Moviegoers weren’t breaking out of prison to see it, however. The Shawshank Redemption–based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption–grossed just slightly more than its $25 million budget. Once you add in the cost of promotion, well, let’s just say that the movie didn’t set the world on fire the first time around.

But boy how things can change. The story of a banker who receives two life sentences for a crime he didn’t commit has managed to resonate with viewers of both genders, but especially those of the male variety. It’s been played endlessly on television, and any video store worth a damn has at least a copy or two.

I wanted to take a look back at some of the original Shawshank Redemption movie reviews to see who was on board and who wasn’t. And not wanting to leave the more modern critics out of the loop, I’ve also thrown in a number of reviews written in the years since the film’s release.

• Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times – No list of The Shawshank Redemption movie reviews would be complete without the thoughts of Roger Ebert. The king of all movie critics gave the film a near-perfect score, remarking on its life, humor, and the warm friendship that grows between the two leads.
• Desson Thomson of The Washington Post – According to this critic, they should have called the film Forrest Gump Goes to Jail. There is a factual inaccuracy in the review, though, as he mentions the warden (Bob Gunton) likes to beat prisoners to death. That was, in fact, the head guard (Clancy Brown). If you’re going to bitch about a movie, at least get the facts right.
• James Berardinelli of ReelViews – The world’s nerdiest-looking film critic (and a damn fine writer) calls it one of the best filmed versions of any Stephen King story (no love for Running Man?). Actor James Whitmore gets a load of praise, as does cinematographer Roger Deakins and the drab, grey walls of the prison.
• Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader – A capsule review of the film, citing the strong performances from Robins, Freeman, Gunton, William Sadler, Brown, Whitmore, and Gil Bellows. I could’ve used a little more detail, but what do you expect from a capsule review?
• Rob Humanick of The Projection Booth – This online critic gives Shawshank a poor review, citing the sentimentality and refusal to show some of the film’s harsher moments (such as the actual rape scenes). He does, however, state that debuting feature-film director Frank Darabont proves to be “a skilled and keen filmmaker.”
• Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central - Mr. Chaw gives the movie a less than glowing review, writing “The Shawshank Redemption is a Norman Rockwell painting about the inside of a prison starring a Christ figure who’s crucified in the court of man, sent to a dark hole for a while, and reborn on the beaches of Mexico having inspired every apostle he’s left behind to spread the gospel of his exploits.” He spends a lot of time in the review talking about the religious connotations of the film, and he even gets in a shot or two at George W. Bush.
• Louise Keller of Urban Cinefile – Reviewing the film’s DVD release, Louise gives Shawshank a glowing review. She even goes so far as to call it “a treasure of a film that everyone should see.” On a personal note, I’d have to agree with her.
• Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine – Writing that “Darabont’s version of King’s story is gimmicky and schematic and panders to our most contrived sexual anxieties and base notions of revenge and guerrilla justice,” Gonzalez proceeds to rip Shawshank up one side and down the other. He seems especially irate about the fairy-tale take on prison life, and he also takes the opportunity to knock films such as Star Wars and Casablanca (calling the former “genuinely terrible”).
• Kevin N. Laforest of Montreal Film Journal – Giving it his highest rating possible, Laforest raves and raves about the film. He praises the music, the acting, the cinematography, and the directing. He even praises the work of the key grip (okay, I’m lying about that last one).
• Brian Webster of Apollo Guide – While he does complain about the bad guys being one-dimensional and the prisoners seeming lack of contact with the outside world, Webster goes on to call it “memorable” and “one of the most inspiring films you’ve seen in a long time.” He also notes that while the film can be depressing in spots, the character of Andy always manages to do something remarkable to pull the viewer back in.

If you’ve enjoyed this list of The Shawshank Redemption movie reviews, be sure to check out the following from our site:

• Machete Movie Reviews
• Rampage Movie Reviews

They’re not all positive reviews, though. You’ll notice a lack of reviews from big-name critics and those who work for the print media. I simply couldn’t find any available on the Internet, so I had to be satisfied with bloggers and online film critics.

• Bryan White of Cinema Suicide – After detailing Boll’s penchant for boxing against his critics and making an endless stream of video game adaptations, this critic proceeds to cast Rampage in a fairly positive light. That’s, of course, after he mistakes it for a remake of the 1980′s arcade game featuring giant monsters tearing up a city.
• Neil Miller of Film School Rejects – While he enjoyed the action scenes and wholesale slaughter, this critic felt the film got mired down in the “whys” behind the rampage. He also got a big kick out of the bingo hall sequence, calling it “quite possibly the most tense and clever few moments that Boll has ever committed to film.”
• Niels Matthijs of Twitch- While praising the gritty look of the film and the soundtrack, Niels Matthijs isn’t as impressed with the performances in Rampage. He also remarks that “Boll’s vision is mean and bitter, always cold and heartless.”
• Peter Sciretta of Slash Film – Calling the film “Falling Down without the morals” and “Grand Theft Auto with real people,” this critic nevertheless praises Boll for a move up in quality.
• Michael Allen at Horror Society (reprinted) – Lead Brendan Fletcher receives high marks from this critic, and Rampage is deemed “an exciting yet shocking film.” The popular bingo hall scene also gets a detailed analysis.
• Devin Faraci of CHUD- While less than impressed with the improvisational nature of the acting, Faraci does like the movie, which is something of a surprise considering that it came from the guy who made In the Name of the King. He cites a number of moments that almost ruined the film for him, but admits that “Rampage has a spunky spirit that just keeps overcoming.”
• Jette Kernion of Cinematical - Another example of a critic being surprised by Rampage. Kernion had never reviewed a Boll film before, and he was prepared for an awful piece of trash. He admits that he was rather disappointed on this front.
• Chris Tilly of IGN UK – While Tilly cites Rampage as perhaps Boll’s most technically proficient movie to date, he calls it “morally reprehensible” and the first half of the film “dull-as-dishwater.” He notes that the purpose of the film seemed to be to grab headlines and generate controversy. He may very well be right, especially considering the German-born Boll is also making a film about Auschwitz.
• Robert Barbere of Associated Content – While this critic gets tired of the shaky camerawork and haphazard editing, he praises the story, characters, and overall film. He notes that he had to visit three video stores to find the film, as the limited copies at the other stores were checked out.
• Jason Bene of Killer Film – The reviewer notes that the unflinching violence in Rampage made him turn away, but he still found it to be an enjoyable experience. He even adds “this is the film Falling Down wishes it could have been.” Since that film starred Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall, that’s high praise indeed.

Also recommended:

• Great Movie Review Sites
• The Shawshank Redemption Movie Reviews
• Machete Movie Reviews
• Leonard Maltin Movie Reviews

• Mike Ward of Richmond.com – Film critic Mike Ward calls Machete a “day laborer’s wet dream.” He also correctly points out that few films have a climax featuring both Robert De Niro and Lindsay Lohan in a massive shootout.
• Robert Levin of Critic’s Notebook – The reviewer notes that the violence in the film is approached “with the enthusiasm of a eunuch at an orgy.” He also points out director Rodriguez’s fondness for going back to the same well time after time.
• Peter Travers of Rolling Stone – The resident critic for Rolling Stone applauds such lines as “Machete don’t text.” He also offers a pithy review that’s nary longer than two paragraphs.
• Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune – Not a particularly flattering review for our old pal Machete. Phillips brings up a number of good points, such as why Jessica Alba never seems to improve as an actress.
• David Edelstein of New York Magazine – When the first word in the review is “butt-ugly,” then you know it’s not going to be a positive one. Edelstein takes Rodriguez to task, especially his seeming inability to direct actors.
• Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel – Roger Moore (no, not the guy who played James Bond) casts Machete in a favorable light, calling it a “gory goof.” This is the second review on the list that refers to Trejo’s face as looking like a “bad road” (not that they’re wrong).
• Joe Leydon of Variety – This critic calls Machete “wildly uneven,” and I love his description of Trejo “wielding a baleful glare that could demolish reinforced concrete.” A well-written review.
• Jeff Bayer of The Scorecard Review – An interesting review, as each element of the film (acting, plot, directing, etc.) is analyzed in a separate section and given a score from 1 to 10. Overall, Machete gets a so-so grade.
• Dan Lybarger of Reel Reviews – Lybarger notes that director Robert Rodriguez “demolishes subtlety with the same force that Rome unleashed on Carthage.” He goes on the give a positive review of the film and the performances by Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, and Don Johnson.
• Shane Rivers of A1 Movie Reviews – Okay, I had to slip my own review of Machete in here. One of the biggest lessons I learned while watching the film: It’s not always a good idea to let half your family work on your movie project (just ask Eddie Murphy about Harlem Nights).

I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of Machete movie reviews. Be sure to check back with A1 Movie Reviews often, as we’ll be bringing you even more collections of film criticism. Until then, might I suggest the following:

• Gene Siskel Movie Reviews
• Rampage Movie Reviews
• The Shawshank Redemption Movie Reviews
• Roger Ebert Movie Reviews

Maltin was born on December 18th, 1950, and he was already writing about film by the age of 15. During this time, he published a fanzine known as Film Fan Monthly and penned articles for Classic Images. A degree in journalism was a logical next step, and Maltin received one from New York University.

His film criticism career exploded after graduation, with articles in everything from TV Guide to Variety. But many know him best for his continuing stint as film critic for Entertainment Tonight and his annual series of books entitled Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide.

Other Leonard Maltin film books include:

• Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen
• The Whole Film Sourcebook
• Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965
• Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy: For People Who Love Movies
• The Disney Films
• The Great American Broadcast
• Leonard Maltin’s Family Movie Guide
• Great Movie Comedians, From Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen
• The Great Movie Shorts
• Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia
• Hollywood Corral
• Leonard Maltin’s TV Movies 1985-86
• The Art of the Cinematographer
• Movie Comedy Teams
• The Laurel & Hardy Book
• Our Gang: The Life and Times of the Little Rascals
• Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons

And the list goes on and on…

Those looking for Leonard Maltin movie reviews will also find that he’s all over television (Starz, syndicated TV, ReelzChannel) and even radio (Leonard Maltin on Video). And if you’ve got kids, you’ve probably seen him hosting the films included in the Walt Disney Treasures collection.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Leonard Maltin also has a presence on the Internet. His site, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy, is billed as a place for people who love movies.

One of the many Leonard Maltin movie reviews actually got him in the Guinness Book of World Records for the shortest review. For the 1948 musical entitled Isn’t It Romantic?, Maltin’s review consisted only of one word: “No.”

Leonard Maltin’s 100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century

Released at the turn of the century, this list includes Maltin’s suggestions for the 100 best films of the 20th century. While I haven’t included the complete list, here are a few of those that made the cut.

• Intolerance (1916)
• Duck Soup (1933)
• Dodsworth (1936)
• High Noon (1952)
• The Searchers (1956)
• Bonnie And Clyde (1967)
• Apocalypse Now (1979)
• Raging Bull (1980)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Fargo (1996)

If you’ve enjoyed this post about Leonard Maltin movie reviews, then you may also like the following:

• Great Movie Review Sites
• Writing Movie Reviews
• Online Movie Reviews
• Bad Movie Reviews
• Movie Theater Reviews

He’s been with Rolling Stone since 1989, joining their staff after four years spent at People magazine. His style is immediately recognizable, with a four-star rating system and reviews usually clocking in at around 500 words. A few examples of his highest-rated movies include:

• Lost in Translation
• Kill Bill
• City of God
• Babel
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Avatar

On the opposite end of things, the following films have received the lowest rating (zero stars) available from a Peter Travers movie review:

• Norbit
• Bride Wars
• Furry Vengeance
• The Dukes of Hazzard
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• All About Steve

While Travers seems to hate all things Michael Bay, he is smitten with the following directors, often giving their films superior ratings: Tim Burton, Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ang Lee, and the Coen brothers.

Top-Rated Films from Peter Travers

Each year, Peter Travers put out his top 10 best films of the year list. The following details the top movie chosen each year, beginning with his first year at Rolling Stone.

• 1989: Do the Right Thing
• Blue Velvet (selected Best Film of the ‘80s)
• 1990: Goodfellas
• 1991: The Silence of the Lambs
• 1992: The Player
• 1993: Short Cuts
• 1994: Pulp Fiction
• 1995: Get Shorty
• 1996: The People vs. Larry Flynt
• 1997: Titanic
• 1998: The Truman Show
• 1999: American Beauty
• 2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Almost Famous
• 2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Hollywood List) and Memento (Indiewood List)
• 2002: Gangs of New York
• 2003: Mystic River
• 2004: Sideways
• 2005: A History of Violence
• 2006: The Departed
• 2007: No Country for Old Men
• 2008: Milk
• 2009: Precious
• There Will Be Blood (selected Best Film of the ‘00s)

Peter Travers Movie Reviews

If you’d like to check out some of the most recent Peter Travers movie reviews, just click on any of the following links:

• Sex and the City 2
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• MacGruber
• Shrek Forever After

Other recommended links from A1 Movie Reviews:

• The Complete Hollywood Mega Store Review
• Weird Movie Reviews
• Recent Movie Reviews
• Roeper Movie Reviews
• 10 Funny Movie Reviews

Born on January 26th, 1946, Eugene “Gene” Kal Siskel would experience a love for the movies while watching Dumbo as a child. Years later, he would cite this Disney classic as the first film to make a real impression on his.

Years later, he would go on to graduate with a degree in Philosophy from Yale in 1967. During that time, he studied with Pulitzer-winning writer John Hersey, and landed a job with the Chicago Tribune in 1969.

But Siskel’s life was in for a dramatic change in 1975, as that’s when he teamed up with Roger Ebert, a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. Their first show was known as Sneak Previews, and it aired on a Chicago-based PBS station. Their recognizable “thumbs-up, thumbs-down” rating system caught on, and the duo had gained a sizable following by 1978.

In 1982, they departed PBS for syndication, launching their trademark show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies. By 1986, the program was being produced by Walt Disney , and the title was eventually shortened to just Siskel & Ebert. Throughout the years, the pair appeared on everything from The Tonight with Johnny Carson to The Howard Stern Show, always ready to defend their reviews and cheerfully discuss their sometimes heated arguments.

During all his years as a critic, Siskel only walked out of a film on three occasions. The first came in 1971, with the Dean Jones comedy The Million Dollar Duck. Next was the 1980 film Maniac, and the third was for Penelope Spheeris’ 1996 film Black Sheep. With the latter, he admitted to pretending to go to the bathroom, only to never come back.

His two favorite films were Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and Saturday Night Fever. Siskel was such a big fan of the latter that he purchased Tony Manero’s white disco suit at a charity auction. Here’s a portion of what he said about the film in his written review, “My fever for ‘Fever’ goes beyond its music, even beyond its spectacular dancing sequences. I have come to love the film’s characters–all of them. And the only explanation that comes close to describing my visceral attachment to the film is that it is a 119-minute compression of most everyone’s teenage years. It’s all there: the clothes, dancing, cars, booze, fellowship, sexual thrills, sexual frustration, parental affection, parental hatred, unrequited love, the first job, doubting religion, and seeing oneself slowly becoming an adult.”

Sadly, Gene Siskel was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in 1998. He continued to work for as long as he could, but then took a leave of absence in February of 1999, stating with good humor, “I’m in a hurry to get well, because I don’t want Roger to get more screen time than me.”

After undergoing surgery to remove the tumor, Gene Siskel died from complications at the age of 53 on February 20th, 1999. He is survived by his wife, Marlene, and their children, Will, Callie, and Kate. The final Gene Siskel movie review was for Simply Irresistible with Sarah Michelle Gellar, which received a “thumbs-down” rating.

In 2009, 10 years after Siskel’s death, on-air partner Roger Ebert delivered this touching tribute. Despite the fact that the duo hasn’t been together in over a decade, many film fans still think of them as being synonymous.

Gene Siskel Top 10 Films

Each year, in addition to his usual Gene Siskel movie reviews, the critic would also put together a top 10 list for his column in the Chicago Tribune. He would also do the same thing for the television, and slight differences would sometimes exist between the two. Below, I’ve collected an assortment of these lists for your enjoyment.

1998
01. Babe: Pig in the City (George Miller)
02. The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick)
03. Pleasantville (Gary Ross)
04. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg)
05. The Truman Show (Peter Weir)
06. Antz (Eric Darnell/Tim Johnson)
07. Simon Birch (Mark Steven Johnson)
08. There’s Something About Mary (Bobby Farrelly/Peter Farrelly)
09. Waking Ned Devine (Kirk Jones)
10. Madadayo (Akira Kurosawa)
11. Beloved (Jonathan Demme)

1995
01. Crumb (Terry Zwigoff)
02. Toy Story (John Lasseter)
03. Nixon (Oliver Stone)
04. Babe (Chris Noonan)
05. Dead Man Walking (Tim Robbins)
06. Leaving Las Vegas (Mike Figgis)
07. The American President (Rob Reiner)
08. Exotica (Atom Egoyan)
09. Apollo 13 (Ron Howard)
10. Les Miserables (Claude Lelouch)

Best Films of the 1980s
01. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
02. Shoah (Claude Lanzmann)
03. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman)
04. My Dinner With Andre (Louis Malle)
05. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis)
06. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
07. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
08. Moonlighting (Jerzy Skolimowski)
09. Sid and Nancy (Alex Cox)
10. Kagemusha (Akira Kurosawa)

1979
01. Hair (Milos Forman)
02. Kramer vs. Kramer (Robert Benton)
03. The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino)
04. Breaking Away (Peter Yates)
05. Manhattan (Woody Allen)
06. The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
07. Nosferatu, the Vampyre (Werner Herzog)
08. The Onion Field (Harold Becker)
09. Time After Time (Nicholas Meyer)
10. The China Syndrome (James Bridges)

1969
01. Z (Costa-Gravas)
02. Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger)
03. Alice’s Restaurant (Arthur Penn)
04. Simon of the Desert (Luis Bunuel)
05. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Robert Ellis Miller)
06. Oh! What a Lovely War (Richard Attenborough)
07. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)
08. if…. (Lindsay Anderson)
09. Pretty Poison (Noel Black)
10. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (Paul Mazursky)

Oh, and here’s a list of 10 movies he absolutely never wanted to see again (compiled in 1985):

Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday the 13th, Part 2 (1981)
Friday the 13th, Part 3 (1982)
Friday the 13th – The Final Chapter (1984)
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
Cannonball Run II (1984)
Porky’s (1981)
Porky’s II (1983)
Porky’s Revenge (1985)

Gene Siskel Quotes

As we wrap up this article on Gene Siskel movie reviews, I’d like to leave you with a few quotes from one of the greatest critical minds of modern cinema.

• “We’d rather see a picture that we liked then dump on one we didn’t.”
• “We don’t pretend to disagree.”
• “I always ask myself, ‘Is the movie that I am watching as interesting as a documentary of the same actors having lunch together’”
• (from his review of North) “Well, I think you’ve got to hold Rob Reiner’s feet to the fire here: he’s the guy in charge, he’s saying this is entertainment – it’s deplorable. There isn’t a gag that works. You couldn’t write worse jokes if I told you to write worse jokes. The ethnic stereotyping is appalling, it’s embarrassing, you feel unclean as you’re sitting there; it’s junk–first-class junk.”
• (discussing Ebert) “Roger is the only guy in history to ever answer ‘Yes’ to every question he’s asked at McDonald’s.”
• (from his review of Return to Oz) “You know you’re in trouble when your favorite character in a movie is a hen that only has a bit part.”

And here are a few links to other A1 Movie Reviews blog posts you might be interested in:

• Best Movies of 2009
• Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
• Roger Ebert Movie Reviews
• Christian Movie Reviews
• Free Movie Reviews

Related posts:

1. Roger Ebert Movie Reviews

• Wrong Turn 2
• Grace
• Tourist Trap
• Dead Air

As you can see from the above reviews, A. Jaye has a critical style that’s all his own, and his writing stands out in an endless sea of hacks looking to become the next Harry Knowles. That’s why I wanted to make specific mention of his latest Thrill Fiction post.

Following his review of the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot, A. Jaye cranked out another post and advanced the theory that only two films really qualify as worthwhile horror remakes: Night of the Living Dead (1990) and The Hills Have Eyes (2006). While he also sang the praises of The Thing (1981), The Fly (1986) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), he wisely points out that all these are new works based on previously filmed material.

So with only two true remakes to fawn over, what’s a horror fan to do? Well, if you’re A. Jaye, you’re going to go out and write a script.

That’s right, A. Jaye announced in a post entitled A Nightmare on Elm Street: What About the Sequel that he’ll be putting together a spec script entitled A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Return, which will serve as a remake of the first sequel. He’s set a target date of August 31st to post his first draft of the screenplay online, so be sure to head over to Thrill Fiction and lend your support.

And for those readers with an extra helping of ambition, why not write one yourself? Even if you think it’s horrible, there’s probably a good chance that Michael Bay and the boys at Platinum Dunes will give it a look. For more information on how to do so, take a look at this excellent article titled How to Write a Screenplay.

And with any luck, we’ll be able to bring you more quality movie reviews from A. Jaye in the near future.

Clocking in at around 18 minutes, it’s a brief film that packs some heavy concepts into its condensed narrative economy. Set in medieval times, it centers around two brothers being held captive. At the king’s command, they must decide which brother shall die and which shall be set free. It stars Donny Boaz and Carl Silva as the siblings in the midst of this crisis. There are also brief appearances by Jason Lamar as a fellow prisoner and Rocio Burton as a queen.

The performances by Boaz and Silva are spectacular. They bring their emotional intensity to a boiling point yet maintain an elegant poise. Nothing here is over the top or overacted. They play off each other well, and their timing is precise. It’s almost like they’ve done several projects together. The trust in each other is evident onscreen and makes for a scene that requires much investment with only minimal exposition, yet they manage to pull it off. Particularly engaging is Silva. His depiction of the younger Tavish operates on many batteries of emotion–none of which are easy to play–and he executes them all with seasoned craftsmanship. He’s definitely one to watch. Lamar’s brief appearance is also impressive.

Chambers’ direction is on point. This is a heavy-handed scene, and much of the challenge was harnessing the steady performances from his actors. I’d say he managed to do so effectively. There is a bigger story here and maybe too much to pack into just 20 minutes, but aside from a few dialogue and editing hiccups, the film flows well and takes advantage of the time it has, leaving the viewer satisfied and not asking too many questions. It’s strongly reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in terms of tone and style, particularly in the opening sequence. Derek Lotek did an awe-inspiring job here. The production design is simply amazing, possibly the best of any student film I’ve ever seen.

Overall, Manifest Destiny: A Fates Calling is an impressive watch with terrific young talent both in front of and behind the camera. With its solid narrative, great performances, and egoless professionalism, this is one short film that may be worth seeking out and watching over much of the weaker fare currently playing in theaters.

Four out of five stars.

Some filmmakers only dabble in this market. Case in point: Peter Jackson directed a puppet porn/crime thriller called Meet the Feebles before moving on to more mainstream fare like The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and The Lovely Bones. On the other hand, some moviemakers are so good at weird movies that they hardly make any other kind. Here’s a look at some of those filmmakers and their unusual movies:

Blue Velvet: An unflinching look at the darker side of human nature, David Lynch’s 1986 cult classic revolves around a college kid (Kyle MacLachlan) who returns home to his ailing father’s bedside. When he discovers a severed human ear in the fields near his house, he gets caught up in the world of masochistic chanteuse Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini). Blue Velvet’s images are as surreal as you would expect from David Lynch, but his early work at least has an understandable narrative thread. To be totally confounded, check out some of his later work in Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive.

Donnie Darko: Almost everything about this movie is bizarre – from the slow pacing to the quirky soundtrack to the all-eyes face of its hero, Donnie (a then-undiscovered Jake Gyllenhaal). Not to mention the terrifying six-foot bunny named Frank that sends him on a local crime spree after he sleepwalks out his house, narrowly escaping death. Writer-director Richard Kelly’s most recent film The Box, was also pretty peculiar, although not nearly as good.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: This unusual love story is practically Disney by screenwriter Charlie Kaufman standards. It tells the story of Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet), a couple whose romance sours. When it does, they decide to undergo a procedure to erase one another from their memories but the traces left behind cause some confusing complications. For more Kaufman mind trips, try Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Synecdoche, New York.

Cry-Baby: Don’t let the recent feel-good remake of Hairspray fool you. John Waters is a weird guy who makes some weird movies. In this film, Johnny Depp stars as the title character, a 1950s greaser-type who is only capable of crying a single tear. Surrounded by misfits and outcasts (he has a friend named Hatchet Face, enough said.), Cry-Baby is the normal one in the movie. Waters’ campy sense of humor makes this film prime fodder for our weird movie reviews roundup. For more from this kooky writer-director, check out the original Hairspray, Pecker, and Cecil B. Demented.

A Clockwork Orange: I’d love to offer an insightful review of this stellar example of Stanley Kubrick’s filmmaking, but the experience of watching this movie was so intense that I ended up on the bathroom floor puking my guts out for much of it. But then, Kubrick’s entire body of work is strange and intense. For further proof, you need look no further than Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove, and The Shining.

Edward Scissorhands: A mad scientist animates a boy to be his son and companion. When he dies before having the chance to equip him with human hands, Edward (Johnny Depp, really adept at these weird movie roles) must go out into the real world with giant hedge clippers for digits. Once there, he finds love, bigotry and a career in the salon business. This movie is an ideal showcase for Tim Burton’s knack for the simultaneously dark and comic, and for arresting imagery. Not weird enough for you? Try Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, or Big Fish.

If you still can’t get enough weird movie reviews, check out these other sites for their takes.

• 366 Weird Movies
• Odd Films

And don’t forget that all the films listed above can be purchased through Amazon. They offer low prices, fast shipping, and a small commission to us for sending you there.

Also recommended:

• Writing Movie Reviews
• B Movie Reviews
• The Latest Movie Reviews

• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus : Written by Ty Burr for the Boston Globe, this review of the late Heath Ledger’s swansong film is respectful without fawning. Burr, who once upon a time dipped his quill for Entertainment Weekly, clearly understands the movies and loves writing about them. Plus, he knows how to craft a metaphor. He sums up the performances in this film saying, “Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell […]bring a respectful enthusiasm to the game. They could have been this film’s pallbearers; instead, they turn their sections of Imaginarium into a fine Irish wake.”
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil : It’s hard to pick just one of Owen Glieberman’s reviews to spotlight. He churns out good movie reviews week after week as one half of Entertainment Weekly’s dynamic duo of film criticism. But his review of this rock documentary of the heavy metal band that never made it (but should have) is as funny and irreverent as the film and the band themselves. At one point, Glieberman describe the band’s aging leading singer as “a frizzy-haired goofball cherub with eyes that still shine like a child’s — he’s like Howard Stern as drawn by R. Crumb.” Nice one, Owen.
• Avatar : Let’s be clear about something: I wholeheartedly disagree with my colleague’s glowing review of James Cameron’s latest masturbatory filmmaking exercise. Still, I recognize that not only am I in the minority on that opinion, Gregor Turley’s analysis of the film’s technical merits and familiarity with the special effects magic-makers is enlightening. Not to mention the fact that the man can write. Take a look at his nugget: “It may have been 12 long years, but now we know James Cameron didn’t go down with the Titanic…he’s been looking up at the stars.” Now, that’s a parting shot if I’ve ever read one.
• The White Ribbon : This German-language film but it must be doing something right. Not only did it best critical darling Pedro Almodovar’s Broken Embraces for a foreign film Golden Globe this month, it also earned this doting review from Village Voice critic J. Hoberman. This review is certainly not for the faint of heart…or of dictionary. Hoberman’s analysis is top-notch but his writing is style more cerebral and more jam-packed with SAT adjectives than other good movie reviews on this list. But if you’ve got a Webster’s handy, you should definitely give it a read.
• Crazy Heart : Yes, this is another of ours. But this review of the film that’s “as familiar as country song” starring the gifted Jeff Bridges playing a man with an “easygoing smile and an aww shucks ma’am country charisma” is one of my favorite I’ve written to date.

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