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Tom Long
Tom Long's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Detroit News
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Seven (1995) |
It is an essentially hopeless film with a particularly ugly view of the modern condition and the fact that it is done well makes it even harder to take. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Mar 29, 2024
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Pulp Fiction (1994) |
There is a fine madness to writer/director/actor Quentin Tarantino's latest wonderwork, Pulp Fiction, which is certainly one of the most exciting films of the past 20 years and easily the most important film of 1994. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Mar 01, 2024
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Heat (1995) |
Mann has produced the best crime epic since Goodfellas and one of the best films of the year, an absolute must-see for anyone who likes good (heck, great) acting and modern cinema. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Dec 21, 2023
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The Last of the Mohicans (1992) |
It is the type of film rarely made anymore and Mann manages to make it all the more effective by playing down the pomposity and keeping the adrenaline level high. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Dec 14, 2023
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White Men Can't Jump (1992) |
To mix metaphors, White Men Can't Jump isn't a slam dunk, but it scores all the same. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Aug 31, 2023
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Batman (1989) |
It is both a technical and aesthetic triumph, a fact made all the more impressive since the movie was almost buried in its own hype before anyone had seen it. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Jul 25, 2023
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The Great Outdoors (1988) |
Dan Aykroyd has been in some absolutely terrible movies. John Candy has been in some absolutely terrible movies. Now they're in the same absolutely terrible movie. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Jun 16, 2023
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Patriot Games (1992) |
Patriot Games excites but it never really bites; too little of import is ever said about the very real horrors it confronts -- terrorism and impersonal assassination. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Jun 06, 2023
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The Color Purple (1985) |
Unfortunately, all the film shows is that [Steven Spielberg] isn't capable of handling serious material. Or at least not this serious material. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted May 25, 2023
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Boys on the Side (1995) |
For Parker, most recently seen in Bullets Over Broadway, it should be a breakthrough role her character goes through a major transformation yet it seems as natural as it is heart-wrenching. This is Goldberg's best role, period. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Mar 14, 2023
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Groundhog Day (1993) |
A funny valentine with lots of laughs and warmth and some cute existential mindgames, Groundhog Day is a perfect vehicle for Bill Murray and a kick of a movie from start to finish. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Dec 07, 2022
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Utama (2022) |
Alejandro Loayza Grisi isn’t interested in story or action here, he's interested in the enormity of seemingly small lives. - Detroit News
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| Posted Dec 02, 2022
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Private Desert (2021) |
Muritaba avoids the obvious at every turn. Where Hollywood might turn a story like this into a vulgar piece of exploitation, in Private Desert both Daniel and Sara are conflicted, complex people... - Detroit News
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| Posted Nov 03, 2022
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Sidney (2022) |
“Sidney” portrays an extraordinary life in a fairly ordinary way. - Detroit News
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| Posted Sep 22, 2022
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Cold Steel (1987) |
Cold Steel is an absolute piece of trash. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Jul 29, 2022
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The Last Starfighter (1984) |
[The Last Starfighter] is probably the most relentlessly stupid big-budget movie ever made. So stupid the actors seem to be winking at you. So stupid the audience howled with laughter during its supposedly dramatic finale. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Apr 27, 2022
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Brighton 4th (2021) |
As a film of family and community, “Brighton 4th” brims with heart. - Detroit News
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| Posted Feb 10, 2022
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Wyatt Earp (1994) |
Costner gaveth the film world its '90s Western revival with his excellent Dances with Wolves; now he has virtually shot the genre in the back and left it for dead with the numbing and pointless three-hour-plus Wyatt Earp. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Dec 22, 2021
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Hive (2021) |
Gashi's sturdy, no-nonsense portrayal of a sturdy, no-nonsense woman doesn't traffic in cheap inspiration and neither does Basholli's film. - Detroit News
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| Posted Dec 09, 2021
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Wife of a Spy (2020) |
The smooth Yusaku drives the action, but the film's soul is Satoko, a woman in love who just wants to do the right thing. - Detroit News
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| Posted Nov 11, 2021
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Critters (1986) |
Don't expect much from Critters and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. No big deal, but some nice chuckles. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Oct 27, 2021
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On Broadway (2019) |
Listening to Helen Mirren or Ian McKellen rhapsodize about the immediacy and intimacy of live theater is intoxicating. - Detroit News
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| Posted Oct 21, 2021
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The Sparks Brothers (2021) |
It's all somewhat breathtaking. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jun 16, 2021
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Sugar Cane Alley (1983) |
Sugar Cane Alley is a well-felt film that focuses on hope rather than despair in the face of oppression, a moral tale that works because of its own sense of innocence and belief in justice. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted May 07, 2021
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Near Dark (1987) |
[Near Dark] breaks new ground in its approach to vampires, although its questionable as to whether anybody but the moles who thrive on these creature-of-the-night flicks will care. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Mar 25, 2021
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The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020) |
It's well-directed by uber-producer Frank Marshall; it has sharp comments... and it likely will offer some surprises to many unaware of the sheer scope of the Bee Gees career. - Detroit News
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| Posted Dec 31, 2020
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Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) |
If your idea of a laff riot is a guy's ear falling off, then this movie might be for you. Therapy might be for you, too. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Oct 19, 2020
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What the Constitution Means to Me (2020) |
See it. - Detroit News
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| Posted Oct 19, 2020
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Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) |
It's... a lot of fun considering the fact it is also based on the antics of a bunch of mean little puppets. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Jun 23, 2020
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Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn (2019) |
"Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn" can't help but feel a bit slight at 94 minutes. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jun 18, 2020
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Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything (2020) |
When the comic is a pro, the laughs keep coming, as they do in "Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything" on Netflix. - Detroit News
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| Posted May 22, 2020
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Teachers (1984) |
All of these people are very good in their parts, doing more with the characters than the script really implies and making them, if not believable, at least watchable. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Apr 07, 2020
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Flashpoint (1984) |
There are a lot of nice touches spread throughout the movie. - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Apr 07, 2020
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The Scheme (2020) |
That it does so in an entertaining manner... is partly thanks to director Pat Kondelis, but the real reason this documentary works is because of a charismatic basketball wizard from Saginaw named Christian Dawkins. - Detroit News
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| Posted Mar 31, 2020
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Real Genius (1985) |
Real Genius isn't just a showcase for a new talent. It's a well-paced, extremely likable film about a number of things that are being beaten to death in the movies these days. It dares to be both intelligent and funny. Shouldn't we all? - Santa Cruz Sentinel
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| Posted Mar 26, 2020
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The Traitor (2019) |
"The Traitor" doesn't try to make a hero out of Buscetta and it doesn't romanticize the Mafia. It observes the awfulness and ongoing futility of a criminal culture. - Detroit News
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| Posted Mar 07, 2020
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Ordinary Love (2019) |
This is a movie about resignation and perseverance and the non-showy essence of life and love. - Detroit News
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| Posted Mar 01, 2020
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63 Up (2019) |
This film and its predecessors are a mirror to all. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jan 23, 2020
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Synonymes (2018) |
It's all very deep. Except, you know, not really. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jan 03, 2020
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Ága (2018) |
There is a balance of isolation and expanse in the film "Aga" that cannot be feigned, a sense of the enormity of existence measured against the fragile nature of single lives. The result is both wondrous and chilling. - Detroit News
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| Posted Nov 21, 2019
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Adopt a Highway (2019) |
"Adopt a Highway" is a warm, compassionate film in which Ethan Hawke spends much of his time talking honestly to a baby. Something about that offers a few rays of hope for cinema. - Detroit News
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| Posted Nov 03, 2019
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Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) |
A well-made account of both the man's achievements and his jerkiness. - Detroit News
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| Posted Oct 23, 2019
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Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (2019) |
But as this arresting film makes clear, that marvelous clarion voice lives on. - Detroit News
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| Posted Sep 13, 2019
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Them That Follow (2019) |
"Them That Follow" is the sort of perfectly acceptable film that nevertheless leaves you wondering how great it could have been. - Detroit News
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| Posted Aug 09, 2019
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Amy Schumer: Live From the Apollo (2015) |
Directed by Chris Rock it finds Schumer in fine raunchy form... It is predictably hilarious. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jul 31, 2019
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Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018) |
[A] documentary that more than makes the case for Alice. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jul 27, 2019
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Amy Schumer: The Leather Special (2017) |
She's absolutely as funny as she was two years ago, which was pretty darn funny...but the humor - most of it revolving around sex, body issues and relationships - feels dated. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jul 09, 2019
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Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) |
If the film is both linear... and plainly adoring, it also gives you ample reason for that adoration. You certainly end up admiring Toni Morrison, but also aching to know a bit more about her. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jul 05, 2019
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Ash Is Purest White (2018) |
As a gangster morality tale "Ash" is pretty mild; as a picture of China and Qiao's struggle it's much better. - Detroit News
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| Posted Jun 21, 2019
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Deadwood: The Movie (2019) |
A two-hour movie is no match for a 13-hour season, but damn it's nice to get dirty with these people again. - Detroit News
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| Posted May 31, 2019
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