Frank Scheck

Select another critic »
The Hollywood Reporter
For 2,258 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 47% higher than the average critic
  • 6% same as the average critic
  • 47% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 13.3 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Frank Scheck's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 52
Highest review score: 100 The Humans
Lowest review score: 0 The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 711 out of 2258
  2. Mixed: 1,112 out of 2258
  3. Negative: 435 out of 2258
2258 movie reviews
view
per page
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Frank Scheck
    Come to Daddy
    Unfortunately, the movie is far more effective in its first half than its second, which degenerates into cheap shocks, absurd plot contrivances and vulgarism for its own sake (including an excrement-covered pen). It's a shame, because the opening section proves deliciously unsettling, thanks to the screenplay that keeps you off-balance and the terrific performances.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 40 Frank Scheck
    Goalie
    The episodic screenplay lacks narrative momentum, and the use of faux-documentary commentary by older versions of Sawchuk's colleagues (played by actors) doesn't come across convincingly.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 50 Frank Scheck
    Waiting for Anya
    Despite its laudable intentions, Waiting for Anya proves less impactful than it should be. The film certainly doesn't have the thematic weight of "War Horse," another film (and acclaimed stage play) based on a war-themed book by Morpurgo that was geared to young readers.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Frank Scheck
    The Queen of Hollywood Blvd
    It's so distinctive, in fact, that that it's hard to tell exactly whether it's sublime or terrible, but either way, it's one of a kind.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 60 Frank Scheck
    Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
    Despite its obvious lack of objectivity, Clarence Thomas: In His Own Words proves an undeniably important historical document, if only for the rare opportunity it provides to hear from its subject directly. Unfortunately, the unintentional portrait it paints is hardly a flattering one, although obviously many will disagree.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Frank Scheck
    Gretel & Hansel
    Gretel & Hansel may alienate some horror movie fans with its extremely leisurely pacing and emphasis on atmosphere and mood rather than visceral shocks. But while the film certainly demands patience, it provides ample rewards with its lush stylization.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 40 Frank Scheck
    The Rhythm Section
    Fortunately, there's Lively, adopting a convincing British accent, who almost, but not quite, manages to infuse the convoluted goings-on with enough gravitas to make them convincing.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 40 Frank Scheck
    Quezon's Game
    Unfortunately, the poor production values, ham-fisted screenplay and uneven performances prevent it from achieving the desired dramatic impact.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 20 Frank Scheck
    Get Gone
    The only thing it delivers is unrelenting tedium. Every aspect of the production proves so amateurishly realized that it begins to feel a put-on, although the humor seems to be strictly unintentional.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    The Turning
    The Turning sacrifices narrative and emotional coherence in favor of a series of would-be scary set pieces that seem mainly designed to discourage aspiring nannies from pursuing the vocation.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    The End of Quantum Reality
    Despite the frequent use of graphics and animation to help alleviate the tedium of numerous talking heads (we hear from several other scientists as well), the film fails to makes its significant points accessible.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 40 Frank Scheck
    The Host
    Director Newbery proves ill-equipped to handle the convoluted narrative shifts of the screenplay co-written by Finola Geraghty, Brendan Bishop and Laurence Lamers. But to be fair, even Hitchcock would have thrown up his hands at the illogical plotting and over-the-top contrivances that make "North by Northwest" look like a documentary by comparison.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Frank Scheck
    Jezebel
    Dealing with its potentially discomfiting subject matter with sensitivity, insight and humor, the pic marks an auspicious debut for its director-screenwriter, who also plays a supporting role.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 50 Frank Scheck
    Intrigo: Death of an Author
    Sacrifices its potentially compelling central storyline to an elaborate, meta-style intermingling of supposed fiction and reality that turns out to be far more confusing than intriguing.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 0 Frank Scheck
    The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson
    Like his (Farrands) previous effort, this film takes a real-life tragedy and manages to treat it in horribly tawdry and tediously uninteresting fashion.
    • 39 Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    Inherit the Viper
    For all its admirable intentions and the terrific performances by its talented ensemble, Inherit the Viper fails to have any genuine impact. Neither weighty enough to satisfyingly explore its themes nor sufficiently suspenseful to work as a straightforward thriller, the film proves dramatically inert.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Frank Scheck
    Afterward
    At its most powerful, the film movingly illustrates the myriad ways in which the past haunts the present and the healing power of communication.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    Santa Fake
    The most likely reaction among all but the most undiscerning to Santa Fake will be "Bah, humbug!"
    • 42 Metascore
    • 10 Frank Scheck
    She's Missing
    Sacrifices suspense and narrative coherence for moody atmospherics and hallucinatory visuals. Uninvolving to the extreme, She's Missing misses the mark entirely.
    • 28 Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    Mob Town
    Despite its serious subject matter, Mob Town assumes an oddly comic tone for much of its running time, coming across almost like a spoof at times. Unfortunately, nothing in it is particularly funny, and the deadly pacing makes the movie seem much longer than it is.
    • 24 Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    The Great War
    Unfortunately, despite his obvious passion for the genre, Luke doesn't yet have the cinematic chops (or clearly, the budget) to effectively put his vision onscreen.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    Rabid
    Ploddingly paced (it runs nearly 20 minutes longer than the 1977 film, to detrimental effect), poorly scripted and featuring largely amateurish performances and cheesy special effects, this Rabid strives to emulate the striking body horror of the original but mainly comes across like a half-baked imitation.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Frank Scheck
    Broken Dreams
    There has been no shortage of first-hand accounts of this horrific period in history, nor of films relating to the topic. With its haunting story of one young life irretrievably shattered and another tragically lost, Broken Dreams proves one of the most powerful.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    The Mandela Effect
    Infused with enough deadening scientific jargon to lull a graduate student to sleep, the film, which feels much longer than its brief 80-minute running time, never succeeds in effectively dramatizing its outlandish premise.
    • 29 Metascore
    • 30 Frank Scheck
    Grand Isle
    Far stronger on atmosphere than actual suspense, Grand Isle plods along in tedious fashion, not helped by its awkward framing device that gives it the feel of a Southern fried police procedural.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 80 Frank Scheck
    Daniel Isn't Real
    Although it eventually settles into familiar genre tropes, for much of its running time Daniel Isn't Real proves a genuinely provocative shocker.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Frank Scheck
    Locusts
    There's nothing at all original about Locusts, from its rather too symbolic title to its all-too-contrived plot. But director Davis, working in collaboration with producer-director Angus Watts, has crafted an uncommonly stylistic example of its genre, infused with mordant humor and, true to its locale, plenty of exotic dead animals lying in the road.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Frank Scheck
    The Man in the Trunk
    Unfortunately, the film's execution doesn't quite live up to its promising set-up. Feeling attenuated despite its brief 84-minute running time, it too often seems like an unnecessarily stretched-out version of the short film it was originally conceived as. Not that it doesn't offer some compelling moments along the way.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Frank Scheck
    White Snake
    The pile-on of frenetic action sequences, especially toward the end, eventually becomes more wearisome than thrilling. Nonetheless, White Snake, a Warner Bros. co-production and box office hit in its native country, proves a superior effort that should find enthusiastic audiences on our shores.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Frank Scheck
    Melody Makers
    Revolving around the recollections of Barrie Wentzell, who served as the magazine's chief photographer from 1965 to 1975, and several of his colleagues, Melody Makers will make music lovers desperately wish for a time machine to return to those halcyon days.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »