Coldwell, TV Guide Staff, Brad Miska, Tim Brayton, police investigation, serial killer, mental patient, exorcism, Gemini killer, Father Dyer, Father Morning, Dr Temple, scary moments, literary sequel, hauntingly understated, sound-and-fury finale, dark rooms, intellectual debate, ritual litany, prayers, unnamable, talky
 

Cast & Crew

George C. Scott

Ed Flanders

Brad Dourif

Jason Miller

Nicol Williamson

Kinderman

Father Dyer

The Gemini Killer

Patient X

Father Morning

George C. Scott – Kinderman
Ed Flanders – Father Dyer
Brad Dourif – The Gemini Killer
Jason Miller – Patient X
Nicol Williamson – Father Morning
Scott Wilson – Dr. Temple

 

William Peter Blatty

William Peter Blatty

Carter DeHaven

James G. Robinson

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
William Peter Blatty
 
Writer(s)
William Peter Blatty
 
Producer(s)
Carter DeHaven, James G. Robinson

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 5 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Anton Bitel

A.A. Dowd

Kim Newman

Robert C. Cumbow

Owen Gleiberman

Little White Lies

AV Club

Empire Magazine

Slant Magazine

Entertainment Weekly

THE EXORCIST III
 All Critics (41) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (17)
 Watching The Exorcist III is a frustrating experience, with both cuts of the film – one a victim of studio tampering, the other imperfectly restored – pointing to the better version of themselves that, like Karras, remains hidden within.
 
 December 9, 2019
 
 Anton Bitel
 Little White Lies
 TOP CRITIC
 Against his will, Blatty added the sound-and-fury finale, and it’s easily the weakest aspect of his movie. But that’s mainly because everything that comes before it is so hauntingly understated.
 
 October 8, 2018
 
 A.A. Dowd
 AV Club
 TOP CRITIC
 Too much of the movie takes place in dark rooms where people describe horrors that might more profitably have been on the screen, and the plot is a house of cards that constantly collapses.
 
 October 8, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
 
 Kim Newman
 Empire Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Blatty is interested in the words most of all: the dialectic of intellectual debate, the ritual litany of naming, the recitation of prayers. To name something is to tame it; Blatty is interested in our eternal struggle with the unnamable.
 
 October 8, 2018
 
 Robert C. Cumbow
 Slant Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 September 7, 2011 | Rating: F
 
 Owen Gleiberman
 Entertainment Weekly
 TOP CRITIC
 It would be downright incomprehensible, in fact, if Dourif didn’t do such a dandy job in explaining things in a couple of long, madman monologs.
 
 July 6, 2010
 
 Variety Staff
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 …a pervasively hit-and-miss sequel that certainly stands as an obvious improvement over the mostly unwatchable second installment.
 
 March 14, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 David Nusair
 Reel Film Reviews
 [George C. Scott] delivers a soulfully pained performance as detective Kinderman from the first movie.
 
 December 28, 2019 | Rating: 8/10
 
 Michael Coldwell
 Starburst
 May not have the visceral impact of the first film, but it gives viewers far more than they had any reason to expect.
 
 October 8, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
 
 TV Guide Staff
 TV Guide
 Brad Dourif’s full performance as the Gemini Killer.
 
 October 8, 2018
 
 Brad Miska
 Bloody Disgusting
 Suggests that Blatty had seen and loved many films without ever really paying attention to how they worked.
 
 July 22, 2013 | Rating: 6/10
 
 Tim Brayton
 Antagony & Ecstasy
 Exorcist III wields a mighty sword of scares and contemplation, drilling into those primal areas of nail-chewing tension…This film is a humdinger.
 
 August 22, 2010 | Rating: A-
 
 Brian Orndorf
 BrianOrndorf.com…

 

Plot
A seemingly endless series of grisly killings that bear the trademark of the mass murderer, the Gemini Killer, terrorise the district of Georgetown. To further complicate matters, even though it’s been seventeen long years since the killer’s execution and that fateful night of pure terror in The Exorcist (1973), the sceptical police officer, Lieutenant William F. Kinderman, is still obsessed with solving the baffling case, as the death toll keeps rising. In the meantime, in the city’s high-security psychiatric institution, a cryptic inmate who bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Father Damien Karras emerges from his deep catatonic state, claiming that he has all the answers Kinderman needs. But, who is the mysterious Patient X? Does the same unholy force that tormented Regan MacNeil have something to do with the brutal demonic murders?
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for The Exorcist III.
 

 
William-Peter-Blatty.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Tremolo Productions,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Walt Disney Feature Animation – 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
G
 
Year of Release
1988
 

 
Genre(s)
Adventure
 
Keyword(s)
starring Joey Lawrence, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Natalie Gregory, directed by George Scribner, written by James Mangold, Jim Cox, Tim Disney, G-rated, adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Charles Solomon, Gene Siskel, Dave Kehr, Jay Boyar, Richard Corliss, Peter Travers, Mike Massie, Brett White, Rachel Wagner, Roger Hurlburt, David Aldridge, David Sterritt, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, animated, Oliver Twist, orphan, kitten, thieving dogs, pickpocket, loan shark, New York City, rich girl, musical, Huey Lewis, Dodger, Fagin, Georgette, Tito, Einstein, Francis, Rita, MPAA rating, Disney Renaissance, animation, songs, Phil Collins, Pongo, Lady and the Tramp, The Lion King, Dumbo, magic, wonder
 

Cast & Crew

Joey Lawrence

Bette Midler

Billy Joel

Cheech Marin

Richard Mulligan

Oliver

Georgette

Dodger

Tito

Einstein

Joey Lawrence – Oliver (Voice)
Bette Midler – Georgette (Voice)
Billy Joel – Dodger (Voice)
Cheech Marin – Tito (Voice)
Richard Mulligan – Einstein (Voice)
Roscoe Lee Browne – Francis (Voice)

 

George Scribner

James Mangold

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
George Scribner
 
Writer(s)
James Mangold, Jim Cox, Tim Disney
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Charles Solomon

Gene Siskel

Dave Kehr

Jay Boyar

Richard Corliss

Los Angeles Times

Chicago Tribune

Orlando Sentinel

TIME Magazine

People Magazine

OLIVER & COMPANY
 All Critics (50) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (25)
 The cartoon action will delight young children, while older ones, who usually reject animation as “kid stuff,” will enjoy the rock songs and hip characters, especially the brash Tito.
 
 March 27, 2019
 
 Charles Solomon
 Los Angeles Times
 TOP CRITIC
 [T]he first animated feature from the new Disney studio regime, which is promising one such picture each year. Their first effort, measured against the Disney legacy of classics, is not up to the highest standard.
 
 March 27, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Gene Siskel
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 ”Oliver & Company” is impoverished technically, and it is also impoverished emotionally.
 
 March 27, 2019 | Rating: 2/4
 
 Dave Kehr
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 In any case, the movie is enjoyable, if not especially memorable.
 
 March 27, 2019
 
 Jay Boyar
 Orlando Sentinel
 TOP CRITIC
 Oliver & Company is Dickens with a twist, and Disney with a treat.
 
 March 27, 2019
 
 Richard Corliss
 TIME Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 With its captivating characters, sprightly songs and zap-happy animation, Oliver & Company adds up to a tip-top frolic.
 
 March 27, 2019
 
 Peter Travers
 People Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Even if the mismatched singing and dancing weren’t overly annoying, the character designs and plot are noticeably mediocre for the Disney standard.
 
 September 6, 2020 | Rating: 3/10
 
 Mike Massie
 Gone With The Twins
 Oliver & Company is, from start to finish, a joyride that’s up there with the best Disney movies of all time.
 
 February 5, 2020
 
 Brett White
 Decider
 I was entertained. The music is great. However, sections drag and there are too many bland characters.
 
 May 8, 2019 | Rating: C-
 
 Rachel Wagner
 rachelsreviews.net
 A film packed with superb animation, songs and a nifty story line. And it’s all set to a cadence of love, laced with some danger.
 
 March 27, 2019
 
 Roger Hurlburt
 South Florida Sun-Sentinel
 Though a little lacking in Disney’s customary charm, still provides fine family entertainment.
 
 March 27, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
 David Aldridge
 Radio Times
 There are some exciting sequences, but the picture ranks far below classic animal-toons like Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians.
 
 March 27, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 David Sterritt
 Christian Science Monitor…

 

Plot
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist”. A homeless kitten named Oliver, roams the streets of New York, where he is taken in by a gang of homeless mutts who survive by stealing from others. During one of these criminal acts, Oliver meets a wealthy young girl named Jenny Foxworth. This meeting will forever change his life.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features the voices of Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Cheech Marin.
 

 
George-Scribner.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Bluemark Productions, C-Hundred Film Corporation, Civilian Pictures,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
 
Year of Release
1978
 

 
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
 
Keyword(s)
starring Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt, Simon Chandler, Dominic Guard, directed by Ralph Bakshi, written by Chris Conkling, Peter S Beagle, Fantasy, Adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Paul Gray, William Thomas, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Nigel Ferguson, Vincent Canby, Jesús Fernández Santos, Víctor López G., Sky Staff, Film4 Staff, Bernard Drew, Lawrence O’Toole, PG, J.R.R Tolkien, Frodo, Gandalf, Sam, Aragorn, Merry, Pippin, Mount Doom, magical ring, hobbit friends, heroic allies, rotoscope, experimental animation, Middle Earth, live-action tracing, natural movement, dense novels, visually echoing, Tolkien’s own drawings, visually compelling, narrative shortages, fascinating, strong base, faithful to the original, spirit and inspiration, master of his chosen medium, wondrous leap, land of the imagination
 

Cast & Crew

Christopher Guard

William Squire

Michael Scholes

John Hurt

Simon Chandler

Frodo

Gandalf

Sam

Aragorn

Merry

Christopher Guard – Frodo (Voice)
William Squire – Gandalf (Voice)
Michael Scholes – Sam (Voice)
John Hurt – Aragorn (Voice)
Simon Chandler – Merry (Voice)
Dominic Guard – Pippin (Voice)

 

Ralph Bakshi

Chris Conkling

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Ralph Bakshi
 
Writer(s)
Chris Conkling, Peter S. Beagle
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Paul Gray

William Thomas

Dave Kehr

Variety Staff

Nigel Ferguson

TIME Magazine

Empire Magazine

Chicago Reader

Variety

Time Out

THE LORD OF THE RINGS
 All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (20)
 Lacking a firm center in Frodo’s story, the film plays itself out as a bewildering parade of elves, dwarves, ores, trolls and talking trees.
 
 March 26, 2019
 
 Paul Gray
 TIME Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 What most people remember is the mix of the live-action tracing within the traditional animation and just how effectively creepy it managed to be, but for the time this did a pretty good job of adapting the dense novels.
 
 December 3, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
 
 William Thomas
 Empire Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 It looked terrible then and it still does: cartoon characters move differently from live actors, and the attempt to duplicate natural movement ends in stylistic incoherence.
 
 December 3, 2012
 
 Dave Kehr
 Chicago Reader
 TOP CRITIC
 Quite simply, those who do not know the characters of Middle Earth going in will not know them coming out.
 
 July 7, 2010
 
 Variety Staff
 Variety
 TOP CRITIC
 Bakshi’s version, using animation and live-action tracings, is uniformly excellent, sticking closely to the original text and visually echoing many of Tolkien’s own drawings.
 
 February 9, 2006
 
 Nigel Ferguson
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 The film is visually compelling even when murk overtakes the narrative.
 
 May 9, 2005
 
 Vincent Canby
 New York Times
 TOP CRITIC
 Ralph Bakshi achieves spectacular effects. [Full Review in Spanish]
 
 August 12, 2019
 
 Jesús Fernández Santos
 El Pais (Spain)
 A film that, despite its palpable narrative shortages, is not only fascinating regarding its visual commitment, but also because it laid a strong base for the material shot by Jackson a quarter of a century later. [Full Review in Spanish]
 
 July 31, 2019
 
 Víctor López G.
 Espinof
 [W]e should be grateful that Bakshi has tried so hard to be faithful to the original that its spirit and inspiration often shine through to stir the blood.
 
 March 26, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Sky Staff
 Sky Cinema
 A genuine cult movie
 
 March 26, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Film4 Staff
 Film4
 Bakshi proves once again that he is a master of his chosen medium.
 
 March 26, 2019
 
 Bernard Drew
 Gannett News Service
 Lord of the Rings never makes that wondrous leap to the land of the imagination.
 
 March 26, 2019
 
 Lawrence O’Toole
 Maclean’s Magazine…

 

Plot
In this animated film, a young hobbit named Frodo is entrusted with a magical ring by the wise wizard Gandalf, and must leave his peaceful home to travel to Mount Doom to destroy it before dark forces can get their hands on it.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for The Lord of the Rings.
 

 
Ralph-Bakshi.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
New York City, New York, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
1977
 

 
Genre(s)
Musical
 
Keyword(s)
starring Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli, Lionel Stander, Barry Primus, Mary Kay Place, Georgie Auld, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Earl Mac Rauch, musical, V-J Day, World War II, musical double act, love, family, volatile relationship, successful careers, box office gross, PG rating, critic reviews, produced by Martin Scorsese, reviewed by David Robinson, Tim Radford, Gene Siskel, Richard Combs, Melissa Anderson, Chuck Bowen, Tony Vandenberg, Scott Sublett, Russell Davies, Alison Fell, Yasser Medina, David MacDonald, Robert De Niro as Jimmy Doyle, Liza Minnelli as Francine Evans, Lionel Stander as Tony Harwell, Barry Primus as Paul Wilson, Mary Kay Place as Bernice Bennett, Georgie Auld as Frankie Harte, musical tribute, Old Hollywood, film noir, character-driven, plot-driven, performances, talent, energy, intensity, boring, painful, 3 hours, ending
 

Cast & Crew

Robert De Niro

Liza Minnelli

Lionel Stander

Barry Primus

Mary Kay Place

Jimmy Doyle

Francine Evans

Tony Harwell

Paul Wilson

Bernice Bennett

Robert De Niro – Jimmy Doyle
Liza Minnelli – Francine Evans
Lionel Stander – Tony Harwell
Barry Primus – Paul Wilson
Mary Kay Place – Bernice Bennett
Georgie Auld – Frankie Harte

 

Martin Scorsese

Earl Mac Rauch

NA

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Martin Scorsese
 
Writer(s)
Earl Mac Rauch
 
Producer(s)
NA

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 7 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

David Robinson

Tim Radford

Gene Siskel

Richard Combs

Melissa Anderson

Financial Times

Guardian

Chicago Tribune

Sight & Sound

4Columns

NEW YORK, NEW YORK
 All Critics (46) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (20)
 The experiment comes up against one or two intrinsic problems. In a sense the reality of the treatment is inimical to the musical form.
 
 October 27, 2021
 
 David Robinson
 Financial Times
 TOP CRITIC
 A musical directed by the formidably gifted Martin Scorsese ought to be something to make a song and dance about… New York, New York has many rewards, but its good parts don’t add up to a satisfactory whole.
 
 October 27, 2021
 
 Tim Radford
 Guardian
 TOP CRITIC
 Though rough in the middle, New York, New York features a smashing conclusion. I’m not talking about Minnelli’s final number. What’s smashing is the ending to the De Niro-Minnelli romance. It has just the right mixture of old and new..
 
 June 19, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Gene Siskel
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 Most rewardingly, [it] seems to have effected a kind of opening-out-allowing Scorsese to tackle material more experimentally than in Alice, the characteristic extremes of emotion without the over-determined mechanisms of Taxi Driver.
 
 February 6, 2020
 
 Richard Combs
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 The look and sound of ‘New York, New York’ may rapturously bring to mind any number of postwar MGM marvels. But its mood suggests outtakes from a scorching psychodrama, rushes from a documentary of a couple imploding.
 
 January 31, 2020
 
 Melissa Anderson
 4Columns
 TOP CRITIC
 New York, New York, like most Martin Scorsese films, is about the trials and glories of making art.
 
 January 28, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
 Chuck Bowen
 Slant Magazine
 TOP CRITIC
 Only diehard devotees of Liza Minelli will be enthralled by the curiously anti-musical New York, New York.
 
 May 23, 2022
 
 Tony Vandenberg
 Washington Blade
 Perhaps the best American film of 1977.
 
 May 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Scott Sublett
 Washington Blade
 Scorsese certainly intended a deliberate mismatch, a controlled ‘explosion’ from which he would harness the escaping energy. In the event, though, the bang is not spectacular.
 
 October 27, 2021
 
 Russell Davies
 Observer (UK)
 It’s nice of Hollywood to let us see women making a success of their work. Pity, though, we’re only allowed to see that work and success inasmuch as it carves up their relationships with their fellas.
 
 September 22, 2021
 
 Alison Fell
 Spare Rib
 It has an stylized staging that not only serves Scorsese to mount a beautiful tribute to the city that never sleeps and the classic Hollywood musicals, but also to illustrate a tragic tale of love, passion, success and jazz. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 April 29, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
 
 Yasser Medina
 Cinemaficionados
 If you can sit through 30 interspersed minutes of trivialities, New York, New York emerges victoriously as the musical of the year, and reaffirms Liza Minelli’s position as one of the top musical stars, as well as talented actress, on the screen.
 
 May 27, 2020
 
 David MacDonald
 Philadelphia Gay News…

 

Plot
The day WWII ends, Jimmy, a selfish and smooth-talking musician, meets Francine, a lounge singer. From that moment on, their relationship grows into love as they struggle with their careers and aim for the top.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli in a musical double act.
 

 
Martin-Scorsese.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures,
 
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
 
Year of Release
1936
 

 
Genre(s)
Musical
 
Keyword(s)
starring William Powell, Luise Rainer, Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan, Fanny Brice, Virginia Bruce, directed by Robert Z Leonard, written by William Anthony McGuire, produced by Hunt Stromberg, musical, biopic, theater producer, Ziegfeld Follies, Broadway, love triangle, actresses, historical inaccuracies, excessive length, overreliance on clichés, critic reviews, Tomatometer, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, musical numbers, lavish stage productions, women, costumes, set designs, real-life Ziegfeld players, authenticity, spectacle, soap opera, drawn-out, routine, decently fun, entertaining
 

Cast & Crew

William Powell

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr

Luise Rainer

Anna Held

Myrna Loy

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr

Anna Held

Billie Burke

Jack Billings

Self

William Powell – Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Luise Rainer – Anna Held
Myrna Loy – Billie Burke
Frank Morgan – Jack Billings
Fanny Brice – Self
Virginia Bruce – Audrey Dane

 

Robert Z. Leonard

NA

Hunt Stromberg

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Robert Z. Leonard
 
Writer(s)
NA
 
Producer(s)
Hunt Stromberg

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
 

Top Reviews

Otis Ferguson

Robert Herring

Mae Tinee

John Marks

Ian Coster

The New Republic

Guardian

Chicago Tribune

Sight & Sound

London Evening Standard

THE GREAT ZIEGFELD
 All Critics (65) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (18)
 Too glib for real life, it is persuasive for all that — possibly just because of that.
 
 February 18, 2022
 
 Otis Ferguson
 The New Republic
 TOP CRITIC
 The representation of this greatness is done with such consistent loud-pedalling that the picture lacks climax as much as it needs relief.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Robert Herring
 Guardian
 TOP CRITIC
 For sheer lavishness, attention to detail, honesty of purpose, The Great Ziegfeld is to be commended. Where the picture falls down — hard! — is in its fulsomeness.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Mae Tinee
 Chicago Tribune
 TOP CRITIC
 Of course, it’s swell to look at — or swollen — like a glorified goldfish; but then, if you examine it, its tail falls right off. One might perhaps keep it in a glass case — which is more than you could do with this dead whale here.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 John Marks
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 Luise Rainer, the Viennese actress, is a risen star as Ziegfeld’s first wife, Anna Held. Gay as a butterfly, temperamental as an April day, she is the outstanding actress in the film.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 Ian Coster
 London Evening Standard
 TOP CRITIC
 Its cast is skillfully selected. Although Powell does his tremendous task well, I am sure Luise Rainer as Anna Held will be as long remembered.
 
 December 1, 2021
 
 Colvin McPherson
 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 TOP CRITIC
 A work that dazzles, and is decidedly a smash hit wherever it goes. [Full review in Spanish]
 
 July 1, 2022
 
 Eduardo Guaitsel
 Cine-Mundial
 For the greater part, The Great Ziegfeld is sentiment; for the remainder, spectacle. It is an unbeatable combination and MGM has seen fit to give it a more substantial claim in good casting.
 
 December 3, 2021
 
 Ruth Lewis
 Austin American-Statesman
 Few films have been more lavish than this one… but since it can be doubted that Ziegfeld was either the Shakespeare or the Leonardo he is represented to have been, it can also be doubted that the money was well spent.
 
 December 3, 2021
 
 Mark Van Doren
 The Nation
 I think that three hours and five minutes is too long for any picture. The Great Ziegfeld suffers, too, from the fact that its most exciting sequence comes plumb in the middle.
 
 December 3, 2021
 
 C.A. Lejeune
 Observer (UK)
 There is no picture to equal it for lavishness, beauty, and all-around entertainment; and not once during the three hours that it runs does it become boresome.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 P.S. Harrison
 Harrison’s Reports
 In comparison, no previous music dance spectacle, no matter how elaborately produced, approaches it from a standpoint of sheer brilliance and beauty.
 
 December 2, 2021
 
 MPH Staff
 Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald)…

 

Plot
At the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, sideshow barker Flo Ziegfeld turns the tables on his more successful neighbor Billings, and steals his girlfriend to boot. This pattern is repeated throughout their lives, as Ziegfeld makes and loses many fortunes putting on ever bigger, more spectacular shows (sections of which appear in the film). French revue star Anna Held becomes his first wife, but it’s not easy being married to the man who “glorified the American girl.” Late in life, now married to Billie Burke, he seems to be all washed up, but…
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast includes William Powell, Luise Rainer, Myrna Loy, and Frank Morgan.
 

 
Robert-Z.-Leonard.jpg