Portland Oregonian's Scores

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For 3,654 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 68
Highest review score: 100 Caesar Must Die
Lowest review score: 0 Summer Catch
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,408 out of 3654
  2. Mixed: 966 out of 3654
  3. Negative: 280 out of 3654
3654 movie reviews
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  1. The Boxtrolls
    The characters aren't clever or cool enough to command attention in the visually busy world the Laika animators have created, and the story starts abruptly and ends in a very familiar place. It's hard to believe so much talent went into making The Boxtrolls without a better script to support it.
  2. Stuck
    Unfortunately, the film loses its merciless rage toward the end, devolving into a stock and broadly comic thriller about unpleasant people you never quite get to know.
  3. Nina's Tragedies
    Israeli society is one that has ample experience processing grief, and Nina's Tragedies explores that challenge with humanity and humor.
  4. Sunshine Cleaning
    Alan Arkin is charm itself as the girls' dreamy father. Indeed, director Christine Jeffs coaxes only good work from the whole of her cast.
  5. Wondrous Oblivion
    Generally, thanks to solid performances and very nice cinematography, it hits, if not a home run, at least a solid double (or the British equivalent).
  6. The Polar Express
    A genuinely handsome film, and it tells a story that is well worth knowing. It's a kind, gentle and sweet holiday confection. But my Christmas wish is that the DVD comes packaged with the book.
  7. The Wackness
    The most adventuresome element in The Wackness isn't its pop-culture skin but the unlikely friendship of Luke and Squires...As buddies, they're a kick. But you wish they had a kickier picture to support them.
    • Portland Oregonian
  8. Best Worst Movie
    Doesn't make the case that watching truly bad movies is worthwhile. But it does make you realize that nobody gets up in the morning, showers, breakfasts, dresses and goes to work thinking they're making the worst film in history, either.
  9. Drawing Restraint 9
    You're either on the boat or off the boat with something like this. But for those willing to brave the open water, it's an awe-inspiring ride.
  10. Brick Lane
    Like many things about Brick Lane, this story is dealt with in too cursory and pat a fashion. The film's heart can't be faulted, but its head is working in a regrettably low gear.
  11. The Count of Monte Cristo
    Utterly thrilling and enthralling, a commercial film that paces itself wonderfully, never allowing the action or romance to outweigh its story and characters. For mainstream adventure fare, that's quite an accomplishment.
    • Portland Oregonian
  12. Willard
    The "Citizen Kane" of rat movies makes for a terrific overhaul in this wonderfully entertaining and, yes, touching take on that terribly confused man/child named Willard.
  13. Reign Over Me
    The good news is that this movie is no "Spanglish;" the bad news is that Sandler's performance is actually better than the material deserves.
  14. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
    Not every gag works, and McKay's directing style could best be described as loose, but the last 30 minutes, when Burgundy goes blind, recovers, and leads a cameo-studded throwdown in Central Park, are worth an hour of Durango commercials.
  15. New Jack City
    Van Peebles seems just a bit more interested in how he has his say than what he has to say, but New Jack City could be the beginning of an interesting career. [8 Mar 1991, p.E13]
    • Portland Oregonian
    • 61 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Motel Life
    Hirsch gives a finely tuned performance, almost absent of technique or self-consciousness, which dovetails nicely with Dorff's more expressive, method approach.
  17. Broken English
    Almost nothing that's said or done here is convincing. And the energy is set at near-coma level.
  18. Unknown Pleasures
    The film drags and lingers and goes more or less nowhere, imitating its protagonists' lives so exactly that you want to give them both a good smack.
  19. White Oleander
    The result is an experience of painful awakenings, gorgeous textures, committed acting and silences filled with moment -- a lovely balancing act
    • Portland Oregonian
  20. Matchstick Men
    Despite a cast of solid actors and a director with one of the most exquisite visual sensibilities in the business, the film is too often flat when we want it to dazzle us.
  21. The To Do List
    There's a potentially innovative teen comedy in here somewhere, but it's surrounded by one that's much duller.
  22. Dust to Glory
    The single most impressive thing about the film, in fact, is the taste that this shotgun technique gives of the mass simultaneity of the race.
  23. Hero
    The writers keep the funny lines coming steadily, and Frears gets good work from all. [02 Oct 1992, p.17]
    • Portland Oregonian
  24. Trucker
    Fiercely acted but made with indifferent craft and no palpable feel for its subject matter, Trucker takes you on a ride from intrigue to indifference.
  25. Stuart Little
    A treat for the eyes and the heart.
  26. Goya in Bordeaux
    Plods and frustrates, but forgivably, it is a deeply felt picture.
  27. Lucie Aubrac
    Viewers looking for a big, political potboiler will be disappointed: Check your cloak and dagger at the door. But the film does have emotional fire.
  28. Taking Sides
    Compelling and superbly acted.
  29. Frida
    While the script of Frida struggles at times to be something more than an ordinary and-then-this-happened biography, there's a buoyancy to the direction and acting that make the film special.
  30. One
    A spare, internally emotional movie like One requires something called screen presence. Its two leads have it.
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