I’ve been trying to think of a way that I can return some link love for all those critics/blogs that I love to read.  Since I love reading reviews of films that I’ve seen what I’ll do is each week whatever new release that I review here I will post what I think the General Consensus of the movie is by posting short snippets of many reviews here.  Check it out below:

So here’s how this is going to work.  Since I want to create an average score for the film (like my own blogosphere only version of RT or IMDB) I will only count reviews that have a rating.  If your rating is letter graded then I will convert it using High School style grades (i.e. A = 9/10, B = 8/10, C = 7/10, D = 5/10, F = 3/10).  I’ll definitely mention other, non-scaled reviews, but they won’t be calculated into the overall General Consensus.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Directed by: David Yates

Written by: Steve Kloves & J. K. Rowling

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint & Ralph Fiennes

Reviews:

The running time of over 2 hours may seem rather long, but I really thought every minute was used in a good way to build up the suspense in the story. – Let’s Go to the Movies. Grade: N/A

Even being this close to the end we actually have some great new additions to the cast, I was particularly thrilled to see Peter Mullen as Ministry baddie Yaxley, I’ve been a fan of his from seeing films at film festival (True North, Boy A, Red Riding Trilogy), he does a fantastic job here falling seamlessly into the world and has an impressinve, memoble presense amongst other characters weve known for years. I also loved the casting choices for Luna’s father, Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans of Greenberg, Mr. Nobody, Notting Hill) and eldest son of the Weasley contingent with Bill Weasley (Domhnall Gleeson – whom we’ll see again in 2010 in True Grit). – Shannon the Movie Moxie. Grade: N/A

This film is very well acted, shot, edited, and scored. It has a moment or two that rubbed me the wrong way, but they’re not important in the long run. My problem with this film, and what makes it “unrateable” is its construction. – Hatter from The Dark of the Matinee. Grade: N/A

Of course they’ve made huge progress in their personal stories, which is the point, but there’s something sadistic about slowing down the plot in the final moments so that the characters can have little moments of their own. – Devin Faraci from Badass Digest. Grade: N/A

The film definitely doesn’t make itself into a properly structured film. It makes it more about Harry and Lord Voldermort preparing themselves for the final battle by arming themselves with the necessary tools. Harry must quest to find the ‘hora cruxes’ and Voldermort must find a new wand so that he can kill Harry Potter. So it becomes a race to see who’ll get what done faster. With that said, that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the movie. – Andrew from GmanReviews. Grade: 7.0/10

David Yates’ wonderful visual prowess has never been better. He captures the world Rowling described so eloquently her novel. Kloves intertwines drama, action, and narrative progression with the greatest of ease. At least that’s what I’d like to write. The truth is Kloves’ writing has never been jerkier. Yates direction has never felt more pressed for time. – Univarn from A Life in Equinox. Grade: 7.5/10

On the one hand, even if an extra forty minutes had been thrown in, this movie probably would have felt nothing short of rushed had it not been split up. On the other, Kloves spends a good deal of time on stuff that could have been trimmed down instead of spreading the love to the rest of the cast. – Aiden from CTCMR. Grade: 7.0/10

this time the motion picture was not boring at all, and I’ll confess that I glimpsed at my wristwatch ever and anon only to make sure that it wouldn’t end soon, as I enjoyed every moment of the flick. ‘The Deathly Hallows’, actually belonging to the drama genre, is seasoned with funny moments bolstered with rather decent comic acting. – Lesya Khyzhnyak from Eternity of Dream. Grade: 9.0/10

But there are touches of life. Magic turns into effective comedy in a few instances, and David Yates mounts a couple of very effective action sequences. The Harry Potter films have often felt overburdened by a sort of ‘guest star of the week’ casting sensibility, thanks to the revolving cast of Hogwarts teachers. – Russ Fischer from /Film. Grade: 8.0/10

What works so specifcally well about Yates approach to the new film, and justifies some of his more muted choices in the last two offerings, is the realism and dramatic weight he adds to the hectic nature of Rowling’s overly long narrative. – Bartelby from Movie Mobsters. Grade: 7.5/10

It seems like there are a lot of things that worked on the page but didn’t translate to the screen, and director David Yates could not find a graceful way to adjust them. More head-scratching moments occur when the rules of magic become blurry or inconsistent. Sometimes serious injuries can be healed, and other times they can’t; sometimes the simplest of spells are able to fool the baddies in the most unbelievable ways, and sometimes you can’t destroy a Horcrux without an ancient sword that suddenly appears under some ice. – Sean from FilmJunk. Grade: 5.0/10

Yates crowning achievement in the film is a beautifully animated sequence late in the film that explains the significance of the Deathly Hallows. Hermione reads a fairytale from a book and Yates chooses to depict the tale as she narrates it using stylized animated silhouettes. It’s a really wonderful and charming effect and the animation is quite gorgeous. – Joel Murphy from Get the Big Picture. Grade: 8.0/10

As stated earlier, this is the most cinematic installment yet. Yates fills the screen with visual wonder that’s never been seen before in this series. The director’s capable of taking a simple moment or a standard establishing shot and making it into something of pure beauty. There’s a specific lushness throughout the film, which is especially showcased in a tremendous animated sequence, and it all contains a sense of depth to it. Deathly Hallows is a genuine epic in scope. – Jack Giroux from The Film Stage. Grade: A- (8.5/10)

What’s odd is I can remember reading everything seen in this film and not being bored for a second, but watching it on the big screen became an exercise in patience. Yates seemed determined to fatigue the audience to the point we’re just as bored as the characters we are watching. – Brad Brevet from Rope of Silicon. Grade: C (7.0/10)

However, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is such a delicate balancing act that every wobble is a bit more pronounced than it would be in an earlier film that had a tighter structure and a faster pace.  There’s one scene that goes a bit too far in showing a character his deepest fears.  One character’s death is so rushed that it’s difficult to tell if he/she even dies.  Also, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 doesn’t really have a climax as much as it has a good stopping point. – Matt Goldberg for Collider. Grade: A- (8.5/10)

Avg. Score: 7.5/10

Morning Glory

Directed by: Roger Michell

Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna

Starring: Rachel McAdamsn, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson & Jeff Goldblum

Reviews

I kind of hated that the movie bothered to take the first ten or so minutes to get to McAdams being on set atDaybreak, because that’s where I wanted her. I didn’t need to waste time seeing that she’d done it before at a tiny station in New Jersey – or wherever it was – because the moment she walks in the office you believe that she’s the best thing that this show is ever going to see. – Andrew from GmanReviews. Grade: 8.0/10

So it’s written by the woman responsible for such testosterone-fueled bloodbaths as The Devil Wears Prada and 27 Dresses, directed by the guy behind Notting Hill (even though his resume does seem to indicate that he branches out every now and again), and you can probably already see where I’m going with this. Yeah, it’s a chick flick, but for a chick flick about a lifestyle that would make my blood boil to the point of spontaneous combustion, it actually ain’t bad. – Aiden from CTCMR. Grade: 6.0/10

It’s a pleasure to watch McAdams desperately try to charm the pants off the old coot, and for once Ford puts his crotchety persona to effective use, giving Mike an undercurrent of sweetness and vulnerability. An appealing cast of oddballs — think 30 Rock lite — surrounds them, while screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna crafts some engaging, rapid-fire backstage banter. – Robert Levin from Film School Rejects. Grade: B (8.0/10)

Even though some jokes tend to not hit (like Diane Keaton singing “Candy Shop” with 50 Cent), I found Morning Glory to be a lot more amusing than I expected. Pomeroy’s grizzled jabs at Peck, and Peck’s perky return barbs, were great and a whole sub-plot where they make their on-location reporter Ernie (Matt Malloy) ride the fastest roller coaster ever and skydive had me in tears (Malloy deserves all the credit for it; even though all he really does is scream, there’s just something about his reaction I found great). And everything Jeff Goldblum, who plays IBS executive Jerry Barnes, says and does is hilarious just by virtue of being Jeff Goldblum. – Jonathan Sullivan from Movie Mobsters. Grade: 6.25/10

Becky’s determination to achieve her goals and dreams is inspiring, and the curt banter between Colleen and Mike is too sparse. But most of all, taking a look at the inner workings of TV production is invigorating and surprisingly accurately represented. It’s just unfortunate the characters couldn’t get as much attention in the writing room. – Gwen Reyes from Gordon and the Whale. Grade: 6.0/10

You wouldn’t want to watch “Daybreak,” but you’d sure want to watch the movie about it. Disappointingly, the two screen icons don’t get much time together — Keaton is a distant third in the billing, behind McAdams and Ford — and the scenes they do have merely reminded me of Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone in “Anchorman,” only not as funny. – Eric D. Snider. Grade: C+ (7.5/10)

Unfortunately, the filmmakers allow two or three too many pop-song, slow motion montages, which warrants the “sit-comy” critical reaction the film’s been getting. – Dan Mecca from The Film Stage. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

Comedies open every week. This is the kind I like best. It grows from human nature and is about how people do their jobs and live their lives. It is wisely not about a May-October romance between McAdams and Ford. It’s more about their love for their work. It isn’t deep, and it doesn’t approach “Broadcast News” in its examination of the TV producer mentality, but it’s the kind of sitcom you can get happily carried along with. – Roger Ebert. Grade: 8.75/10

In an era where strong-willed, independent female heroines are a critically endangered species, Becky Fuller is a go-getter on her own journey to reach her dreams. She is a strong and brainy and frazzled and vulnerable and socially awkward woman who loves her job more than anything in the world. – Castor from Anomalous Material. Grade: 8.0/10

Avg. Score: 7.4/10

Faster

Directed by: George Tillman Jr.

Written by: Tony Gayton & Joe Gayton

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Maggie Grace & Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Reviews

The premise is like any other great revenge movie; someone feels wronged and he’s out to get satisfaction. There’s no question in his mind as to what depths he’s sunk to and he’s just out to give a proverbial spanking to all these people who did this to him and he doesn’t care what happens to his soul. Somewhere towards the end of the film we insert a really stupid character introduction that was telegraphed from the moment that character was introduced into this weirdly stupid role related titling thing. – Andrew from GmanReviews. Grade: 1.5/10

Now, we could just stop there and that would be enough for an entertaining revenge story. Fasterdoesn’t though, and adds a few wrinkles. – Jonathan Sullivan from Movie Mobsters. Grade: 3.75/10

The only other actor in the film who really gets to shine is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbajeas The Evangelist. The fiery preacher role suits Akinnuoye-Agbaje well and his passionate sermons, which Driver listens to on the radio throughout the film, add a fun dynamic, since it seems The Evangelist’s sermons are directed specifically at Driver. – Joel Murphy from Get the Big Picture. Grade: 4.0/10

A convoluted 3-way plot, crafted by the screenwriting Gayton brothers Joe and Tony, paints the world black and white at the film’s beginning, only to mash it all into gray by the film’s end. The three central men – Driver, Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) – are equal parts good, bad and ugly. – Dan Mecca from The Film Stage. Grade: B+ (8.5/10)

If the movie is a car, the Killer is ten miles of speedbumps. The only thing we’re sitting in the Faster auditorium to see is the Rock shooting people in the face, and he’s not doing much of it because this wannabe killer is eating his screen time. – Russ Fischer from /Film. Grade: 2.0/10

Speaking of badly constructed characters, what the hell is the deal with the hitman hired to kill The Rock? He and his girlfriend are the two most absolutely worthless characters in any film of recent memory. He is a narcissistic manchild who spends most of the movie either whining or bragging about his own greatness while having all the stylish coolness of Charles Nelson Riley. – Brian Salisbury from Film School Rejects. Grade: C- (6.5/10)

If it seems like I have glossed over some of the nuance, believe me, I have not. If anything, it’s less complex than I’m making it sound. And there’s nothing wrong with a movie being simple and to-the-point, even ludicrous — but shouldn’t a ludicrous movie about revenge and bloodlust be more fun than this? – Eric D. Snider from Film.com. Grade: C- (6.5/10)

Director George Tillman Jr. must be under the impression that Faster is breaking new ground, because there’s no other explanation for the deadly seriousness of this whole thing. – Bill Clark from From The Balcony. Grade: D- (4.5/10)

“Faster” is a pure thriller, all blood, no frills, in which a lot of people get shot, mostly in the head. Rotate the plot, change the period, spruce up the dialogue, and this could have been a hard-boiled 1940s noir. But it doesn’t pause for fine touches and efficiently delivers action for an audience that likes one-course meals. – Roger Ebert. Grade: 6.25/10

With such an interesting basic premise its core, there is almost no time spent on plot or character development and, depending on what exactly it is that you’re expecting out of a movie like this, it could very well annoy and bother viewers. – J.C. De Leon from Gordon and the Whale. Grade: 6.0/10

I don’t mind that director George Tillman Jr. has made a gritty, un-ironic action film.  I mind that he has trouble finding its energy and keeping the pacing active. – Matt Goldberg from Collider. Grade: C (7.0/10)

Avg. Score: 5.1/10