M. E. Russell

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Portland Oregonian
For 417 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 65% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 3.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

M. E. Russell's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 62
Highest review score: 100 Toy Story 3
Lowest review score: 0 Underclassman
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 222 out of 417
  2. Mixed: 159 out of 417
  3. Negative: 36 out of 417
417 movie reviews
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    • 63 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    The Signal
    The film suffers slightly from diminishing returns -- its first third is by far its scariest -- but it's still a bold, artful take on a popular horror idea.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    The Karate Kid
    Ultimately, it's a formulaic sports movie for kids that hits the expected dramatic beats.
    • 25 Metascore
    • 8 M. E. Russell
    Revolver
    Although it contains crime and absurdity, it's not thrilling or funny and the title doesn't refer to a gun.
    • 30 Metascore
    • 16 M. E. Russell
    The Spirit
    The movie is a septic tank of vapid noir posturing, bad narration, bizarre pacing, cartoonishly hot femme fatales and ineptly staged slapstick.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 M. E. Russell
    Cold Souls
    The movie still works as a clever little "Twilight Zone" episode with great production values, and it's an impressively ambitious debut for Barthes.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 25 M. E. Russell
    He's Just Not That Into You
    Scratch the surface, and the movie's underpinnings are an insult to women everywhere -- the film is slick stupid propaganda for the myth of The One True Love that wastes the talents of fine actresses.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 50 M. E. Russell
    National Treasure
    Nicolas Cageologists will be sad to hear that he's entirely too normal in National Treasure -- he's mildly funny but doesn't make any of the kooky dramatic choices (needless accents, ranting about the orifices of Greek gods) that made his other Bruckheimer performances so much fun to watch.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 42 M. E. Russell
    Evening
    The uneven filmmaking renders Minot's ideas impossibly trite.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    On a Clear Day
    Mullan makes the journey more than worthwhile, but don't go in expecting profundity.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 16 M. E. Russell
    The Pink Panther
    It's pathetic.
    • 34 Metascore
    • 33 M. E. Russell
    Thr3e
    Unfortunately, the filmmakers failed to replace sex, splatter and cursing with sharp dialogue, characters and plotting.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 67 M. E. Russell
    Lymelife
    Lymelife is more shaggy character study than rewarding narrative; its fateful final moments are self-consciously ambiguous in a way that (to me) feel almost flip, given the long dramatic build that preceded those final moments.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    The Beautiful Country
    One of those hard-to-pin-down movies where you're not quite sure which sort of story the filmmakers wanted to tell.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 M. E. Russell
    Ramona and Beezus
    King is good enough that you can't help but root for her. But frankly, I can't imagine paying full ticket price plus concessions for that privilege.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 91 M. E. Russell
    Russian Dolls
    A bright, sexy, globe-trotting and very French romantic comedy.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    Chalk
    The movie has "heart" in a way that doesn't feel cloying or dishonest. And the cast -- especially Janelle Schremmer -- just nails it.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 83 M. E. Russell
    Appaloosa
    If you're an actual adult who likes old-school Westerns, this won't disappoint you.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 M. E. Russell
    Sleuth
    It's not a disaster: Branagh is an actor's director, and there are biting moments throughout and solid performances from Caine and Law.
    • 27 Metascore
    • 25 M. E. Russell
    The Women
    Is there anything more depressing than when middlebrow filmmakers decide to remake bona fide classics that did not, under any circumstances, need to be remade?
    • 27 Metascore
    • 33 M. E. Russell
    Did You Hear About the Morgans?
    The movie's a fish-out-of-water romantic-comedy thriller that forgets to be romantic, comedic or thrilling.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    The movie's pretty good, occasionally very good. But I also kind of hope they don't make another one.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    The Edukators
    If you can look beyond the simple-minded Socratic political discourse, The Edukators reveals itself as warm, humane and sad, a movie that genuinely wants you to think about how idealism eventually collides with human frailty, and about what upstarts and sell-outs might teach one another.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 50 M. E. Russell
    Peaceful Warrior
    You might be better off reading the book and imagining Nolte as Socrates.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 42 M. E. Russell
    Al Franken: God Spoke
    Fans of Franken's wittier print and broadcast work might smile. But I haven't seen this much smug, awkward laughter and bathos since, well, "Man of the Year."
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    The Prestige
    It's a gorgeous, strange little piece -- but I did find myself wishing it poked fewer aces out its sleeve after urging us to pay such close attention.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 83 M. E. Russell
    Down in the Valley
    Odd, beautiful and ambitious film.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 83 M. E. Russell
    Stranger Than Fiction
    Maybe the best thing about Stranger Than Fiction is the way it extracts unexpected work from underrated actors.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 M. E. Russell
    The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
    The fun thing about Eclipse is watching Lautner emerge as the Han Solo of this series, getting all the laughs and calling Edward and Bella on their preciousness.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 M. E. Russell
    Unleashed
    The movie never recovers from its cheesy center.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 M. E. Russell
    Starter for 10
    If you're inclined toward women of the smart/sly variety, you'll leave with a massive crush on Hall. You might remember her as Christian Bale's long-suffering wife in "The Prestige." Here, she comes off as a sort of college-aged, raven-tressed, human rights-obsessed Emma Thompson, only cooler.
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