Dangerous Men
Peter Keough
Conceivably it could serve as a primer for students on how not to make a movie and perhaps as a deconstruction of filmic conventions for the more theoretical minded
0.5
Dangerous Men
Soren Andersen
Dangerous Men the picture s production notes inform took 26 years to reach the big screen After having seen it I wonder What was the rush
0
Small Town Wisconsin
Rob Thomas
It s a movie with its heart in the right place and does both small town and big city Wisconsin proud
3
Tejano
Joe Friar
The story of a South Texas ranch hand who gets mixed up with a Mexican cartel moves with pulse pounding velocity and features top performances from a talented cast of actors with Texas roots
3
Peppermint Candy
Joshua Tanzer
It s a story about the original sin of a nation as well as one character There has rarely been a better film made ever
4
Connors' War
David Nusair
although Criss does show some potential as a performer his efforts to step into the shoes of a blind character are laughable
1.5
Born to Kill
David Nusair
a fairly typical film noir premise that s employed to watchable yet entirely unmemorable effect by Robert Wise
3
Born to Kill
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Hard to watch but effective and alluring nonetheless
3
La Sapienza
Robert Horton
If you can groove into this non realistic mode the film casts a spell
3
La Sapienza
Tom Keogh
A beautiful space for people and light
3.5
La Sapienza
Godfrey Cheshire
La Sapienza strikes this reviewer as easily the most astonishing and important movie to emerge from France in quite some time
4
La Sapienza
Carson Lund
Eugne Green s mannered direction doesn t work for every situation it s homogenously applied to but at its most effective it inspires an enhanced sensitivity to the import of every gesture visual or verbal
3
Unbranded
Chris Knight
Here s a documentary that literally rides off in two directions
2
Unbranded
Linda Barnard
The scenery is gorgeous especially in the Grand Canyon while echoes of Western mythology and cowboy lore forged by John Ford and Zane Grey are often present
3
Violet
Chance Solem-Pfeifer
Violet is like looking at a sequence of mounted photos You may well find its beauty if you can hold the film s gaze but the viewer s one way relationship to this meditation on grief is so unchanging it d take a monk to appreciate it
2
Violet
Glenn Kenny
I wound up admiring the movie for its ambition while unsatisfied with its achievement
2.5
Violet
Barry Hertz
Van Sant s influence clearly looms large but Violet acts as more than its own artistic statement
3
Violet
Bruce DeMara
Despite a studied sense of detachment throughout Devos feature length debut is a film of subtle power
3.5
Violet
Christopher Gray
It bores into the mourning process and its piquant combination of emotional numbness and sensory vulnerability rigorously avoiding finding an easy way out of this quagmire
3
Seeing Allred
Sean P. Means
If you think Gloria Allred is a glorified ambulance chaser this sharp documentary is an eye opener
3.5
Salty
Richard Roeper
It s loud and dumb and irritating and forgettable
1.5
Salty
Peter Sobczynski
Gun Shy somehow manages to come across as being both screechingly over the top and desperately painfully dull at the same time
1
Salty
Mark Dujsik
There s desperation for laughs and then there s the wild frantic grasping of Gun Shy
1
Shot in the Dark
David Nusair
an agreeable albeit forgettable piece of work
2.5
The Truth About Love
David Nusair
a predictable thoroughly cliched romantic comedy
1.5
This Is What Love in Action Looks Like
John Beifuss
Morgan Jon Fox s six years in the making documentary was inspired by a modern day message in a bottle a teen MySpace user s plea to be freed from a controversial conversion therapy program designed to transform homosexuals into ex gay Christians
3
Sometimes a Great Notion
Roger Ebert
Newman starts tunneling under the material coming up with all sorts of things we didn t quite expect and along the way he proves himself as a director of sympathy and a sort of lyrical restraint
3
The Smokers
Bill Chambers
Aimless feckless and finally bad an indie made with an absence not only of cash but also vision
1.5
Hidden Blade
Simon Abrams
Gorgeous and empty
2
Hidden Blade
Mark Dujsik
To attempt to follow the plot of Hidden Blade is difficult and essentially a fool apos s errand
1.5
Hidden Blade
Roger Moore
I found the whole quot Hidden Blade quot rather less satisfying than its component parts The many characters myriad plot points and points of view and added complications with the timeline just clutter things up
2.5
Hidden Blade
G. Allen Johnson
While it is eminently watchable it s a movie that consists of mostly people sitting at tables with fantastic period clothing plotting and scheming but sometimes barely moving at all
2.5
Singh Is Bliing
Namrata Joshi
Laughless and boring
1.5
The Open Road
Mike Scott
An earnestly acted film with a movie of the week vibe it s watchable but too slow moving and far too predictable to be entirely engaging
2
Almost Friends
Roger Moore
A romance that almost comes off
2
Where I Belong
Roger Moore
The drab interiors and exteriors mirror the dramatically flat odyssey that our heroine embarks on
2
Lassie
Mal Vincent
The formula is unbeatable
3
Lassie
Gene Siskel
A fine film for city kids to see
3
Lassie
Steve Rhodes
The plot stays simple and predictable through out the entire movie but you never mind because it is so life affirming
3
Lassie
Roger Ebert
It s somehow reassuring these days to see a movie where there s no problem Lassie can t solve
3
Steele Justice
Richard Freedman
Who needs a Rambo spoof when Rambo so successfully spoofed itself
0
The Parrot
David N. Butterworth
A small yet satisfying psychological drama dripping with atmosphere and surreal beauty
2.5
Addicted
Michael O'Sullivan
Watching Addicted is like eating Cheese Whiz straight from the jar There s no nutritional value It s kind of embarrassing But it does satisfy a base craving for cheap immediate sensation
1.5
Addicted
Sheila O'Malley
The film lingers so lovingly over Zoe s many sexual exploits that one almost feels disappointed when it becomes clear that the film is about to turn into a lecture Erotica is best when it doesn t take itself too seriously
1.5
Addicted
Kam Williams
Far be it from me to totally trash a seemingly silly soap opera males might find laughable to the same extent it moves females to tears Go figure
2
Klute
James Kendrick
While the plot mechanics work along the well worn gears of any number of mystery thrillers the film catches and holds us because Bree is such a fascinating enigmatic character
3
Klute
Matt Brunson
There was no shortage of superb performances by lead actresses in the 1970s Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and Sally Field in Norma Rae are two that immediately come to mind but Jane Fonda s turn in Klute was not only great but also groundbreaking
3.5
Klute
Roger Ebert
With Fonda and Sutherland you have actors who understand and sympathize with their characters and you have a vehicle worthy of that sort of intelligence So the fact that the thriller stuff doesn t always work isn t so important
3.5
Klute
Jeremy Heilman
Thanks to its complexities of character and morality Klute creates a proposition for the audience in which there s no such thing as simple pleasure even if we re paying
3.5
Thunder Bay
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Mann stages some thrilling sequences notably a pounding storm and while Thunder Bay is no masterpiece it s still worth a look
3
A Problem With Fear
David Nusair
The whole film has an air of smugness about it as if Burns has created this 92 minute joke which either you get or you don t
2
A Problem With Fear
Liam Lacey
A Problem With Fear is aggressively busy jumping between sterile office buildings airless shopping malls and hurtling subways cut with television and computer game images None of it though amounts to much beyond a sense of visual irritation
2
The Great Pretender
Christopher James
The Great Pretenders fails at every genre it pretends to be
1
The Great Pretender
Chuck Bowen
This film is a beautiful and beguiling art object
3.5
The DUFF
David Nusair
it is in the end impossible to view The DUFF with anything less than almost total disdain especially given the above average nature of its source material
2
The DUFF
Linda Cook
Although it has its John Hughes esque moments The DUFF is derivative of lots of other and more recent teen angst movies
2
The DUFF
Peter Canavese
Will strike a chord with teen girls if they can get past the casting of the healthy but hardly plus sized Whitman as well as the changes made to sanitize the book
2.5
The DUFF
Mark Dujsik
T oo eager to prove that it s hip to the ways of the youngsters these days pounding away at its one note of supposed insight until it just becomes condescending
2
The DUFF
Christy Lemire
Whitman displays flawless comic timing and consistently makes inspiring choices in terms of delivery reaction even the slightest facial expression She shines confidently in a self deprecating role and it s irresistible
3
The DUFF
Stephen Whitty
It s not Mean Girls It s not even Easy A But it s definitely a solid B
3
The DUFF
David Lewis
Sandel s film has heart some good laughs and a decent message In this age of cyberbullying that s nothing to scoff at
3
The DUFF
Tirdad Derakhshani
It falls short of the mark even as it hits every one of the genre s conventions
2
The DUFF
Dustin Putman
Capable spry and mostly wise when it isn t spelling out its moralistic intent The main attraction is Mae Whitman acting her heart out while making her every last moment look as natural and vulnerable as that of a real life being lived
2.5
The DUFF
David Berry
Where Bianca and Wesley are going is obvious from the outset but it builds naturally through a pal ship with a genuine spark
3
The DUFF
James Berardinelli
The DUFF would make John Hughes smile
3
The DUFF
Eric Henderson
The film deposits its heroine and everyone in the audience looking toward her for image maintaining guidance back at square one
1.5
The DUFF
Claudia Puig
Mae Whitman is the best thing here and the funny actress deserves better material than what s offered in this derivative and superficial ode to teen self acceptance
2
The DUFF
Rafer Guzman
A smart funny straight talking teen movie in the John Hughes tradition Oodles of charm from the young cast
4
The DUFF
Moira MacDonald
It works but just barely
2.5
The DUFF
Michael Phillips
You know what would be revolutionary Making a really good movie about a three dimensional teenage female character that doesn t start and finish with both eyes on the same old punishing character types
2
The DUFF
Ann Hornaday
What might have been a frank portrayal of high school culture and challenges ends up veering between being either too cynically hyper sexual or preachy
0
The DUFF
Matt Pais
Whitman brings such kindness to Bianca that the movie almost sometimes sort of works as empowering evidence of many teens flawed self esteem driven perspectives
2
The DUFF
Kyle Smith
This winsome comedy is a little low in the stakes department not to mention predictable but it gets an A for charm
2.5
The DUFF
Roger Moore
Formulaic sure but cute sassy and quick just edgy enough to work
2.5
The Citizen
Roger Moore
Tired and worn out immigrant s saga with a 9 11 hook that isn t compelling
1.5
Falling Down
Mick LaSalle
A brilliant drama with black comic undertones The film is directed by Joel Schumacher and stars Michael Douglas in what may be the best performance of his career
4
Falling Down
Tom Meek
This is probably Schumacher s most accomplished work besides Tigerland and interestingly shot in L A around the time of the riots
3
Falling Down
David Nusair
It s a somewhat high concept premise that s employed to consistently engrossing effect by filmmaker Schumacher
3.5
Falling Down
Walter Chaw
Atrociously written by actor Ebbe Roe Smith and atrociously directed it goes without saying by Joel Schumacher
1
Falling Down
Peter Canavese
A heavy handed potboiler but as it raises the temperature it does give cause to consider the line so easily crossed between social function and disasterous personal undoing Blu ray
3
Falling Down
Emanuel Levy
Dealing with urban paranoia from a White POV is a good timely idea but film can t decide whether Michael Douglas is an ordinary or psychopathic man and whether we should feel sympathy or pity for the victimization of this yuppie
3
Falling Down
Michael Dequina
Click to read review
3.5
Falling Down
Andrew Howe
Douglas portrayal of a man heading for the abyss is utterly convincing
3
Falling Down
Chris Hicks
At its heart this is very dark satire and there are a good many laughs But there are times when one wishes that the comedy could remain with the problems being solved in less violent ways
3
Falling Down
Roger Ebert
The film is actually about a great sadness which turns into madness and which can afflict anyone who is told after many years of hard work that he is unnecessary and irrelevant
3
Falling Down
James Berardinelli
Although it takes a number of wrong turns Falling Down still has the power to disturb
2.5
Falling Down
Steve Rhodes
An uneven and frequently pretentious story that is never as important or dramatic as it thinks it is
2.5
Strangers on the Earth
Brad Wheeler
We are alone on this trip take it and this marvellous film at your own pace
3.5
Hollywood North
Liam Lacey
Hollywood North loses bite first by being exactly the kind of movie it satirizes and by being so dated
2
Hollywood North
Pam Grady
There isn t a lot that is original about i Hollywood North but Modine is appealing as the put upon producer and the situation the hapless Meyers finds himself in is very funny
3
Hollywood North
David Nusair
the movie seems content to simply exist as a wacky comedy how else do you explain the presence of Alan Thicke which is somewhat disappointing
2.5
Trauma Therapy
Matt Brunson
Trauma Therapy primarily draws its strength from its varied characters all perfectly cast
2.5
Lake Los Angeles
Marty Mapes
Ott and crew tell a tale of two immigrants
3
Strictly Business
Roger Ebert
There are moments that work and others that do not no young man not even Waymon could be as uncoordinated on a dance floor as he seems to be But beneath the plot which is routine are a lot of assumptions that are not
2.5
Children of the Corn: Revelation
Walter Chaw
The series gets very boring very fast if it s just another Catholic action film
1
Amanda Knox
Roger Moore
Damning
3.5
Amanda Knox
Brian Tallerico
A well made accomplished piece of filmmaking that illuminates how something like this could happen to anyone
3
Amanda Knox
Lou Lumenick
Knox now 29 is extensively quoted in the documentary which reveals no new information about the case
2
Armed to the Teeth (Hasta los dientes)
Ernesto Diezmartinez
The best mexican documentary of the year
2.5
Censored Voices
Michael Phillips
Censored Voices likely would ve benefited from additional reflection from the older on screen subjects But what s there is consistently thought provoking
3
Censored Voices
Walter V. Addiego
To be sure Censored Voices can hardly be seen as anything but a political document one that shares Oz s views But even those who don t will be moved
2
Censored Voices
Tirdad Derakhshani
Censored Voices is a remarkable document that raises important questions about the evolution of modern Israel
3.5
Censored Voices
Glenn Kenny
A society that won t tell itself the truth is in big trouble says one of the interviewees The words have perhaps never been more true And not just for Israel as the movie implies
3
Censored Voices
Alan Zilberman
Censored Voices is an essential documentary Its subject is nothing less than loss of innocence the seeds of hatred and the illusory nature of victory
4
Censored Voices
Clayton Dillard
By negating more conventional facts first priorities Mor Loushy creates an alternative historiography that s more meant to be felt than learned
2.5
More Than Honey
Liam Lacey
For patient science minded kids and adults it should find the sweet spot between environmental advocacy and visual pleasure
3
More Than Honey
Michael O'Sullivan
What s really frightening about Honey isn t what a hive of angry bees might do to us but what we ve done to them
3
More Than Honey
Moira MacDonald
Imhoof s film is remarkable in its close up photography The bees loom large like creatures from some mutant planet dangle together in a delicate chain and fill the air floating like unusually vivid dust specks
3
More Than Honey
Chris Hewitt
It s a lovely idiosyncratic film
3
More Than Honey
Peter Keough
Markus Imhoof s inventive and powerful documentary
3
More Than Honey
Farran Smith Nehme
Without any preachiness this magically beautiful film urges us to take better care of the bees and honor the irreplaceable things that they do for us
4
More Than Honey
Drew Hunt
Markus Imhoof s film reveals itself as a curious audacious mix of personal essay film and nature documentary
3
Limit Up
Roger Ebert
Limit Up is such a calculating movie that I m surprised it wasn t a little smarter How could a screenplay shamelessly recycle so many exploitable ingredients without finding a way to make them entertaining
2
American Autumn
Kyle Smith
This film can t be taken seriously by any serious person
0.5
Either Way
Rob Thomas
Either Way is a slight ultra dry comedy with a lot of empty spaces and plenty of silences But the two main characters are just so endearing that their chemistry fills the gaps nicely
3
A State of Mind
Ed Gonzalez
State of Mind is an eye opener
3
A State of Mind
Jeff Shannon
A riveting BBC documentary that illuminates the character of that nation
3.5
A State of Mind
Robert W. Butler
It s so secretive so insulated that it s hard to imagine what life there is really like That s what makes A State of Mind essential viewing
3
A State of Mind
Chris Hewitt
The documentary about life in North Korea sets the story of two girls against the backdrop of a huge tribute to leader Kim Jong Il and it s the backdrop that is more compelling
2.5
A State of Mind
Ty Burr
It s a quietly wrenching eye opener
3
A State of Mind
G. Allen Johnson
The biggest value of the movie is the depiction of Pyongyang life the elaborate Mass Games choreography a wondrous road trip to the revered Mount Paektu and the ideological mind set of typical North Korean citizens
3
A State of Mind
Elizabeth Weitzman
Not even the widest political chasms Gordon finds can eradicate the universal pleasure of a young girl s giggle
3
A State of Mind
John Anderson
A portrait of the power of power
3.5
A State of Mind
V.A. Musetto
A nifty documentary by Brit Daniel Gordon who directed wrote and narrated
3
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Jeffrey M. Anderson
The sequel is directed by Yuen Woo Ping who choreographed the fight scenes in the original he s not as prestigious as Lee and has fewer awards but the man knows his kung fu
3
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
John Serba
With the original s wondrous naturalist cinematography so clearly burned into the memory it s difficult not to make an unfavorable comparison
2.5
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Roger Moore
The romance is gone the story is silly but it s gorgeous to look at and the fights are epic
2
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Mike McGranaghan
A pale imitation of the masterpiece that spawned it Whereas the original had a freshness and a beauty that made it accessible to martial arts fans and non fans alike the sequel will leave even the faithful unimpressed
1.5
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Josh Larsen
inertly familiar with a thin Syfy channel sheen
1.5
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Chuck Bowen
It has an appealingly inventive unruly genre party streak running down its figurative back
2.5
The Tale of Zatoichi
James Kendrick
serves as a good introduction to the character establishing his major traits and offering a worthwhile narrative
2.5
Rewind
Steve Rhodes
A sweet little film whose scene stealer isn t the actors but a sublime score with some handsome cinematography to accompany it
2.5
nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up
Peter Howell
A powerful work of activist cinema
3.5
The Edge of Democracy
Roger Moore
Riveting sometimes confusing and always dispiriting account of a democracy in its death throes
3
The Edge of Democracy
Matt Fagerholm
Petra Costa seems utterly incapable of crafting a frame that is lacking in urgency or vibrance
3.5
The Edge of Democracy
Rob Thomas
With far right populism on the rise around the world the film is essential viewing for those who want to understand what s happening and why
3.5
Unstrung Heroes
Margaret A. McGurk
Unstrung Heroes a beautifully crafted heartbreaker directed by Diane Keaton will make you want to run home and hug all the relatives who drive you nuts
3.5
Unstrung Heroes
Roger Ebert
Unstrung Heroes has been directed by Diane Keaton with an unusual combination of sentiment and quirky eccentricity There are moments so touching that the heart almost stops
3.5
Black Sunday
Matt Brunson
Bava and his crew s employment of unique camera angles heavily atmospheric sets and startling moments of violence combine to create a trendsetting picture that has influenced generations of filmmakers including Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton
3.5
Black Sunday
David Nusair
a melodramatic thoroughly overwrought horror flick that s aged incredibly poorly in the years since its 1960 release
2
He's Out There
Ernesto Diezmartinez
This horror film owes something to the Jason Vorhees saga and has some elements that come from the recent The Babadook
1.5
He's Out There
Walter Chaw
If at the end it s just another one of those movies at least for a few moments He s Out There is something new and exciting
2
Yumeji
Fernando F. Croce
Yumeji ultimately emerges as less an expression of a worldview than of a restless prankster still delighting in pulling the rug from beneath his audience s feet
2.5
Under the Sun
Joshua Tanzer
A very simple very mild romance but a nice one
2.5
Under the Sun
Steve Rhodes
a sweet and touching story of first love
3
Under the Sun
Roger Ebert
I was surprised how involving this little story became
3.5
Under the Sun
Harvey S. Karten
You ll want to be a farmer in Western Sweden after seeing this one
3
The Birthday Party
Roger Ebert
It probably wasn t possible to make a satisfactory film of The Birthday Party On the other hand it s impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter s play than this sensitive disturbing version directed by William Friedkin
3
Escape From Alcatraz
Matt Brunson
For an Eastwood vehicle there s very little action per se but few will mind
3
Escape From Alcatraz
David Nusair
a methodically paced yet mostly engaging drama
3
Escape From Alcatraz
Jeff Mitchell
Stay for this solid prison movie
3
Escape From Alcatraz
Roger Ebert
It s one of those very difficult exercises in which large emotions like the compulsion to be free are reflected in minute actions like the chipping away at stone with a pocket nail clipper
3.5
Watch Out, We're Mad
Roger Moore
Even when you re remaking junk you ve got to bring more to the table than look alikes and faded memories of a movie that you re remaking
1.5
The Living and the Dead
Rob Humanick
Part neo gothic horror part empathetic schizoid freak out The Living and the Dead suggests an unlikely cross between Spider and Requiem for a Dream
2.5
Senseless
Mike Clark
Have we seen this before Here s another comedy about a substance that supernaturally alters its hero s life a premise that also sustained Jerry Lewis s Nutty Professor not to mention Eddie Murphy s remake
2
Senseless
Michael Dequina
Moments are simply that moments which are not enough to lift this fantasy comedy above its one joke premise
1.5
Senseless
Roger Ebert
Senseless is a Jim Carrey movie fighting to be a Penelope Spheeris movie and losing
2.5
Margarita Happy Hour
Carrie Rickey
The strength of Hutchins performance and the open endedness of Chaiken s film keep Zelda vivid long after the fade out
3
Margarita Happy Hour
John Anderson
Its portrait of a very unsung sector of society is refreshingly honest and entertaining
3
Margarita Happy Hour
Megan Turner
A joyful celebration of female friendship and an unusually honest look at newly responsible young women wistfully saying goodbye to the dreams of their youth
3
Margarita Happy Hour
Walter Chaw
The film s apocalyptic urban setting and unrelentingly icy zeitgeist is message enough without a triumphant parting shot
2.5
Lupin III: The First
Matt Brunson
Since Monkey Punch passed away in 2019 he was 81 a few months before the film s premiere the project is dedicated to him It s a fine tribute
3
Luv
Matt Brunson
Pretentious prattle
1.5
Luv
David Nusair
Luv s palpable downfall is triggered by an exceedingly 40 and often excessively 41 broad midsection that grows more and more difficult to stomach
1.5
Not Without My Daughter
Matt Brunson
Controversy has long dogged this real life tale but it s nevertheless fairly engrossing
2.5
Not Without My Daughter
Roger Ebert
Here is a perplexing and frustrating film which works with great skill to involve our emotions while at the same time making moral and racial assertions that are deeply troubling
3
Black Hand Strawman
Keith Cohen
The classic mob film The Godfather might be fiction but the real thing actually existed across the state line in the City of Fountains O Malley does a masterful job of editing this monumental film down to two hours
3
Black Hand Strawman
Robert W. Butler
As a collection of often interesting information it s fine As a movie it wears out its welcome
2.5
Rookie of the Year
Roger Ebert
This movie is not likely to make my list of the year s best but I can remember those miserable Little League games and so in a modest way I m grateful for this film It is pure wish fulfillment 40 years after I needed it
3
JeruZalem
Chris Knight
There are a few nice moments in the film I do like how Sarah s wearable tech tries to perform facial recognition on the undead But by the end of JeruZalem it s clear the glasses are the smartest thing in the movie
2
JeruZalem
Barry Hertz
Old Jerusalem isn t often glimpsed on the big screen though it s a shame that in this case it simply serves as the backdrop to some rampaging CGI demons and half baked theology about the gates of hell
1.5
JeruZalem
David N. Butterworth
The whole jumpy blurry one trick pony affair mostly shot at night or in dimly lit subterranean caverns to mask the limitations of the budget feels inordinately derivative
2
The In-Laws
Tom Meek
An apex odd couple comedy powered by Falk s dry delivery with just the right arch of the eyebrow
3
The In-Laws
James Kendrick
A feat of casting genius Hiller knew to let Peter Falk and Alan Arkin do their thing with as little interference as possible
3.5
The In-Laws
Matt Brunson
A minor comedy classic this one has it all including a clever premise a witty script two beautifully matched lead actors in Peter Falk and Alan Arkin and a supporting performer who almost makes off with the picture like a bandit in the night
3.5
The In-Laws
Chuck O'Leary
Inspired lunacy
3.5
A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square
Rob Humanick
A Place to Live is pleasing but in the end it s only a Band Aid
2.5
Braid
Federico Furzan
A dark ride of a movie Braid feels relevant in a tornado of movies lacking creativity Full review in Spanish
3.5
Braid
Matt Zoller Seitz
I came away feeling that I d seen if not a major film then a film by major talents
3.5
Braid
Mark Dujsik
It s such a nightmarish vision of co dependent imagination that if we actually knew for certain what the hell is happening here it might be more disappointing
3
John Dies at the End
Kelly Jane Torrance
This is a film for the young and the young at heart And those who like their philosophy laden with a heavy dose of paranoia and oddity
3.5
John Dies at the End
Michael O'Sullivan
I stopped taking notes when the woman disintegrated into a ball of writhing snakes
1.5
John Dies at the End
Rene Rodriguez
Despite its astronomical body count John Dies at the End never takes itself too seriously and neither should you
2.5
John Dies at the End
Chris Hewitt
It s like a series of blackout sketches some of which are entertaining But mostly it s a mess
2
John Dies at the End
Tom Keogh
It eventually finds its own rhythm and meaningful chaos
3
John Dies at the End
Daniel M. Kimmel
a hilarious and occasionally icky story that should hit the sweet spot for people who like twisted movies and are fed up with the Hollywood assembly line
3
John Dies at the End
Jake Mulligan
With Coscarelli s kinetic camerawork and drugged out comic book visuals even the most confounding explanations are made palatable
2.5
John Dies at the End
Mick LaSalle
Nobody cares about John
1
John Dies at the End
Steven Rea
Salvador Dali meets George Romero Say hello
3
John Dies at the End
Roger Moore
Just trippy enough
2.5
John Dies at the End
Joe Williams
As with most fantasy films the story is secondary to inventive images and speculative ideas And more than most this one adheres to its own logic in ways that are continually entertaining
3
John Dies at the End
Matt Pais
A midnight movie that makes you wish you went to bed early falls into the no man s land of movies you may need to be high to enjoy but can barely follow when sober
1.5
John Dies at the End
Michael Phillips
John Dies at the End dies closer to the beginning before writer director Don Coscarelli s adaptation of the book of the same name has reached minute 20
1.5
John Dies at the End
Kyle Smith
John Dies at the End thinks it s Buffy the Vampire Slayer for dudes But in its randomness its vulgarity and its level of humor it s more like the collected writings on the walls of a roadside men s room
1
John Dies at the End
Glenn Lovell
Coscarelli s most ambitious venture yet the ultimate freak out a breathless succession of non sequitur imaginings Whether you buy into it will depend on your tolerance for such mind games
2
John Dies at the End
Peter Travers
It s the ultimate in spoiler titles And this stoner Ghostbusters an altered state disguised as a movie may also add up to a hot cult item if silliness doesn t sabotage the scares
2.5
John Dies at the End
James Berardinelli
It s one of those films that might as well be announced with the words cult classic emblazoned on the marquee It s an interesting failure that s almost worth seeing for that reason alone Kind of Not really
2
John Dies at the End
Jeff Beck
However daring it may be unfortunately it never comes together into a cohesive whole What could have just been a bizarre visual feast ends up getting distracted with a muddled plot that merely sells out in the end
2
John Dies at the End
Chris Cabin
The frantic grotesque imagery ironically only highlights Don Coscarelli s inability to truly cut ties with the constraints of accepted storytelling
1
John Dies at the End
David Nusair
a passable yet unspectacular horror effort that could and should have been much better
2.5
Four
Kam Williams
A cautionary tale featuring spectacular Fourth of July fireworks of the emotional variety
3
Zero Bridge
Bill Weber
An anecdotal frequently evocative debut feature chronicling a teenage pickpocket s restless life in a Kashmiri town
2.5
Once I Was Engaged
Sean P. Means
There are several unforced moments of humor and most of them capitalize on Lisa Valentine Clark s sharp comedic skills and Clare Niederpruem s bubbly charm
3
Just an American Boy
Chris Hewitt
Dull and ugly
2
Just an American Boy
Lou Lumenick
A mediocre music documentary
2
Left Behind
Linda Cook
Outlandishly inept in every way Left Behind is easily one of the worst movies of 2014
0
Left Behind
Robert Levin
My goodness what on earth is Nicolas Cage doing in this movie
1.5
Left Behind
Matt Brunson
Left Behind isn t a movie for progressive Christians any more than it s a movie for people who appreciate top production values convincing acting or superlative dialogue
1
Left Behind
James Berardinelli
Not only is this an amateurish travesty combining fundamentalist Christian eschatology with disaster movie b s but it s plodding and tedious
0.5
Left Behind
Steve Macfarlane
Left Behind is one of those films so deeply fundamentally terrible that it feels unwittingly high concept
.5
Left Behind
Christy Lemire
It should have more smoldering panic bursting into full blown freak outs It should have more passion more intensity It should have more bees
1
Left Behind
Mark Dujsik
T he movie is just too silly roundabout and bungling to feel anything other than a little pity for it
1
Left Behind
Anders Wright
Left Behind is terrible because it s poorly written flat in tone and generally pandering to the faithful by not offering any complexity whatsoever
0.5
Left Behind
Linda Barnard
Score one for Satan
0.5
Left Behind
Sara Stewart
Featuring local cable production values and dialogue that seems written by a crack team of Sunday schoolers director Vic Armstrong s Left Behind does no favors for the Christian proponents of its belief system
1
Left Behind
Chris Knight
Longtime stuntman turned director Vic Armstrong manages the pacing well enough although writers Paul Lalonde and John Patus leave plot holes big enough to handle a jumbo jet
2
Left Behind
Brian Truitt
Left Behind seriously could have used some divine intervention
1.5
Left Behind
Kristin Tillotson
Fans of the evangelical Christian film genre should demand higher production values instead of blindly supporting a movie just because they appreciate its themes
1
Left Behind
Michael Ordoña
With so much emphasis on proselytizing there s little energy remaining for you know characters plotting dialogue pacing
1
Left Behind
Michael O'Sullivan
Left Behind takes the end of the world and turns it not into a nightmare but a nice long nap
0.5
Left Behind
Michael Phillips
Cage is going for manly if conflicted family guy confidence in this role but somehow it comes off as nuttier than the events surrounding him
0
Left Behind
Roger Moore
Not very good but not the utter embarrassment some seem to have expected
1.5
Left Behind
Matt Pais
This movie is the worst And the best I haven t laughed like that in a theater in a long long time and not one of those laughs was earned on purpose
0
Dr. Dolittle
Michael Dequina
Even star Eddie Murphy seems bored
2
Dr. Dolittle
Margaret A. McGurk
Director Betty Thomas recruited a host of stand up comedians to provide the voices for the animals and it s a gimmick that works astonishingly well Talking animals have never sounded so witty
2.5
Dr. Dolittle
Jeffrey Westhoff
Murphy does little more than react to stupid pet tricks
2
Dr. Dolittle
James Kendrick
Takes a children s story and makes it witty and slick enough for an adult audience while also infusing obvious lessons for the younger generation about acceptance and tolerance for those who are different
3
Dr. Dolittle
Steve Rhodes
Contains so much crude sexual humor that they appear to be targeting an audience just a year shy of teenagehood but the animal antics seem aimed more at the kindergarten set
2
Dr. Dolittle
David Keyes
Here is a film that inappropriately exercises bathroom humor to the point where you d never find it funny again
1
Dr. Dolittle
Rob Blackwelder
Screenwriters Nat Mauldin and Larry Levin used Lofting s novels merely as a framework but it s a frame around which they have built one of the better children s movies this year
3
Dr. Dolittle
Bob Graham
Dr Dolittle runs out of ideas long before the projector runs out of film
1
Dr. Dolittle
Roger Ebert
The movie will not harm anyone and in the audience I saw it with lots of parents and kids seemed to be laughing together
3
Dr. Dolittle
Jeff Vice
A terribly unfunny and crass comedy
1.5
Dr. Dolittle
James Berardinelli
A cloying humorless motion picture whose only assets are the work of Jim Henson s Creature Shop and a couple of good one liners by a pair of rodents
1.5
Dr. Dolittle
Bob Bloom
It shows how the funny have fallen when a guinea pig tiger dog and a couple of pigeons can upstage Eddie Murphy
2.5
Dr. Dolittle
Madeleine Williams
Though they remembered the talking animals someone forgot to give this movie a sense of humor
1
Illegally Yours
David Nusair
none of this is even remotely funny
1.5
Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure
David Nusair
bland and surprisingly low rent
1.5
Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo
Matt Brunson
This gets off to a fine start but then has nowhere to go but down
2
The World, the Flesh and the Devil
Matt Brunson
The first two acts are eerie and intriguing but the picture loses its focus and its way with the introduction of the third character
2.5
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
James Kendrick
the depths Friedkin plumbs in discussing not just why he made the artistic choices he made but how his own personal views philosophies beliefs and outlook shaped those choices suggests why The Exorcist works with such power even to this day
3
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Mike McGranaghan
Watching the documentary is like having a film school class where you study one of the most significant horror films ever made under the guidance of a master teacher
3.5
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Kathy Fennessy
it s more of an introduction than an overview but it s an insightful one
3
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Randy Myers
Friedkin s adventures in making the classic 1973 horror film about demon possession fascinating trivia excursion as he reveals scenes and actors that satisfied him as well as an ending that he still doesn t think works
3
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Glenn Kenny
What Friedkin does have to say after all this time and so many articles and movies touching on The Exorcist is still engaging fascinating and entertaining
3
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Mark Dujsik
Friedkin is a great salesman not for the merits of his film but for his own significance
2.5
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Roger Moore
On celluloid or in person Billy Friedkin s still a great storyteller
3
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Walter Chaw
Leap of Faith then becomes something like an endorsement of effect over process and its interest in effect over process should be something that gives pause to both the director and this documentary
2
Never on Sunday
Walter Chaw
Her earthiness is grounding the only element keeping the world from spinning off its axis beware the man and woe to mankind for formulating her to a wall
3
African Cats
Michael Dequina
A wealth of visually stunning strikingly intimate and intensely dramatic footage of these creatures in their beautiful natural habitat
3
African Cats
Sara Michelle Fetters
While it doesn t go very far beyond what you can find on Cable or Public Television that doesn t make it any less enthralling and for my part I enjoyed from start to finish with virtually no effort whatsoever
2.5
African Cats
Lori Hoffman
A beautiful family film that reveals the story of two families a lion pride and a cheetah mom trying to raise and protect her incredibly adorable cubs
3
African Cats
Alicia Potter
This G rated Disney documentary about two wild feline families plays like Saw for six year olds
2
African Cats
Amy Biancolli
Anyone with a fondness for bambinos of any species should melt at the sight of mamas with nuzzling cubs
2.5
African Cats
Peter Canavese
The characters in the latest Disney film frequently attack each other sometimes eat each other and spend the whole time running around naked
2.5
African Cats
Sandie Angulo Chen
African Cats prefers less preaching and more heartstring tugging It works of course especially if you re trying to raise your own cubs to adulthood
3
African Cats
Rick Groen
No doubt life is tough in the wild but this being a Disney flick it s loving too and even comes with a kiddie friendly narrative that s easy to summarize and hard to dispute
3
African Cats
Lou Lumenick
Kids will love African Cats which is full of aw moments Their parents will appreciate that narrator Samuel L Jackson keeps things from getting too schmaltzy in this true life depiction of the circle of life
3
African Cats
Willie Waffle
One has to wonder if the script was written first then the footage was filmed to make that script come to life instead of the other way around
1.5
African Cats
Dustin Putman
Creatively mishandled to the point of making a mockery of its own brand
1.5
African Cats
Claudia Puig
The photography is so spectacular that the accompanying Disney ization of wildlife is forgiven
3
African Cats
Carrie Rickey
It s deeply involving and primally moving
3
African Cats
Tom Russo
Under the direction of BBC wildlife documentary alums Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill Cats looks majestic throughout even if its Big Stories are sometimes forced at the expense of fleeting fascinating little details
2.5
African Cats
Matt Pais
Awesome footage but how do you know what animals are thinking
2.5
African Cats
Roger Moore
It s not a put down of the darker and more straightforward Last Lions to suggest Cats is to Lions what poetry is to prose
3.5
African Cats
Ed Gonzalez
The ghetto narration would have us believe that the lives of African cats is not unlike the lives of people living in the ghetto
2
Mabul
Linda Cook
The title has a double meaning in Mabul It s a reference to the Great Flood and it also connects with the way a boy s life suddenly is awash with tragedy in this terrific coming of age movie
4
The Sonata
Sara Michelle Fetters
Andrew Desmond s feature length narrative debut The Sonata is a literate methodically paced throwback thriller that plays a little like a Hammer production from the mid to late 1960s
3
The Sonata
Rex Reed
Ignoring the fact that nothing much is going on here director Andrew Desmond plods along trying to make you believe otherwise
1
The Sonata
Mark Dujsik
Instead of leaning into the inherent creepiness co writer director Andrew Desmond bypasses that for a dull exposition heavy scavenger hunt
1
The Sonata
Roger Moore
The marvelous score might as well be a funeral dirge as slow as this conjuring is at getting to its payoff and point
1.5
The Last Mercenary
Simon Abrams
It s nice to see that the Muscles from Brussels is not only self aware but also sharp enough whenever he has to take a baby step or two beyond his own shadow
2.5
The Last Mercenary
Mark Dujsik
There s a funny joke to all of this but it s one that the filmmakers and Van Damme himself seem incapable of fully embracing
1.5
The Last Mercenary
Roger Moore
This my friends is the way to walk off into the action hero sunset
3
Cosmonaut
Stephen Cole
It s a slight charming thoughtful movie one that can be recommended to fallen idealists of every persuasion
2.5
Cosmonaut
Bill Chambers
Has its charms including an enticing Almodvarian palette
2.5
Mr. Cao Goes to Washington
Kenneth R. Morefield
Does Cao represent personal integrity as he defines it or does he represent the citizens of the second district of Louisiana
3
Caesar Must Die
John Beifuss
Destined to lose years in prison the actors seem to take pride and solace in their association with something as seemingly immortal as Shakespeare s words
3.5
Caesar Must Die
Peter Howell
There s barely a wasted moment in the film which runs a brisk 76 minutes and contains no female roles
3
Caesar Must Die
Farran Smith Nehme
The film gets on screen not only the play s bloody double dealing hungry essence but the redemptive potential of art
4
Caesar Must Die
Chris Cabin
Deceptively modest on nearly all accounts Paolo and Vittorio Taviani s Caesar Must Die employs seemingly minor directorial contrivances to ruminate on a unique quarrel
3
Monsoon Wedding
Brian Eggert
A celebration of life that acknowledges how family leads to both great love and anguish yet out of that comes a willingness to endure and overcome
4
Monsoon Wedding
Nick Rogers
Not content to merely direct traffic of intersecting characters Mira Nair never lets the scurrying ensemble lag or their stories flag Monsoon Wedding is one of the most culturally savory joyously exotic comedies since Strictly Ballroom
4
Monsoon Wedding
Chuck Bowen
A big galloping party movie in which the party in question is a clear metaphor for the world
3
Monsoon Wedding
James Kendrick
so alive and colorful both literally and metaphorically that it s easy to overlook its formulaic nature
3
Monsoon Wedding
Marty Mapes
May not have as much gusto as My Big Fat Greek Wedding but has more refinement and flair
3
Monsoon Wedding
Michael Wilmington
A movie to fall in love by and with a wedding to unite both the two film families and the dazzled multicultural movie audiences who watch them
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Dan Webster
Nair and screenwriter Sabrina Dhawan deserve credit for wrapping up this big bundle in such a likeable package backed by such a great musical score
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Jeffrey Westhoff
One of those wonderful foreign films that allow Americans to appreciate another culture and learn how we are the same as much as how we are different
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Jeff Vice
Just when you think you ve got it all figured out the movie becomes something better something decidedly more insightful with a lot to say about family ties and loyalty
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Sean P. Means
Every scene is alive with color and music and passion
4
Monsoon Wedding
Michael Dequina
Strongly infused with an unmistakably exotic Bollywood flair while addressing themes and concerns that are universal
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Phil Villarreal
The film is a joyful glimpse into a world brimming with song and spirit
4
Monsoon Wedding
Emily Blunt
The people are so real the emotions so true
4
Monsoon Wedding
Rene Rodriguez
At heart the film is not that far removed from a well written soap opera but its modern day Delhi setting and its cultural subtexts make up for the pat familiarity of its situations
3
Monsoon Wedding
Joe Baltake
All in all a great party
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Susan Stark
Swirling loving and brilliantly sensuously colorful Mira Nair s Monsoon Wedding energetically celebrates love family a culture that comfortably accommodates past and present
4
Monsoon Wedding
Terry Lawson
Monsoon Wedding does what Altman s own The Wedding could not It allows us to celebrate a questionably blessed occasion without feeling embarrassed or complicit in some traditional scam
4
Monsoon Wedding
Jeffrey M. Anderson
So purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it s a fairly straightforward remake of Hollywood comedies such as Father of the Bride
3
Monsoon Wedding
Mike Clark
Filmmakers who can deftly change moods are treasures and even marvels So too is this comedy about mild culture clashing in today s New Delhi
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Moira MacDonald
An intricate heartfelt tribute to the enduring power of love
4
Monsoon Wedding
Carla Meyer
Nair in crafting an enchanting movie about a modern Indian family fills the screen with blooming marigolds blossoming romances and sizzling dance scenes thrown in just for the heck of it
4
Monsoon Wedding
David Elliott
Fills the eyes brimmingly and at moments hits the heart
2.5
Monsoon Wedding
Steven Rosen
It glows and sings with color and music and with the humanity of its characters
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Roger Ebert
One of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Jay Carr
Cinematic home cooking at its most savory
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Walter Chaw
Nair just doesn t have the necessary self control to guide a loose poorly structured film through the pitfalls of incoherence and redundancy
2.5
Monsoon Wedding
Carrie Rickey
A feast for the eyes and ears as its story is a banquet for the heart
3
Monsoon Wedding
Chris Hewitt
Nair captures the way large family events bring together people who have a lot in common and a lot to disagree about
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Mary F. Pols
Thoroughly satisfying subtle steamy and as evenly balanced between serious and joyous as the best weddings actually are
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Rob Blackwelder
The humor and humanity of Monsoon Wedding are in perfect balance
3
Monsoon Wedding
Jeanne Aufmuth
An infectious cultural fable with a tasty balance of family drama and frenetic comedy
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Peter Howell
Nair has succeeded in her mission to capture the energy and essence of a Punjabi family in modern India
3
Monsoon Wedding
Rick Groen
Nair seems finally and truly at home in this film whose prevailing tone is a testament to her comfort and ease
3
Monsoon Wedding
Bob Strauss
With this movie Nair seems to have gotten every atom of her cosmopolitan sensibility onto the screen in one chaotic but cogent swirl of influences
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Steve Rhodes
There s nothing wrong with Monsoon Wedding but we ve seen it all before
2.5
Monsoon Wedding
John Anderson
Uneven but worth the trip
3
Monsoon Wedding
Jonathan Foreman
Exhilarating ensemble piece from India
4
Monsoon Wedding
Rod Armstrong
Rarely do films come along that are as intelligent exuberant and moving as Monsoon Wedding
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
James Berardinelli
Throwing caution to the wind with an invitation to the hedonist in us all Nair has constructed this motion picture in such a way that even the most cynical curmudgeon with find himself or herself smiling at one time or another
3
Monsoon Wedding
Harvey S. Karten
A joyous nay exhilarating movie in praise of family
3.5
Monsoon Wedding
Jason Anderson
Mira Nair s distinctive wholly engaging approach is somewhere between Dogme style immediacy and Bollywood calibre excess
4
Monsoon Wedding
Ian Mantgani
A sweet poignant and richly perceptive piece of work
3
The Cheetah Girls
David Nusair
Tom Hanks himself would be hard pressed to inject life into this cliched formulaic storyline
.5
Audrie & Daisy
Sheila O'Malley
Audrie Daisy is a stark portrait of a problem which is not in any way local aberrant or random The problem is systemic
3
Audrie & Daisy
Jon Niccum
The documentary scrutinizes the blame the victim mentality that has seemingly gotten worse in the internet era But the film also offers a redemptive message of compassion via a network of survivors
3
Audrie & Daisy
Scott Renshaw
Feels less like a story than an 95 minute venting of frustrations
2.5
Audrie & Daisy
Randy Myers
The difficult to watch yet accessible film painstakingly recounts two high profile cyberbullying cases
3
Exhibition on Screen: David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts
Mark Feeney
Hockney has many interesting things to say and not just about his own work
2.5
The Damned United
Kelly Jane Torrance
It s entertaining even if you don t quite follow all of the intricacies of the game mostly thanks to the boisterous cast
3
The Damned United
Nick Rogers
Michael Sheen has played vampires and werewolves but works up his most insatiable bloodlust as Brian Clough in this sharply observed superbly acted drama that realizes sports forms as nasty a symbiotic relationship with a nation s people as politics
4
The Damned United
Rob Thomas
The Damned United is a fascinating look at a very complex man both talented and tone deaf arrogant and insecure caring and hard hearted
3
The Damned United
Sean O'Connell
Finds its riveting story in the locker room and board room wranglings of competitive team leaders and dissects them with documentary style precision
3
The Damned United
Matt Brunson
Refusing to devolve into a routine sports flick see Invictus The Damned United is instead more interested in the off field clashes than the on field skirmishes
3
The Damned United
Duane Dudek
That Clough is still remembered enough to have a film made about him is no surprise But that he is remembered fondly suggests memory is a dish best served cold
3
The Damned United
Bob Bloom
Sheen gives a magnificent performance His Clough is a character you can neither like nor admire You watch this walking train wreck in amazement as he continually steps on his own feet with his overactive mouth
4
The Damned United
Joe Williams
Two things that the British know that most Americans don t Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English speaking world and soccer is the only football that matters
3
The Damned United
John Beifuss
As a film inspired by British football this may hold limited appeal for American moviegoers But it s also a film about a form of spurned love which means it s a story about love and hate which means it s a movie that everybody can relate to
3
The Damned United
Justin Strout
It s too easy to dismiss Sheen s work as basic mimicry in fact Sheen s Clough is his most intricate work thus far
3
The Damned United
Steve Rhodes
The Damned United beautifully demonstrates that if you pair a truly gifted screenwriter with terrific actors cinematic magic is possible perhaps even likely
3.5
The Damned United
Willie Waffle
a wonderful story excellently told and without all sorts of manufactured drama
3.5
The Damned United
Peter Hartlaub
Like a tense World Cup match there s a lack of scoring but it is still riveting
4
The Damned United
Chris Hewitt
Imagine an in depth movie about a sequin factory in China that assumes we are already familiar with all of the details of sequin making and you have an idea what it s like to sit through The Damned United
1
The Damned United
Moira MacDonald
While there s plenty of action much of it satisfyingly wet and muddy the reason to watch this film is its splendid cast
3.5
The Damned United
Rick Groen
Like a skill player who just can t score The Damned United is all dazzle and no finish and ultimately damned frustrating
2
The Damned United
Wesley Morris
While it s true that a couple of the characters are vivid creations it s hard to glean what else Morgan sees in this story which he adapted from a novel by David Peace besides a showcase for Sheen Mostly that s enough
3
The Damned United
Roger Ebert
The enigma of Brian Clough has long fascinated British fans The Dammed United offers no easy explanation but plunges into the mysteries of the personality
3.5
The Damned United
Chris Faraone
In addition to the textured damp British landscapes the film convinces on the strength of impassioned performances by Sheen and Timothy Spall as his assistant manager and muse Peter Taylor
3.5
The Damned United
Sara Michelle Fetters
Sheen and Spall hit the pitch running at full steam their multifaceted and constantly evolving relationship the film s gripping heart and soul
3.5
The Damned United
Kyle Smith
As the two coaches head for a faceoff in a climactic live TV interview writer Morgan starts to seem like a rip off of himself
2.5
The Damned United
Claudia Puig
What vaults the film above the standard sports movie is the stellar performance by Michael Sheen
3
The Damned United
Robert Levin
The performances by Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall give the picture the dramatic heft it needs to tackle a narrative far beyond the purview of a standard sports flick
3.5
The Damned United
Jeffrey M. Anderson
A very vivid affectionately prickly film
3
The Damned United
Nick Schager
The parallel tracks structure smoothly reveals cause effect relationships even as it sometimes feels designed to gussy up the narrative s straightforward rise and fall arc
2.5
The Damned United
Guy Dixon
Add an extra star rating for footie fans
3
The Last Race
Mike McGranaghan
The Last Race feels like the work of someone who wanted to make a documentary but had no clue what story he wanted to tell
2
The Last Race
Tomris Laffly
A gallery of vivid socially conscious photography The Last Race owes much of its artful strength to the filmmaker s resistance to being prescriptive about his unambiguous socio economic message
3
The Last Race
Rafer Guzman
An unorthodox but often mesmerizing portrait of a gritty local institution
3.5
The Last Race
Joey Magidson
Between his passion for the subject matter and novel use of sound there s some strong technical prowess on display from Dweck
3
The Last Race
Roger Moore
Wry nostalgic look at the last stock car race track on Long Island and the colorful folks who race there
3
The Last Race
Sean P. Means
Photographer Michael Dweck captures a vanishing piece of Americana
3.5
The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily
Ernesto Diezmartinez
A simple animated fable for children that if you think about it turns out to be a provocative allegory about the exercise of power
2
Cielo
Clayton Dillard
Alison McAlpine s documentary lacks urgency beyond its persistent pondering of the sky s eternal mysteries
2.5
Cielo
Brad Wheeler
McAlpine s work is subtle and sublime its queries more like answers
3
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Mattie Lucas
An irresistible and endearing adventure that is pure escapism a rare type of cinema magic that is as transporting as it is captivating
3.5
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Scott Nash
Surreal and very silly
3.5
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Rob Thomas
There s a strange almost perverse lesson here about a well lived life how Allan manages to move through life without regret or fear He s crossed every item off his bucket list and then blown up the bucket
3
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Loren King
It s never explained what Allan s mental state is other than lovable geriatric rascal itis an irritating trope that hardly constitutes a certifiable condition
2
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
John Serba
Superficially colorful but a dark comedy at heart
3
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Steven Rea
This peripatetic farce practically propels itself
3
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Joe Williams
It seems destined for a Hollywood remake which is likely to be more polished but not nearly as weirdly charming
2.5
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Ann Hornaday
Herngren s hyper plotty story goes from testing credulity to utterly insulting it as incident piles on to incident in an ever escalating cascade of you won t believe what happens nexts
2
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
John Anderson
Eccentric wry and highly entertaining
3.5
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
David Lewis
Perhaps most of the humor just doesn t translate the film was a smash hit in Sweden Whatever the case the script needed to mine more comedy from the characters not the clownish plot machinations
2
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Glenn Kenny
This movie as it happens is a comedy but it s a frequently grisly one and one that makes rollicking fun of a lot of dark Swedish preoccupations
2.5
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Chris Knight
The 100 Year Old Man is like the box of chocolates you ve had and enjoyed once before You do know exactly what you re going to get but that doesn t make it any less tasty
3
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Linda Barnard
Aiming for charm but too often settling for slapstick
2
Humpday
Josh Larsen
gives us a real feel for a friendship its insecurities and the competition that results especially in one of cinema s most amusingly pathetic games of pickup basketball
3
Humpday
Wesley Lovell
Some nice performances highlight a strangely paced exploration of the male identity and its inability to cope with unique situations
3
Humpday
David Nusair
a compelling and thoroughly original modern comedy
2.5
Humpday
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Shelton s low fi treatment helps soften it but too many overcooked moments still seep through
2.5
Humpday
Rob Thomas
In its unassuming offhand way Humpday gets the details of male friendship uncomfortably right the self denials the macho bluster the constant comparisons about where that guy s at in life versus me
3.5
Humpday
John Beifuss
Mumblecore meets screwball in Humpday an audacious character comedy that squeezes so much humor and pertinence out of its low budget and high concept that even the audience feels the pinch
4
Humpday
Sonny Bunch
Humpday is the reductio ad absurdum of the recent spate of bromance movies It dares to ask what happens when a bromance evolves into a straight up romance
2.5
Humpday
Lisa Kennedy
Getting to the showdown is a fine and funny journey
3
Humpday
Jeff Vice
There s something surprisingly perceptive about the way the film looks at male relationships and friendships
3
Humpday
Austin Kennedy
One thing usually that stands out in independent films is the amateurish acting but that s not the case here Every performance is right on the money and feels 100 natural
3.5
Humpday
Joe Williams
Humpday is something surprising a sharply observed slice of life an entertaining example of the microbudget genre called mumblecore
3
Humpday
Amy Biancolli
Humpday succeeds by grounding its risqué premise in the awkwardness and humor of real people trying their damnedest to communicate A lot
4
Humpday
Chris Hewitt
Unfortunately Humpday is held back by the blandness of both Ben and Andrew Their friendship which is supposed to be along the lines of the uneasy bond in the terrific Old Joy never comes into focus in their dull rambling scenes together
1.5
Humpday
Brett Michel
There s more believable raw humanity here than in Michael Bay s entire oeuvre
2.5
Humpday
Michael Sragow
A pleasurable clash goes on in your head between your belief in the moment to moment sincerity of these two guys and your disbelief that they could ever go through with their plan
3.5
Humpday
Carrie Rickey
While at times the improvisational dialogue sounds like audio filler the three leads are poignant and perceptive Likewise Shelton s film considerably more complex than those bros will be bros comedies of male bonding
3
Humpday
Rene Rodriguez
With astute and subtle precision director Shelton burrows deeply inside the psyches of her characters who do not want to admit that they ve changed considerably since they last saw each other a decade before
3
Humpday
Peter Howell
A startlingly good comedy that makes Brüno seem barely daring
3.5
Humpday
Jennie Punter
Evolves so naturally it never feels outrageous
3
Humpday
Ty Burr
Humpday just wrings every uncomfortable laugh from its premise then shudders to a halt cut end credits
2.5
Humpday
Roger Ebert
Humpday is funny yes but also observant and thought provoking
3.5
Humpday
Robert Levin
Transforms a thoroughly outrageous premise into a thoughtful study of the burdens of 21st century masculinity
3
Humpday
Kyle Smith
Few kinds of art are more boring than the insistently transgressive and few movies are more boring than Humpday
1
Humpday
Moira MacDonald
Humpday surprises us from beginning to end It s a fresh take on the familiar topic of friendship and a wise one
3
Humpday
Sara Michelle Fetters
Delmore owns this scene her transformation from perky good natured housewife to a ball of twisted heartbreakingly confused fury spectacular in both its believability and apparent effortlessness
3
Humpday
Dustin Putman
A warm and usually winning shoestring budgeted effort that proves money does not equate to real talent
2.5
Humpday
Kam Williams
A homo erotic adventure which gives bosom buddies a whole new meaning
2.5
Humpday
Bill Weber
The problem is not the farfetched contrivance of Humpday but how unmoored it seems from anything but self satisfied cuteness
2
Humpday
Erik Childress
Humpday uses it absurd premise for maximum comic discomfort and its this approach that should have audiences unable to look away unless they are doubled over in laughter
3.5
A Reasonable Man
Steve Rhodes
The beauty of the script which mixes in large doses of witchdoctors and rural superstitions is that it is always genuine and plausible
3
Lamb
Peter Canavese
A slow burning Icelandic supernatural horror movie that s beautifully directed and patiently crafted but crash lands at the end
2.5
Lamb
Steven Prokopy
I cannot wait to see what filmmaker Jóhannsson brings us next he s a gifted storyteller
3.5
Lamb
Sean P. Means
There s an austere beauty in this place and that beauty helps Rapace the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Guðnason bring the humanity to this surreal scenario
3.5
Lamb
Linda Cook
Art film aficionados will appreciate the haunting Lamb
4
Lamb
Tom Meek
It s a deeply moody piece driven by the pall of melancholy and gorgeous photograph of the stunning vast Icelandic green lands
2.5
Lamb
Sara Michelle Fetters
Does it work Not entirely but Jóhannsson doesn t let that stop him from grabbing the jugular and refusing to let go until the viewer is almost entirely out of breath
3
Lamb
Rene Sanchez
An introspective and mystifying family drama soaked in folklore and biblical references Full Review in Spanish
3
Lamb
Matthew Passantino
There s a cult audience waiting in the wings to discover Valdimar Jóhannsson s Lamb and a mainstream horror audience that will leave the theater demanding their money back
2
Lamb
James Berardinelli
Lamb is at its most successful when seen as a slice of mythology or a dark warped modern day fable
3
Lamb
Josh Larsen
proceeds with a slowly very slowly building dread that stifles any laughter
3.5
Lamb
Sonny Bunch
The ending of Lamb didn t really land for me and that failure to bring it all home in a satisfying way undercuts the rest of the picture s great beauty
2
Lamb
Leo Brady
There s a lot to process with debates about what parenting should look like how to keep a happy marriage and how Noomi Rapace reminds the audience that she s one of the best actors today
3.5
Lamb
Tomris Laffly
Lamb leaves a unique enough aftertaste for one to crave more of the same distinctive weirdness from Jóhannsson in the future
2.5
Lamb
Mark Dujsik
H ow it s told is a joke and why it s being told remains a mystery
1.5
Lamb
Joe Friar
Noomi has a little lamb whose fleece is not white as snow in the horror fantasy from writer director Valdimar Jóhannsson A rousing debut and one of 2021 s best films
4
Lamb
Jeff Mitchell
Challenging circumstances flock to this intriguing character study Warning The trailer gives too much away Ugh
3
Lamb
Michael O'Sullivan
Johannsson has a way of imbuing everything animate and inanimate even an empty doorway with a kind of living breathing spirit
3
Lamb
Randy Myers
Lamb is visually striking and moody a well made curiosity that you ll ponder days after you see it and wonder what the hell it means and why it affected you so
3
Lamb
Michael Phillips
I was relieved to see how shrewdly Lamb tightens the screws without getting cheap or going for the throat even when the story darkens
3.5
Lamb
Roger Moore
A chiller you appreciate more than embrace ponder more than wholly understand
2.5
Lamb
Mick LaSalle
Lamb is too vivid and original to forget
2.5
Lamb
Keith Watson
Though eerie and quietly deadpan the film circles its grab bag of themes for so long that it also becomes tedious
2
The Agronomist
Duane Dudek
A compassionate and powerful tribute to a crusader doing battle with no weapon other than his microphone and a thirst for truth
3
The Agronomist
Phil Villarreal
His story makes us feel for the Haitian people and appreciate the glorious right of a free press
3
The Agronomist
Jeff Vice
The mark of an effective documentary feature is its ability to work on more than one level And by those standards at least The Agronomist is very effective
3
The Agronomist
Sean P. Means
Demme captures Dominique s energy and hunger for human rights sometimes by doing nothing more than locking down the camera and letting the guy talk
3
The Agronomist
Chris Hewitt
Intelligent stodgy and predictable
2
The Agronomist
Ted Fry
With Haiti again in the news The Agronomist is an apt history lesson about its political turmoil and a powerful testimonial about patriotism in the face of oppression
3
The Agronomist
Rick Groen
Not an extraordinary portrait but it does portray an extraordinary man
2.5
The Agronomist
Walter Chaw
Freedom to hope that one person convicted and articulate can still make a difference
3.5
The Agronomist
Roger Ebert
We watch Dominique use humor and cynicism as well as anger and we understand he is not a zealot but simply a reasonable man saying reasonable things in an unreasonable country
3.5
The Agronomist
Michael Wilmington
A labor of love in the best sense both a ferocious indictment of the corrupt dictatorships that have subjugated Haiti for decades sometimes with American support and a stirring salute to a fallen comrade Dominique
3.5
The Agronomist
Jeffrey M. Anderson
The Agronomist has unexpectedly turned out to be a much more compelling and urgent film than anything else Demme has done
3.5
The Agronomist
Jonathan Curiel
What comes through more than anything is Dominique s resolve and the ways that Haitian leaders tried to stop him
3
The Agronomist
Marta Barber
Reminds us of previous events in the country s history as told by a Haitian who impresses us as someone honestly looking for nothing more than peace
3.5
The Agronomist
Ty Burr
The film crackles with Dominique s voice and personality but not unfortunately his ideas
3
The Agronomist
James Verniere
Listening to Dominique and his worshipful wife bloviate for about an hour and a half is not my idea of scintillating cinema
2.5
The Agronomist
Laura Kelly
Jean Dominique was a man worth remembering and Demme does him justice
3.5
The Agronomist
Jules Brenner
An illuminating portrait of the courage that is as much a part of this Haitian broadcaster for human rights and democracy as vanity pride and almost fanatical fearlessness
4
The Agronomist
Jeanne Aufmuth
An uncompromising glimpse into a life and a land waging a two hundred year battle for peace
3
The Agronomist
John Anderson
A film guaranteed to promote righteous indignation sadness and guilt as it makes the case that the intertwined history of the United States and Haiti is one of almost unutterable shame
3
The Agronomist
Rob Lowman
A powerful look at two tragedies the death of a courageous and inspirational man and the unfortunate land that he loved
3
The Agronomist
Lou Lumenick
Uses archival footage and music to tell a moving story that s all too common in the Third World
3
The Agronomist
David Sterritt
Watching Demme s documentary is both a crash course in the nation s tumultuous past and a provocative visit with one of its most colorful citizens
3
The Agronomist
Keith Uhlich
As if in answer to Haiti s continuing cycle of violence Jonathan Demme proposes through Jean Dominique a new cycle of hope
3.5
Better Living Through Circuitry
Michael Dequina
All the individual pieces assemble into a piercing look at the music and the rave
3
Military Intelligence and You!
Ty Burr
It s a great idea for 20 minutes Unfortunately the movie s 78 minutes long
1.5
Military Intelligence and You!
Tom Keogh
An ingenious satire that could easily tip toward self congratulation yet never does
3
Military Intelligence and You!
Mick LaSalle
We get the idea we may even agree with it Just don t make us sit through 78 minutes of empty cleverness
1
Military Intelligence and You!
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Even at a brief 78 minutes the jokes are too few too repetitive and too obvious to really make this worthwhile
2
Military Intelligence and You!
Bob Strauss
This gets old in about 10 minutes but the movie strikes the same comic note for another hour
2
Military Intelligence and You!
Steve Rhodes
If you think all wars are a joke and if we d just turn the other cheek the world would leave us alone then this is just the comedy for you
2
When Do We Eat?
Jordan Hiller
even with all the strange impractical goings on as with all in this recent string of popular entertainment culled from authentic orthodoxy there are moments of sheer breathtaking joy that elevate the spirit of a Jew by speaking to their core
2
When Do We Eat?
Geoff Pevere
Litvak s movie almost immediately barges across the line separating the comically absurd from the outright obnoxious
2
When Do We Eat?
Jason Anderson
Manages to be broad mawkish and mean spirited all at once
1.5
When Do We Eat?
Claudia Puig
A haunting and disturbing film
3
When Do We Eat?
Bruce Westbrook
Its strong cast is loud and lively and the bickering banter has snap and drive
3
When Do We Eat?
Terry Lawson
Crass chaotic comedy
1
When Do We Eat?
Wesley Morris
The movie s most distinctive feature is its cast which has the fake lived in comfort of a TV clan
2.5
When Do We Eat?
Jessica Reaves
Watching this movie is kind of like being sprayed with emotional vomit
2
When Do We Eat?
Maitland McDonagh
Though the script never rises above sitcom style one liners and sight gags strong performances invest both the jokes and the syrupy moments of forgiveness and reconciliation with no small measure of yes heart
2.5
When Do We Eat?
Timothy Knight
While it does have some sweet moments and a handful of zingy one liners the film all too often resembles a trite dinner theater play that s been minimally opened up for the screen
2
When Do We Eat?
Lisa Rose
When Do We Eat is as imperfect as the Stuckmans Seder yet it has some decent punchlines a strong cast and a good heart
2.5
When Do We Eat?
Lou Lumenick
Cliches and loud stereotypes as fresh as year old matzoh infest When Do We Eat a farce about a wildly dysfunctional Los Angeles family s disastrous Passover Seder
2
When Do We Eat?
Bob Strauss
When Do We Eat is about as funny emotionally satisfying and even spiritually significant as this type of thing gets
3
When Do We Eat?
Dan Fienberg
When Do We Eat isn t a great film or necessarily a particularly good one but it s a worthy attempt at making an entertaining movie about faith
2.5
When Do We Eat?
Phoebe Flowers
When Do We Eat takes place before during and after a Passover Seder But you don t have to be Jewish to savor this light and enjoyable comedy
2.5
When Do We Eat?
Nick Schager
Making The Family Stone s shenanigans and schmaltz seem downright sophisticated by comparison Salvador Litvak s Passover themed film gives Jews an insufferable holiday family comedy to call their own
1
Project A
Chris Hicks
This one has even less use for plot than Armour of God and displays much more intricately choreographed slapstick demonstrating that Chan sees himself as much a physical comedian as a martial arts action star
3
The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down
Wesley Morris
A funnier than expected thrillingly accurate assessment of what makes a night out in Los Angeles such a nightmare
3
Monday at 11:01 A.M.
Dann Gire
Can charitably be called a promising student movie a thriller lacking nuance and suspense a teasing tale with a long long fuse and an underwhelming explanatory explosion for its finale
1.5
Monday at 11:01 A.M.
Michael O'Sullivan
Monday at 11 01 a m would probably work well as a half hour television episode or a short story
1.5
Fear(s) of the Dark
Mattie Lucas
Taps into something primal in human nature something that makes the hair on the back of the neck stand up and shivers run down the spine
3
Fear(s) of the Dark
David Nusair
An ambitious failure
2
Fear(s) of the Dark
Jason Anderson
This French made chiller proves just how scary a pitch black theatre can be
3
Fear(s) of the Dark
Rob Thomas
The influences shown by its group of American and European artists are Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Hitchcock rather than George A Romero and Stephen King getting chills not out of what we re shown but what we imagine lurks in the darkness of the gorgeou
3
Fear(s) of the Dark
Loey Lockerby
They all visualize the fears that haunt our dreams but only McGuire brings them to full unnerving life
2.5
Fear(s) of the Dark
Steven Rea
Brilliantly creepy
3.5
Fear(s) of the Dark
Mark Rahner
Maybe different things scare the French But I ll give them this Prattling monologues can be unsettling
2
Fear(s) of the Dark
Reyhan Harmanci
Fear s of the Dark is a feast for the eyes even if it doesn t always get the pulse racing
2
Fear(s) of the Dark
Bob Strauss
This may not be everyone s idea of either scary or great animation but it is a generally successful attempt to marry the two forms in a unique way
3
Fear(s) of the Dark
Roger Ebert
Despite the title and the ads this is not really a horror movie but more of a demonstration of the skills of the animators The segments are like calling cards Younger horror movie fans will not much identify with it
2.5
Fear(s) of the Dark
V.A. Musetto
There isn t a dud in the 10 shorts although some are more dud ish than others
2.5
Fear(s) of the Dark
Kam Williams
An arresting array of chilling images worthwhile for the scary visual effects alone
3.5
Fear(s) of the Dark
Jay Antani
a daring unusual Halloween treat
3
Fear(s) of the Dark
Sara Michelle Fetters
The thing is maybe something got lost in translation but by and large watching them play out in Persepolis like animation isn t even close to being scary
2
Fear(s) of the Dark
Nick Schager
A collection of superbly wrought black and white animated vignettes
3
Between Us
Roger Moore
The lack of big twists or even deeper dives into despair park this film in the area of cinematic comfort food But Entres Nos Between Us like the characters it portrays wins you over with its warmth its pluck and its optimism
2.5
Between Us
Kam Williams
A bittersweet saga chronicling both the rough lot of the recent immigrant and the indomitability of the human spirit
4
I Spit on Your Grave: Vengeance Is Mine
David Nusair
A vast improvement over its bottom of the barrel immediate predecessor
2
Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy
Rob Salem
Ecstasy is to ecstasy what Trainspotting was to heroin Different times different drugs but the Scotland set story of addiction and redemption is pretty much the same
3
The Advent Calendar
David Nusair
a seemingly foolproof premise that s employed to disastrously underwhelming and uninvolving effect
1
The Advent Calendar
Randy Myers
It won t be a holiday classic but it is a welcome addition to the holiday horror canon
2.5
The Advent Calendar
Sara Michelle Fetters
Derouand is very good delivering a playfully multifaceted performance I was instantly drawn to
3
The Advent Calendar
Peter Sobczynski
A competently executed but painfully familiar genre exercise
2
The Advent Calendar
Roger Moore
The Advent Calendar is a creeper of a thriller It stalks you sidles up and immerses the viewer in its world and its mood
2.5
The Good Son
David Nusair
46 sporadically watchable yet mostly 40 and curiously 41 inert
2
The Good Son
Austin Kennedy
I guarantee you this would have been 100 more effective if Wood and Culkin switched roles
2
The Good Son
Roger Ebert
The movie is a creepy unpleasant experience made all the worse because it stars children too young to understand the horrible things we see them doing
0.5
The Good Son
James Berardinelli
At best this film is strictly cable fare
2
The Good Son
Jeff Vice
Culkin is never really very believable in his role though Wood does better lending depth to a sketchily written character
2
Persons of Interest
Peter Travers
The callous inequity of what you see and hear will floor you It can t happen here But it did It does
3
Persons of Interest
John Anderson
Powerful anger provoking documentary
3
Persons of Interest
Lou Lumenick
Delves into one of the most chronically undercovered 9 11 stories the still unknown number of U S citizens and foreign nationals detained without trial in the wake of the attacks
2.5
Persons of Interest
David Sterritt
Not a great movie but a valuable and revealing document
4
Persons of Interest
Joshua Tanzer
Persons of Interest is not bold or especially creative filmmaking It s a document plain and simple and an important one
3
Stalker
Roger Moore
quot A ridiculously chatty bore of a thriller a stunning waste of viewing time quot
1
Fluke
Mike Clark
As if banal platitudes about work vs family aren t insufferable enough there s a kicker gag involving Jackson that ll even have Mister Rogers begging for Pulp Fiction II
1
The Cousins
Eric Melin
Les Cousins seems to hold contempt for almost every person it characterizes Although the characterizations are right on some of the movie relies too much on melodrama and easy plot devices
3
The Cousins
James Kendrick
too programmed too deterministic and ultimately too cynical
2.5
3:10 to Yuma
Matt Brunson
Like The Gunfighter and Winchester 73 3 10 to Yuma is one of those defining 50s Westerns that is well known by film buffs but has never reached the familiarity level of a High Noon or Shane
3.5
3:10 to Yuma
Peter Canavese
Distinguished by its thoughtfulness regarding the nature of Western heroism as defined not only by dead eye gunplay but by family community and moral rectitude Criterion Blu ray
3.5
3:10 to Yuma
Fernando F. Croce
A sturdy genre piece
3
3:10 to Yuma
Jeffrey M. Anderson
During the 1950s the Western grew a conscience
3
Atlantic City
James Kendrick
Lancaster brings to the role a great endearing physicality a sense of presence that is convincing in its character created self delusion
3.5
The Belles of St. Trinian's
Matt Brunson
Alastair Sim is amusing as the eternally anxious headmistress
3
The Last of Sheila
Matt Brunson
Intricately scripted Heck even the title plays into the big reveal
3.5
Priceless
Susan Wloszczyna
What should be a lean and taut thriller based on true stories is about as exciting as watching wet socks bounce around in the dryer
1.5
Adrift
Jason Fraley
The longer we re at sea we the audience begin to drift craving the danger of Open Water or the imagination of Life of Pi
2.5
Adrift
Matt Brunson
If it s not quite as exciting as watching Blake Lively square off against a particularly pesky shark in The Shallows from two summers ago there s still enough of interest to keep the new nautical drama Adrift afloat
2.5
Adrift
Mattie Lucas
The entire thing is based on a deeply dishonest premise
2
Adrift
John Hanlon
The romantic elements work well enough but some of the emotional moments ring false
2.5
ABCD
Carrie Rickey
An involving study of sibling and interpersonal relationships
3
ABCD
Jonathan Foreman
Compassionate funny and honest
2.5
ABCD
Harvey S. Karten
The plight of culturally displaced Americans is given sensitive humorous treatment in what could be the first film to treat the East Indian experience in America
3.5
Peaceful Warrior
Linda Cook
This is an average movie that s chock full of New Age y self help And not much else
2
Peaceful Warrior
Robert W. Butler
Warrior is a good looking film that feels more like an allegory about the power of positive thinking than a drama
2
Peaceful Warrior
Sean O'Connell
Only in filmmaker Victor Salva s world are impossibly chiseled Abercrombie ready gymnasts worshipped by their peers on college campuses and in adjoining dive bars
1
Peaceful Warrior
Mack Bates
Works overtime to inspire audiences but relies way too much on pop mysticism and half baked artifice to make its point stick
2
Peaceful Warrior
Ross Anthony
Admittedly I suspected it might be kind of cheesy but the film is directed with great grace and care And the acting is solid It s a beautiful film see it
3.5
Peaceful Warrior
John Monaghan
A movie about spiritual awakening that plays like a spliced together string of New Age fortune cookie messages
2
Peaceful Warrior
Jeff Vice
The kind of metaphysical nonsense that gives New Age a bad name
2
Peaceful Warrior
Geoff Pevere
You re in the moment all right experiencing every passing minute ticking off in slow motion until the blasted thing comes to a merciful end
1.5
Peaceful Warrior
Connie Ogle
Full of cheap fortune cookie wisdom and noodly inspirational advice
1
Peaceful Warrior
Liam Lacey
For a story that is supposed to be about gymnastics and Eastern philosophy The Peaceful Warrior is as riddled with homo eroticism as Robert Smigel s Ambiguously Gay Duo cartoons on Saturday Night Live
1.5
Peaceful Warrior
Ty Burr
It has deep things to say and a hilariously ponderous way of saying them
1.5
Peaceful Warrior
Thomas Delapa
In a Hollywood of leading boy men Nolte s commanding performance is a throwback to a time when movie virility wasn t an anomaly
2.5
Peaceful Warrior
Chris Hewitt
A screwy mash up of The Karate Kid The Celestine Prophecy and an Abercrombie Fitch catalog
1
Peaceful Warrior
Michael Phillips
Peaceful Warrior which is basically The Karate Kid with a bigger kid and a bigger mentor represents a journey of predictability rather than a destination worth the trouble
1.5
Peaceful Warrior
Matt Pais
Even actual therapy wouldn t be this monotonous
2
Peaceful Warrior
Phil Villarreal
Ever elusive it always keeps you off balance enough to make you want to see more
3.5
Peaceful Warrior
Ed Gonzalez
Jeepers creepers Victor Salva is at it again His new film is ostensibly inspired by true events but whose events exactly
1
Peaceful Warrior
Randy Myers
This wake up and smell the roses philosophy is sweet but in Warrior it comes across as trite and manipulative
1.5
Peaceful Warrior
Claudia Puig
Based on the story by gymnast Dan Millman the movie tries to be inspirational and profound but much of the dialogue sounds like it came out of a fortune cookie
1.5
Peaceful Warrior
David Elliott
A gift box filming of former gymnastics star Dan Millman s uplift book Peaceful Warrior stars appealing Scott Mechlowicz like a more ripped Tony Perkins as Millman finding his way to glory after a drastic injury
2
Peaceful Warrior
Maitland McDonagh
A textbook example of how not to visualize spiritual principles of the be here now variety
2.5
Peaceful Warrior
Ruthe Stein
The film is better than it has any right to be considering the prosaic source
2
Peaceful Warrior
Timothy Knight
Peaceful Warrior begins promisingly with welcome doses of quirky humor holding the syrupy bathos at bay yet it ultimately becomes just another average inspirational sports themed flick albeit with an overlay of New Age philosophizing
2.5
Peaceful Warrior
Bob Strauss
It may often seem like an extra pretentious Karate Kid for grown ups but Warrior s soul lessons go much deeper to universally vital places
3
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Peter Travers
Shoot me now
1
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Kam Williams
About ten times funnier than the similarly themed Observe Report though this silly slapstick adventure is aimed more at kids than adults
3
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Sean McBride
to my surprise once the action part of the story kicked in Paul Blart Mall Cop transformed into a rather enjoyable comic adventure
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
James Kendrick
a good natured but awkward and often unfunny comedy that bounces from sad sack pathos to slapstick action parody
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Mike McGranaghan
Thanks to Kevin James earnest portrayal of an earnest guy I was won over by the film s goofy charms
3
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Linda Cook
I really really like Kevin James But this is disappointing
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Michael Smith
James takes a Segway a cheesy mustache and the comic idea of Die Hard in a mall and bumbles his way to a lightweight but frequently funny film for the whole family
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Peter Canavese
The hero is named for a disgusting bodily function that s hardly PG material but the movie itself seems to be aimed at grade schoolers
1
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Bob Bloom
The film s drawback seems to be Kevin James indecision on a tone as well as how to present Blart
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Perry Seibert
The road from TV star to movie leading man is loaded with ill conceived films
1
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Claudia Puig
The last name Blart may be the funniest thing in the movie so that s a hint as to just how bad this shopping center saga can be
1.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Peter Howell
It s surprisingly okay in a January kind of way
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Chris Hewitt
Paul Blart Mall Cop is like the many variations on tuna surprise that show up at potlucks generic but with a little something added to differentiate it
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Moira MacDonald
It s just not particularly funny That Segway alas only goes so far
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Peter Hartlaub
I suppose the food equivalent would be that nacho cheese that comes in a can with little chunks of jalapeo mixed in
1
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
James Berardinelli
It s a juvenile motion picture designed primarily for a juvenile audience But there s a little more here than one might reasonably expect
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Kyle Smith
Laughs occasionally ensue
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Robert W. Butler
Paul Blart Mall Cop is so inconsequential you forget about it even before the movie is over
1.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Jennie Punter
James at his best when he lets loose plays his character a little too straight and so loses some of the movie s comic potential
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Jeff Vice
This comedy from Adam Sandler s Happy Madison production company takes itself too seriously for its own good
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Lisa Kennedy
Surprisingly winning
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Sara Michelle Fetters
Working from a script co written by James the film feels like a Die Hard parody that s at least a decade too late It s sophomoric and rudimentary the whole thing offering so few laughs I almost fell asleep in the theater while watching it
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Wesley Morris
It s unlikely that even WALL E could bring himself to scoop up this movie and leave it on his post apocalyptic junk heap
0.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Chris Kaltenbach
You might chuckle occasionally as the film drones on to a close but mostly you ll be wondering when it will all end
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Phil Villarreal
Producer Adam Sandler must have though so little of the film that he didn t even see it fit for a Rob Schneider cameo
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Daniel M. Kimmel
a silly film that exists primarily as a vehicle for James this marks the emergence of a comedy star who may get to fulfill the promise he shows here in films to come
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Michael Dequina
Never delivers the big laughs this star in this promising premise really should
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Dustin Putman
Boring and predictable in both its narrative and its aesthetics Paul Blart Mall Cop is dumbed down low rent slapstick with stereotypes galore and a violent undercurrent that doesn t sit well
1.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Willie Waffle
It s Die Hard meets Home Alone on a segway Except Kevin James is not as cute as Macaulay Culkin and not as tough as Bruce Willis
1
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Sue Pierman
Co produced by Adam Sandler Mall Cop has an innate sweetness that s reminiscent of Sandler s 1998 romantic comedy The Wedding Singer although the laughs don t quite reach those levels
2.5
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Carrie Rickey
The film is completely forgettable frequently funny and weirdly satisfying in a Jersey Loser Gets Respect kind of way
2
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Ed Gonzalez
The shot of Blart quietly crawling into a hostage situation inside the mall s bank and walking through a roped line is a moment of absurd grace only it s shot with the vulgarity of a Crash Test Dummies commercial
1.5
Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery
Chris Alexander
Scooby Doo and KISS Rock and Roll Mystery is a great light fantasy for little kids and the perfect companion to improvement upon KISS Meets the Phantom
4
Jaan E Mann
Michael Dequina
Leave it to the ever grating Salman Khan to render anyone s efforts moot
2.5
Jaan E Mann
Maitland McDonagh
The film s transition from sight gags to tear stained family drama is especially abrupt and most of the musical sequences are undistinguished
2
Jaan E Mann
V.A. Musetto
We keep waiting for one of those outlandish musical treats to bring some life to the clichd script Kunder throws in a few breaks but they re tepid and brief
1
Jaan E Mann
John Anderson
Why every New Yorker has a British accent is a mystery but the musical number built around Piya and Agastya s engagement is worth its weight in rupees
3.5
Hester Street
Matt Brunson
As forceful in its feminist ideals as it is in its championing of Jewish identity and heritage
3
The Next Big Thing
Walter Chaw
Irritatingly cutesy and self satisfied on top of it all making the picture something of an endurance test besides being a misfire
1
The Next Big Thing
Harvey S. Karten
A clever amusing parody of the New York art scene that s about something much bigger
3
Batman Year One
Brian Eggert
I was impressed by its devotion to the source material
3
Batman Year One
Mike McGranaghan
Batman Year One adapts Frank Miller s tale with excellent animation and first rate voice work from a talented cast finding a nice balance between human moments and exciting action sequences
3
Deadly Games
Matt Brunson
Aside from the eclecticism of the cast and a really cool board game created for the film alas shown throughout there s nothing of value here
1
Striptease
Gene Siskel
The Striptease script is at a loss for any kind of drama between Moore s dances Not for a second do we care about her as a mother wife or working woman
1
Striptease
Jeff Shannon
Bergman who made The Freshman and Honeymoon in Vegas provides quotable one liners for everyone especially Rhames and a bevy of strippers lend colorful albeit stereotypically ditzy support
2.5
Striptease
Desmond Ryan
Men will doubtless be lured to Striptease by Moore s beautifully sculpted body But it s the heart she puts into Erin that gives this more erratic than erotic picture the centering presence it needs
2.5
Striptease
Mark Caro
The result is a perversely odd concoction a comedy that has fun with everything but stripping which post Showgirls would seem to wear the biggest bull s eye
2
Striptease
Dennis King
For all its matter of fact nudity and wealth of silicon heavy exotic dancers the film lacks any palpable sense of eroticism
2
Striptease
Chris Kridler
Although the movie is a bit too long oddball humor and a likable cast keep it entertaining
2.5
Striptease
Gary Thompson
Kinda made me homesick for Showgirls
2
Striptease
Dan Webster
Moore doesn t realize that she s supposed to be making a dark comedy instead she seems to be auditioning for the role of Mrs Cleaver
2
Striptease
David Sterritt
Andrew Bergman s comedy is aggressively vulgar every chance it gets and surprisingly violent to boot
1
Striptease
Michael Dequina
Comedy thriller drama T A flick you make the choice because writer director Andrew Bergman sure didn t
0
Striptease
Leonard Schwarz
For the record Moore looks terrific But there is not a single erotic moment in the film nor an entertainingly trashy scene
1.5
Striptease
Mick LaSalle
We can render a verdict on the movie now It s an interesting misfire
2
Striptease
Madeleine Williams
This incomplete stripper comedy doesn t have the goods
1.5
Striptease
Barbara Shulgasser
Although director Andrew Bergman s script based on the book by Carl Hiaasen has a few funny lines this is otherwise one of the dumbest movies I ve ever seen
1
Striptease
James Berardinelli
Unfortunately Striptease s satirical bent while aimed not only at the sexist attitudes of those who patronize topless joints but at politicians right wing religious fanatics and lawyers is unfocused and lacks the requisite viciousness
2
Striptease
Steve Rhodes
It is so bad that one begins to think it must be a parody of something but what
0.5
Striptease
Rob Blackwelder
Let me be blunt In three days of thinking I cannot remember a movie worse than Striptease
0
Striptease
David N. Butterworth
Demi Moore is proud of her body and in her latest movie Striptease it shows
1.5
Striptease
Susan Wloszczyna
Moore s body is in better shape than her acting
2
Grandma
Erik Anderson
At a brisk 80 minutes Grandma doesn t waste a moment in devotion to Tomlin s bravura performance
3.5
Grandma
Pamela Powell
Grandma tackles social issues with utter frankness humor and intelligence
4
Grandma
David N. Butterworth
Lily Tomlin and her female counterparts excel in this drama comedy road movie hybrid a warm small film not earth shattering but genuine
3
Grandma
Max Weiss
The best thing about Grandma other than Tomlin s furious and funny performance is that Elle never gets too cuddly
2.5
Grandma
Sebastian Zavala Kahn
Lily Tomlin is excellent as Elle Full Review in spanish
3.5
Grandma
Josh Larsen
Tomlin is undone by much of the dialogue even when you get a sense she s putting her own brash spin on it
1.5
Grandma
Lou Lumenick
With not a wasted frame in its taut 80 minutes this is deserving of your attention as one of the year s best movies even if it s being released in the middle of August
4
Grandma
Chris Knight
Grandma has no right being as effective emotional and enjoyable as it is But sometimes simple is good
3.5
Grandma
Simon Houpt
Writer director Paul Weitz turns in a generous handcrafted piece in which everyone shines
3
Grandma
Lawrence Toppman
The temptation to soften Grandma to sentimentalize her character or sweeten her encounters with people she has cast aside over a long life must have been almost irresistible Luckily writer director Paul Weitz resisted it
3
Grandma
Bruce DeMara
Both funny and unexpectedly moving
3
Grandma
John Serba
Tomlin s versatility rarely has been nurtured so well and she s a joy to watch whether she s big and loud or silent and poignant
3.5
Grandma
John Wirt
Lily Tomlin s performance as the rascally old Elle belongs on short lists for 2015 acting awards
3
Grandma
Scott Renshaw
It s a mellow journey backed by an acoustic guitar soundtrack never building any emotional response stronger than the warm fuzzies
2.5
Grandma
Rob Thomas
Weitz isn t aiming for sweeping profundity instead making a character study that s small sour and sweet like one of those hard candies your grandma had in a bowl by the front door
3
Grandma
Moira MacDonald
Short tart yet unexpectedly sweet Paul Weitz s Grandma is a small scale character study and because that character is played by the great Lily Tomlin it s mesmerizing right up until its final frame
3.5
Grandma
Michael Smith
The ride is one worth taking to see Tomlin in her element
3
Grandma
Bob Bloom
But Grandma belongs to Tomlin She gets under the skin of Elle creating a complex woman who has lived life on her own terms and is accepting the price she paid The role could earn Tomlin an Academy Award nomination
4
Grandma
Rene Rodriguez
The movie is slight and at 75 minutes without end credits barely qualifies as a feature length film But Tomlin is a wonder the embodiment of a woman who isn t at all melancholy or remorseful as she slides into her golden years
2.5
Grandma
Mark Dujsik
The film tells a simple story with a precise unflinching focus on its characters
3
Grandma
Steven Rea
There are some terrifically strong scenes and terrific actors contributing to them
3.5
Grandma
Ty Burr
It s predictable in many places and acerbic in others sentimental when you expect it and poignant when you don t But it stars Lily Tomlin and that s all you really need to know
3
Grandma
Peter Canavese
Tailor made for the great Lily Tomlin Yeah the circumstances are contrived but easy enough to accept as long as they re forcing interesting dynamics into seriocomic confrontation
3
Grandma
Richard Roeper
This is Tomlin s first leading role in a film in 27 years and even though she is sharing the screen with multiple generations of fine actors nearly every moment in this movie is all hers
3.5
Grandma
Dann Gire
A smart work where the jokes depend on truths not punchlines to work
3.5
Grandma
Ann Hornaday
Lily Tomlin comedian activist national treasure and natural wonder deftly balances a dazzling star turn and deeply felt character study in Grandma
3
Grandma
Michael Phillips
Weitz strips everything down for efficiency in Grandma The writing is relentlessly on point and often lacks breathing room but some films settle for being workable showcases for their interpreters
3
Grandma
David Lewis
Weitz in a script clearly written for Tomlin has given her the best role of her career and she runs with it
4
Grandma
Matt Pais
Elliott s compact impassioned work deserves praise and Tomlin s great too the entire movie
3
Grandma
Jocelyn Noveck
Grandma is a brisk moving bittersweet film that displays the singular talents of Lily Tomlin especially her ability to fuse acerbic and cranky with empathic and sincere
3
Grandma
Glenn Kenny
I walked into a screening of the film a mild skeptic and I left nearly in tears and grateful for where writer director Paul Weitz and a remarkable cast led by Lily Tomlin took me
3.5
Grandma
Dan Schindel
the screenplay s comedic elements are serviceable at best
2
Grandma
Peter Travers
The film is a scrappy delight that opens up feelings you can t laugh off Tomlin the sorceress leaves you dazzled and devastated
3
Grandma
Stephen Rebello
The movie s ace in the hole is Tomlin for whom Weitz wrote the movie and she is quietly authoritatively and award worthy astonishing
3.5
Grandma
R. Kurt Osenlund
Writer director Paul Weitz s proudly boisterous star vehicle for Lily Tomlin has about as many ambitions as it does delusions
2
Grandma
Clayton Davis
Hands down front to back top to bottom this film excels and soars on the work of Academy Award nominated actress Lily Tomlin I can t recall a time when she s been more vulnerable available and prodigious as she demonstrates in Weitz s picture
4
Funky Forest: The First Contact
Mark Rahner
To describe the film might imbue it with a coherence to which it doesn t aspire
.5
Funky Forest: The First Contact
V.A. Musetto
Most of the sketches fall flat
1.5
The Doorman
Maitland McDonagh
With such an unconvincing center all the air kissing and second hand glamour in the world can t make the film s mock doc conceit hold
1.5
The Doorman
Ed Gonzalez
Jesus Bruno is so going to blow this guy out of the water
1
The Doorman
Steve Rhodes
Wayne Price s hilarious The Doorman is pure Fabio does Borat
3
Guest of Cindy Sherman
Mattie Lucas
A revealing look at the art culture at the end of the 20th century from a decidedly unorthodox and personal point of view
3
Guest of Cindy Sherman
Kenneth Baker
As soon as Guest of Cindy Sherman ended I wanted to see it again for its high entertainment value and to determine better what I had just witnessed
4
Guest of Cindy Sherman
V.A. Musetto
Guest of Cindy Sherman would be fun to watch on public access some late night But as a big screen attraction it never measures up
1
Guest of Cindy Sherman
Joseph Jon Lanthier
A latter day exemplar of the postmodern exercise wherein tangential characters become protagonists Guest of Cindy Sherman is a fascinatingly flawed and balloon headed study of an unlikely encounter with greatness
2
The Return of the Vampire
Sara Michelle Fetters
But Legosi is the primary reason to give the film a look and his playfully lithe performance is an utter delight
3
The Return of the Vampire
Matt Brunson
Lugosi s fine tackling a variation of his signature role even if he was already starting to look frail at this point in his career and the wartime setting adds some interesting elements
2.5
Up Close & Personal
Wesley Lovell
It is an engaging almost endearing film with plenty of issues but none of those problems generate any kind of animus just a vague sense of disappointment that it wasn t ever so slightly better
3
Up Close & Personal
Gene Siskel
Is it worse as a love story or as a drama about the sorry state of television news The answer It s a tie
1
Up Close & Personal
Michael Dequina
There is no real sexual tension between Pfeiffer and Redford from the get go so when they finally do get together it feels forced ungenuine
2
Up Close & Personal
Mike Clark
This is one of those untaxing time killers where you spend a lot of time pondering which of its actress s changing hairstyles you like best
2.5
I Wish
Kelly Jane Torrance
It s that innocence which sooner or later must meet its match that makes I Wish such a delightfully entertaining film
3.5
I Wish
Marty Mapes
A charming magical childhood film from Japan
3.5
I Wish
Joe Williams
Like a train I Wish is slow to build momentum then it carries us away in a wondrous rush
3
I Wish
Moira MacDonald
You watch it remembering the days when you should have walked but simply had to run and when you believed that if you wished hard enough your dead pet just might come back again
3.5
I Wish
Chris Hewitt
The lives of the children in I Wish seem to be expanding in front of our eyes as evidenced by their changing wishes which become bigger and more beautiful as their plan proceeds
3.5
I Wish
Mark Jenkins
It s about the wonders of everyday life and of childhood imagination
4
I Wish
Wesley Morris
The sort of small film of real consequence that as a kid I remember seeing and completely losing myself in That was my life
3
I Wish
Steven Rea
A wistful heartbreaker from the Japanese master of quiet observation Hirokazu Kore eda
3.5
I Wish
Gerald Peary
At its worst I Wish is static At its best it has the warmth and subtlety of classic Asian works by Edward Yang and Yasujiro Ozu
3
I Wish
Kent Turner
Never for a moment did I think that the two boys at the heart of Hirokazu Kore eda s simply told and layered film I Wish were actors
3
I Wish
Robert Levin
This powerful drama is set at that key moment in life when the realities of the adult world impinge on and irrevocably alter the optimism of youth
3
I Wish
Michael Nordine
I Wish has a tough time balancing the heartfelt with the saccharine and too often feels slight
2.5
Say It Isn't So
Betsy Bozdech
A pointless gross out comedy with fewer real laughs than an episode of ER
1
Say It Isn't So
Jeffrey M. Anderson
The Farrelly brothers Bobby and Peter are beginning to make the same mistake that the Zucker brothers Jerry and David along with Jim Abrahams made which was to split up and take increasingly less responsibility for their films
2
Say It Isn't So
Margaret A. McGurk
Credit goes largely to the charm of Ms Graham and Mr Klein both of whom exude a natural sunny innocence that contrasts starkly with the naughty incest jokes swirling around them
2.5
Say It Isn't So
Jeffrey Westhoff
The trash heap of There s Something About Mary ripoffs grows a little higher
1
Say It Isn't So
Liam Lacey
This review is written in a state of posttraumatic shock
0
Say It Isn't So
Mark Dujsik
I must have been gone when the memo about things like this being funny was passed out because in all honesty I never knew strokes were supposed to be funny
1
Say It Isn't So
Ian Mantgani
You really know a film is dead in the water when it runs for 97 minutes and feels too long
1
Say It Isn't So
Jorge Avila Andrade
Si piensan entrar a ver esta oda a la estulticia debern dejar su cerebro en la entrada
1
Say It Isn't So
Michael Dequina
Yet another would be comedy that mistakes cheap shock value for hilarity
1.5
Say It Isn't So
Dustin Putman
Had Say It Isn t So abandoned its lewd naughty roots and tried to just be a sweet romance it might have worked better
2
Say It Isn't So
James Kendrick
most of their jokes are forced silly or just not funny
1.5
Say It Isn't So
Mike McGranaghan
As creepily funny as the premise is the execution leaves something to be desired
2
Say It Isn't So
Mick LaSalle
Stroke jokes prosthesis jokes jokes about body hair and smells and jokes involving the private parts of cows can t keep this one afloat
1
Say It Isn't So
James Berardinelli
Say It Isn t So is the kind of movie that makes Dumb Dumber and Kingpin a couple of early Farrelly Brothers movies I was not fond of seem like comedic triumphs
1
Say It Isn't So
Steve Rhodes
Although there are a few good laughs in it most of the film stays at the crudely unfunny level
2
Say It Isn't So
Tor Thorsen
Although sharply funny in parts it follows Mary s blueprint without variation
2
Say It Isn't So
Erik Childress
If this film was coated in crap dragged through the Hudson river and then wrapped in the resume of Freddie Prinze Jr it couldn t possibly stink any worse
1
Say It Isn't So
Rob Blackwelder
Most of the jokes here are such duds that you can see the actors stretching for the laugh
2
Say It Isn't So
Ross Anthony
Like The Mexican Say It Isn t So tries its hand at genre gender blending
2.5
Say It Isn't So
Jeanne Aufmuth
No topic is too sacred for the ferocious Farrellys
2.5
I Love You, Man
Mattie Lucas
Does nothing more than bank on its audiences inherent homophobia
1.5
I Love You, Man
Josh Larsen
A mellow Zen like vibe trickles through this otherwise raunchy buddy comedy
3
I Love You, Man
Michael Dequina
Rudd creates a likably uniquely quirky and hilariously adorkable character that would be unthinkable played by anyone else
3
I Love You, Man
Sonny Bunch
The chemistry between leading men Paul Rudd and Jason Segel is fantastic and the setup although slightly ridiculous yields a mother lode of comedic situations
3
I Love You, Man
Sean McBride
Call it a better than average comedy When it comes to I Love You Man I liked not loved the movie man
3
I Love You, Man
Greg Maki
Rudd and Segel form an ideal comedy duo one I hope to see on screen again very soon
3.5
I Love You, Man
Peter Keough
An outstanding cast makes it possible
3
I Love You, Man
Daniel M. Kimmel
The problem is that its premise is absurd and its execution is ridiculous However if you ve just come from a fraternity kegger you will no doubt find it hilarious
2
I Love You, Man
Frank Ochieng
Indeed there is every reason to man up in warped and witty I Love You Man that plays like a screwy The Odd Couple in a millennium zoned out state of arrested development
2.5
I Love You, Man
Michael A. Smith
Hilariously funny from beginning to end I Love You Man will always be remembered as the film that launched Paul Rudd onto the A list
3.5
I Love You, Man
James Kendrick
finds room to celebrate the inner caveman without discarding all of the refinements
3.5
I Love You, Man
Peter T. Chattaway
A bit of a mess but it s funny more often than not and at times it has real heart If you can handle the language and gross gags it could be good for a date or a guys night out
3
I Love You, Man
Eric Melin
Even with a typical script Jason Segel and especially Paul Rudd can carry it to a very funny level
2.5
I Love You, Man
Sean P. Means
Unfortunately Segel is overbearing as a know it all who isn t really a character but a collection of humorous quirks
2.5
I Love You, Man
Linda Cook
Think back a few years when there were few R rated adult comedies around
3
I Love You, Man
Gary Brown
This is Judd Apatow material with Apatow nowhere to be found But it is funny
3
I Love You, Man
Mike McGranaghan
I hesitate to call the film touching because that s kind of the antithesis of R rated humor So instead I will say that I Love You Man locates comedy in the truth and I laughed consistently
3.5
I Love You, Man
Matt Brunson
I Love You Man doesn t provide much in the way of large belly laughs But it s pleasurable enough to paste a smile on the face for the majority of its running time
3
I Love You, Man
Christian Toto
I Love You Man is a top notch Judd Apatow comedy without Apatow s name anywhere on the credits
3.5
I Love You, Man
Sara Michelle Fetters
But for every moment of greatness there are two or three of such odious idiocy and ineptitude I almost wanted to scream at the screen in anger
2.5
I Love You, Man
Chris Hewitt
It may not be the freshest comedy but it has the year s biggest laughs
3
I Love You, Man
Peter Hartlaub
It s a hilarious comedy made even more successful because so much of the satire seems fresh
4
I Love You, Man
Carla Meyer
A bang up comedy for about 40 minutes that hits misses and meanders after that
2.5
I Love You, Man
Stephen Whitty
Luckily the cast is so winning that the occasional sexism can be ignored and the off the wall pop culture name checks Lou Ferrigno as a guest star enjoyed
3
I Love You, Man
Kyle Smith
I Love You Man which is like listening to a 105 minute conversation be tween Ross and Joey on Friends looks like it might be a Judd Apatow movie in the same way Brett Favre in a Jets uniform looked like he might still know how to play quarterback
2
I Love You, Man
Robert W. Butler
In the end this is all Rudd s movie
2.5
I Love You, Man
Amy Biancolli
In almost every major detail and minor plot hiccup the sweet vulgar hilariously awkward I Love You Man follows Ye Olde Formulae for standard romantic comedies
3.5
I Love You, Man
Peter Howell
It s a one joke pony but director John Hamburg and his screenwriters manage to stretch it to nearly two hours of hilarity and quasi profundity
3
I Love You, Man
Liam Lacey
The comedy I Love You Man marks the overdue emergence of Paul Rudd as a star
3
I Love You, Man
Lisa Kennedy
As sweet as it is tart
3.5
I Love You, Man
Michael Sragow
A shrewd balancing act between organic and artificial laughs Even when it swings low it connects
3
I Love You, Man
Erik Childress
I Love You Man doesn t need the talk to speak to the guys in the audience because just about everything that needs to be said is right there on the screen and is usually accompanied by a huge laugh
3.5
I Love You, Man
Willie Waffle
Hilarious
4
I Love You, Man
James Berardinelli
Despite the clever premise and several laugh aloud moments the film as a whole underwhelms
2.5
I Love You, Man
Nick Rogers
This full court press on the bromantic comedy idea works because the rock s been put in the hands of the perfectly paired Paul Rudd and Jason Segel Thanks to friend chemistry better than most movies lovers the film never lets up on tenacious glee
3
I Love You, Man
Tom Keogh
Smarter than it looks from its ubiquitous trailer but not smart enough to be a fully satisfying adult comedy
2.5
I Love You, Man
Claudia Puig
I Love You Man s light hearted exploration of male bonding provides substantial fodder for humor heightened by the inspired casting of two of the industry s most appealing comic actors
3
I Love You, Man
Peter Travers
In a down market for giggles Miss March Please Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are howlingly funny They have skills
3
I Love You, Man
Jeff Vice
It s surprisingly sweet and genuine
3
I Love You, Man
Michael Phillips
The movie is The Odd Couple with a looser vibe and more oral sex references
3
I Love You, Man
Carrie Rickey
Among those buddy films lately called bromances ILYM is both the best friend and best man
3.5
I Love You, Man
Dustin Putman
Charmless and abysmally unfunny from one end to the next condescension and desperation seeping from its filmic pores At this early date in March it is the year s first lock for December s annual worst list
.5
I Love You, Man
Ty Burr
It s a bromance that s out and proud In the liberation are the laughs and they stick to your ribs longer than you d think
3
I Love You, Man
Joe Williams
The key to the success of I Love You Man is that both actors deliver recognizably human performances within the formulaic structure
3.5
I Love You, Man
Rene Rodriguez
The resulting quest is hilarious and socially astute because co writer director John Hamburg keeps the story grounded in a Judd Apatow ish reality that never edges into the surreal
3
I Love You, Man
John Anderson
Even though I Love You Man supplies plenty of cringes it also has overtones of warmth and undertones of real humor and two stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel who do what they do with aplomb
3
I Love You, Man
Lawrence Toppman
This fluffball is as toothless as an octogenarian lion
2.5
I Love You, Man
Rossiter Drake
Rudd and Segel whose on screen chemistry is one of the movie s sublime pleasures take what might have been a slick formulaic exercise and turn it into the year s funniest film to date with their unselfconscious physical humor and goofy repartee
3
I Love You, Man
Phil Villarreal
I sort of like you man
3
I Love You, Man
Bill Weber
A drearily tame learning and growing homosocial comedy
1
I Love You, Man
Robert Levin
Although Rudd and Segel are charming guys and it can be a kick to watch them throw improvised riffs at one another that s not sufficient justification for an entire movie
2
I Love You, Man
Kam Williams
Highly recommended primarily because of the infectious camaraderie of co stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel as well as for the casually captivating screen chemistry of Rashida Jones
3.5
Belly of the Beast
Sean P. Means
Tackles a tough subject the forced sterilization of women inmates at a California prison with journalistic fire and sensitive artistry
3.5
Quigley Down Under
Ryan Murphy
Anyone who says the western isn t dead hasn t seen Quigley Down Under
1.5
Quigley Down Under
Gene Siskel
Only Alan Rickman the villain in Die Hard as an evil land baron offers any entertainment
2
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Erin Meister
The metal scene emerges throughout the documentary as the recruitment center of an army of misfits where the outcasts of the world can seek each other out based on their love of the angsty eardrum destroying tunes their parents warned them about
2.5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Jeff Vice
A film that manages to be intelligent without being boring making it one of the better music documentaries in recent memory
3.5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Kyle Smith
It ll make you want to dig out your Whitesnake T shirt It might even convince Tipper Gore that heavy metal thunder is all in good fun
3.5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Sean P. Means
The movie is woefully short on concert footage which could have shown us the power of metal instead of just telling us
2.5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Glenn Whipp
You might not go out and buy the latest Slipknot album after seeing it but you will understand why some disenfranchised kid would
3
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Bruce Westbrook
A lightweight fanboy valentine for ostensibly heavyweight music
1.5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Allison Benedikt
The film is packed with hilarious often poignant interviews with metal luminaries
3
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Ted Fry
It s all jolly good fun captured with proficiency professionalism and the keen sense of someone who truly wants outsiders to understand what makes a dyed in the wool headbanger so passionate about his music of choice
3
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Liam Lacey
The idea of looking at the music from the perspective of a fan and plugging it full of interviews with rock idols is clearly a winner
2.5
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Geoff Pevere
It s a fascinating and anecdotally rich journey
3
Suits on the Loose
Jeff Vice
The film perhaps tries a bit too hard for its own good as the filmmakers also try to steer a few scenes in a comic direction when they shouldn t And it gets all gooey and sentimental at the end when it shouldn t
2
Suits on the Loose
Sean P. Means
It s Happy Texas without the gay humor or for that matter humor of any stripe just a lot of lame slapstick and mugging that seems to go on for hours
1
Modern Love Is Automatic
Kam Williams
A fascinating character study serving up as sharp a contrast in leading ladies as you re ever likely to encounter onscreen
4
Modern Love Is Automatic
Nick Schager
Zach Clark s film posits a world in which finding and maintaining amour is anything but routine
2.5
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Brian Eggert
As if marketing tie ins ranging from action figures to Ryan Reynolds face on countless junk food items weren t enough Warner extends their promotions into the home video market with the latest from their Warner Premiere offshoot
2
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Mike McGranaghan
Doesn t have a unified plot but tells a handful of mini stories very well
3
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Peter Canavese
The cosmic equivalent of hearing a Homeric epic in ancient times we thrill to the battles we wait with bated breath for the appearance of our favorite characters and we root for noble righteous warriors Blu ray
3
Metroland
Michael Dequina
For all the nudity and sexual content Philip Saville s unoriginal and predictable film is at its core no different from one you d find premiering on network television
2
Metroland
Elias Savada
There s nothing extraordinary about Metroland
1.5
Sansón and Me
Wes Greene
Sans 243 n and Me has a way of frustratingly pulling focus away from its ostensible subject
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Peter Canavese
Despite its extremely messy story if looked at as a apos 50s B movie matinee it apos s not too bad
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Sarah Knight Adamson
The scenes are disjointed 59 the film lacks heart as not enough focus is given to the main characters story
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Lisa Trifone
An over stuffed over long creature feature that strays so far from the wonder that first enchanted us that it apos s hard to see the connective tissue to its predecessor
1
Jurassic World Dominion
Jay Horton
In order to keep visual track of all the famous faces the sweeping vistas that defined the first Jurassic Park film have been chopped up into 80s TV styled midrange shots leaving a gazillion dollar production looking cheap
1
Jurassic World Dominion
Federico Furzan
An ugly franchise entry that feels like a contractual obligation by an employee full of hatred Easily the worst film in the JP universe
1.75
Jurassic World Dominion
Erik Childress
While stuffed with set pieces Treverrow still lacks the skill to set them up or pay them off Plus what use are they when no character feels endangered from the creatures we re no longer sure are that menacing
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Michael Medved
Does the plot make sense 63 Of course not But the effects are so impressive that even those with dimming affection for this venerable series will feel satisfied with the result
3
Jurassic World Dominion
Dann Gire
Like a classic Frank Capra film Dominion believes in the basic goodness of the common person especially peripheral characters such as Dodgson s right hand man Ramsay Cole
3
Jurassic World Dominion
Christian Toto
Generic sequel squanders killer cast overloads on slick CGI dinosaurs
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Rene Sanchez
Despite the long awaited return of the beloved trio of characters this chaotic and inconsequential entry leads the saga straight to extinction 91 Full Review in Spanish 93
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Mattie Lucas
Feels like a mishmash of dueling ideas that never fully congeals
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Sara Michelle Fetters
Jurassic World Dominion is dumb without the fun and that just makes me sad
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Walter Chaw
Either loveless mockeries of family or dinosaurs literal and figurative
0.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Mike McGranaghan
Arguably the worst entry in the series After sitting through this sorry sequel I apos m ready for the Jurassic franchise to go the way of the real dinosaurs
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Mark Meszoros
It s a fast paced thrill ride a movie with hard charging prehistoric beasts Dominion has little interest in giving you time to think about how silly the thing you just saw was 59 it will just throw something else at you
3
Jurassic World Dominion
Jeff Mitchell
Here s the chaos reality 58 8216 Dominion is a crowded convoluted movie experience
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Tom Meek
We see our old friends but there s no nostalgia no emotional connection It s as if you re in a museum looking at a copy of someone you once knew now cold and inert
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Doug Walker
Why do Jurassic Park sequels think we apos re here for the idiot humans and not the dinosaurs 63
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Phil Villarreal
It inspires the feeling of awe you might have felt when you first saw dinosaurs romp and stomp on screen way back when
3
Jurassic World Dominion
James Berardinelli
Once again a major motion picture has exploited the undeniable power of nostalgia And it s a good thing the movie has that going for it because there s precious little else to get excited about
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Matt Zoller Seitz
The totality feels indifferently assembled and the stalkings and chases and dino battles are for the most part bereft of the life and death tension that every other franchise entry has managed to summon
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
It s fun to see dinosaurs in snow and ice rather than the tropics and there are moments of real warmth and humor as well as genuine pathos It s just never all that memorable Rinse and repeat
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Peter Howell
If 100 Tyrannosaurus rexes were put into a room with 100 typewriters pounding away with their adorable tiny claws they would likely produce something of greater value than the witless bombast of Jurassic World Dominion
1
Jurassic World Dominion
Joshua Axelrod
While Jurassic World Dominion still has its dopy moments and feels more like an amusement park ride than a movie sometimes it s still exciting to watch dinosaurs do their respective things
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Mark Feeney
The movie has its moments and the CGI really is fabulous but this go round feels fairly tired It s also too long and much of it is paced in a somewhat leisurely fashion
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Johnny Oleksinski
At two hours and 26 minutes the behemoth is the heftiest in the 29 year old series But size doesn t matter Dominion is also the worst
1
Jurassic World Dominion
EJ Moreno
It apos s almost laughably bad but that would make it more entertaining Sadly it apos s just a dull dino drama
1
Jurassic World Dominion
Mark Dujsik
Jurassic World 58 Dominion takes a series that seemed out of worthwhile ideas and runs merely on the fumes of an idea
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Oliver Jones
The film seems hellbent on demonstrating just how out of gas it is
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Leo Brady
It brings me no pleasure to say that this is the worst yet The magic is gone and what this feels like is an attempt for director Colin Trevorrow to put a broken egg back together
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Brian Eggert
Viewers will find enough to keep their attention Just don t expect the experience to last much beyond the end credits or hold up under scrutiny
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Sean P. Means
8220 Jurassic World 63 Not a fan 8221 Ian says as if to beat the audience from saying the same thing about this movie
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Kevin A. Ranson
46 a retread of all that has gone before reducing dinosaurs to essentially zombie hordes shipping characters where it can and offering fan service in place of originality the central plot remains status quo
3
Jurassic World Dominion
Joey Magidson
Jurassic World 58 Dominion throws everything at the summer movie wall hoping enough sticks to make you have a good time Plenty doesn apos t work here but just enough does to warrant a very mild recommendation for some
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Katie Walsh
While 8220 Jurassic World Dominion 8221 offers up some lightweight summer fun it s not exactly satisfying
2.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Bob Bloom
apos Jurassic World 58 Dominion apos is a been there done that recycled movie It is a drawn out tired series of cliches And if we truly want to save the planet a good way to start is by consigning this movie to a dustbin where it will be forgotten
1
Jurassic World Dominion
Mick LaSalle
The ultimate failure of Jurassic World Dominion is not only that it relies too much on action but that the action is lousy
1
Jurassic World Dominion
Michael Phillips
The action is perpetual and perpetually in need of a better director and editing that heightens and sharpens our pleasurable excitement instead of dulling it
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Lindsey Bahr
It s fun at times and silly at others But it doesn t course correct enough to redeem this franchise or bring it back to Earth Jurassic World started too big There was nowhere to grow except at the box office
2
Jurassic World Dominion
Thomas Floyd
Trevorrow doubles down on the traits that made 2015 s Jurassic World no more than a guilty pleasure and 2018 s J A Bayona directed Fallen Kingdom a franchise worst catastrophe
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Richard Roeper
Inept as a monster movie a romance and a cautionary tale this disaster makes the case for letting this franchise go extinct
1.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Brian Truitt
Although overly familiar Dominion boasts everything you d ever want in a Jurassic film and is the best in the series since the original 1993 movie
3
Jurassic World Dominion
Chris Hewitt
Takes an hour to get going but becomes satisfying largely thanks to old cinematic friends who haven t united since the original Jurassic Park in 1993
3
Jurassic World Dominion
Ed Gonzalez
When Dominion isn t suffocating itself with world building much of it frustratingly untapped it s wholly given over to corny fan service
.5
Jurassic World Dominion
Randy Myers
Much better than its predecessor reveals new possibilities in a franchise that had looked like it was on its last legs
2.5
Illuminata
Michael Dequina
With a streamlined script and a resulting clearer focus Illuminata could have been a lot more than what it is
2.5
Illuminata
Wesley Lovell
The last 30 minutes are stunningly poignant but the rest of the film is hollow and self referential
2
Illuminata
Steve Rhodes
Turturro overdirects his players with an athletic intensity
2.5
Mountains May Depart
Mattie Lucas
Captures a sense of melancholy about a nation for whom rapid change has created a loss of identity
3.5
Mountains May Depart
Jeffrey M. Anderson
While it falls just short of Jia s best it s still an excellent accomplished film from a master filmmaker
3.5
Mountains May Depart
Ty Burr
So confident is this director s touch that Mountains May Depart holds you with the humanity of its telling rather than the gloom of its conclusions
3.5
Mountains May Depart
G. Allen Johnson
Jia s languid style and exquisite framing complement his understated approach to the material which opts for depth over melodrama But Mountains May Depart is grounded in Zhao s delicate performance which is her best
4
Mountains May Depart
James Adams
There s a lot of heart here
3.5
Mountains May Depart
Peter Howell
Impressive production values but muddled impact
2.5
Mountains May Depart
Godfrey Cheshire
Whatever Jia shows us and wherever he takes us we re always aware of being in the hands of one of the contemporary world s great filmmakers
3.5
Mountains May Depart
Jake Cole
It s the fleshed out first segment that best presents characters with actual lives as compared to the thinly veiled talking points of the film s second half
2.5
First Snow
Peter Keough
Predictability hangs over Mark Fergus s skillful debut feature but not enough to detract from the intensity of the mood the rhythm and the performances
3
First Snow
Michael Wilmington
A smart tense modern film noir
3
First Snow
Marjorie Baumgarten
Brings little new to the genre apart from another outstanding performance by Pearce
2
First Snow
Vince Koehler
First Snow is a sharp thriller with abstract pretentiousness The writers were clever enough to approach a simple philosophical question in a devious and brusque way
2.5
First Snow
Carrie Rickey
A haunting neo noir about a man told by a palmist that his karma is about to run over his dogma
3
First Snow
Sean P. Means
The filmmakers raise intriguing questions about fate and destiny and they get a soulful performance from Pearce
3
First Snow
Betsy Bozdech
Fate plays havoc with a salesman s existence in this bleak psychological thriller about life and death in the New Mexico desert
2.5
First Snow
Jeff Vice
Co screenwriter director Mark Fergus isn t able to build any palpable tension And the fact that we re not really rooting for his protagonist to survive works against the material
2.5
First Snow
Jack Mathews
This is first rate work from a talented actor who is fated to become a star
3
First Snow
Bruce Newman
this one foresees a bleak future for anyone fool enough to look into it
2.5
First Snow
Moira MacDonald
Pearce maintains our interest even as the film in its final half hour seems to take a few wrong turns on the highway
3
First Snow
Ruthe Stein
The filmmakers pay homage to the genre without bringing much new to it
2
First Snow
Peter Canavese
Seeing where the road leads audiences will be forgiven for asking their own existential question Is that all there is
2.5
First Snow
James Berardinelli
First Snow keeps audiences guessing not necessarily about how the film will end but what path things will take to get there
3
First Snow
Matt Pais
A trusty entertaining notch on the indie drama bedpost
3
First Snow
Jeanne Aufmuth
Speaks to metaphysical mysteries best left unsolved
2.5
First Snow
Sara Michelle Fetters
Thankfully that illusion is a good one and although I would have preferred a slightly quicker pace and bit tighter of a finale all in all director and co writer Mark Fergus has managed to craft an atmospherically moody success
3
First Snow
Steve Rhodes
Very little happens and it happens very slowly
1.5
First Snow
Maitland McDonagh
The story is familiar and the pacing much too measured for a slight tale of ineluctable fate
2.5
First Snow
Lou Lumenick
Covers very familiar indie territory but debuting director Mark Fergus covers with style
2
First Snow
Rob Lowman
A small film with Hitchcock ian overtones but it s got a strong pulse and keeps you wondering beyond its end
3.5
First Snow
Jim Hemphill
With its quiet unassuming style and brooding intelligence First Snow isn t the kind of movie that announces itself but it s well worth seeking out especially for moviegoers who complain that they don t make movies for grown ups anymore
3
First Snow
Eric Henderson
A fate obsessive film that would nearly register as existential were it not so resolutely low key
2
First Snow
Rene Rodriguez
A deft piece of storytelling that tightens the noose slowly growing more absorbing and suspenseful as it goes along
2.5
The Glorias
Tom Meek
A total meandering mess of a movie with killer talent and admirable intent
2
The Glorias
Cate Marquis
Taymor often bends time and blends different periods of Steinem s life in beautifully creative scenes to crafting a wonderfully entertaining insightful and moving portrait of a life and a movement that changed the world for women
3
The Glorias
Richard Roeper
there s much to be admired about The Glorias including the very different but equally powerful performances by Vikander and Moore and the staging of some landmark moments in Steinem s life
3
The Glorias
Ty Burr
Steinem s no nonsense persona actually undercuts Taymor s baroque tendencies such as when the director interrupts an interview scene with an overbaked Wizard of Oz fantasy involving a tornado of feminist fury
2
The Glorias
Sarah-Tai Black
The Glorias confronts this obstacle with a heavy hand that elides complexities in favour of an idealistic and some might say ironically depoliticized view of its focus women s rights activist and trailblazer Gloria Steinem
2
The Glorias
Sean P. Means
The four actors all capture facets of Steinem perfectly particularly in Vikander s distillation of the young Gloria s wide eyed enthusiasm which pairs perfectly with the middle age perspective Moore adds to the mix
3
The Glorias
Anita Katz
The Glorias contains some extraordinary subjects and Taymor dramatizes them with stellar historical elements and colorful character dynamics
3
The Glorias
Jeff Mitchell
Ironically The Glorias works too hard
2
The Glorias
Randy Myers
A solid if flawed effort
3
The Glorias
Jeff York
THE GLORIAS ends up a fascinating and wholly worthy tribute albeit one that bites off more than it can properly chew
2.5
The Glorias
Joey Magidson
The Glorias never quite captures the activist in all her glory
2.5
The Glorias
Chris Hewitt
The Glorias is an offbeat biographical tribute that feels like it wants to be offbeater
3
The Glorias
Christy Lemire
Just when you think she s heading into cliched territory Taymor mixes it up plays with structure and subverts your expectations
3
The Glorias
Lindsey Bahr
A sprawling and thoughtful biopic of the writer and activist
3
The Glorias
Mick LaSalle
Despite some doldrums in the second half this is a big life and deserving of large scale treatment and knowing that makes The Glorias worth watching throughout
3
The Glorias
Mark Dujsik
The Glorias always and inevitably falls back on the kind of standard routine biographical narrative that short changes its subject
2
The Glorias
Matthew Passantino
The Glorias is a great reminder of how thankful people around the world are and continue to be for her fearless work
3
The Glorias
Dan Rubins
The film weaves its refreshingly unpredictable web as the strands of Steinem s life spiral around each other through snippets of scenes that work efficiently and never preachily
3
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
Ernesto Diezmartinez
A harmless but entertaining pop corn movie
1
Angst
David N. Butterworth
Gerald Kargl s home invasion splatter flick the only film he ever made is a fascinating experience despite the sordid subject matter
3
The Sting
Josh Larsen
A pleasure
3
The Sting
Gene Siskel
A movie movie that has obviously been made with loving care each and every step of the way
3.5
The Sting
James Berardinelli
The Sting adopts the playful quasi comedic tone evident throughout much of Butch Cassidy On the whole however this is a more upbeat endeavor
3.5
The Sting
Kathleen Carroll
As for Newman and Redford they have developed a form of instant communication Words are not as important as they way they look at each other Call it as snow job or call it acting it is very pleasing to watch
3.5
The Sting
Scott Nash
Redford and Newman provide the real sting
4
The Sting
Wesley Lovell
A sly heist style caper the joyously relives the Roaring Twenties
3.5
The Sting
Michael Szymanski
Robert Redford and Paul Newman prove once again they re a winning team on screen as the young buck who s looking for guidance and the handsome wisened sot who s willing to help out
3.5
Running Scared
Phil Villarreal
Has all the logic and transitional ease of a Pokmon style card game played by 5 year olds who don t understand the rules so they make up their own as they go
1.5
Spirit Untamed
Linda Cook
For superb family fun ride out to Spirit Untamed
4
Spirit Untamed
Mike Scott
It s also got a healthy dose of wholesome kid led adventure
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Sean P. Means
Even before the pandemic this one had direct to video written all over it
2
Spirit Untamed
Mark Meszoros
For much of its runtime Spirit Untamed trots around pleasantly enough but often isn t all that exciting
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Peter Canavese
Wins you over pretty quickly It s a likable movie The backgrounds are gorgeous the storyboarding dynamic and the animation is energetic
3
Spirit Untamed
Sara Michelle Fetters
Spirit Untamed wasn t a horse I found a lot of enjoyment in riding
2
Spirit Untamed
Richard Roeper
Spirit Untamed is pure and unbridled family fun pardon the pun The animation is crisp and light the voice performances are crackling good and the story of Spirit and the girl who became his best friend is filled with heart
3
Spirit Untamed
Kevin Carr
It has some fun It has some excitement And it has the girl power stuff to it
2
Spirit Untamed
Rick Bentley
The film under the direction of Elaine Bogan is both simplistic in design and beautiful in its grandeur There are some very small moments between friends that then give away to the beauty of wide open spaces
3
Spirit Untamed
Steven Prokopy
I was in a state of low level agony while watching this one
1.5
Spirit Untamed
Jeff Mitchell
Spirit Untamed is cute but it s also a paint by numbers ride
2
Spirit Untamed
Chris Hewitt
The characters have the rudimentary appearance of people in a carpeting commercial as if animators planned to take a couple more passes to add shading and depth but forgot to do so
1.5
Spirit Untamed
Johnny Oleksinski
More like Spirit Uninteresting
2
Spirit Untamed
James Berardinelli
Anyone old enough to know better will see the movie as a bland retread of the Netflix series a made on the cheap cash grab with minimal artistic merit
2
Spirit Untamed
John Wirt
A modestly engaging animated girl power adventure best suited for younger children
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
The greatest charm of the movie is its emphasis on the three girls and their strength and resilience in the face of real threats
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Mike McGranaghan
A pleasant little film that has real charm
3
Spirit Untamed
Mark Dujsik
Spirit Untamed almost gives us a chance to recapture a youthful sense of adventure
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Randy Myers
Spirit Untamed takes full advantage of Merced s range and has some finely drawn characters but the story is rather threadbare
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Leo Brady
Spirit Untamed is ultimately an unfulfilling pop animated adventure which will keep the kids attention while the parents think about where to go for lunch after the matinee
2
Spirit Untamed
Rob Thomas
From A Quiet Place Part II to F9 movie theaters this summer will be full of films that were delayed a year or more due to the pandemic And then there s Spirit Untamed which looks like it s been on the shelf for about 15 years
2
Spirit Untamed
Christy Lemire
A harmless animated adventure that will provide a bland diversion to young viewers
1.5
Spirit Untamed
Michael O'Sullivan
The scenery of wind and water eroded mesas and stone archways is lovely but the voice performances are largely inert and unremarkable
1.5
Spirit Untamed
Katie Walsh
Feels more suited for repeat living room watches rather than a big screen movie theater event However Spirit Untamed is a sweet film with a moving message about embracing family heritage and most importantly yourself just the way you are
2.5
Spirit Untamed
Bob Strauss
Whatever its weaknesses contemporary parents who want a nontoxic Western to show their children could hardly find better than Spirit Untamed
3
Spirit Untamed
Joe Friar
Beautiful animation an excellent voice cast and diverse characters make this a real treat for all audiences especially young girls Saddle up for unbridled family fun
3
Little Big League
Mal Vincent
Little Big League avoids the usual ending but then tacks on an even more corny upbeat prologue
2
Baby Geniuses
Michael Dequina
One completely unwatchable piece of bottom feeding dreck
0
Baby Geniuses
Sandra Contreras
Formulaic and deeply unfunny
1.5
Baby Geniuses
Liam Lacey
The movie is about as endearing as unanesthetized gum surgery
1
Baby Geniuses
Rob Blackwelder
Baby Geniuses doesn t waste any time getting stupid
0
Baby Geniuses
David Keyes
absolute cinematic torture a maniacal insult to the foundation that humanity is made upon
0
Baby Geniuses
James Berardinelli
I ll admit to chuckling a few times during the proceedings but it s not worth losing 1 1 2 hours of one s life for a few minutes of amusement
2
Baby Geniuses
Peter Stack
The film has a freak show quality
0
Baby Geniuses
Dustin Putman
By the time the tiresome surprisingly violent climax began the last nail had already been hammered in this unfortunate film s coffin
1
Baby Geniuses
Steve Rhodes
Easily one of the worst films in years
0
Baby Geniuses
Madeleine Williams
This is a film so completely bankrupt of ideas that the last few minutes are composed entirely of short clips from elsewhere in the film as if anyone would want to relive this travesty even in the form of bite sized none sequiturs
0.5
Wuthering Heights
Keith Uhlich
This is more than just Celine and Julie Go Boating s haunted house melodrama played straight
4
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
Linda Cook
You don t have to be an anime fan to enjoy Demon Slayer
3
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
G. Allen Johnson
This is not only a film about battles between humans and demons but also a character building buddy movie about maturation
4
Days and Clouds
Sara Michelle Fetters
A great deal of the reason for that belongs solely to Buy This is without a doubt one of the finest performances by an actress I ve seen this year nearly up to the same remarkable plateau as Kristin Scott Thomas work in I ve Loved You So Long
3
Days and Clouds
Moira MacDonald
Days and Clouds despite its darkness warmly reminds us that if we have each other sometimes that s all we need
3
Days and Clouds
Wesley Morris
The movie s success in Italy is partly a matter of frustration Women need their men to grow up
3
Days and Clouds
Walter V. Addiego
This is a portrait of nerve racking economic times and it cuts close to the bone in detailing how a marriage suffers when its financial underpinnings are suddenly knocked away
4
Days and Clouds
Kam Williams
Dude where s my wife and job
4
Days and Clouds
Rob Humanick
Money makes the world go round in Days and Clouds a darling relationship drama that probes our collective fears about financial instability with an almost profoundly empathetic detachment
3
Justice
Michael Dequina
Charles Durning does the running with guns blazing action hero bit as a homicide detective
1.5
Wings of Desire
Josh Larsen
How much Eurobabble are you willing to endure in exchange for a look at one of the cinema s most ravishing and compassionate screen visions
4
Wings of Desire
James Kendrick
a film of sheer visual poetry and deep emotional resonance
4
Wings of Desire
Bill Weber
It s hard to think of another movie of its era that makes the viewer so fully feel like a denizen of its setting the roving dollying craning camera makes angels of us all
3.5
Wings of Desire
Jeffrey M. Anderson
A gorgeous and heartbreaking look at angels in Berlin
3.5
Wings of Desire
Ted Prigge
philosophical while still becoming hypnotic
4
Wings of Desire
Chris Hicks
like no movie you ve ever seen At once mesmerizing and perplexing this is a film about love and despair and the choices mortals have in dealing with each
3
The Magician
Peter Canavese
Both a rebuke to critics and a confession of charlatanism The Magician puts forward a one of a kind examination of the problem of truth in life and in art Blu ray
3.5
The Magician
James Kendrick
reflects Bergman s fundamental understanding of the cinema as an illusionistic play of light and shadow that can nonetheless reveal some of the deepest recesses of the human experience
3
The Magician
John Monaghan
The movie has elements of Gothic horror and philosophy along with lusty low comedy rolls
3
Driving With Selvi
Chris Knight
The film offers the chilling statistic that some 250 million women worldwide were married before the age of 15 a third of them in India There are many more Selvis out there with less happy narratives
3
Driving With Selvi
Barry Hertz
Paloschi s tight direction and crisp pace further elevate the film turning what most would assume to be a sob story into a triumphant chronicle that never slips into sentimentality
3
Eighth Grade
Brian Eggert
Eighth Grade is one of those rare films that speaks to everyone regardless of its subjective specificity through universal life lessons that every person must learn and overcome before becoming an adult
4
Eighth Grade
Jason Fraley
Writer director Bo Burnham brilliantly dissects modern teenage life with a sympathetic lead performance by Elsie Fisher Gucci
3.5
Eighth Grade
Mattie Lucas
Burnham so perfectly nails the agonizing beauty of growing up that the film is often difficult to watch but it s never less than a rewarding experience
3.5
Eighth Grade
Federico Furzan
A fantastic and honest coming of age film that does everything but simplify the stage we like to remember but keep getting embarrassed about Review in Spanish
4
Eighth Grade
Michael Phillips
Burnham puts you through the wringer and ensures your empathetic excruciation in scene after scene
3
Eighth Grade
Joey Magidson
Eighth Grade is not only a showcase for Burnham it s also a breakthrough for lead actress Elsie Fisher Together they ve crafted something that will stand the test of time
3.5
Eighth Grade
Alan French
Eighth Grade is one of the most sincere and authentic films of the year You will laugh and likely cry depending on the moment in the film
4
Eighth Grade
Robert Daniels
Eighth Grade beats back toxic masculinity with kindness
4
Eighth Grade
Josh Terry
A unique movie that can crush your soul and leave you in stitches at the same time
3.5
Eighth Grade
Maria Sciullo
The terrors of Eighth Grade are completely relatable
4
Eighth Grade
Michael Smith
Eighth Grade is an awkward coming of age comedy done well
3
Eighth Grade
Lisa Jensen
It s a return trip most of us would not care to make in real life but we can view Burnham s intense replication from a safe distance with a spectator s eye and escape intact after only 93 minutes
3.5
Eighth Grade
Kam Williams
A coming of age dramedy marking the impressive writing and directorial debut of Bo Burnham as well as a breakout performance by Elsie Fisher
4
Eighth Grade
James Berardinelli
Despite having the best of intentions Hollywood would have told this story differently Burnham keeps it real
3.5
Eighth Grade
Peter Canavese
With Fisher s endearingly open face projecting every insecurity along the way Kayla s journey of baby steps self empowerment resonates
3.5
Eighth Grade
Max Weiss
Watching Eighth Grade you want to gently shake Kayla and your eighth grade self and assure her It gets better
4
Eighth Grade
Rob Thomas
You feel every lunchroom snub every birthday party fumble that 13 year old Kayla Ellie Fisher experiences deep in your bones And yet as uncomfortable as watching can be I would pay money in a heartbeat to see this movie again
3.5
Eighth Grade
Clint O'Connor
Burnham nicely captures the quirks and cadences of teen speak In that sense Eighth Grade also serves as a nifty time capsule of 2018
3
Eighth Grade
Rafer Guzman
An achingly honest film about some of the ghastliest years of adolescence Funny tender and endearing
3.5
Eighth Grade
Gary Thompson
Burnham ends up making a movie about internet immersion that ratifies the importance of human contact
3.5
Eighth Grade
Sara Michelle Fetters
This is a movie that refuses to shy away from some fairly dark realities yet at the same time doesn t dwell on them in ways that feel exploitive or supercilious
3.5
Eighth Grade
Cody Corrall
Eighth Grade is a harrowing portrait of anxiety and acceptance in a post social media landscape showing how all of us cope with an ever changing constantly refreshing world
4
Eighth Grade
Josh Larsen
an exhausting if ultimately uplifting experience
3
Eighth Grade
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Surely one of the year s most notable writing and directing debuts Bo Burnham s Eighth Grade gets as close to the heart mind and soul of a young person as a movie can
3.5
Eighth Grade
Allyson Johnson
Where Burnham surprises is in his directing He possesses a keen eye for how young teens see the world everything bigger and broader or smaller and suffocating and nothing in between
4
Eighth Grade
Brad Wheeler
As much as Burnham can be applauded it s impossible not to clap even harder for the pitch perfect acting of newcomer Elsie Fisher a marvel in the lead role of an apparently unremarkable 13 year old
3.5
Eighth Grade
Mark Dujsik
Eighth Grade is a work of supreme empathy it s a film that feels resolutely both of its time and timeless
4
Eighth Grade
Jake Coyle
Eighth Grade is a revelation of both a remarkably natural young performer and a clever sensitive young filmmaker
3.5
Eighth Grade
Ann Hornaday
Burnham is clearly conflicted about the emotional effects of the constant comparisons competitions and invidious voyeurism young people are subjecting themselves to nearly all day long And he gets the subjective experience right
4
Eighth Grade
Richard Roeper
I loved the look and simple but effective style of this film
3.5
Eighth Grade
Peter Howell
Everybody who has been through eighth grade needs to see Eighth Grade
3.5
Eighth Grade
Ty Burr
Burnham s filmmaking is unfussy yet thought through so Fisher s seemingly artless performance is actually a pretty brilliant piece of acting
3.5
Eighth Grade
Peter Hartlaub
Eighth Grade is a beautiful and uncompromising piece of art from a distinctive new talent
4
Eighth Grade
Sara Stewart
Writer director Bo Burnham in his feature debut skillfully intertwines the timeless aspects of adolescent humiliation and the very particular ways in which today s tech has changed them
3.5
Eighth Grade
Sheila O'Malley
Eighth Grade is so grounded in the reality of middle school it almost operates like a horrible collective flashback
3.5
Eighth Grade
Mara Reinstein
Every moment drips with aching and at times heart swelling authenticity The heart swelling is where the ugly cry kicks in
4
Eighth Grade
Dustin Putman
A stirring painfully accurate slice of life the kind of film so authentically observed it sometimes feels more like a cinéma vérité documentary than a scripted feature film
3.5
Eighth Grade
Moira MacDonald
Fisher delivers a glorious symphony of awkward poignancy from Kayla s cringe worthy attempts to chat up a popular girl to her ultimately sweet connection with her kind befuddled single dad
3.5
Eighth Grade
Sean P. Means
Elsie Fisher is a wonder as the awkward Kayla
3.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Kyle Smith
In case you miss what s happening one soldier wails Oh man we re gettin picked off one by one here
1.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Walter Chaw
It sucks balls
0
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Elizabeth Weitzman
Written disappointingly by Wes Craven and his son Jonathan this limp sequel to last year s remake of Wes 1977 original feels like the work of a guy who s spent a few too many days lost in the desert
1
The Hills Have Eyes 2
James Kendrick
It never generates a real sense of dread or building pressure Instead it uses its feeble set up to string together one grisly shock after another
1
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Wesley Morris
The new movie is a pre combat nightmare whereas the first Alexandre Aja s effective 2006 remake of Craven s low rent 1977 original was pure post nuclear paranoia
2.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Gene Seymour
You d like to think such bankruptcy of imagination means we ve seen the last of these subterranean creeps But you know they ll be back soon to collect their royalties from the gore hounds who apparently don t care how dull it is
0.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Peter Hartlaub
The film may not be as scary as its predecessor but it will make you think twice before you use a Porta Potti again
2
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Jason Anderson
Director Martin Weisz does an adequate job of maintaining the movie s tension and momentum but the lack of compelling characters and the unusual level of nastiness makes this an arduous mission for all involved
1.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Nick Schager
The film s defining emblematic moment comes when a man crawls out of a Port O Potty covered in feces thereby providing an approximation of the audience s experience
1
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Dustin Putman
If The Hills Have Eyes II is to gain notoriety for anything it is the invention of one of the most laughable methods of murder ever captured on film death by leather wallet
1
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Ken Fox
Though written by Wes Craven and his son Jonathan Craven this is pretty standard stuff
2
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Terry Lawson
It is only another by the numbers don t mess with the formula screen filler aimed at the gore hound fan boys who sustain all these franchises while bemoaning their sameness
1
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Sara Michelle Fetters
For a sequel made on the quick I m almost loathe to admit it but The Hills Have Eyes 2 is a serious smack upside the head a giddily grisly way to spend a night at the movies
2.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Glenn Kenny
Rote and crass
1.5
The Hills Have Eyes 2
James Berardinelli
After this disgrace it s time to shut the hills eyes for good
1
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Jim Hemphill
A sequel to a remake that s surprisingly intelligent and original and it proves to be a worthy successor to both Alexandre Aja s 2006 Hills and Wes Craven s 1977 original
3.5
The Other Man
Jeff Vice
Its plotting leans more toward silly soap opera ish machinations and while Banderas is as charming as ever there are a couple of crucial bits of miscasting
1.5
The Other Man
Amy Biancolli
The result is B grade cheese The only genuine mystery for me is why such a fine cast signed on for such a witless movie
1
The Other Man
Chris Hewitt
It was directed by British theater director Richard Eyre who knows how to line up the shots but not how to make us feel the compulsive hunger that drives Peter to the brink of a very tidy stiff upper lip breakdown
2
