Quotes by Critics

Sometimes a noble failure serves the world as faithfully as a distinguished success. Edward Dowden
Success Failure World Sometimes Distinguished Noble Faithfully Serve
Browning's tragedies are tragedies without villains. Edward Dowden
Without Tragedies Villains
The language of the younger generation has the brutality of the city and an assertion of threatening power at hand, not to come. It is military, theatrical, and at its most coherent probably a lasting repudiation of empty courtesy and bureaucratic euphemism. Elizabeth Hardwick
Generation Language Power Military Lasting City Threatening Brutality Come Most Empty Courtesy Hand Bureaucratic Theatrical Younger Younger Generation Euphemism Assertion Coherent
Adapted from the novel by L. Ron Hubbard, who cranked out sci-fi pulp by the cubic ton, 'Battlefield Earth' has the musty feel of the days when the genre's highlight was Flash Gordon. Elvis Mitchell
Earth Battlefield Out Highlight Feel Days Genre Gordon Sci-Fi Flash Ron Who Novel Ton Adapted Pulp
The road back from degradation begins with self-awareness - and sometimes, as in 'Phone Booth,' change can begin with a single phone call. Elvis Mitchell
Change Phone Sometimes Single Back Phone Call Booth Degradation Self-Awareness Road Call Begin Begins
'Man is an endangered species,' announces one of the titles at the beginning of the sci-fi lump 'Battlefield Earth.' And after about 20 minutes of this amateurish picture, extinction doesn't seem like such a bad idea. Elvis Mitchell
Man Picture Beginning Earth Battlefield Bad Minutes About Bad Idea Seem Idea Like Sci-Fi Endangered Endangered Species After Titles Species Lump Extinction
Often, when Jim Carrey plays it straight, all of the vitality is drained from his face; he looks like a root-canal patient trying out a pleasant expression for his oral surgeon. Elvis Mitchell
Surgeon Face Patient Drained Pleasant Jim Jim Carrey Out Vitality He Like Looks His Trying Oral Often Straight Expression Plays
'Plan Nine From Outer Space' for a new generation, 'Battlefield Earth' is set in the year 3000, after the beings from the planet Psychlo have conquered our planet in only nine minutes. Elvis Mitchell
Generation Space Year Nine Our Earth Our Planet Battlefield Outer Outer Space Minutes Only New New Generation After Plan Planet Beings Conquered Set
Muhammad Ali inside the ring and Muhammad Ali outside the ring were totally different men; his abrasive, magnetic daring and infectious self-love outside the ring galvanized the world and distracted many from his sniper's precision. He was a heavyweight with the fluttering gracefulness of a middleweight. Elvis Mitchell
World Men Ali Fluttering Distracted Daring Ring Inside Totally Magnetic Outside He Self-Love Were His Infectious Precision Different Heavyweight Muhammad Muhammad Ali Many
When Bruce Lee gets his cameo in 'The Green Hornet' - as one of the drawings in Kato's notebook - it clarifies what the film is: an unrealized sketch. A sketch can afford to allude to a point of view. Moviemakers need to show their point of view, something this shrug of a movie never gets around to doing. Elvis Mitchell
Drawings Bruce Something Bruce Lee Point Point Of View Never Around Doing Cameo His Lee Green Afford Gets Movie Notebook Sketch View Show Film Need
If Mr. Chan ever makes another movie like 'The Tuxedo,' it's American audiences that will see him in court. With 'Shanghai Knights,' he has come through with one of his best. This time, it's personable. Elvis Mitchell
Time Best Will See Through Shanghai He Knights Come Like Him Another Court Makes Audiences His American American Audiences Movie Tuxedo Ever
A little of the sketch character Pootie Tang went a long way on HBO's now late, probably soon to be lamented 'Chris Rock Show.' So it's surprising how much fun the character's film debut, 'Pootie Tang,' is. Elvis Mitchell
Character Long Late Way Long Way Soon Rock How How Much Surprising Debut Little Sketch Much Show Fun Film Now Chris Chris Rock
One of the best things Gwyneth Paltrow has done in years was her mesmerized, good-sport cameo in a 'Pootie' sketch, when she was melted over him like butter on an English muffin. Elvis Mitchell
Best Melted Over Like Mesmerized She Him Cameo Years Done Sketch Muffin English Her Butter Things
What makes 'Pootie Tang' the motion picture enjoyable is its no-brow ambitions; it's a joke action film. It slides through enough African-American pop culture signifiers to raise laughs out of those who will appreciate the references; it revels in more cheese per square inch than a soul food diner. Elvis Mitchell
Food Soul Culture Cheese Will Joke Picture Ambition Action Enough Slides Those Out Laughs Diner Per More Through Makes Motion Motion Picture References Square Than African-American Pop Pop Culture Inch Action Film Who Film Enjoyable Raise Appreciate
'Pootie Tang' may be raw and slovenly - hey, it often is raw and slovenly - but it succeeds as a laugh getter because of the spot-on satirical notes. You might say that the movie walks it like it talks it; I'm not sure what Pootie would say. Elvis Mitchell
You Walks Hey Say Laugh Would Slovenly Raw Like Sure Talks Because May Often Movie Might Notes Succeeds Satirical
'The Third Man,' directed by Carol Reed and written by Graham Greene, is, quite simply, one of the finest movies ever made. Elvis Mitchell
Man Made Carol Finest Directed Written Simply Reed Quite Graham Graham Greene Movies Ever Third
'Va Savoir' is a lovable comedy about love that looks upon life as drama and uses the world of the theater as a staging device. Elvis Mitchell
Life Love World Comedy Drama About Device Looks Lovable Staging Theater Uses VA
Can you sue yourself for plagiarism? If so, then 'Old School' has presented Ivan Reitman with a case. Elvis Mitchell
You Yourself School Old Case Plagiarism Then Old School Sue Presented
'Old School' is so breezy it could be a late-night talk show, especially when Craig Kilborn, of 'The Late Late Show,' sidles into camera range as a particularly loathsome competitor to Mitch. Elvis Mitchell
School Old Competitor Loathsome Late Late-Night Late-Night Talk Late-Night Talk Show Range Could Particularly Talk Talk Show Camera Craig Old School Show
In 'Windtalkers,' the director John Woo is meticulous in melding his own intimate style into the cliches of a large-scale war movie, paying homage to all the tired conventions of the genre. But it's an honor that these cliches don't deserve. Elvis Mitchell
War Tired Director Honor Style Own Intimate John Genre Cliches His Meticulous Woo Movie Conventions Homage Paying Large-Scale Deserve
The story of a proud Roman soldier who is sold into slavery and must fight his way back to freedom, 'Gladiator' suggests what would happen if someone made a movie of the imminent extreme-football league and shot it as if it were a Chanel commercial. Elvis Mitchell
Freedom Fight Made Back Sold Soldier Way Must Would Imminent Someone Gladiator League Proud Were His His Way Commercial Roman Movie Happen Story Shot Who Slavery Chanel
The battle scenes in 'Gladiator' don't have the exultant lift of Hong Kong period-action pictures like the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series, where the fights have the eye-popping panache of dance sequences from a musical. Elvis Mitchell
Time Battle Dance Hong Kong Once Musical Scenes Gladiator Lift Pictures Like Kong Where China Fights Series
Political perspective and the Cannes festival are linked almost as inextricably as fast-food consumption and detrimental effects on health. Elvis Mitchell
Health Political Perspective Detrimental Consumption Almost Inextricably Linked Effects Festival Cannes
'Ali' is a breakthrough for its director, Michael Mann. The film, based on the life of Muhammad Ali, is Mr. Mann's first movie with feeling; his overwhelming love of its subject will turn audiences into exuberant, thrilled fight crowds. Elvis Mitchell
Life Love Director Fight Will First Feeling Overwhelming Ali Exuberant Thrilled Crowds Audiences His Subject Michael Movie Breakthrough Turn Muhammad Muhammad Ali Film Based
Ali was the African-American who exulted in saying exactly what he was capable of, and the bouncing-boy braggadocio of hip-hop is impossible to imagine without him. So it makes sense that one of his spiritual children, the sunny-dispositioned rapper turned actor Will Smith, would play him. Elvis Mitchell
Saying Spiritual Rapper Impossible Will Sense Ali Will Smith Would Exactly Exactly What He Him Smith Without Makes Hip-Hop His Children African-American Capable Turned Who Actor Play Imagine
'Ali' offers stunning re-creations of bouts Ali fought. In the second Liston fight, the auditorium is underlighted and clouded with fetid cigar smoke, which was why the famous picture of a snarling Ali standing over Liston was so dramatic; indoor arenas are now bright enough to be spotted from Alpha Centauri. Elvis Mitchell
Fight Picture Enough Ali Dramatic Arenas Indoor Over Alpha Stunning Smoke Auditorium Offers Famous Clouded Which Standing Fought Bright Now Why Second
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