Peter Hartlaub

Select another critic »
San Francisco Chronicle
For 573 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 48% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 49% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 9.8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Peter Hartlaub's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 56
Highest review score: 100 Alien
Lowest review score: 0 The Smurfs 2
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 246 out of 573
  2. Mixed: 189 out of 573
  3. Negative: 138 out of 573
573 movie reviews
view
per page
    • 35 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Hitman
    Not a spectacular movie, but the action scenes are well shot, there's no shortage of R-rated gore and the plot moves along quickly enough to mask the fact that the whole endeavor is completely ridiculous.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Machete Kills
    As much as Machete Kills is a reunion and continued revival, it also represents a sort of gentrification of the exploitation genre. It's probably time to move on and let a new generation of kids take a crack at making bad films.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Annabelle
    The script highlights an annoying lack of self-preservation on behalf of the protagonists. But the movie tries to be more than just a creepy doll freakout, and delivers the requisite scares.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Diary of a Wimpy Kid
    The writing is funny during individual moments, but the cumulative result is a bit depressing, with a surprising amount of negativity.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
    Will satisfy its young fan base and is bound to make a ton of money. At this point, though, the series is no longer an artistic pursuit; it's a business deal.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The Music Never Stopped
    The songs and a couple of strong performances are only good enough to make the film watchable, not exceptional.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Transcendence
    Transcendence looks and sounds like a Christopher Nolan film that got attacked by malware.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The Forbidden Kingdom
    Feels a bit too much like six hours of movie packed into 113 minutes - imagine if New Line had made Peter Jackson cram the entirety of "Lord of the Rings" into one film.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Mr. Peabody & Sherman
    You might need the assistance of a time machine to find a child who is clamoring for a Mr. Peabody & Sherman feature film remake.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Bears
    The new Disneynature film lacks the fortuitous plot turns found in previous Disney documentaries, resulting in some awkward (and possibly deceptive) editing. But the movie has a strong protagonist and impressive footage, and the educational core is unsullied.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Hit and Run
    Pretty much everything shot by Shepard and co-director David Palmer looks as if it was done in one take. Hit & Run is closest in tone to the Tarantino-penned "True Romance," but it lacks that movie's menace.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
    It's hard to deny that the first two-thirds of G.I. Joe is an enjoyable film, especially when graded on the curve of lowered expectations. Compared to other big-budget movies out this summer, it's pretty mediocre.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    A Bad Moms Christmas
    If there’s a casualty in the sequel it’s Bell, who may be the funniest of the young actresses, but has the most limiting character, forced to repeatedly work a single my-mom-is-a-stalker joke.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Planes: Fire & Rescue
    An occasionally rousing but mostly just adequate sequel to last year's "Planes."
    • 43 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Survival of the Dead
    The movie is not as good as his recent low-budget effort, "Diary of the Dead," but there are enough moments of satire and coolness - two Romero hallmarks - to merit recommendation.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Jackass 3-D
    Jackass 3D has its moments, but it lacks the ingenuity and hilarity of the previous films - no doubt in large part because of the aging process.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    G
    Unpolished but entertaining.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Moneyball
    Naysayers have been claiming for years that the "Moneyball" book wouldn't work as a movie. But ultimately, it's the cinematic touches that keep this film version from becoming something exceptional.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Star Wars: The Clone Wars
    Looks fantastic, but the film suffers from the TV-to-feature transition.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Igor
    In style and tone, Igor seems more like a short from the adult-oriented "Spike & Mike's Festival of Animation."
    • 41 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    First Sunday
    The second half of the film is much funnier and warmer than the first, but the movie is still difficult to recommend.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Central Intelligence
    It’s straightforward, it’s pretty funny and it stars two good actors who seem to be trying really hard to leave audiences satisfied.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Roving Mars
    A workmanlike effort -- a precision piece of filmmaking that provides education for children and a refresher course that adults can benefit from as well.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Full of It
    Better than a lot of teen comedies.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Leap!
    Leap! is the kind of movie where if you see someone holding a stack of dishes, they will certainly break in the name of a lazy comedic moment.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Trouble with the Curve
    Trouble With the Curve has a problem tipping its pitches.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
    A Burton film that mines the romantic fable elements of “Edward Scissorhands,” while pushing the disturbing limits of a film that seems to be marketed for small children, even if it isn’t really intended for them.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    We Are Your Friends
    The makers of We Are Your Friends got halfway there, and then lost the beat.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Sing
    Sing is a tribute to struggling live theater.
    • 20 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Saw V
    Hackl weaves scenes from the previous films into this one in clever ways, without adding to the confusion. The director also does a good job of maintaining the dark tone, which includes FBI offices that look as if they're being illuminated by night-lights, and dungeons that look as if you'd catch a venereal disease or two just by touching the door handles.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »