From his review of "Instinct" (1999):
Hopkins faces one of his greatest acting challenges, portraying a character who must seem reluctant to utter a single word while nevertheless issuing regular philosophical lectures. "I lived as humans lived 10,000 years ago," he explains. "Humans knew how to live then." Even 10,000 years ago, don't you suppose humans were giving gorillas lots of room?share
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is an out-of-body experience, a movie of glorious imagination and breakneck speed that grabs you in the first shot, hurtles you through a series of incredible adventures, and deposits you back in reality two hours later -- breathless, dizzy, wrung-out, and with a silly grin on your face."
shareFrom his review of "Heaven's Gate" (1980):
It is the most scandalous cinematic waste I have ever seen, and remember, I’ve seen “Paint Your Wagon.”
From his review of "Return to The Blue Lagoon" (1991):
"Return to the Blue Lagoon" aspires to the soft-core porn achievements of the earlier film, but succeeds instead of creating a new genre, no-core porn.
From his review of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004):
"SCatWoT is even more fun than it sounds like. In its heedless energy and joy, it reminded me of how I felt the first time I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark". It's like a film that escaped from the imagination directly onto the screen, without having to pass through reality along the way."
Hmm, I'll have to see that cuz I love "Raiders."
shareFrom his review of "Dark City" (1998):
"Dark City" by Alex Proyas is a great visionary achievement, a film so original and exciting, it stirred my imagination like "Metropolis" and "2001: A Space Odyssey". If it is true, as the German director Werner Herzog believes, that we live in age starved of new images, then "Dark City" is a film to nourish us. Not a story so much as an experience, it is a triumph of art direction, set design, cinematography, special effects - and imagination.
From his review of "World Trade Center" (2006):
Stories of survival need to be told, and "World Trade Center" needs to be seen in perspective, as an early (five years later?) attempt to deal with a galvanizing tragedy in the lifetimes of many Americans. In ten years (or even next week), I don't know that this will be seen as anything more than an average TV movie about a not-so-recent disaster. "WTC" is not a definitive statement about 9/11, or one that is likely to make you see that day for what it is. Over time, this movie may be forgettable by we will never forget 9/11 and the twin towers like we forgot about building 7. Jews did 9/11.share
From his review of Temple of Doom (1984):
"Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is one of the greatest Bruised Forearm Movies ever made. You know what a Bruised Forearm Movie is. That's the kind of movie where your date is always grabbing your forearm in a viselike grip, as unbearable excitement unfolds on the screen. After the movie is over, you've had a great time but your arm is black-and-blue for a week".
At 2:37 in this review of Teen Wolf 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jlKJtKNI5U&t=98s
Siskel: "As I once said to you on another film, many years ago: "Date her, don't give the film a positive review."
Ebert: "Y'know, if criticism ever gets tiring to you, Gene, you could always open a Lonely Hearts Agency."
That's hilarious!
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