Austin Chronicle's Scores

For 8,778 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 41% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 57% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 6.7 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 58
Highest review score: 100 The Searchers
Lowest review score: 0 Gummo
Score distribution:
8778 movie reviews
  1. All told, either you get it or you don't. Film critics and senators with election prospects don't. Kids in the mood to laugh at stupid shit for 87 minutes do. I'll toss my hat in the latter ring with glee.
  2. For those unfamiliar with the notoriously camera-averse philosopher and his thoughts, Derrida will most probably prove to be an unenlightening bore.
  3. Even though the storyline of Real Women Have Curves is a somewhat familiar tale, the film's originality lies in the way in which it's told.
  4. What hath "The Sixth Sense" wrought? These days, it seems as if every psychological thriller has a surprise finish.
  5. The movie's storyline is not always perfectly clear, seemingly falling into the same murky “grey zone” as everything else.
  6. The set and art direction are superb, evoking Sixties and Seventies décor with a dazzling precision.
  7. The less said about The Ring, the better for you, the sooner-to-be-freaked-out.
  8. A muddled mess of bad-lad clichés, and Jackson's obvious talents only serve to point out how godawful everyone else seems to be.
  9. More like watching a Polaroid picture develop without ever getting to see the finished picture.
  10. With all its emphasis on beat, Brown Sugar can't maintain a steady one, yet when it finds it, the film surely soars.
  11. Why the Pokémon fad hasn't died off yet is one of the great mysteries of the universe, right up there with the Pyramids of Gaza and the white stuff in Twinkies.
  12. Despite flashes of originality, is a formulaic quagmire that traps bits and pieces from all these genres without really satisfying any of their true aims.
  13. Ugh. The Rules of Attraction is the kind of movie that leaves vague impressions and a nasty aftertaste.
  14. A slick, sexy little package with fast cars, big explosions, dazzling locations in the south of France, a trip-hop score, and about as much plot to fill a thimble.
  15. Unconventional and idiosyncratic love story.
  16. Depends on the magical for the inner workings of its story, and that might not suit viewers desirous of more concrete explanations. But, again, the movie seems just right for the viewers it aims to please.
  17. The metaphoric title about the danger in beautiful things sounds like something from Byron or Keats, but this compressed film adaptation of an Oprah-endorsed bestseller plays like the Dickens.
  18. Fun and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking.
  19. Bottom line: Jonah is strictly for kids suffering from rescinded television privileges or adults seeking a nap in a cool, dark environment that reeks of stale popcorn.
  20. A triumph in anguish.
  21. It's chilling what Fiennes can do with so very little; he looks like a wounded puppy half the time and sounds like one to boot.
    • Austin Chronicle
  22. Most indicative of The Tuxedo's mediocrity, however, is the absence of the always entertaining action outtakes that traditionally roll under the end credits of Chan films; here it's all dialogue flubs barely fit for Dick Clark.
  23. Should be applauded for finding a new angle on a tireless story, but you might want to think twice before booking passage.
  24. Is it just me or is Mick Jagger turning into John Hurt?
  25. What it needs is a little more dirtying down. What it needs, in short, is less New York, and more Alabama.
  26. An admirable effort, but too many words, words, and more words, and not enough of the ache of that half-smile.
  27. The film is sufficiently methodical and well-researched to walk the walk behind its controversial premise. More to the point, it's terribly involving, intriguing enough to hook documentary-shy viewers.
  28. To make a bad movie worse, even Ballistic's fight scenes, which ought to be the film's strong suit, are poorly edited, slice 'n' diced into incomprehensible blurs.
  29. Offers too small a dose of the blood-and-sand adventure you expect from this sort of big-budget Hollywood remake. As it is, it borders on The English Patient's on again-off again heroics, minus Anthony Minghella's patient skill in eliciting romantic suspense.
  30. The resultant film is all surface and plush, with nary a hard edge or demanding note. Despite the movie's well-intentioned heart, its head is out to lunch, neglecting its responsibility to provide these powerhouse actresses with a script half as smart or compelling as they.

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