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Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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The Duellists (1977) |
A respectable effort at a low-budget period drama marred by deficiencies in the acting and the script. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Alien (1979) |
Scott seems ponderous about getting through simple plot mechanics... But for those who like this kind of film, he's produced something like the equivalent of every amusement park ride rolled into one. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Nov 16, 2023
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Armageddon (1998) |
This is a big dumb friendly dog of a movie, and the point is to let it knock you down and slobber all over you. You can't carp about cheap thrills; either go with it, or stay home. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Jun 22, 2023
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Martin (1978) |
Somewhat pretentious and roughly made, but often works on a crude comic book level. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Sep 28, 2022
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Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) |
Hoffman is exceptionally good as Kramer, remarkably skillful in delineating the transition from father-in-name to father-in-fact. He's sure to get an Oscar nomination. The boy, Justin Henry, is quite naturalistic. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Aug 05, 2022
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Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) |
The rise of country singer Loretta Lynn... is charted amiably, sometimes movingly, and with quiet eye for detail, in Michael Apted's film, Coal Miner's Daughter. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Apr 07, 2022
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The Ascent (1977) |
I hope that preconceptions about films from the Soviet Union won't deter audiences from seeing The Ascent, a beautiful and humane story, sensitively directed by... Larissa Shepitko, about Russian partisans in the second World War. - San Francisco Examiner
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| Posted Mar 01, 2022
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The Silence (2010) |
Although it may not fire on all cylinders, "The Silence" offers much to admire. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 17, 2020
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Echo in the Canyon (2018) |
For rock 'n' rollers of all ages, it's mandatory viewing. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 04, 2019
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A Dog's Journey (2019) |
Even the crustiest viewers (count me among them) must credit director Gail Mancuso for a handful of sequences that, amid all the glop, are capable of softening a hard heart. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted May 15, 2019
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Ramen Shop (2018) |
This isn't the acme of filmmaking, but it can be fun. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 25, 2019
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Hotel Mumbai (2018) |
The fictionalized parts are hamstrung by clichés of character, situation and dialogue, making for a very uneasy experience. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 26, 2019
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Transit (2018) |
It's a demanding film, but gives a lot in return. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 20, 2019
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The Highwaymen (2019) |
Despite the movie's limitations, it's safe to say that screenwriter Fusco has accomplished his goal. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 14, 2019
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Finding Steve McQueen (2018) |
A slickly made piece of entertainment that's a good time out at the movies. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 13, 2019
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Ash Is Purest White (2018) |
An exceptionally fine movie that plays out on a large and leisurely scale. It combines a report on the state of things in today's China (not good) and a heartbreaking depiction of the personal damage that results. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 13, 2019
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Woman at War (2018) |
The director's admiration and affection for Halla is clear, as are his activist sympathies, and they are put across with a lightness and a mild absurdity that make for a warmer experience than the material suggests. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 07, 2019
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Tito and the Birds (2018) |
There's a human quality to these visuals, which are pointedly not striving for perfection, but revel instead in supposed defects like smudges, jittery lines, color blotches and distorted proportions. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Feb 07, 2019
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Adult Life Skills (2016) |
"Adult Life Skills" is a relentlessly quirky British comedy-drama that demonstrates why more is not always more. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jan 15, 2019
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The World Before Your Feet (2018) |
It's hard to see Green in action and not think of traditional pilgrims on holy journeys and, perhaps, hermits or monks or others who have withdrawn from regular life. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 26, 2018
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The Quake (2018) |
Joner is a capable actor, but he's required here to remain for such a long time in a one-note condition of mental fragility that our sympathy for the character starts to give way to exasperation. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 11, 2018
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Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes (2018) |
If you need a reason to believe that Ailes was a creep, the film gives you that. But the movie makes its case in a way that's a little too easy to digest. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Dec 06, 2018
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Shirkers (2018) |
The movie is many things at once. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Nov 28, 2018
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At Eternity's Gate (2018) |
Willem Dafoe's inspired and heartfelt performance as Vincent van Gogh raises "At Eternity's Gate" far above standard biopics. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Nov 16, 2018
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The Angel (2018) |
The movie is made with skill, but it's so relentless in backing away from any psychologizing or moralizing - or just about anything else that might give us a handle on what makes this monster tick - that it finally feels like an empty horror show. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Nov 13, 2018
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The Great Buster: A Celebration (2018) |
Any doubters are advised to see this movie, then treat themselves to a viewing of "The General." Case closed. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Nov 06, 2018
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Nothing Like a Dame (2018) |
I guarantee that the appearance of the end credits will leave you wanting much more. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 12, 2018
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Studio 54: The Documentary (2018) |
Tyrnauer tries to find the heart of whatever Studio 54 was all about, but never actually gets there - instead, we're left to goggle at the footage and still photos of near-naked dancers and gossip-column habitues. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Oct 11, 2018
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Monsters and Men (2018) |
This is all pretty straightforward, helped by good performances from the three principals. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 27, 2018
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Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018) |
Less partisan viewers may find the film quite long, and not a lot more than a rehash of Moore's political obsessions. If you know his earlier work, you'll find no surprises here. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 21, 2018
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The Song of Sway Lake (2017) |
Filmmaker Gold might have been better off keeping a tight focus on the sparring interchanges between Ollie and his grandmother, for what they tell us about past and present. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 20, 2018
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White Boy Rick (2018) |
While there are entertaining segments, and even a couple of comedic touches, in the end the film isn't convincing, and parts have a paint-by-the-numbers feeling. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 12, 2018
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Pick of the Litter (2018) |
While "Pick of the Litter" can't be described as innovative, it still creates a solid emotional punch... - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Sep 06, 2018
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Operation Finale (2018) |
Fails to measure up to the deep historical impact of the events it depicts. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 28, 2018
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The Wife (2017) |
It would be wrong to say Close's performance in "The Wife" is wasted, but it certainly deserves a better movie. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Aug 23, 2018
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Generation Wealth (2018) |
"Generation Wealth" feels like it's all over the place, and that, if most of its subjects are lacking in depth, the movie itself is open to the same criticism. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 26, 2018
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The Cakemaker (2017) |
Graizer take his time and never feels the need to spell everything out, and "The Cakemaker" is a testament to what filmmakers can achieve when they trust the audience. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 19, 2018
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Under the Tree (2017) |
A less interesting movie might simply have served up a headlong plunge into the abyss - but Sigurdsson gives us a tiny flicker of light. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 13, 2018
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Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf (2017) |
Oudolf mentions in passing that his goal has been to create landscapes "you would dream of, but would never find" in nature, and from what we see in this movie, that's just what he's done. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jul 12, 2018
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Bernard and Huey (2017) |
Among the film's chief pleasures are outstanding performances from Rash as the older Bernard and, especially, Koechner as the contemporary Huey. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 12, 2018
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Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018) |
An enlightening and deeply touching documentary... - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Jun 05, 2018
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Mountain (2017) |
An exhilarating vision of many of the world's highest - and most gorgeously photogenic - peaks, and the intrepid sorts who set out to conquer them. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted May 30, 2018
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The House of Tomorrow (2017) |
Part of what's missing in "The House of Tomorrow" is the acerbic punk spirit that inspires its two heroes, which could have been remedied by a sharper script. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted May 23, 2018
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The Rider (2017) |
It's a kind of parable, delivered in a manner that has nothing to do with preaching. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 19, 2018
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A Bag of Marbles (2017) |
This isn't the first film to try to deal with the horrors of the Holocaust from a child's perspective, but it's tricky material, and this one succeeds because it is direct and forthright. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 12, 2018
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Beauty and the Dogs (2017) |
Alas, this tale of a young rape victim further brutalized by officialdom never lives up to its potential. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 03, 2018
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Journey's End (2018) |
There's a heavy-handed and dated feeling about this version of "Journey's End" - it never really breaks loose from its theatrical origin. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Apr 03, 2018
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Ramen Heads (2017) |
Ramen is just noodles and broth, right? Well, no, it's actually much more, as we learn in the entertaining Japanese documentary "Ramen Heads." - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 20, 2018
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Oh Lucy! (2017) |
An idiosyncratic character study suggesting that the road to self-knowledge is beset with obstacles and uncertainties. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 20, 2018
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The Cured (2017) |
It's not that writer-director David Freyne is incapable of finesse - "The Cured" has long and affecting passages marked more by sadness and melancholy than horror - but he seems to have misjudged the overtone here. - San Francisco Chronicle
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| Posted Mar 06, 2018
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