Ethan Alter, Premiere
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For 32 reviews, this critic has graded:
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46% higher than the average critic
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0% same as the average critic
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54% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 0.3 points lower than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Ethan Alter's Scores
- Movies
| Average review score: | 59 |
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| Highest review score: |
Critic Score
88
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| Lowest review score: |
Critic Score
25
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 32
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Mixed: 10 out of 32
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Negative: 5 out of 32
32
movie reviews
- By critic score
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Ethan Alter 88
Once may not boast stellar production values or elaborate dance numbers, but in its own scruffy way it captures the spirit of the genre better than any recent Hollywood musical. -
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Ethan Alter 88
If The Painted Veil ultimately lacks some of the novelty and ambition of the year's best pictures, it still ranks as one of 2006's quiet gems. -
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Ethan Alter 75
Perfume is sure to annoy as many moviegoers as it entertains, but at least even the naysayers would find it difficult to argue that film is nothing if not a departure from the ordinary. -
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Ethan Alter 75
Right off the bat, Catch a Fire distinguishes itself from other recent international productions about Africa (including The Constant Gardener and The Last King of Scotland) in that it is actually told from an African perspective. -
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Ethan Alter 75
This is one movie that's guaranteed to linger in your mind after you leave the theater, whether you want it to or not. -
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Ethan Alter 75
It's a movie that keeps flirting with greatness, but settles for being above average. -
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Ethan Alter 75
What sets Fast Food Nation apart from other recent multi-character studies like "Crash," "Bobby," and "Babel" is that Linklater doesn't set up a single incident that ties all the story strands together. -
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Ethan Alter 75
After the widely reviled "Rocky V," it was just as unlikely for there to be a satisfying conclusion to the Rocky saga, but Rocky Balboa fits the bill. -
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Ethan Alter 75
Neeson and Brosnan, along with the beautiful location photography from DP John Toll, keeps you involved even when Von Ancken's heavy-handed direction threatens to bog the proceedings down. -
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Ethan Alter 75
All of the actors are on point (Dupontel and Morante are particularly good), the individual story arcs are involving, if not exactly complex, and Thompson keeps the proceedings moving along at a comfortable clip. -
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Ethan Alter 75
Year of the Dog would have benefited from a stronger hand behind the camera (White's general aesthetic basically involves cribbing heavily from Wes Anderson and Jared Hess), but as a showcase for Shannon, it ends up being strangely moving. -
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Ethan Alter 63
You've got to give the guy (De Palma) some credit. He's made a bizarre, baffling and at times flat-out bad movie. But at least it's rarely boring. -
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Ethan Alter 63
If The Prestige is something of a let down as a magic trick, it's more successful as a tale of obsession. The rivalry between the magicians is brutal and bloody and Bale and Jackman do their best work when they're plotting each other's downfall. -
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Ethan Alter 63
Before it descends into dull sadism and general incoherence in its third act, Turistas is a mostly effective exploitation picture, the kind of movie that would have been proudly displayed on the marquee of a '70s-era grindhouse. -
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Ethan Alter 63
At its best though, the film offers a pointed critique of a youth culture that views someone like Jesse James Hollywood as a person to emulate. -
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Ethan Alter 63
The depiction of everyday life at the orphanage is far more compelling than Vanya's personal quest. It's unfortunate that once the Italian hits the road, The Italian loses its way. -
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Ethan Alter 63
Lawrence too often errs on the side of embellishing details that didn't need to be expanded upon. -
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Ethan Alter 50
It's great that the comedian felt the call of a higher office, but it's a call that apparently only he can hear. -
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Ethan Alter 50
Flags of our Fathers really loses its way in the final half-hour, when the point-of-view abruptly shifts to James Bradley (played here by Tom McCarthy), who takes on the role of narrator, informing us of what happened to each of these men after the war ended and their names became yesterday's news. It's a jarring switch. -
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Ethan Alter 50
There's no question that Death of a President fulfills its objective as a conversation starter, but as a movie, it's sketchy at best. -
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Ethan Alter 50
From the beginning, something doesn't feel quite right about their latest romp. The characters are sketchier, the situations more contrived and the laughs are fewer and far between. -
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Ethan Alter 50
We can only speculate why McConaughey chose to play the role this way, but in all honesty, it's a good thing he did. His loony performance is the only surprising thing about this otherwise paint-by-numbers inspirational drama. -
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Ethan Alter 50
To be fair, Smokin' Aces isn't a complete train wreck. Carnahan stages a handful of strong action set-pieces, most notably a close-quarters elevator shoot-out involving Liotta and Flanagan, that are a blast to watch. -
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Ethan Alter 50
Even Depp's increasingly tired antics can't lighten the dour mood; in fact, Sparrow is completely overshadowed here by Rush's lively turn as Barbossa. -
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Ethan Alter 50
The actor that comes off the best in The Ex is Grodin, who spouts some hilariously cranky one-liners that sound too off-the-cuff to be scripted. -
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Ethan Alter 50
This tale has been told so often (in fact, its roots can be traced back to Fellini's 1953 coming-of-age classic "I Vitelloni") the only way to keep it remotely fresh is to keep changing the time period and the professions of the principal characters. -
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Ethan Alter 38
By straining to make a respectful war film for everyone, Winkler and Friedman have wound up with a toothless picture that won't satisfy anyone. -
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Ethan Alter 38
Time doesn't just slow down while you're watching Catch and Release -- it actually comes to a dead stop. -
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Ethan Alter 38
Like the equally dull romantic drama "Catch and Release," which was in theaters for a nanosecond back in January, In the Land of Women strains to convince the audience to that it's telling a real story about real people. But with its glossy visuals and photo-shoot ready cast, the movie ends up presenting us with the very opposite of reality. -
