Richmond Times-Dispatch - Rotten Tomatoes

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Richmond Times-Dispatch is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Kimberly Gadette
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Carole Kass

It is, in any guise, great fun, with a few slow places that should be filled with laughter. This is a "modern" swashbuckling film filled with derring-do, devilish good luck and a dozen non-forgettable exploits.
Posted Jan 9, 2018
2
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Carole Kass

Yet the film is charmless. While it abounds in action comedy, suspense and sight gags, the outrageous violence cancels the fun.
Posted Jan 9, 2018
3
Little Women (1933)

Edith Lindeman

Refreshing lack of sex and sensationalism, plus that fact that Little Women has already broken all records for attendance and enthusiasm, may be an indication that the good old days of the family circle are firmly implanted within the hearts of America
Posted Jan 9, 2018
4
9.5/10
The Shape of Water (2017)

Kimberly Gadette

With visuals offering unique worlds that somehow weave into a fantastical whole, this film makes for one extraordinary water ballet.
Posted Dec 24, 2017
5
3/4
Big Stone Gap (2015)

Mike Ward

Sure, the script can be simpler than a diner menu. And at times the nostalgia seems manufactured like the goodies at a Cracker Barrel gift shop, but...Big Stone Gap proves to be...a nice change of pace from the summer popcorn-movie season.
Posted Oct 9, 2015
6
4/5
Godzilla (2014)

Mike Ward

Godzilla has run the gamut from campy action star hissing at throngs with poorly dubbed English to an even bigger joke - cough, hack, the 1998 monstrosity - to this sweet reinvention. Size doesn't matter. Acting matters. Writing matters. Cranston matters.
Posted May 16, 2014
7
3/5
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Mike Ward

Despite layers of borrowed source material, retread inspiration and Tobey Mcguire's red and blue voodoo doll, The Amazing Spiderman 2 manages to deliver a mostly fresh and enjoyable - if not quickly forgettable - superhero flick.
Posted May 2, 2014
8
1/5
Transcendence (2014)

Mike Ward

The Lawnmower Man, Max Headroom and Johnny Depp walk into a bar. They get drunk and decide to make a movie.
Posted Apr 18, 2014
9
3.5/4
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Mike Ward

It wants to be serious, funny, jingoistic, independent-minded, poignant and a CGI fireworks show all at once in every scene. Even Michael Bay has a headache.
Posted Apr 4, 2014
10
4/5
Noah (2014)

Mike Ward

"Noah" is a religious movie in the same way that "2012" was a documentary on Mayan culture. We might as well call it "Russell Crowe's Big Floating Petting Zoo."
Posted Mar 30, 2014
11
4/4
The Guard (2011)

Mike Ward

The Guard is raw, modest and charming - maybe the only movie possessing all three characteristics.
Posted Sep 9, 2011
12
2.5/4
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Mike Ward

For 90 minutes, it could be a super-sized Hallmark Channel flick. The ape revolution teased in the trailer, all 30 minutes of it, is an afterthought. There are scrap-booking conventions with more action.
Posted Aug 6, 2011
13
3/4
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

Mike Ward

Steve Carell already played a modern day Noah in titanically bad "Evan Almighty." In "Crazy, Stupid, Love" he redeems himself in his second Old Testament challenge: Job of the RomCom.
Posted Jul 31, 2011
14
3.5/4
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Mike Ward

Hating on Captain America just isn't American. Go ahead and move to Canada; I'm sure they have some magical Mountie who's thwarting evil loggers.
Posted Jul 23, 2011
15
3/4
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)

Mike Ward

It's a bucket of maraschino cherries and whipped cream after no supper. It's a two-plus hour climax without an ounce of foreplay. A fireworks grand finale without a single sparkler cooling off in Uncle Joe's Pabst can.
Posted Jul 16, 2011
16
1.5/4
Larry Crowne (2011)

Mike Ward

It wants to be a subtle, inspirational message to those undergoing tough times. Even his name - half schmucky, half regal-ish - shows that second chances really happen! (Just ask Lonnie Millionbucks and Jerry Diamonde). The upshot? Meh.
Posted Jul 3, 2011
17
0/4
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Mike Ward

Michael Bay's third "Transformers" installment in four years is a rambling mess of bastardized news reel footage, over-stylized CGI talking toy jousts, and light-hearted scenes with the comedic timing of Dick Cheney's pacemaker.
Posted Jul 2, 2011
18
1/4
The Tree of Life (2011)

Mike Ward

I admire The Tree of Life - in the same way I admire the white-haired lady in the Guinness Book of World Records with 28-foot fingernails. By the way, after "The Tree of Life," you'll probably have to cut your nails, just saying.
Posted Jun 18, 2011
19
4/4
Super 8 (2011)

Mike Ward

E.T. texted a homey, Spielberg paid the earth-bound ticket, and now we have Super 8.
Posted Jun 10, 2011
20
2/4
The Hangover Part II (2011)

Mike Ward

It isn't so much a sequel as it is a translation, a translation for those who prefer to drink up their humor garnished with a groin kick and a mid-coitis choke instead of a wink and a nod. Bottoms up.
Posted May 31, 2011
21
1.5/4
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Mike Ward

Captain Jack's roots aren't the only thing that's gone nappy; the 137 minutes of so-so swashbuckling and tired Tarzan-eque rope swinging packs the punch of Tylenol PM and coconut rum.
Posted May 22, 2011
22
3/4
Bridesmaids (2011)

Mike Ward

Bridesmaids busts through the party movie glass ceiling with a steel-toed stiletto and a tepid magnum of Yellow Tail.
Posted May 14, 2011
23
3/4
Thor (2011)

Mike Ward

If the rest of the popcorn movie entries exceed expectations on this level, then the forthcoming shirtless hero worship season might give me washboard abs - "Conan," "Captain America" and "Sinbad" are yet to come.
Posted May 7, 2011
24
3/4
In A Better World (2011)

Mike Ward

I haven't seen two tougher hours tackling bullying since Meredith Vieira's five-part series on mixing Four Loco and passive-aggressive tween texting on "The Today Show."
Posted May 1, 2011
25
2.5/4
Scream 4 (2011)

Mike Ward

You know a movie franchise has lost its pop culture clout when it goes from creating the most popular Halloween accessory to successfully tracing the arc of Courteney Cox and David Arquette's failed marriage.
Posted Apr 17, 2011
26
2/4
Your Highness (2011)

Mike Ward

As far as stoner comedies go, Your Highness might as well be smoking schwag with the Hooters bus boy you just bought it from.
Posted Apr 9, 2011
27
2.5/4
Source Code (2011)

Mike Ward

They might as well have set Source Code at Gobbler's Knob and queued up I Got You Babe every 10 minutes.
Posted Apr 3, 2011
28
2.5/4
Of Gods and Men (2011)

Mike Ward

When you think of monks, you might think of martyrdom, fresh baked bread, 24/7 hoodies, unrelenting devotion or Tony Shaloub. Well, what about balls and bravery?
Posted Mar 30, 2011
29
2.5/4
Sucker Punch (2011)

Mike Ward

It's kinda like a poor-man's Inception, with much more cleavage and plot holes.
Posted Mar 30, 2011
30
1.5/4
Casino Jack (2010)

Mike Ward

Hollywood is getting obsessed with the growing financial porn genre, where white-collar criminals get fluffed by accounting firms and the slow-motion perp walk is the new money shot. They're exploitative, best watched alone, and let's admit it...hot.
Posted Mar 19, 2011
31
3.5/4
Barney's Version (2011)

Mike Ward

Barney's candor, free spirit and giant heart - which may actually be bigger than his liver - are eventually intoxicating.
Posted Mar 11, 2011
32
1/4
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Mike Ward

Alien invasion flick "Battle: Los Angeles" is basically a $100,000,000 recruitment video for the Marines that will help the Corps fill its ranks with gawky gamers who like laughably bad movies. Semper sigh.
Posted Mar 11, 2011
33
3/4
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Mike Ward

When Facebook friends, credit histories and text message logs expose our every - and dictate 99 percent of our decision-making- "The Adjustment Bureau" has a point. Now you have a better excuse for losing your car keys than early-onset Alzheimer's.
Posted Mar 7, 2011
34
4/4
Cedar Rapids (2011)

Mike Ward

No mere fish out of water tale - more akin to scraping oceanic plankton off the back of a humpback whale and slapping it on the glittered midriffs of Chuck Sheen's poolside bevy of goddesses.
Posted Mar 4, 2011
35
1.5/4
Unknown (2011)

Mike Ward

It's all so damn exhausting - countless chase scenes sucked dry of suspense by repetition and the fact that clues are deposited less frequently Scott Baio's Charles in Charge residuals.
Posted Feb 19, 2011
36
2/4
The Company Men (2011)

Mike Ward

It's the kind of movie that rich, disconnected Hollywood filmmakers make about the recession, thinking they're committing some altruistic act of empathy for a nation struggling to pay the mortgage on its second home in Nantucket.
Posted Feb 13, 2011
37
2.5/4
Just Go with It (2011)

Mike Ward

There are fewer kicks to the groin (there are still a lot) and the potty humor is kept to a minimum, relatively speaking, of course. Metaphorically speaking, someone lit a match in Adam Sandler's bathroom.
Posted Feb 11, 2011
38
2/4
Sanctum (2011)

Mike Ward

The strong 3D visuals create a suffocating sense claustrophobia that makes you feel like you're locked in a closet at the DMV. But the characters are cardboard creations and the writing is less engrossing than faded cave drawings.
Posted Feb 6, 2011
39
3/4
Another Year (2010)

Mike Ward

Another Year is two-plus hours of heavy dialogue and heavier uncomfortable silences. But if you can muddle through the tense moments, the pay-off is seeing one of the best written movies of the year.
Posted Feb 1, 2011
40
3/4
Blue Valentine (2010)

Mike Ward

Rom-com haters finally got what they wanted: a brutally honest big-screen relationship on the rocks garnished with hickeys, regret, ripped panties, bruised chins and bruised egos.
Posted Jan 28, 2011
41
2/4
No Strings Attached (2011)

Mike Ward

No Strings Attached is a better movie than its title, trailer and Kutcherness suggest.
Posted Jan 23, 2011
42
3/4
Made in Dagenham (2010)

Mike Ward

I am woman, hear me roar! And by "roar," I mean drive the Ford Motor Company to such a slowdown that it just got passed in the left lane by Mr. Magoo on an exercise bike.
Posted Jan 21, 2011
43
3/4
The Green Hornet (2011)

Mike Ward

The Green Hornet smoked crack with Superman and met CraigsList chicks with Wolverine. He's a bad influence and a good time. And he's much more entertaining on screen, too.
Posted Jan 14, 2011
44
2/4
Season of the Witch (2011)

Mike Ward

It will probably be the worst reviewed movie of the year, it may break up couples mid-date night, and fraternities are sure to use it in tandem with contraband beverage Four Loko for Hell Week hazing. But come on, it's not that bad.
Posted Jan 8, 2011
45
1/4
Little Fockers (2010)

Mike Ward

I'm guessing there will be a fourth and a fifth "Meet the Parents" sequel: "Stepfockers," and "Tween Fockers" or maybe even "As Long as She's Your Second Cousin, You Can Still Focker." Who knows, or cares.
Posted Dec 26, 2010
46
3.5/4
The King's Speech (2010)

Mike Ward

In a 24-hour news cycle, it's hard to believe a man with the elocution of a Pet Rock could be crowned King of the World. But at a time when the phonograph was high-tech and British figureheads weren't doing karaoke with Elton John, it could happen.
Posted Dec 26, 2010
47
3/4
Black Swan (2010)

Mike Ward

Black Swan isn't the feel good movie of the year. Heck, you may need to pop three Zolofts afterward and go to a happy place. But at least your personal potential rock bottom will plummet several hundred feet afterward.
Posted Dec 18, 2010
48
2.5/4
How Do You Know (2010)

Mike Ward

Sometimes it's more jock than jocular. Occasionally, the camera lens lingers on Owen Wilson's crooked schnoz or Reese Witherspoon's prudish grimaces a bit too long. But it's is never too cute, except in omitting the question mark from its title.
Posted Dec 17, 2010
49
2.5/4
The Tourist (2010)

Mike Ward

Depp can't sell the "tourist" look. At the very worst, he looks like he could be working as a coffee kiosk barista at the Alitalia terminal in Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Fiumicino Airport.
Posted Dec 10, 2010
50
0/4
The Warrior's Way (2010)

Mike Ward

Your first clue that you're about to see the worst flick of 2010 is the TWO Nicholas Cage trailers you endure before the movie even starts.
Posted Dec 6, 2010