|
3.5/4
|
52%
|
Where Do We Go Now? (2012) |
"
Even the title holds a surprise."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 26, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
"
Director Christopher Nolan, who wrote the script with brother Jonathan, gets so many of the big things right that I wished they had taken more time with the little ones."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 19, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
86%
|
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) |
"
[Quvenzhané Wallis] gives a terrific performance. She's not merely natural, like many good child actors; she inhabits this indomitable girl, who's innocent and philosophic and primal by turns."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 18, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
73%
|
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) |
"
Did we need another Spider-Man this quickly? Debatable. But if you wanted a new interpretation -- especially one where story and action stay in the right balance -- this is it."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 2, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
55%
|
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) |
"
Writer-director Scafaria avoids so many pitfalls that I'm tempted to praise the movie for what it doesn't do."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 21, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
41%
|
Rock of Ages (2012) |
"
It vacillates between popcorn silliness and faux profundity for two hours, until it finally runs out of breath."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 14, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
74%
|
Prometheus (2012) |
"
If you name your movie after the titan in Greek mythology who stole fire from the Gods and shared it with mankind, you'd better cast a lot of light. Prometheus leaves us in the dark."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 8, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
70%
|
Men in Black III (2012) |
"
If it's not nearly as fresh and clever as the 1997 Men in Black, it restores a bit of luster to the series after the dud sequel of 2002."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 24, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
38%
|
Dark Shadows (2012) |
"
Depp summons every type of behavior Burton requires: heroism, zaniness, longing, wit, ferocity, sexuality, icy resolve. Had they stuck to one or two of these, we might have had a terrific film."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
97%
|
Monsieur Lazhar (2012) |
"
Everything about the film sets exactly the right tone, from the unforced and winning performances by the main children to the wintry cinematography to Fellag's quietly rueful performance."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
Fortunately, Whedon spends enough of his time on characterizations to keep us engaged."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
90%
|
Footnote (2012) |
"
Cedar is mostly interested in the father-son dynamics, and he cast excellent actors."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
89%
|
In Darkness (2012) |
"
Though the film seems a bit long at almost two and a half hours, Holland needs that time to make the huddled cluster of Jews distinguishable as individuals."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 20, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
92%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
Most horror movies adhere to genre conventions, subvert them or spoof them. Producer Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard, who wrote the screenplay together, do all three at top speed."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
50%
|
Mirror Mirror (2012) |
"
Julia Roberts' archly evil queen remains as jaw-droppingly dull as her costumes are jaw-droppingly gaudy. Watching her, we can only wonder what Glenn Close or Meryl Streep might have done in this role 15 years ago."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 30, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
85%
|
The Hunger Games (2012) |
"
Where Collins' book paid careful attention to detail, Ross pays far too little. Characters never become exhausted or desperate or gaunt; they don't even get chapped lips or broken nails."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
21 Jump Street (2012) |
"
A raucous, obscene comedy that sustains its single strong joke for an extraordinarily long time."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 15, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
51%
|
John Carter (2012) |
"
This hodgepodge falls together neatly, because we know the film will go exactly where we want it to go, right down to the intervention by a faithful, comic animal sidekick (a Pixar specialty)."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 9, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
99%
|
A Separation (2011) |
"
The story has no winners, and the daringly ambiguous ending defies simple conclusions. Even the title can be taken multiple ways."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 2, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
Pina (2011) |
"
Most documentaries put us inside people's heads. The dazzling, experimental Pina puts us inside people's feet."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 10, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
53%
|
Safe House (2012) |
"
Crash. Kick. Stab. Punch. Talk (briefly). Smash. Chase. Screech. Shoot. Mumble. That's the wearying pattern of Safe House."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 9, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
65%
|
The Woman in Black (2012) |
"
The expressive Radcliffe looks Byronic, with his high collar, haunted eyes and five o'clock stubble; he's a good match for Hinds, whose beefy stolidity keeps the younger man grounded."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 2, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
79%
|
The Grey (2012) |
"
It makes for an occasionally suspenseful, if credibility-stretching, thriller with a strong, emotional performance from Neeson at its core."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 26, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
46%
|
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2012) |
"
Whenever the film totters toward sentimentality, young Horn snatches it back."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 19, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
83%
|
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) |
"
Director Tomas Alfredson has boiled the story down skillfully to a third of that length and infused it with the wry, energy-sapping dread so often found in modern Scandinavian cinema."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 6, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
75%
|
The Adventures of Tintin (2011) |
"
Like the jokes and frenetic action, the entire movie is juvenile."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 19, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
77%
|
War Horse (2011) |
"
For certain movies, the adjectives "formulaic" and "predictable" are complimentary. War Horse is one of them."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 19, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
86%
|
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
"
This film has two of Fincher's happiest trademarks: It's full of information and stretches over a remarkably long time (165 minutes), yet it's neither confusing nor overextended."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 19, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
80%
|
Young Adult (2011) |
"
It's funny, in a can't-look-away-from-the-train-wreck way, and it's brutally honest. But it's not pretty."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 15, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
89%
|
The Descendants (2011) |
"
Director Alexander Payne prefers to start a movie with one strike against him. He always picks a dislikable protagonist... Then, as he slowly gives characters self-awareness, he gives us reasons to watch and care about them."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 22, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
91%
|
Arthur Christmas (2011) |
"
Watching Arthur Christmas is like doing your holiday shopping on Dec. 23: fun and frantic, exciting and maddening. You come away feeling warm-hearted and exhausted, wondering if more forethought might have led to a smoother, more satisfying experience."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 22, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
90%
|
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) |
"
Martha Marcy burns itself into our memory banks."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 10, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
44%
|
J. Edgar (2011) |
"
What's the motivation for the earnest, handsome, well-acted, unenlightening, workaday J. Edgar in 2011?"
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 10, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
47%
|
Anonymous (2011) |
"
Anonymous is fun -- if you take the anti-Shakespearean tale as events set in an unreal, alternate universe."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 3, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Take Shelter (2011) |
"
Nichols builds unease from small, repeated details, and he has a terrific asset in Shannon: No modern actor seems as likely to snap and explode."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 3, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
71%
|
The Dead (2011) |
"
The Ford brothers' take on this tradition offers a fair number of shocks and the arm-chomping that is de rigueur mortis for this genre. Yet it has things to say, mostly by implication, before a finish that took me by surprise."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 14, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
The Ides of March (2011) |
"
Gosling relies on his now-frequent attitude of guarded impenetrability, but that's a reasonable choice for this part. And the performances around him are superb."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 6, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
50/50 (2011) |
"
The movie deepens in the second half. Eisner based Adam on someone he knew extremely well, so the unsentimental dialogue rings true."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 29, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
95%
|
Moneyball (2011) |
"
It's tense, strangely funny in a lot of spots and -- if you grew up loving old-fashioned, seat-of-the-pants baseball, as I did -- the most depressing movie of the year."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 22, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
11%
|
Creature (2011) |
"
Creature is refreshingly and intentionally silly, in an era when horror has devolved mostly into torture porn and high-tech, computer-generated assaults on our senses."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 15, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Drive (2011) |
"
Refn favors long, quiet takes followed by intense, often horrifying outbursts; the movie has the same personality as the driver himself."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 15, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
76%
|
The Debt (2011) |
"
A small gem, stuck on the shelf for more than a year, pops out in the days of summer usually associated with dogs."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 1, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
36%
|
One Day (2011) |
"
Ordinarily, I object to previews that lead me to expect one movie yet deliver another. But when the picture I get is more complex and thought-provoking than the picture I had expected, the surprise always leaves me smiling."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Aug 18, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
64%
|
Another Earth (2011) |
"
Marling's low-key performance anchors the film. She's in virtually every scene, and her face (which looks stunning or plain from different angles -- is always expressive, though she says little."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Aug 18, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) |
"
Director David Yates has finally found an ideal combination of exposition and emotion in his fourth consecutive Potter project. Writer Steve Kloves... neither wastes a word nor leaves out any essentials."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 13, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
70%
|
Horrible Bosses (2011) |
"
This is a fantasy along the lines of 9 to 5: coarser, less realistic about corporate culture, but just as much a fantasy of revenge for everyone humiliated or exploited by a supervisor."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 7, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
35%
|
Larry Crowne (2011) |
"
Inside this film, a poignant and personal story is struggling to get out. But it's couched in such awkward sentiments that it can't emerge."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 30, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
92%
|
Incendies (2011) |
"
The movie never feels long, partly because of Azabal's terrific performance."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 23, 2011
|
|
1.5/4
|
38%
|
Cars 2 (2011) |
"
For the first time in its 25-year history, Pixar has produced a picture that has no reason to exist -- other than the obvious monetary one, of course, or maybe director John Lasseter's desire to make a faux James Bond movie."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 23, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
44%
|
Bad Teacher (2011) |
"
The picture doesn't inspire or reward high expectations, but it raises smiles."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 23, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
61%
|
The Beaver (2011) |
"
As the movie grows darker, and Walter becomes more dissociated from reality, Gibson convincingly depicts a man who'll have to crack all the way before he can heal."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 16, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
84%
|
The Tree of Life (2011) |
"
[Malick] has reached high, all the way up to our maker. You can decide whether he came back with a profound examination of humanity or a fistful of fog."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 16, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
82%
|
Super 8 (2011) |
"
Super 8 takes its place among the best B-grade science fiction movies of this generation by copying the best of the past 50 years."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 9, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
59%
|
The First Grader (2011) |
"
Maruge and Obinchu never lose their senses of humor or conviction, and Litondo and Harris are ideally cast."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 2, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
88%
|
X-Men: First Class (2011) |
"
The big ideas and battles come off thoughtfully and handsomely."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 2, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
34%
|
The Hangover Part II (2011) |
"
The sequel turns not dark but revoltingly cruel."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 25, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
33%
|
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) |
"
Depp sleepwalks through action sequences and relies on mannerisms during the dialogue. Perhaps he's saving himself for a string of sequels that will stretch monotonously into eternity."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 20, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
77%
|
In A Better World (2011) |
"
The movie provides no answers, let alone easy ones."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
77%
|
Thor (2011) |
"
[Branagh's] Thor has more complex characters than the usual Transformers-style melee; though that may not be what the readers of Marvel comics now want, it satisfied me most of the time."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 5, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Of Gods and Men (2011) |
"
I can't recall the last film that so wholly, honestly and movingly explained what it means to be a Christian."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 22, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
71%
|
Hanna (2011) |
"
Ronan's pale blue eyes can seem vulnerable or inscrutable, wistful or deadly."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 7, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
91%
|
Source Code (2011) |
"
Sitting through Source Code is like watching a chef coax a beautiful soufflé into perfect shape for 80 minutes, then drop a bowling ball on it."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 1, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
35%
|
Battle: Los Angeles (2011) |
"
The biggest irony of this project is that it was made by a company that calls itself Original Film but has produced perhaps the least original movie of the year so far."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 10, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
73%
|
The Adjustment Bureau (2011) |
"
Even if you like much of the story (and I did), the muddled theology is baffling."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 4, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
34%
|
Hall Pass (2011) |
"
The Farrellys, who wrote the script with Pete Jones and Kevin Barnett, play enough variations on that theme to keep us curious about how the inevitable reconciliation will go."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 25, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
80%
|
Barney's Version (2011) |
"
The title character of Barney's Version left me wishing someone would give this unrelenting boor a boa constrictor for a necktie."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 18, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
90%
|
The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010) |
"
It's beautifully drawn -- really drawn, with hardly any computer effects -- and has an elegiac tone and bits of quirky humor. But it wouldn't win a footrace with a snail, and the narrative amounts to nothing."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 11, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
38%
|
The Eagle (2011) |
"
It's just an honest, basic story set forth with brevity, skill, care and intelligence."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 11, 2011
|
|
2/4
|
13%
|
The Super Mario Bros. (1990) |
"
Bombs explode, cars careen and crash, people leap from dimension to dimension in this blaring, glaring picture. Kids might get a charge out of the mayhem. I got the vapors."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 7, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
88%
|
Blue Valentine (2010) |
"
I was riveted."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 14, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
86%
|
Rabbit Hole (2010) |
"
Mitchell keeps the direction simple and well-behaved, usually just pointing the camera at the speaker, but you can see why this topic appealed to him: All three of his films are about people in pain reaching (or lashing) out in different ways."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 14, 2011
|
|
3.5/4
|
96%
|
True Grit (2010) |
"
Those of us who admire Charles Portis' novel have waited 40 years for a screen version that's as literal as possible -- and the Coen brothers just about deliver it."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 21, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
Black Swan (2010) |
"
Like all his films, it's lurid, visually stimulating, thoughtful, absurd in spots, well-cast and unrelentingly intense."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 16, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
51%
|
Tron Legacy (2010) |
"
Joseph Kosinski is so happy playing with expensive computers that he neglects to give this movie a heart larger than a peach pit."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 16, 2010
|
|
1.5/4
|
20%
|
The Tourist (2010) |
"
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, benchmarks for sexual arousal in other movies, have zero emotional and physical chemistry in The Tourist."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 9, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
48%
|
Love and Other Drugs (2010) |
"
If you want to watch these two struggle through an up-and-down screen relationship, rent Brokeback Mountain."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 24, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
79%
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010) |
"
It's grim, funny in one sequence about shapeshifters, vivid in moments of violent action, nearly devoid of plot twists and marked by long patches where Harry, Ron and Hermione camp in the woods."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 18, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
51%
|
Stone (2010) |
"
When did Robert De Niro stop trying? When did he start coasting on his well-deserved reputation, either mocking it in crass comedies or sleepwalking through dramas where fans filled in the missing emotions for him?"
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 12, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
55%
|
Morning Glory (2010) |
"
McAdams is a ball of fire as the flailing, unbalanced but always lovable Becky."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 12, 2010
|
|
3.5/4
|
32%
|
For Colored Girls (2010) |
"
It has two undeniable virtues, however: Perry's bolder attitude as a writer and uniformly good work by his cast."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 5, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
47%
|
Hereafter (2010) |
"
Coincidences and improbabilities aside, the script sometimes borders on the absurd."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 22, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
72%
|
Red (2010) |
"
One of those rare action comedies that actually delivers action and comedy, and one where the alleged humor doesn't consist merely of wisecracking heroes blowing away cardboard villains."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 15, 2010
|
|
3.5/4
|
71%
|
Never Let Me Go (2010) |
"
Anyone who saw the Oscar-nominated Mulligan in An Education knows what she can do. If you didn't, you're in for the kind of quietly revelatory acting that portends a brilliant career."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 8, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
The Social Network (2010) |
"
Eisenberg gives us a speeded-up rendition of his previous performances, but it fits. There's also fine cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth and softly pulsating music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 1, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
94%
|
The Town (2010) |
"
Think of Ben Affleck as the Woody Allen of Boston."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 17, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
——
|
The Trial (2010) |
"
There's nary a big surprise, but I defy anyone who sees this film to leave without a warm feeling."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 10, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
66%
|
The American (2010) |
"
There's a difference between ambiguity and lack of detail, and Joffe and Corbijn don't seem to know what it is."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 1, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
The Kids Are All Right (2010) |
"
Cholodenko gets moods right, and her five leading actors have been either perfectly cast or well-handled."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 23, 2010
|
|
1.5/4
|
62%
|
Salt (2010) |
"
Angelina Jolie is definitely worth her salt as an action hero, but Salt is never worth its Angelina Jolie."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 23, 2010
|
|
3.5/4
|
86%
|
Inception (2010) |
"
Nolan's tale is not only a trip through mental labyrinths but a reminder that memories may cripple us, unless we learn to let them go."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 16, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
99%
|
Toy Story 3 (2010) |
"
You'll probably enjoy it, because it's good-humored, snappy, endearingly familiar, produced with intelligence and care. But it's the first Pixar effort that feels less like a creative outpouring and more like an obligation."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 17, 2010
|
|
3.5/4
|
80%
|
Kings of the Evening (2010) |
"
The actors strike home quietly in scene after scene."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 11, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
35%
|
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) |
"
On the scale of summer action films, this is to the Transformers sequel what an Andy Warhol print is to a first-grader's refrigerator painting."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 28, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
57%
|
Shrek Forever After (Shrek 4) (2010) |
"
Forever After feels like a tired yank on the udders of a cash cow that's nearly dry."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 21, 2010
|
|
3.5/4
|
43%
|
Robin Hood (2010) |
"
An intelligent, layered story suited to our grim, patience-trying times."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 14, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
86%
|
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) |
"
The picture, reduced to a black-and-white kind of manhunt, is visually black-and-white as well. It's set in the snowy landscape of rural Sweden, where the self-effacing and pale-faced Blomkvist blends into the wintry scenes."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 30, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
28%
|
Clash of the Titans (2010) |
"
The movie seems less like a remake than a mash-up of better films."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 2, 2010
|
|
2/4
|
51%
|
Chloe (2010) |
"
This is one of the few movies you'll ever see where a title character has no back story at all."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 25, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
51%
|
Alice in Wonderland (2010) |
"
The film is always fun, but as Carroll might have observed, it's not much of a muchness."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 4, 2010
|
77%
30%
88%
85%
45%
40%
