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Rich Heldenfels

Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) 76% 3.5/4 EDIT “The movie explores two themes Eastwood has addressed before... One is good men driven to questionable acts, while the other involves the distinction between a celebrity image and basic humanity. Both once again receive thoughtful treatment here.” – Akron Beacon Journal Nov 10, 2023 Full Review The Girl (2012) 70% EDIT “While Miller is good, it is at moments like the bird-attack scene when it is clear how much the movie is taken over by Jones. His face blends the need to dominate with an often powerful sense of shame.” – Akron Beacon Journal Aug 4, 2020 Full Review Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) 91% EDIT “While I have laughed at times during previous "Star Wars" movies, I did not expect to do so as quickly as "The Last Jedi" made me.” – Akron Beacon Journal Dec 12, 2017 Full Review Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) 93% EDIT “... the end result is immensely satisfying, and should be so both for fans like myself and newcomers.” – Akron Beacon Journal Sep 19, 2017 Full Review Dear White People (2014) 91% EDIT “... for the most part [writer/director Justin Simien] admirably presents the complexities of race in contemporary culture...” – Akron Beacon Journal Sep 19, 2017 Full Review Baby Driver (2017) 92% EDIT “Even with those reservations, I absolutely loved Baby Driver: the marvelous soundtrack, the blending of music and choreographed movement, the car scenes that are so exciting that I thought I was being fed megadoses of caffeine.” – Akron Beacon Journal Jul 13, 2017 Full Review Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) 92% EDIT “This is a pleasant diversion and an antidote to the glummer Spideys we saw from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield; there's also good business from Downey and from Jon Favreau.” – Akron Beacon Journal Jul 13, 2017 Full Review Moonlight (2016) 98% EDIT “Jenkins' skill is in silences, and in his refusal to make people say more than they would -- no grand expository speeches here -- and in the heartache he shows in the faces of the splendid actors.” – Akron Beacon Journal Mar 2, 2017 Full Review Patriots Day (2016) 80% EDIT “It is the most effective at the end when Berg shows off some of the real people from the film. Their stories can still bring audiences to tears. Too bad the movie itself could not get closer to that.” – Akron Beacon Journal Mar 2, 2017 Full Review Draft Day (2014) 60% EDIT “As movies go, Draft Day is the equivalent of an 8-8 NFL team. Maybe even a 7-9. It is sporadically interesting, and suggests that it is worth sticking around for the final play. But there's no guarantee you will be satisfied with the outcome.” – Akron Beacon Journal Mar 2, 2017 Full Review Logan (2017) 93% EDIT “Jackman and Stewart are at the top of their game, and Dafne Keen as Laura makes the most of her watchful, silence-laden role.” – Akron Beacon Journal Mar 2, 2017 Full Review Hidden Figures (2016) 93% 3/4 EDIT “A lovely movie, buoyed by understated performances.” – Akron Beacon Journal Jan 6, 2017 Full Review Fences (2016) 92% 3/4 EDIT “While it does fully overcome the demands of transition from stage to screen, "Fences" soars on the performances by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.” – Akron Beacon Journal Jan 6, 2017 Full Review La La Land (2016) 91% EDIT “With the first musical number in La La Land, I thought that I was in love. Unfortunately, as is the case with romance in the movie, holding onto that love was more difficult than I at first thought.” – Akron Beacon Journal Dec 29, 2016 Full Review Manchester by the Sea (2016) 96% EDIT “I believe that the film is great. I also believe that I may never watch it again.” – Akron Beacon Journal Dec 29, 2016 Full Review Arrival (2016) 94% EDIT “A remarkable piece, at once a cerebral and emotional epic which I am still thinking about days after seeing it.” – Akron Beacon Journal Nov 17, 2016 Full Review Indignation (2016) 82% EDIT “I expected something more powerful from the screen Indignation than it managed to deliver.” – Akron Beacon Journal Aug 12, 2016 Full Review X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) 47% EDIT “While there are some genuinely moving moments in X-Men: Apocalypse, it is too often an overly familiar reworking of superhero-movie ideas, especially the seemingly all-powerful villain confronted by a group of flawed heroes.” – Akron Beacon Journal May 19, 2016 Full Review Captain America: Civil War (2016) 90% EDIT “Where Batman v Superman tossed out ideas without ever thinking them all the way through, Civil War is constantly aware of the consequences of its characters' actions, both to themselves and to the people around them.” – Akron Beacon Journal May 4, 2016 Full Review Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) 28% EDIT “[I] really wanted this to work both on its own and as the real launch of a series of DC Comics-based movies akin to Marvel's cinematic universe. But yes, I was that disappointed. This film is an artistic failure on almost every level.” – Akron Beacon Journal Mar 25, 2016 Full Review Trainwreck (2015) 84% EDIT “I welcome more Schumer on any size screen.” – Akron Beacon Journal Oct 14, 2015 Full Review Listen Up Philip (2014) 82% EDIT “Moss is terrific, as usual.” – Akron Beacon Journal Oct 24, 2014 Full Review Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) 90% 3.5/4 EDIT “Not only a big action movie, this one is a game-changer in the Marvel saga as well as meditation on what American ideals mean in the modern world.” – Akron Beacon Journal Apr 3, 2014 Full Review The Monuments Men (2014) 30% EDIT “This is an admirable movie, then, in reminding moviegoers of middle-aged heroics and sacrifice -- not a bad idea in the context of protecting ancient culture.” – Akron Beacon Journal Feb 7, 2014 Full Review Elysium (2013) 64% EDIT “Although the plot does not hold up under close examination, the presentation is fast-paced, exciting and visually memorable, while also wrenching some legitimate emotion out of the audience.” – Akron Beacon Journal Aug 9, 2013 Full Review
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