AND THE TOMATO GOES TO…
Last year, The Incredibles went up against such notable contenders as Spider-Man 2 and The Aviator, emerging as the winner of the Golden Tomato Award for the best-reviewed film in wide release. Likewise, Sideways had serious arthouse competition in such films as Before Sunset and Million Dollar Baby before it triumphed as 2004’s best-reviewed film in limited release.
This year, the Golden Tomato entries include heavy hitters from a wide range of genres: quad rugby players square off against cute and cuddly penguins, while two established franchise juggernauts — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Star Wars Episode III — duke it out. Throw in a crusading 1950s news reporter, a dysfunctional and disintegrating family unit, a pioneer of the “New Journalism” literary movement, and a real-life corporate scandal, and you’ve got a serious scrum. Who will be left standing when the bell tolls? Read on for the results.
Best Wide Release
#1
Adjusted Score: 101677%
Critics Consensus: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a subtly touching and wonderfully eccentric adventure featuring Wallace and Gromit.
Synopsis: The plucky characters from a series of animated shorts, Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his dog, Gromit, make their feature debut...
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Best Limited Release
#1
Adjusted Score: 101543%
Critics Consensus: A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar.
Synopsis: When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow...
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User
#1
Adjusted Score: 94282%
Critics Consensus: Featuring state-of-the-art special effects, terrific performances, and a majestic sense of spectacle, Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong is a potent epic that's faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original.
Synopsis: Peter Jackson's expansive remake of the 1933 classic follows director Carl Denham (Jack Black) and his crew on a journey...
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Moldy
#1
Adjusted Score: 5047%
Critics Consensus: Inept on almost every level, Alone in the Dark may not work as a thriller, but it's good for some head-slapping, incredulous laughter.
Synopsis: When the investigations of supernatural detective Edward Carnby (Christian Slater) lead him to uncover a long-lost tribe called the Abskani,...
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Best Action/Adventure
#1
Adjusted Score: 96263%
Critics Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
Synopsis: A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri...
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Best Animation
#1
Adjusted Score: 101677%
Critics Consensus: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a subtly touching and wonderfully eccentric adventure featuring Wallace and Gromit.
Synopsis: The plucky characters from a series of animated shorts, Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his dog, Gromit, make their feature debut...
[More]
Best Comedy
#1
Adjusted Score: 91804%
Critics Consensus: Steve Carell's first star turn scores big with a tender treatment of its titular underdog, using raunchy but realistically funny comedy to connect with adult audiences.
Synopsis: Three dysfunctional co-workers embark on a mission to help their newfound friend lose his sexual innocence....
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Best Documentary
#1
Adjusted Score: 100680%
Critics Consensus: Only the most hardened soul won't be moved by this heartwarming doc.
Synopsis: At the end of each Antarctic summer, the emperor penguins of the South Pole journey to their traditional breeding grounds...
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Best Drama
#1
Adjusted Score: 101543%
Critics Consensus: A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar.
Synopsis: When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow...
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Best Foreign
#1
Adjusted Score: 97244%
Critics Consensus: Kung Fu Hustle blends special effects, martial arts, and the Looney Toons to hilarious effect.
Synopsis: When the hapless Sing and his dim-witted pal Bone try to scam the residents of Pig Sty Alley into thinking...
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Best Horror
#1
Adjusted Score: 81592%
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero's latest entry in his much-vaunted Dead series is not as fresh as his genre-inventing original, Night of the Living Dead. But Land of the Dead does deliver on the gore and zombies-feasting-on-flesh action.
Synopsis: In a world where zombies form the majority of the population, the remaining humans build a feudal society away from...
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Best Kids/Family
#1
Adjusted Score: 92062%
Critics Consensus: A charming children fable even adults can enjoy.
Synopsis: When 9-year-old Damian (Alex Etel) finds a bag of money in his back yard, he and his brother Anthony (Lewis...
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Best Romance
#1
Adjusted Score: 97688%
Critics Consensus: A beautiful, epic Western, Brokeback Mountain's love story is imbued with heartbreaking universality thanks to moving performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Synopsis: In 1963, rodeo cowboy Jack Twist and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar are hired by rancher Joe Aguirre as sheep...
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Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
#1
Adjusted Score: 97858%
Critics Consensus: The main characters are maturing, and the filmmakers are likewise improving on their craft; vibrant special effects and assured performances add up to what is the most complex yet of the Harry Potter films.
Synopsis: The fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) returning for his fourth year at Hogwarts School...
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Best Thriller
#1
Adjusted Score: 96246%
Critics Consensus: A History of Violence raises compelling and thoughtful questions about the nature of violence, while representing a return to form for director David Cronenberg in one of his more uncharacteristic pieces.
Synopsis: When a pair of petty criminals attempt to rob his small-town diner, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) quickly and easily kills...
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93%
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