|
5/5
|
97%
|
Gravity (2013) |
"
Not since Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey has a mainstream film featured space exploration in such an evocative, heady, and realistic manner."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Oct 4, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
88%
|
Rush (2013) |
"
Rush stands proudly as another remarkable showpiece of the 59-year-old filmmaker's underrated talent in crafting everyman art."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Sep 27, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
81%
|
Prisoners (2013) |
"
Prisoners is a dense, cold film rife with religious symbolism and moral ambiguity."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Sep 20, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
33%
|
The Family (2013) |
"
What sells The Family is its cast; in particular, De Niro and Pfeiffer, who are charming and believable as a couple fluent in each other's faults but still unabashedly in love."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Sep 13, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
3%
|
Getaway (2013) |
"
It's an excuse for a 90-minute orgy of car chases and crashes that thoroughly tests the audience's endurance and patience."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Aug 30, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
75%
|
You're Next (2013) |
"
You're Next offers the perfect set-up for a home invasion film: a family's weekend reunion at a secluded estate with murderous masked intruders."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Aug 23, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
69%
|
The Wolverine (2013) |
"
It's an occasionally serious film that never strays from its superhero roots."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jul 26, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
42%
|
Red 2 (2013) |
"
It's Mirren again playing against type that proves most satisfying. Watching the 68-year-old and still dazzling actress wield guns with the best of 'em and calmly eradicate the corpse of a fresh kill with a bottle of acid is novel and darkly pleasurable."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jul 19, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
72%
|
Pacific Rim (2013) |
"
Pacific Rim is the Godzilla movie that should have been."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jul 12, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
75%
|
Despicable Me 2 (2013) |
"
Not as consistently funny as the original, Despicable Me 2 still proves itself a quite-capable sequel, one that moves the characters and their stories along in humorous and often sweet ways."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jul 3, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
31%
|
The Lone Ranger (2013) |
"
[Verbinski] crams as much big-budget exhilaration into his movie as its origin story will permit, creating a film less about its namesake as it is large-scale action sequences, explosions, and CGI stunts."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jul 3, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
65%
|
The Heat (2013) |
"
Even with its nearly two-hour run time, The Heat is consistently funny."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jun 28, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
78%
|
Monsters University (2013) |
"
The heart of the film is Crystal and Goodman, who remain as funny, spunky, and relatable as you remember. Their buddy-buddy chemistry is so natural, the actors could team up for several more Monsters films."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jun 21, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
67%
|
World War Z (2013) |
"
Playing the reluctant hero dragged into service, Pitt neither oversells Lane's bravery and action-hero abilities nor underplays his strength and quick-thinking skills. It's a restrained but effective performance."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jun 21, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
56%
|
Man of Steel (2013) |
"
Man of Steel is an expensive set-up piece that puts everything and everyone in the familiar positions, but moves no further."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jun 14, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
35%
|
The Internship (2013) |
"
While it's nice to have a Vaughn and Wilson buddy-up again, we can only wish they'd crashed another comedy instead."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jun 7, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
11%
|
After Earth (2013) |
"
For a father-son film project, there's strangely little emotional connection between the pair onscreen."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted May 31, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
19%
|
The Hangover Part III (2013) |
"
The Hangover Part III is the encore to a concert that's gone on too long: You know what's coming and you can't wait for it to end."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted May 24, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
69%
|
Fast & Furious 6 (2013) |
"
This film is about pushing driving stunts to new limits and further from what we've seen in the other installments."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted May 24, 2013
|
|
4.5/5
|
87%
|
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) |
"
There's a palpable new comfort level among the performers in their iconic roles for the second time and working from a script that has moved beyond introductions and reacquaintances for audiences."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted May 17, 2013
|
|
|
79%
|
Iron Man 3 (2013) |
"
A superhero in film is only as good as his villain. And that's a critical problem for Iron Man 3."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
49%
|
Pain & Gain (2013) |
"
There's undeniable humor in this comedy of errors of three bumbling criminals, and Wahlberg, Johnson, and Mackie strike the right tone in their performances."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 26, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
54%
|
Oblivion (2013) |
"
Even as so many once-bankable action stars ungracefully age out of the genre, Cruise reclaims it... and returns to doing what he does best."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 19, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
75%
|
The Adventures of Tintin (2011) |
"
By no means a masterpiece, the full-length computer-generated animated film nevertheless has freed Spielberg from the shackles of conventional filmmaking and physical limitations."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
|
81%
|
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) |
"
While there have been numerous attempts by Hollywood to cash in on the popularity of video games, none of those films has felt true to the artistic and creative spirit of those games until now. This one gets it right."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
70%
|
Men in Black III (2012) |
"
This is the proper sequel to the 1997 original, and not the 2002 laugh-free abomination, Men in Black II."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
88%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
"
The Dark Knight Rises is all about risks, and there are payoffs and failures to go with it."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
79%
|
42 (2013) |
"
Just as 42 is a reminder of Robinson's importance to those who struggled for basic human rights of recognition and dignity during segregation, it's a reflection of those still persevering for equality."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
62%
|
Evil Dead (2013) |
"
There's no break from the intense gore and horror, no ironic wink; Evil Dead is the basic nightmare tale of five doomed individuals trapped in a cabin by an evil entity. And where's the fun in that?"
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Apr 5, 2013
|
|
|
28%
|
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) |
"
Perhaps the best compliment for G.I. Joe: Retaliation is that it doesn't drag and it does exactly what you expect it to."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Mar 29, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
38%
|
Admission (2013) |
"
Depending on your point of view, then, Admission is either a so-so comedy, or a quirky drama that's never fully formed."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Mar 22, 2013
|
|
|
36%
|
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) |
"
Even this comedic triumvirate cannot prevent the script's biggest feat of magic: making the laughs disappear."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Mar 15, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
59%
|
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) |
"
Oz the Great and Powerful isn't destined to become a classic, but it's a fun time at the movies, one that reminds us that even old stories can be new again."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Mar 8, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
52%
|
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) |
"
The original release date of Jack the Giant Slayer was pushed back several months, in part, to accommodate the special effects crew. As it turns out, that was the least of the film's problems."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Mar 1, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
14%
|
A Good Day To Die Hard (2013) |
"
Yes, it's a brain drain of a film, but its go-for-broke zeal is contagious and fun, mindless or otherwise."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Feb 15, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
20%
|
Identity Thief (2013) |
"
A self-indulgent comedy catchall, one that's saddled with an irony for a title; that is, for a film about the value of identity, Identity Thief doesn't have a clue about what it wants to be."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Feb 8, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
46%
|
Bullet to the Head (2013) |
"
I didn't think it was possible to make a boring action film in New Orleans, but Bullet to the Head proved me wrong."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Feb 1, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
60%
|
The Last Stand (2013) |
"
For an A-list star like Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Last Stand is strictly B-grade filmmaking. As an action movie it's competent and routine, but as a comeback it's hardly memorable."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 18, 2013
|
|
5/5
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013) |
"
Zero Dark Thirty is not a sequel to Boal's and Bigelow's earlier effort, yet it is very much an extension of The Hurt Locker's taut pacing and maddening high-wire tension."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 11, 2013
|
|
|
76%
|
Premium Rush (2012) |
"
A fun chase film starring the likable Joseph Gordon-Levitt, with a deliciously over-the-top performance by Michael Shannon as a villainous crooked cop, and some X Games-worthy bike stunts."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
73%
|
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) |
"
For a superhero origin film, it's pretty good, but it's hardly amazing."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
2/5
|
85%
|
21 Jump Street (2012) |
"
Given the broad drama of the series, their movie should be full of big ideas, and instead settles for redundant gags involving drugs, guns, and high school cliques."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
|
86%
|
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) |
"
This is a good Aardman Animations feature, from a studio that's proved itself capable of being better than good."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
2.5/5
|
87%
|
Frankenweenie (2012) |
"
Compared to the shorter and more to the point original, the expanded Frankenweenie is padded and less focused, meandering from a simple path of what was a clever parody/homage."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
84%
|
The Hunger Games (2012) |
"
Given the recent failure of so many big-budget films, the odds weren't in The Hunger Games favor, either. Thankfully, Hollywood got this one right."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
92%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
While this film is not for everyone -- those who like their slasher film cliches without irony shouldn't bother -- anyone who likes brains to go with their blood are bound to appreciate what Whedon and Goddard have conjured."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
92%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
Whedon has delivered that rare action-packed, special-effects spectacle that is relentless in its eagerness to please and successful beyond its goal."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
4/5
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
Affleck inserts such thoughtful commentary and ideas unobtrusively into his film; there's no ideological ball-peen hammer from the filmmaker to drive his beliefs into the audience."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) |
"
Silver Linings Playbook doesn't settle for the routine or the cliché. It's a funny drama about imperfect people looking for love. It also happens to be the best romantic comedy in years."
—
Toledo Blade
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
