Peter Hartlaub

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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
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    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The House with a Clock in Its Walls
    By the end, the 105-minute movie feels another third as long. You’ll probably respect the effort. But you’ll be more than happy to leave The House With a Clock in Its Walls.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Dolphin Tale 2
    It's a strain to poke fun at Dolphin Tale 2. Even more than the very solid first film, this is cynicism-free cinema; a place where snark goes to die. But while the wholesomeness, PG-rating positivity and conservation goals remain a strong selling point, the story simply isn't as good as the first one.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
    Chasing Trane celebrates its subject with great passion, but it often feels like walking in late into a good party.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    SuperFly
    It lacks a moral center, and at times seems oblivious to the laughable things that are happening on screen. It’s also about 20 minutes too long. And yet SuperFly is entertaining, period. The dialogue is fast and fun, and the sense of fashion is so pervasive that it occasionally distracts from the movie.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The Shallows
    The Shallows is a very earnest woman-versus-shark film. It delivers the requisite thrills, including a surprisingly satisfying resolution. The heroine is capable; and the writers, who trap her on a rock for half the film, find ways to make her situation seem interesting. But the most important parts, the ones involving the shark, don’t feel genuine.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Man Push Cart
    The makers of Man Push Cart seem so dedicated to making a film that defies Hollywood conventions that the finished product lacks enough entertainment value to justify price of admission.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Veronica Mars
    Although most of the actors beyond Bell aren't big film stars, Jamie Lee Curtis gets a few minutes of screen time, and James Franco makes a spectacularly self-deprecating cameo. Whatever they contributed to the Kickstarter campaign, it was worth every cent.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The Visit
    Shyamalan doesn’t reach “The Sixth Sense” or “Unbreakable” heights, but his scriptwriting is livelier than we’ve seen in years, and there’s a sense of humor that was missing in even his best work. At times, he seems to be poking good-natured fun at his own reputation.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    A Good Year
    It's difficult to ignore the fact that they've created a romantic comedy that has almost no romance and even less comedy.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Are We Done Yet?
    Obvious, but at least it's clean.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The Invisible
    The Invisible is, at its core, a character study, albeit one with a Patrick Swayze-in-"Ghost" paranormal edge. But it's definitely not mindless trash. If anything, the movie is too introspective, to the point that it doesn't build enough conflict or tension.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Great World of Sound
    Difficult to watch, and the film is sabotaged by an impossibly naive lead character and the repetitive auditions that become gratuitously depressing.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
    A film that defies lowered expectations — if not the tired adolescent mind-set and poor joke-writing — and emerges as the best in the series.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Morning Light
    Has a made-for-television style.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Transporter 2
    If you can get past the impossibilities it is a fun time at the movies.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Midnight Sun
    Once the believability drops, the seams start to show, whether it’s some extras who seem aware of the camera, bad edits, comic-timing misfires or songs written for Thorne that aren’t quite as good as everyone onscreen says they are.
    • 31 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Hellboy
    This Hellboy has story problems, with too much exposition and not enough character development. “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour, seemingly a perfect choice for his ability to project melancholy and a luggish humor, isn’t given enough time to do either of those things.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    X Games 3D: The Movie
    Poorly written, contains too much hero worship and profiles too many events - including one that combines the high jump with motorcycles. But the documentary generates a remarkable amount of goodwill with its stunning visuals, which look breathtaking in 3-D.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Code Name: The Cleaner
    Although the finished product isn't great, it's more akin to a bad Steve Martin movie from the 1980s than bad Pauly Shore from the 1990s. We mean that as a compliment (sort of).
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Kung Fu Panda 3
    Kung Fu Panda 3 has a moment or two for everyone, but no chance develop any character beyond a single dimension.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    A Walk in the Woods
    So this film feels less like an easy paycheck and more like semi-retirement. Whatever wisdom is coming out of Redford’s mouth as Bryson, it always seems 100 percent clear he pursued the role because the shoot would be beautiful and he could pal around with an old friend.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
    Difficult to recommend, without first knowing the sobriety of the viewer.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Personal Best
    The result is 50 percent more realistic than the average sports film.
    • 29 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Peppermint
    Through a stellar effort by Jennifer Garner and some well-executed revenge sequences, Peppermint just feels good to watch.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Barnyard
    An often amusing but also an aimless and forgettable animated comedy that is noteworthy mostly for its random musical numbers and surprising amounts of violence.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Highwater
    Ultimately, that's all Highwater offers - barely explored concepts and short profiles.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    LUV
    The strength is in the performances and visual detail. The flaws are mostly in the script, which asks the youngest cast member to pull off a near-impossible transformation.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    The Hills Have Eyes II
    It's not fun to watch.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Jennifer's Body
    Enjoy the film for its witty dialogue and fun performances, but know that there isn't a single good scare. An episode of "Murder, She Wrote" has more thrills.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Peter Hartlaub
    Epic
    Well-polished and well-intentioned, this human-among-the-fairies adventure is filled with plenty of rousing action for short attention spans. But the beautiful visuals are paired with a mediocre script. The pacing is off and scenes become repetitive. While Epic has broad appeal, it's hard to imagine this will be anyone's favorite movie in 5 or 10 or 20 years.
    • San Francisco Chronicle
      • Posted May 23, 2013
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