Michael Sragow

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Oct 20, 2026 2.5/4 A look at Vietnam War Marines in training and in combat the plays a game of "flinch" with the audience. Kubrick is too sophisticated a filmmaker to employ simple shock tactics. But he practices an artful form of mental cruelty. Go to Full Review Full Metal Jacket (1987) 84% 94%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Sep 18, 2026 "Blue Velvet" is bizarre, hilarious, unnerving and enthralling. Go to Full Review Blue Velvet (1986) 87% 88%

Michael Sragow Baltimore Sun Aug 21, 2026 1/4 Ghosts of Mars is a plodding monster mash. Go to Full Review Ghosts of Mars (2001) 22% 25%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Aug 14, 2026 2.5/4 There's far more power in the psychological horror of Manhunter than there is in the blood-letting of the splatter flicks. Nevertheless, it's an uneasy amalgam of moods and modes. Go to Full Review Manhunter (1986) 82% 78%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Aug 10, 2026 3.5/4 Only the rare sequel improves on an original. But Cronenberg's "The Fly," a funny, bizarre and downright agitating combination of satire, romance and monster movie, is something far more unusual -- a remake that's better than the first film. Go to Full Review The Fly (1986) 82% 83%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Aug 8, 2026 Lee's determination to be lively works for his comic acting but not for his writing, editing, and direction. Go to Full Review She's Gotta Have It (1986) 91% 72%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Jul 31, 2026 For a modestly scaled film to provoke as much comment as Paris is Burning is an accomplishment. Go to Full Review Paris Is Burning (1990) 99% 89%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Jul 28, 2026 1.5/4 As it's come out, the film is forced and half-hearted -- neither a good comic-book movie, nor a good comic-book movie parody. Go to Full Review Howard the Duck (1986) 14% 38%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Jun 23, 2026 2/4 The overall puzzle never adheres. Go to Full Review Labyrinth (1986) 63% 86%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Jun 16, 2026 2.5/4 When the rockets aren't firing, Johnston can't get up any adrenaline. Go to Full Review The Rocketeer (1991) 73% 71%

Michael Sragow Baltimore Sun May 21, 2026 2.5/4 A smart comedy about a smart blonde -- that would be a sensation. But a dumb comedy about a smart blonde turns out to be not bad. Go to Full Review Legally Blonde (2001) 75% 66%

Michael Sragow The New Yorker May 11, 2026 As the character before the question mark—a multi-phobic personality looking for a family—Bill Murray is touched not just with an armada of fears and tics but also with comic genius. Go to Full Review What About Bob? (1991) 71% 79%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Apr 22, 2026 2.5/4 Editor Paul Hirsch makes sure that Ferris Bueller's Day Off hops along, and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto keeps it looking bright and happy. Go to Full Review Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) 85% 92%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Apr 17, 2026 1.5/4 Legend is a terrible movie. But then again, maybe by Ridley Scott's reasoning, all terrible movies are great and all great movies are terrible. After Blade Runner and now this fiasco, I'm beginning to wonder whether this director can tell the difference. Go to Full Review Legend (1985) 34% 73%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Mar 11, 2026 2.5/4 "RoboCop 2" displays the power of its craftspeople and performers mostly in fits and starts. It's like a skilled but erratic and padded-out portfolio. Go to Full Review RoboCop 2 (1990) 31% 41%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Mar 5, 2026 2.5/4 This cyborg warrior fantasy is mostly, well, brutal and relentless -- even while it's imaginative and funny. Go to Full Review RoboCop (1987) 84% 84%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Feb 14, 2026 2.5/4 The director can't modulate the enemy-camp melodrama at the movie's core. Go to Full Review Pretty in Pink (1986) 75% 81%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Jan 22, 2026 2.5/4 Bates is so good at playing a psycho that you have to wonder if she has a brother named Norman. Go to Full Review Misery (1990) 86% 90%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Jan 14, 2026 2/4 "Stand by Me" substitutes sentimentality for teen-movie zap. It's an ode to arrested preadolescence. Go to Full Review Stand by Me (1986) 89% 94%

Michael Sragow San Francisco Examiner Dec 19, 2025 1.5/4 Spielberg's knack for carnival-like choreography has left him. The action is frenetic and indistinct: a no-ring circus. Go to Full Review Hook (1991) 37% 72%