Good Times Santa Cruz - Rotten Tomatoes

Good Times Santa Cruz

Good Times Santa Cruz is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Lisa Jensen
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
3/4
Being the Ricardos (2021)

Lisa Jensen

Rescuing the show and its creators from the realm of comfy nostalgia, Sorkin celebrates a surprisingly radical moment in American pop culture.
Posted Jan 6, 2022
2
2.5/4
The Tomorrow War (2021)

Lisa Jensen

At heart, this is a standard shoot-'em-up whose bad guys are such mindless flesh-eating monsters (think of the original Alien, times a zillion) that slaughtering them in ever more elaborate action sequences becomes the movie's main objective.
Posted Jul 9, 2021
3
3/4
Dream Horse (2021)

Lisa Jensen

A cheer-worthy celebration of persistence, community, and team spirit against all odds, revolving around a most unlikely underdog (make that underhorse) hero named Dream Alliance, Dream Horse couldn't come at a better time.
Posted May 28, 2021
4
3/4
Together Together (2021)

Lisa Jensen

Writer-director Nicole Beckwith chooses to bring her thoughtful comedy to a much more interesting place than we expect.
Posted May 14, 2021
5
4/4
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020)

Lisa Jensen

Dickens' classic coming-of-age tale gets an energizing makeover that is absolutely true to this spirit of the novel.
Posted Sep 16, 2020
6
Blow the Man Down (2020)

Lisa Jensen

Blow The Man Down is an entertaining New England chowder of black comedy, femme-noir, and mood-making from co-writers and directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy.
Posted Mar 25, 2020
7
2.5/4
Wendy (2020)

Lisa Jensen

The movie rackets along on odd bits of beauty, weirdness, exuberance and regret, but the story tends to meander, and it never feels like it quite gets anywhere.
Posted Mar 18, 2020
8
3.5/4
Emma. (2020)

Lisa Jensen

Combines a savvy script from Eleanor Catton with a scrupulously assembled visual narrative from music video director Autumn de Wilde, in her impressive feature debut.
Posted Mar 11, 2020
9
2/4
Seberg (2020)

Lisa Jensen

Ultimately, it's only so much window-dressing that can't quite disguise the fact that this movie doesn't actually know what makes its nominal heroine tick.
Posted Mar 4, 2020
10
3/4
The Assistant (2020)

Lisa Jensen

Garner has the pale, porcelain face of a Renaissance angel; it's almost physically painful to watch her eyes, her expression, her entire demeanor darken with anxiety over the course of her workday.
Posted Feb 26, 2020
11
2.5/4
Downhill (2020)

Lisa Jensen

Co-produced by Louis-Dreyfus, it does have more of a frenetic undercurrent than the spare, sober original, but the theme of disrupted trust still has a harrowing edge.
Posted Feb 19, 2020
12
3/4
The Song of Names (2019)

Lisa Jensen

An often-moving meditation on the purpose and privilege of artistic expression.
Posted Jan 29, 2020
13
3/4
63 Up (2019)

Lisa Jensen

With so many backstories to fill in, the movie runs to nearly three hours, yet it's an invaluable portrait of humanity in transition.
Posted Jan 15, 2020
14
3/4
Little Women (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The movie exudes so much exuberant and heartfelt goodwill that it's impossible to dislike.
Posted Jan 8, 2020
15
2.5/4
Cats (2019)

Lisa Jensen

There is fun to be had at this adaptation of the blockbuster stage production, and it's the holidays, so you might as well have it.
Posted Jan 2, 2020
16
2/4
Frankie (2019)

Lisa Jensen

There are moments when we understand that deeply felt emotions are being conveyed, but Sachs keeps everything so subdued, at such a stubbornly low-key register, that we don't feel them as deeply as we should.
Posted Dec 18, 2019
17
3/4
Waves (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The gripping domestic drama Waves is an often-fascinating piece of filmmaking that encompasses euphoria, tragedy and every conceivable emotion in between in depicting a solid American family unit sliding in and out of crisis.
Posted Dec 11, 2019
18
2.5/4
The Good Liar (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Even in its least persuasive moments -- and there are a few -- the fun of watching Mirren and McKellan prowling around the screen, leading each other a merry dance is mostly its own reward.
Posted Nov 27, 2019
19
The Irishman (2019)

Richard von Busack

This movie about the ashes of crime is Scorsese at his sharpest and most feeling.
Posted Nov 20, 2019
20
3/4
Harriet (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Lemmons' melodramatic flourishes can be overdone... But Harriet's story is so important, it rises in triumph over all obstacles -- like the woman herself.
Posted Nov 13, 2019
21
3/4
The Current War: Director's Cut (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Gomez-Rejon and scriptwriter Michael Mitnick rely on effective storytelling, interesting characterizations and period opulence to give the movie its charge.
Posted Oct 30, 2019
22
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

Richard von Busack

Nihilism and the movie's referential mania wear you out. There wasn't enough energy in the first Zombieland to channel into a sequel, and there was little left undone.
Posted Oct 23, 2019
23
2/4
Lucy in the Sky (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Despite its lofty, quasi-spiritual ambitions, the movie can't escape the gravitational pull of its own mundane, disappointing plotting and chaotic execution to get into orbit.
Posted Oct 16, 2019
24
4/4
Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Along with the pleasures of watching Ivins in action, answering fans and critics alike with irreverent aplomb, Engel's movie serves up an affectionate portrait of Ivins' longtime friendship with another strong, salty Texas woman, Ann Richards.
Posted Oct 9, 2019
25
2.5/4
Judy (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Zellweger shines in Judy's dramatic mannerisms, vibrant emotionalism, and sly, self-deprecating sense of humor. She deserves a movie as complicated as her performance.
Posted Oct 2, 2019
26
3/4
Downton Abbey (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The darker complexities of all their relationships can only be hinted at here, but at least Fellowes and company provide two hours of easy entertainment, with plenty to look at along the way.
Posted Sep 25, 2019
27
3/4
Official Secrets (2019)

Lisa Jensen

There's nothing slick or flashy about Gavin Hood's tightly constructed and efficient suspense drama.
Posted Sep 11, 2019
28
3/4
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019)

Lisa Jensen

While the woman-empowering message is not subtle, it's worth pondering. And the movie offers up some truly awe-inspiring visuals.
Posted Aug 21, 2019
29
2.5/4
Mike Wallace Is Here (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The movie never establishes its own viewpoint. It remains a random collection of clips, many fascinating in their own right, that are never quite shaped into a larger picture or more cohesive theme.
Posted Aug 14, 2019
30
3.5/4
Sword of Trust (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Maron is up to the task; funny on a dime, yet just as persuasive in the character's more serious and revealing moments. He provides the grounding for the rest of the excellent cast to build on.
Posted Aug 7, 2019
31
Lost & Found (2019)

Lisa Jensen

What a pleasure it is to discover a quiet, quirky little comedy like Lost and Found. In this Irish anthology of seven interconnected stories, the characters are refreshingly life-sized.
Posted Jul 31, 2019
32
3/4
The Art of Self-Defense (2019)

Lisa Jensen

In a twisted narrative full of surprises -- never assume you know where this movie is going -- the finale packs the most explosive punch.
Posted Jul 24, 2019
33
2.5/4
Wild Rose (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Rose-Lynn's oblivious self-absorption is wearying at times. Still, the movie often entertains with cheeky attitude, occasional flights of musical fantasy and droll dialogue
Posted Jul 17, 2019
34
Midsommar (2019)

Steve Palopoli

There's a pitch-black earnestness to the whole thing that suggests Aster is interested not in creating pointless shocks, but in revealing some unpleasant truths about life, the universe and everything.
Posted Jul 10, 2019
35
4/4
Yesterday (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Yesterday is a sly, persuasive morality play about the wages and nature of success dressed up as a pop-cultural comedy. It's also entertaining as hell, especially for those of us who do remember The Beatles, thank you very much.
Posted Jul 3, 2019
36
3.5/4
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)

Lisa Jensen

It may seem a bit thin, plot-wise, but the storytelling is everything in this splendidly atmospheric mood piece.
Posted Jun 26, 2019
37
2.5/4
The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Lisa Jensen

We're forced to endure long stretches of ennui between unsubtle moments that drive home the message, and name-that-zombie celebrity-spotting.
Posted Jun 19, 2019
38
3.5/4
All Is True (2019)

Lisa Jensen

These guys know their Bard, and they've come up with a wonderful homage -- witty, atmospheric, at times heartbreaking -- to both the towering genius of myth and the oh-so-fallible man within.
Posted Jun 12, 2019
39
2/4
The Souvenir (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The Souvenir may be an act of creative exorcism for [director Joanna Hogg], but it doesn't translate so well to viewers living outside the rarefied atmosphere of her personal life and memory.
Posted Jun 5, 2019
40
3/4
The White Crow (2019)

Lisa Jensen

As inherently powerful as the story is, the storytelling is sometimes a little flabby... Still, the movie effectively presents the struggle of artistic integrity against political control.
Posted May 29, 2019
41
2.5/4
Photograph (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Writer-director Ritesh Batra, who made the charming middle-aged romance The Lunchbox... is not as sure-footed in his storytelling this time. Still, Photograph is an unassuming, life-sized antidote to the grand-scale blockbuster mentality.
Posted May 22, 2019
42
3/4
Tolkien (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Tolkien's journey through the hell of the Somme gives the movie its action, but his inner journey through the landscape of his imagination makes the trip worthwhile.
Posted May 15, 2019
43
3/4
Wild Nights with Emily (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The movie's comic tone is odd at times. But it's smart in exploring the depth of the bond Emily shared with the woman basically excised from history for 180 years.
Posted May 8, 2019
44
3/5
The Chaperone (2019)

Lisa Jensen

It's an entertaining look at a culture in transition. And it captures some of the reckless spirit that Louise Brooks would hone onscreen during the next decade of her brief but memorable career.
Posted May 1, 2019
45
3/4
Ash Is Purest White (2019)

Lisa Jensen

It's stylish and admirable, often surprising in interesting ways, but rarely engaging. Tao Zhao's performance, however, is totemic.
Posted Apr 17, 2019
46
3/4
The Mustang (2019)

Lisa Jensen

The analogy between wild-spirited mustangs and incarcerated men who have lost their freedom is pretty standard stuff, yet the nuances of character, story and subtle, yet profoundly felt emotion keep viewers involved.
Posted Apr 10, 2019
47
2.5/4
Hotel Mumbai (2019)

Lisa Jensen

There's nothing especially transcendent in Maras' storytelling -- some epiphany that would make wading through all the bloodshed more meaningful.
Posted Apr 3, 2019
48
Us (2019)

Steve Palopoli

Peele's social commentary is as potent as ever, and it works on a lot more levels here than in Get Out.
Posted Mar 26, 2019
49
2.5/4
The Wedding Guest (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Patel's uncompromising presence gives the movie its backbone. It's too bad he wasn't given more of a part to play.
Posted Mar 20, 2019
50
3/4
Never Look Away (2019)

Lisa Jensen

Its three-hour-plus running time gives Von Donnersmarck plenty of room to tell his story in meticulous detail, but the storytelling loses tension in the midsection. Still, the journey of its protagonist... remains compelling.
Posted Mar 6, 2019