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Frederica Mathewes-Green

Frederica Mathewes-Green's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer® when published at Tomatometer-approved publication(s).
Biography:

Way back in the ’70s, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, Frederica was taking courses with titles like “German Film of the 1930s.” With an English major and Cinema Studies minor, her goal was to become movie critic for The Village Voice. God has a sense of humor. Today, in addition to penning reviews for CT Movies and National Review, she also writes regularly for Beliefnet.com, First Things, Books & Culture, Christianity Today, and many other publications. So far she’s published 8 books, primarily about ancient Eastern Christian spirituality, and about 600 articles—most of which are posted on her website, Frederica.com (that’s also where you can check her busy speaking schedule). Her favorite movie genre is dark comedy (e.g., Dr. Strangelove). She doesn’t say “black comedy” any more, not since someone asked, “You mean like Spike Lee?”

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Larry Crowne (2011) 35% 2/4 EDIT “Tasty around the edges but disappointing in the center, Larry Crowne will meet the summer rom-com needs of many, but will not serve as a memorable addition to Hanks' legacy.” – Christianity Today Sep 2, 2011 Full Review Higher Ground (2011) 81% 3/4 EDIT “Some reviewers have compared Higher Ground to Robert Duvall's The Apostle (1997), and it is a similarly positive portrayal of Southern evangelical faith.” – Christianity Today Sep 2, 2011 Full Review There Be Dragons (2011) 13% 2.5/4 EDIT “A movie doesn't need CGI dragons to be exciting. But it does need real characters and conflict -- it needs to be a real story. Here, that story always is just beyond our grasp.” – Christianity Today May 6, 2011 Full Review Life as We Know It (2010) 29% 2/4 EDIT “Life As We Know It could be one of Holly's bakery confections; a festival of quirk around the edges and a hole in the middle.” – Christianity Today Oct 15, 2010 Full Review Flipped (2010) 54% 2/4 EDIT “Rob Reiner seems to be aiming for a boomer audience, but it's a relentless exercise in nostalgia -- clothes, hair styles, cars, and doo-wop soundtrack -- that feels manipulative.” – Christianity Today Sep 24, 2010 Full Review Expecting Mary (2010) 2/4 EDIT “Despite the calculated setup and quirky characters, the film, like Juno and Bella, brings another pro-birth story to the big screen. May there be many more.” – Christianity Today Sep 24, 2010 Full Review Toy Story 3 (2010) 98% 4/4 EDIT “Toy Story 3 is as good as any movie Pixar Studios has made, and better than a few of them. I'd be tempted to say it's Pixar's best film, but it's a close call.” – Christianity Today Jun 17, 2010 Full Review Alice in Wonderland (2010) 51% 2/4 EDIT “This Alice is a dud. If you want to experience a strange, unworldly story%u2014something like Tim Burton films used to provide%u2014stay home and read the book.” – Christianity Today Mar 5, 2010 Full Review The Invention of Lying (2009) 56% 2/4 EDIT “It feels, in spirit, like a fable, in the mold of films like It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. I just wish it were better.” – Christianity Today Oct 31, 2009 Full Review $9.99 (2008) 72% 2/4 EDIT “I was intrigued to learn what the filmmakers think the meaning of life is, but the movie merely dances and alludes without coming right down to anything.” – Christianity Today Jun 24, 2009 Full Review Earth (2007) 87% 4/4 EDIT “Earth is 85 minutes of graceful animals, scary animals, funny animals, and excruciatingly cute baby animals. A better family-friendly nature film can't be found.” – Christianity Today Apr 22, 2009 Full Review Henry Poole Is Here (2008) 39% 2.5/4 EDIT “A film that Christians will embrace, if only from sheer gratitude; here, at last, is a depiction of Christian faith as something other than the domain of cranks and loonies.” – Christianity Today Aug 15, 2008 Full Review Diminished Capacity (2008) 34% 2/4 EDIT “I wonder if all this worked better as a book. It begins modestly interesting, but becomes merely agitated.” – Christianity Today Jul 10, 2008 Full Review Baby Mama (2008) 63% 2/4 EDIT “I've sat through enough laugh-less comedies to be grateful when a movie entertains me, even temporarily%u2014but no one's going to call this film a classic.” – Christianity Today Apr 25, 2008 Full Review Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) 77% 2/4 EDIT “Adams can be a better actress than this, and the result is something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?--Miss Pettigrew is a real person, and Delysia is a toon.” – Christianity Today Mar 7, 2008 Full Review Bonneville (2006) 40% 1/4 EDIT “The '66 Bonneville was a great car, but these talented ladies deserved a better vehicle.” – Christianity Today Feb 29, 2008 Full Review Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) 75% 3/4 EDIT “If only for the music numbers, this movie deserves a standing ovation. Much of the credit goes to John C. Reilly, an actor with a rubbery face and the voice of an angel.” – Christianity Today Dec 21, 2007 Full Review Grace Is Gone (2007) 63% 1.5/4 EDIT “Cusack deserves high praise for his terrific work as an emotionally cold man suddenly devastated by grief, but this effort is expended on a vehicle that has little going for it in the first place.” – Christianity Today Dec 7, 2007 Full Review
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