Problem: 1. All Good Things is a crackerjack crime thriller.
2. All Good Things isn't a pleasurable film to experience, but it offers an uncanny evocation of a narcissistic sociopath who doesn't come at us with the charm and sophistication that the typical screen bad guy has.
3. The end result is intriguing, with a dash of a love story here and a twisty whodunit there. A fine performance by Ryan Gosling glues the mishmash together.
4. Filled with fact, but barren of any real story, All Good Things barely has a couple good things worth mentioning.
5. A story that's overloaded with research and unbridled speculation, all told with no clear direction.
6. A somewhat flawed yet ultimately satisfying thriller.
7. The acting occasionally borders on great. The story itself is more than worthy. But none of that comes close to overcoming the misguided pacing and overall lack of depth.
8. The film is so busy working hard to convict one rather shady character, it never convinces us of its own reason to exist.
9. Ryan Gosling is sadly miscast as the villain in this poorly-written drama.
10. The Duel drops us into a pool of languid provincial life ( ... ) Kosashvili gets the delicate falling ending of short fiction that is so hard to achieve on screen.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer: It's well-acted, and the true story that inspired it offers plenty of drama -- which is why it's so frustrating that All Good Things is so clichéd and frustratingly ambiguous.


Problem: 1. A beautiful film, a perfect comedy, and a gentle triumph of silliness over pomposity, self-importance, and intolerance.
2. one of those films you either rejoice in or reject
3. Overrated Python flick. It's just not that funny.
4. A stylistically eclectic comic masterpiece.
5. A biting, absurdist satire of biblical proportions.
6. Wonderfully profane.
7. A prova definitiva (como se mais uma prova fosse necessária) do brilhantismo inigualável do Monty Python.
8. After all these years, the pungency of this satire about the perils of mass miscommunication hasn't dissipated.
9. Although some consider Monty Python an acquired taste, anyone with a sense of humor and an open mind should find something in this movie to enjoy.
10. ...targets...religious zealots who take Jesus' simple messages of peace and love and use them...as cries for war and persecution.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer: One of the more cutting=edge films of the 1970s, this religious farce from the classic comedy troupe is as poignant as it is funny and satirical.


Problem: 1. Billy Madison is a sorry excuse for a movie, and director Davis and star Sandler should be very embarrassed.
2. As one character tells Billy in the finale: "Everyone in this room is dumber for having listened to you."
3. Yet another forgettable and asinine entry into the Adam Sandler oeuvre, Billy Madison is ridiculous and stupid yet, ashamedly, made me laugh from time to time.
4. Like so many Saturday Night Live skits, this film comes up with some interesting ideas but then doesn't have a clue what to do with them. Also like that show, this movie is just not funny.
5. Throwaway plot but enough funny "Sandler moments" to satisfy anyone looking for some strange, cheap laughs.
6. Those unfamiliar with Sandler's antics may...begin to find him annoying sometime between the appearance of the Universal logo and the end of the opening credits.
7. Young teens will like brash, immature humor.
8. It's refreshing to revisit the jester in his screen infancy, when all he wanted was to boogie to a Culture Club hit, carry on conversations with hair care products, and sit on a sprinkler.
9. This is Adam Sandler at his best, and his latest films are cheap grabs at what once came so easily to him.
10. A vintage specimen of a master at the apex of his talents.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer:
Billy Madison is typical early immature fare from Adam Sandler, even if it finds moments of inspired lunacy.