Jeff Shannon

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The Seattle Times
For 99 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 72% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 24% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 3.7 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Jeff Shannon's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 62
Highest review score: 100 Dave
Lowest review score: 25 Car 54, Where Are You?
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 99
  3. Negative: 14 out of 99
99 movie reviews
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    • 69 Metascore
    • 63 Jeff Shannon
    Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
    If you take a strict approach to "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," you will probably squirm at every narrative shortcut and reconstruction of "reality" for mass consumption. If you're a fanatic follower of the late martial-arts master - whose death in 1973 at age 32 was caused by cerebral swelling - the cinematic liberties could prove to be distracting. If, on the other hand, you're just out to be entertained, and neither know nor care about the exact details, you'll probably find this briskly populist biopic not only quite enjoyable, but respectful of Lee's martial-arts legacy and the vibrant spirit that has fueled his immortality. [7 May 1993, p.3]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 53 Metascore
    • 63 Jeff Shannon
    A Goofy Movie
    It's a passable weekend-matinee pacifier, offering some good laughs but remaining largely uninspired. [07 Apr 1995, p.H35]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 48 Metascore
    • 63 Jeff Shannon
    Just Cause
    With sufficiently intelligent plotting and an A-list cast led by Sean Connery, Just Cause rises above many standard-issue thrillers with enough momentum to grab and hold your attention. [17 Feb 1995, p.I34]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 34 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    The Crush
    Unfortunately, Shapiro borrows from too many movies (his climax vaguely recalls "Stranger on a Train") to let his story's potential shine through, and so "The Crush" remains an exercise in diminishing returns. [3 Apr 1993, p.C5]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Class Act
    Class Act doesn't even try to live up to its title, so if your taste in movies runs to the juvenile, you've come to the right place. [05 Jun 1992, p.28]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 33 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Fatal Instinct
    Even if you're judging by quantity, not quality, Fatal Instinct is merely comatose on arrival. [29 Oct 1993, p.D31]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 38 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
    Pathetically uninspired. [10 Dec 1993, p.G3]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Faraway, So Close!
    Trimmed from 164 to 140 minutes after playing the international festival circuit, "Faraway, So Close!" is not without its enticing qualities, and if nothing else it will provoke some interesting coffehouse discussion. But when held to the light of its predecessor, one can't help but think it's pointlessly redundant. [23 Dec 1993, p.E5]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
    Indeed, if it didn't rely so much on brawls and shootouts to interrupt a serviceable story line, this might have been a noteworthy screen addition to the Batman legacy. But the requisite outbursts of action are only secondary to the movie's nearly fatal shortcoming: the animation itself. [28 Dec 1993, p.E1]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 29 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Body of Evidence
    It is routine but watchable fare (set in Portland, partially filmed in Olympia), steeped in movie tradition and executed with admirable craftsmanship . . . and enough naked Madonna to make everything else a trivial distraction. [15 Jan 1993, p.3]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Boiling Point
    The assembly of fine talent is largely wasted, but you can still sense Harris staying true to his roots. [17 Apr 1993, p.C7]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Candyman
    Rose resorts too easily to the easy jolt, the gratuitous release of anxiety and, finally, the reliance on graphic bloodletting and pointless shocks (such as the ominously unsettling Todd kissing Madsen with a mouthful of bees), sacrificing whatever substance the story started out with. [17 Oct 1992, p.C5]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Hot Shots! Part Deux
    As usual, the majority of gags are strictly hit or miss, but they don't stop until the movie's completely over, so here's a fair warning: If you're one of the few who still doesn't know secret of "The Crying Game," don't watch the "Part Deux" end credits. [21 May 1993, p.23]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 38 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Sliver
    The original ending - which Baldwin refers to early in the film - was completely cut and replaced with an 11th-hour brainstorm by Eszterhas, amounting to little more than a punchline for the shaggiest shaggy-dog story in recent memory.
    • The Seattle Times
    • 41 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
    Once again, Philip Glass composes one of his insistent scores -- and again the effect is pretentious, considering the circumstances. Director Bill Condon has a sense of style but a heavy hand with actors -- you can all but hear them telling themselves to hit their marks and punch out their lines. [17 Mar 1995, p.H28]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    The Vanishing
    Even on its own merits this new Vanishing is a washout, a classic case of Hollywood studio compromise, in which almost everything that made the original effectively chilling has been tampered with and cheapened. [05 Feb 1993, p.03]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Point of No Return
    It's a ridiculous premise, and the film works best when Badham seems in on the joke. By the time Harvey Keitel appears as a ruthless operative assigned to clean up a botched job, the film has reached its own point of no return, tipping over the edge into rib-tickling parody. Keitel is one of the few actors alive who can make you chuckle while disposing of corpses in an acid bath. [19 March 1993, p.16]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Made in America
    Made In America is yet another half-hour sitcom padded to accommodate a major star - in this case, the highly bankable, post-Sister Act Whoopi Goldberg - and a 110-minute running time. [28 May 1993, p.27]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 44 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Angels in the Outfield
    Perfectly harmless fluff. [15 July 1994, p.D28]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    The Program
    Only Omar Epps ("Juice") locates substance in his role as the freshman underachiever who must fight for his starting position, but even he's in service to the uninspired "Program." If someone wanted to make a good, exciting, serious film about the ups and downs of college football, why didn't they just make a documentary about the Huskies? [24 Sept 1983, p.D19]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 28 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Airborne
    As these things go, this is a painless and breezily amusing variation on the theme.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Europa
    Zentropa seems like the work of a precocious child who's been given too many expensive toys. [10 Jul 1992, p.24]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 33 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Jade
    Jade is sharp enough to keep you focused, but as usual Eszterhas is more interested in cynical titillation than in making much sense or (heaven forbid) exploring a substantial theme. [13 Oct 1995, p.F3]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    The Shadow
    As written by David Koepp, this familiar and pokey plot respects the Shadow mythos while draining its vitality, until it becomes just another tiresome action flick and a further reminder that Jurassic Park, which Koepp co-wrote, was also a poorly written movie bolstered by awesome special effects. [01 Jul 1994, p.D3]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Jeff Shannon
    Rookie of the Year
    Kids will certainly enjoy the basic idea, and pre-teens will clearly relate to Nicholas, whose awkward puberty - complete with vocal cords warbling from soprano to baritone - is just right for the role. But even he is ultimately annoying, leaving only Busey's laid-back, natural performance to hint of what this film could have been in more confident hands. [07 Jul 1993, p.E3]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 34 Metascore
    • 38 Jeff Shannon
    Street Fighter
    A chaotic, juvenile slag-heap of semi-futuristic action that should make at least a few Hollywood idiots think twice about adapting another video game.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 38 Jeff Shannon
    Nowhere to Run
    Nowhere to Run isn't the worst of its kind - it's just painfully uninspired. Perhaps that partially accounts for Van Damme's apparent disinterest. With one expression at his command, it's surprising that he actually musters three distinct acting styles: concrete, steel, and petrified wood. [15 Jan 1993, p.18]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 33 Metascore
    • 38 Jeff Shannon
    Son in Law
    It's perhaps the only film that could make you wish they'd made a sequel to "Encino Man" instead. [2 July 1993, p.D24]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 50 Metascore
    • 38 Jeff Shannon
    Passenger 57
    Passenger 57 is so completely routine and devoid of imagination that it seems to have been directed on auto-pilot. [09 Nov 1992, p.D4]
    • The Seattle Times
    • 34 Metascore
    • 38 Jeff Shannon
    A Kid in King Arthur's Court
    Saddled with a script full of lifeless, mock-clever ideas (such as having the local blacksmith make a pair of Rollerblades), Gottlieb can only do his best to mollify his audience with a few fleeting hints of the movie's untapped potential.
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