|
F
|
67%
|
God Bless America (2012) |
"
For a movie that purports to be a statement about how mean-spirited and crass we've become, Goldthwait has no qualms piling on. Blowing a baby away with a 12 gauge - real or imagined - is about as bottom of the barrel as it gets."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 22, 2012
|
|
D+
|
70%
|
The Hunter (2012) |
"
By the time Dafoe tracks down the elusive CGI'd thylacine, my eyelids had washed over with a glaze of numbness. The big winner here, Tasmania's tourist board."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 22, 2012
|
|
B-
|
58%
|
Hysteria (2012) |
"
Given the allure of learning the origins of something as buzzworthy as the vibrator, Hysteria provides just enough pleasures to give it a pass."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 22, 2012
|
|
A-
|
78%
|
Brave (2012) |
"
The hopping lamp gang has done it again, giving birth to a sharp, fresh fairy tale that in the pantheon of Pixar releases may not go down as a centerpiece, but comes close enough to the bullseye to sate moviegoing subjects kingdom-wide."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 22, 2012
|
|
A-
|
95%
|
Sister (2012) |
"
Director Ursula Meier reveals a whopper of a twist that packs the impact of a piledriver performed on top of a folding table."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 19, 2012
|
|
A
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
The impeccably paced political thriller further affirms the fact that Affleck is a towering force behind the lens."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 9, 2012
|
|
D
|
21%
|
Taken 2 (2012) |
"
Revenge is a dish best served riotously laughable."
—
NECN
Posted Oct 4, 2012
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Looper (2012) |
"
The finish is the cinematic equivalent of David Tyree's Super Bowl catch; a conclusion that miraculously - magnificently - manages to close the final loop with an off-the-Richter-scale stroke of genius."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 26, 2012
|
|
A
|
86%
|
The Master (2012) |
"
Phoenix is back in a behemothic way with his magnum opus in The Master, a blindingly brilliant character study from cinema's most prodigiously skilled auteur, Paul Thomas Anderson."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 21, 2012
|
|
A-
|
78%
|
Dredd (2012) |
"
Here's to the rebirth of a franchise left for dead, re-emerging with a hellacious fury that wipes clean the sins of the past - and then some. Dredd's raid and redemption indeed."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 18, 2012
|
|
B+
|
87%
|
Arbitrage (2012) |
"
Primetime dramas share similar plot points, but Gere elevates the proceedings with a positively commanding performance - his finest in ages."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 14, 2012
|
|
C-
|
22%
|
The Words (2012) |
"
Dennis Quaid reading from a book his character purportedly authored redefines "suspension of disbelief"."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 7, 2012
|
|
F
|
29%
|
The Oogieloves in The Big Balloon Adventure (2012) |
"
Forget Saw, I'd argue this is the most freakishly disturbing outing of Cary Elwes career."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 5, 2012
|
|
A
|
96%
|
The Muppets (2011) |
"
A luminous and loving tribute to the man who breathed life into nothing but felt and faux fur."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 4, 2012
|
|
A-
|
52%
|
The Iron Lady (2012) |
"
Streep brilliantly conveying the movie's ultimate message: After all you accomplish in this life, it's the little things that may just be our intended destinies."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 4, 2012
|
|
C+
|
74%
|
Rampart (2012) |
"
A film saddled with a melodramatic script that would serve better as a TV pilot."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 4, 2012
|
|
B
|
85%
|
Chronicle (2012) |
"
If how you finish is the pinnacle of performance, Chronicle drills the game winning kick through the uprights just as triple-zeros strike the clock."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 4, 2012
|
|
C+
|
51%
|
The Three Stooges (2012) |
"
It's absurd, it's mindless, it's infantine but it's also bizarrely charming."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 4, 2012
|
|
C+
|
13%
|
W.E. (2012) |
"
Kudos to Madonna for ultimately producing a celluloid smorgasbord that contains the caloric content of a couple of Snackwell's cookies."
—
NECN
Posted Sep 4, 2012
|
|
B
|
95%
|
Moneyball (2011) |
"
The end result mirrors the actual season Moneyball depicts, a memorable run but a loss in the final game played."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 31, 2012
|
|
C-
|
85%
|
The Hunger Games (2012) |
"
A retread of a tale that's The Running Man meets Lord of the Flies with a dash of Twilight for tween-adoring measure. "
—
NECN
Posted Aug 30, 2012
|
|
D-
|
56%
|
For a Good Time, Call... (2012) |
"
An inexorably laughless affair that would make a potent interrogation tool."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 29, 2012
|
|
B+
|
67%
|
Lawless (2012) |
"
Hardy delivers the danger, the guy's an absolute beast. I'd take my chances in a brawl with Bane rather than the brutish Bondurant brother."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 27, 2012
|
|
C-
|
76%
|
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2012) |
"
There's an infinitely more impactful movie to be made that deals with the same subject but doesn't take things to an unrealistic extreme. A son that's not the very spawn of the devil is a solid place to start."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 27, 2012
|
|
A-
|
93%
|
Midnight in Paris (2011) |
"
The fact that Allen never explains how Bender bends time is a wise choice, there's no bogging down of the narrative which allows the flick to keep skipping along at a effervescent pace."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 27, 2012
|
|
B+
|
84%
|
The Tree of Life (2011) |
"
While it doesn't leave you as breathless as Malick would like, The Tree of Life will stir your soul and make you think. Which is an outcome every moviemaker should aspire to create."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 27, 2012
|
|
A
|
89%
|
The Descendants (2011) |
"
A thoroughly rewarding assembled-for-adults dramedy that benefits immensely from both its island locale and one of George Clooney's finest performances."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 27, 2012
|
|
B-
|
58%
|
The Dictator (2012) |
"
Where Borat had unsuspecting victims, The Dictaror is stuck with actors; the Candid Camera element erased. As is the shock value."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 27, 2012
|
|
B-
|
84%
|
A Better Life (2011) |
"
A Better Life is a half-step removed from the Hallmark Hall of Fame."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 26, 2012
|
|
B
|
77%
|
Melancholia (2011) |
"
An extraordinarily ambitious exercise in nihilism."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
A-
|
90%
|
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) |
"
A disturbing psychological drama that's guaranteed to rack up more and more followers as its menacing message is spread."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
B+
|
51%
|
John Carter (2012) |
"
A mightily entertaining, oft-cheesy, oft-soaring spectacle packed with more pulp than Florida's finest fruit."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
A-
|
84%
|
My Week with Marilyn (2011) |
"
The film hinges on Williams' performance and not once do you question that she is Monroe. It's that "all-in" that makes the film work in such fantastic fashion. "
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
C-
|
80%
|
Shame (2011) |
"
As Chuck D put it back in '88, don't believe the hype."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
D+
|
38%
|
Blue Like Jazz (2012) |
"
A hot mess that somehow manages to somewhat redeem itself by the final frame but sadly not enough to save it from ultimate damnation."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
B+
|
87%
|
Bully (2012) |
"
What should have been blindingly effectual is lessened by - ironically - a lack of killer instinct."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
C+
|
77%
|
War Horse (2011) |
"
Its epic length is the one thing you're guaranteed to take from the experience."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
A-
|
99%
|
A Separation (2011) |
"
A case study in how simplicity can produce spectacular results that extend far beyond a film's budget. "
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
B-
|
80%
|
Young Adult (2011) |
"
Theron crushes the role, channeling her best Mean Girls impression, providing Mavis a riotously self-centered persona."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
A
|
92%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
The most maniacal monster movie ever created."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
D-
|
53%
|
Being Flynn (2012) |
"
It's a shame the studio didn't choose to keep the original title of the book in place, Another Bulls**t Night in Suck City would have been quite fitting for the film."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
C-
|
41%
|
Silent House (2012) |
"
As Trish declared to Darry in Jeepers Creepers: 'You know the part in scary movies when somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it?' This is littered with those moments. "
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
D-
|
79%
|
The Deep Blue Sea (2012) |
"
Have your exit route mapped out before the lights go down."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
B
|
90%
|
Bernie (2012) |
"
Black is -- forgive me -- downright adorable as the behind-bars-for-life killer."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 25, 2012
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
Without Robert Downey Jr. delivering his witty quips in patented rat-a-tat-tat fashion, The Avengers would largely be a soulless shell of a movie that could be mistaken for a Michael Bay production."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
74%
|
Prometheus (2012) |
"
Scott has lensed a film that possesses the look of a video View-Master. It's jaw-droppingly striking."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B-
|
34%
|
Lola Versus (2012) |
"
More enjoyable than it ought to be."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
C-
|
73%
|
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) |
"
Director Marc Webb apparently didn't get the memo that the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink edition is strictly reserved for the DVD."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B
|
34%
|
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) |
"
If there were an Academy Award for the film that gave the greatest effort to simply like it, The Odd Life of Timothy Green would be unbeatable."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B
|
31%
|
Total Recall (2012) |
"
An all-out barrage of special effects that borders on a bludgeoning."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D
|
43%
|
To Rome with Love (2012) |
"
After the cinematic glory Woody Allen bestowed upon Paris, to be given this kind of treatment is akin to being served Steak-umms instead of filet mignon. "
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B+
|
69%
|
Ted (2012) |
"
The laughs are mountainously massive."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
95%
|
The Queen of Versailles (2012) |
"
If you get some kind of sick kick watching the mighty take a fall, The Queen of Versailles will be nothing short of a schadenfreudic ball."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
87%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
"
Manages to mitigate its slew of shortcomings with a cinematically-administered, turbo-charged dose of adrenaline in the form of its sublimely symphonic finale."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
94%
|
First Position (2012) |
"
An arresting documentary about the dedication and sacrifice it takes to be able to spin around like a whirling dervish on the tip of your toes without getting sickeningly dizzy."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
84%
|
The Raid: Redemption (2012) |
"
An electrifyingly kinetic and insanely frenetic action flick stacked with a level of violence at which the makers of Grand Theft Auto would marvel."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A
|
94%
|
Coriolanus (2011) |
"
If this is how Fiennes rolls behind the camera, our next great director has raised his fist to the skies."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D-
|
46%
|
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2012) |
"
As Oskar opines about his father's casket: "It's just an empty box". The same charge the film's guilty of."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A
|
99%
|
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2012) |
"
If the ultimate goal of a documentary is to drop you into a location and make you feel it as if you were actually there, consider this the most scrumptious trip to Tokyo you'll ever take."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A
|
93%
|
Drive (2011) |
"
With a titanic infusion of pound-feet of torque, Drive is the best movie of 2011, a raging race that's part F1 and equal part demolition derby."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
86%
|
Declaration of War (2012) |
"
The raddest Lifetime movie you'll ever see."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D-
|
67%
|
Friends With Kids (2012) |
"
I'd rather have my head stuck in a vise than be forced to sit through another viewing."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B+
|
88%
|
Boy (2012) |
"
It's one of those flicks that has more resonance than you may at first realize and a level of charm that few films contain."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D
|
75%
|
Damsels in Distress (2012) |
"
Whit Stillman hasn't been behind a camera in 13 years and it's time to toss the old adage out, you can forget how to ride a bike."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
75%
|
The Intouchables (2012) |
"
Roaring onto the screen via a Maserati racing through the tunnels of Paris, if first impressions are everything, The Intouchables makes a mockery of the test."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
C
|
94%
|
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) |
"
It's a collection of cockeyed ideas compressed into a narrative that's utterly devoid of any actual attachment."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
C
|
83%
|
Your Sister's Sister (2012) |
"
When the heartfelt professions of love and soul-unloading declarations of betterment are emulsified down to mush, all that remains is a swiftly evaporating run-of-the-mill residue."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D
|
86%
|
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) |
"
By the time a herd of Godzilla-sized hogs - the Aurochs - arrive on the scene, it might as well be a Cajun-styled Cloverfield."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
C
|
87%
|
ParaNorman (2012) |
"
Rankin/Bass never made me feel so detached."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
C+
|
76%
|
Premium Rush (2012) |
"
The whole thing is nearly brought to its knees by David Sardy's abominable score. It's amongst the most generic electronica-ish tripe ever splattered across a film and it's incessant."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B+
|
79%
|
Ruby Sparks (2012) |
"
Think of it as a seductively sophisticated remix of Weird Science - just don't expect any gymnastics routines or giant globs of fly-eating gunk named Chet."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
87%
|
Easy Money (2012) |
"
Kinnaman is a revelation as the in-over-his-head dreamer; witnessing his comeuppance as his world collapses down around him is spellbinding cinema. "
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D
|
70%
|
Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012) |
"
Building a relationship around the shared love of a masturbatory joke involving a bottle of Blistex is undoubtedly as sturdy a foundation as any twosome has ever known."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D+
|
77%
|
Killer Joe (2012) |
"
A dreadfully dull black comedy that reckons it's infinitely more provocative and shocking than it actually is."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B
|
48%
|
Hit & Run (2012) |
"
Shepard and Bell's unfeigned relationship single-handedly turns Hit & Run from a scatterbrained chase flick into an unanticipated treat."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
F
|
64%
|
Cosmopolis (2012) |
"
If you pay even a single penny to watch the thing, you'll be making the most ill-advised purchase of your natural born life."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
D-
|
56%
|
The Bourne Legacy (2012) |
"
It's not Renner's fault the script is a heap of dung."
—
NECN
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
78%
38%
100%
85%
45%
40%
