|
1.5/4
|
53%
|
Safe House (2012) |
"
Ultimately, "Safe House" reveals itself to be more interested in bombastic, bloody thrills than provocative, analytical thought."
—
Associated Press
Posted Feb 9, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
76%
|
The Innkeepers (2012) |
"
The trappings may look familiar, but "The Innkeepers" is a new twist on the good, old-fashioned ghost story: It's the bored-slacker horror movie."
—
Associated Press
Posted Feb 2, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
Chronicle (2012) |
"
This is an auspicious beginning for a couple of exciting, young filmmaking voices."
—
Associated Press
Posted Feb 2, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
73%
|
Big Miracle (2012) |
"
Like a whale itself, "Big Miracle" is large and unwieldy -- but it also has its moments of splendor."
—
Associated Press
Posted Feb 1, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
74%
|
Kill List (2012) |
"
You may look back at the end and wonder, how did we get here? Pay attention: There are small clues along the way."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 31, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
32%
|
Man on a Ledge (2012) |
"
"Man on a Ledge" is so cliched and reheated, it almost feels like a parody of a generic action picture -- only no one seems to be in on the joke."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 25, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
53%
|
Albert Nobbs (2012) |
"
"Albert Nobbs" is clearly Close's show - for better and for worse."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 23, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
80%
|
Haywire (2012) |
"
"Haywire" feels like minor Soderbergh: zippy, hugely entertaining and well-crafted as always, but not one of his more important films in the broad scheme of things."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 18, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
89%
|
Miss Bala (2012) |
"
Gerardo Naranjo may have made the least-glamorous movie ever about a pageant queen with "Miss Bala.""
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 18, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
48%
|
Contraband (2012) |
"
A solid genre picture that knows exactly what it is, has no delusions of grandeur and carries out its task in entertaining and occasionally even suspenseful fashion."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 11, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
34%
|
Joyful Noise (2012) |
"
If some incarnation of "Glee" were to be developed for the Christian Broadcasting Network, it would probably look a lot like "Joyful Noise.""
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 11, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
99%
|
A Separation (2011) |
"
Movies with this kind of moral complexity are rare, so not only is it worth seeking out, it's one you need to see with friends because it invites -- or rather demands -- debate afterward."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 3, 2012
|
|
|
94%
|
Hugo (2011) |
"
Being a hardcore cinephile (like Scorsese) might add a layer of enjoyment, but it certainly isn't a prerequisite for walking in the door. A sense of wonder, however, is."
—
Associated Press
Posted Jan 3, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
54%
|
The Iron Lady (2012) |
"
Even the greatest actress of our time can only do so much when the figure she's playing just isn't on the page."
—
Associated Press
Posted Dec 26, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
76%
|
War Horse (2011) |
"
It's overlong, painfully earnest and sometimes even hokey."
—
Associated Press
Posted Dec 21, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
63%
|
We Bought a Zoo (2011) |
"
This is the first feature from Crowe since the heavy-handed, overly quirky "Elizabethtown," and while it's not a complete return to form, it's close enough."
—
Associated Press
Posted Dec 19, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
60%
|
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) |
"
What seemed clever and novel the first time around now feels stale and tired; a lot of that has to do with the grimy, gray color scheme, which smothers everything in a dreary, suffocating sameness and saps the film of any real tension or thrills."
—
Associated Press
Posted Dec 14, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
84%
|
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) |
"
This is a grim, methodical world ruled by drab, mistrustful geeks who have come to relish their power, but Alfredson navigates it fluidly and keeps the many complicated pieces moving with quiet ease."
—
Associated Press
Posted Dec 6, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
82%
|
Young Adult (2011) |
"
In the vein of Alexander Payne, Reitman finds just the right affectionately mocking tone in taking some jabs at small-town Midwestern life."
—
Associated Press
Posted Dec 6, 2011
|
|
|
49%
|
Sleeping Beauty (2011) |
"
Precisely staged but maddeningly obtuse, "Sleeping Beauty" is an artful exercise in pointlessness."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 30, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
80%
|
Shame (2011) |
"
Fassbender's performance here is riveting, haunting. He immerses himself and makes you feel as if you're truly watching a man hell-bent on exorcising his demons through compulsive self-destruction."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 29, 2011
|
|
|
77%
|
A Dangerous Method (2011) |
"
Spitting and stammering, clawing and convulsing, her jaw jutting forward and her eyes popping out of her head, Keira Knightley is a frightening force of nature in A Dangerous Method."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 22, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
25%
|
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) |
"
The dialogue is, of course, ridiculous and the acting ranges from stiff to mopey. But moments that should be pulsating with tension are usually hilarious because the special effects are still just so distractingly cheesy."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 17, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
90%
|
The Descendants (2011) |
"
The story keeps you guessing as to where it will go, and it features some piercing moments of emotional truth."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 15, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
78%
|
Melancholia (2011) |
"
Depression finally seems to have brought out the best in Lars von Trier: "Melancholia" is his strongest work in a while, a devastatingly beautiful, operatic mixture of all his signature themes and visual schemes."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 9, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
89%
|
Into The Abyss (2011) |
"
Regardless of your own stance on the death penalty, it's impossible not to be shaken by the senseless loss depicted in "Into the Abyss," the overwhelming sadness, but also the possibility of spiritual redemption."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 8, 2011
|
|
A
|
86%
|
Garden State (2004) |
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 7, 2011
|
|
|
69%
|
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011) |
"
This third film in the Harold & Kumar franchise is inordinately jacked up with visual effects and peppy holiday music, but nothing can disguise the fact that this series has run out of steam."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 3, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
68%
|
Tower Heist (2011) |
"
When Murphy's on screen in his classic comic mode, it's hard to focus on anyone or anything else. It's as if we've turned back time and erased all those family-friendly duds and lame laughers..."
—
Associated Press
Posted Nov 2, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
37%
|
In Time (2011) |
"
if you can get past the plot holes and the copious time puns, In Time is actually rather brisk, enjoyable entertainment."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 27, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
47%
|
Anonymous (2011) |
"
As the initial whiff of scandal eventually gives way to great, repetitive blubbering about the brilliance and significance of Shakespeare's works, "Anonymous" ultimately feels like much ado about nothing."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 26, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
74%
|
Like Crazy (2011) |
"
It makes you squirm in your seat - not because the angst of the young love depicted on screen is so vivid and relatable, but because these two people are so incredibly annoying together, you'd much rather see them apart."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 26, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
83%
|
Puss in Boots (2011) |
"
For quick, lively, family friendly entertainment, "Puss in Boots" works just fine, even in 3-D, which is integrated thoughtfully into the narrative and doesn't just feel like a gimmick."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 24, 2011
|
|
|
74%
|
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002) |
"
Rodriguez seems to be trying too hard to cram in too much - more gadgets, more characters, more noise, more color. But bigger, brighter and faster isn't necessarily better."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 24, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
38%
|
Johnny English Reborn (2011) |
"
Johnny English isn't reborn so much as reheated, and his aim hasn't improved after all these years."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 19, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
88%
|
Margin Call (2011) |
"
Spacey does some of the best work we've seen from him in a while as a once-confident man who's now questioning everything upon which he built his cushy life."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 18, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
39%
|
The Big Year (2011) |
"
"The Big Year" flaps its wings awfully hard but never truly takes flight."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 13, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
79%
|
The Skin I Live In (2011) |
"
This feels almost like a parody of Almodovar, with its melodramatic tone and themes of gender, identity, sex and revenge."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 12, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
25%
|
Dirty Girl (2011) |
"
The heavy eye shadow, cheesy clothes and stiffly flipped-out hair feel almost too mocking ... rather than serving as stylistic choices that make the characters feel like real people."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 6, 2011
|
|
|
75%
|
The Hammer (2007) |
"
Yes, this comedy about a sad-sack, has-been boxer is painfully predictable and manages to include every cliche of the genre, but executive producer and star Adam Carolla keeps it rolling along with his trademark, deadpan rants."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 5, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
85%
|
The Ides of March (2011) |
"
Gosling radiates charisma, schmoozing and charming reporters and staffers with equal ease. But beneath that slick exterior, his character is a true believer."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 5, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
31%
|
The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011) |
"
It's hard to tell whether [Six] made "The Human Centipede 2" to titillate his audience or to mock it. And after a while, it is hard to care."
—
Associated Press
Posted Oct 4, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
30%
|
Sarah Palin: You Betcha! (2011) |
"
It's juicy stuff but not very informative."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 28, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
92%
|
Take Shelter (2011) |
"
Daring thematically and striking aesthetically, even as it pierces at the heart of the most relatable, everyday anxieties we all experience."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 28, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
50/50 (2011) |
"
Levine has accomplished a tricky bit of juggling here: He's made a film about cancer that's effortlessly affecting."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 27, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
29%
|
Machine Gun Preacher (2011) |
"
The real-life Sam Childers, who's still working in Sudan, is probably more complicated than this."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 21, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
25%
|
Killer Elite (2011) |
"
When Statham and Owen finally meet in the showdown you've been waiting for, it's rendered in such dizzying, adrenalized style that it's hard to tell who's doing what to whom."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 21, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
94%
|
Moneyball (2011) |
"
Like the A's themselves at this time, "Moneyball" has enough unlikely pieces that do work -- and it generates enough underdog goodwill -- to make you want to stick around for the final out."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 20, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
17%
|
I Don't Know How She Does It (2011) |
"
"I Don't Know How She Does It" suggests what might have happened to Carrie if she had two kids with Mr. Big to worry about, and less time to obsess over her wardrobe."
—
Associated Press
Posted Sep 14, 2011
|
