San Francisco Chronicle's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
For 9,306 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 52% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 46% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.1 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 Mansfield Park
Lowest review score: 0 Speed 2: Cruise Control
Score distribution:
9306 movie reviews
  1. Starts out OK, but then almost seems to be intentionally going for humor.
  2. It's not fun to watch.
  3. Though it becomes flimsy toward the end, it's a ripping yarn.
  4. That Pride ultimately gets to you is more of a surprise than the outcome because it's not very well-constructed.
  5. As moving as some parts are, it's muddled by a script that tries to pack in too much. There's sufficient material for a couple of films and a sitcom.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Silly, but an enjoyable, well-paced fantasy-action story.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    In this pitch-perfect documentary about the very real rise of air guitar competition in the United States, and two of its top performers, stony thoughts will arise as to whether one is suddenly trapped inside a satire that got wrapped in a reality. Or vice versa, man.
  6. Almost overcomes weak source material to become a decent film.
  7. The filmmakers have wisely turned it into a comedy, and a wickedly entertaining one at that.
  8. A neo-noir thriller long on atmosphere and short on production values.
  9. If there is a beef to be had, it is that Tran seems to have tried so hard to make a movie of importance that his characters often resemble archetypes as opposed to people; the game cast appears straitjacketed at times. Still, it's a story that needed to be told.
  10. Although its message is deadly serious, is is filled with wit and winning characters.
  11. A big fizzle.
  12. While the documentary isn't as compelling as its source material, Abbas tells an interesting story about his incarceration.
  13. An acquired taste.
  14. Not very good.
  15. There's no attempt at humor in Dead Silence, but the biggest sin in the film is the lack of scares.
  16. As uneven as I Think I Love My Wife often is, it still has an emotional resonance lacking in most films about relationships. By dealing with temptation in even a quasi-realistic way, it affirms that, like comedy, monogamy is hard.
  17. A supernatural thriller that keeps your attention while failing to hold you in its grip.
  18. Immediately has you in its thrall and doesn't let go -- a reminder of how powerful and moving cinema set in wartime can be when all the elements align.
  19. This oddball story, written and directed by Anders Thomas Jen sen, whom Dogme followers might remember from his screenplay for the 1999 hit "Mifune," is more than a one-joke concept. Its characters are sometimes cruel, sometimes sweet, but always recognizably human.
  20. 300
    Significantly, this hyper-stylization of 300 is limited to its visuals. The performances are played straight, and this combination -- straight performances and stylized visuals -- produces an uncanny effect.
  21. A great piece of filmmaking and a legitimate science-fiction/horror classic.
  22. Powerful and moving.
  23. While the documentary does a credible job of pointing out the magnitude of the problem, it skirts the issue of what can be done about it and by whom.
  24. Showing the intricate dynamics of family relationships is something Mira Nair does as well as any director working today.
  25. Never takes off, but it never collapses. At times, it becomes frustrating -- for example, about 30 minutes are spent pursuing a lead that goes nowhere.
  26. Hogwash and not even funny hogwash.
  27. Black Snake Moan' is a trip to that unfamiliar territory well worth tagging along on.
  28. Better than a lot of teen comedies.

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