|
2.5/4
|
56%
|
Man of Steel (2013) |
"
Cavill broods handsomely as Superman, but this reboot skimps on fun and romance."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 14, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
98%
|
Before Midnight (2013) |
"
"Before Midnight" is heartbreaking, but not because of Jesse and Celine. It's the filmmakers' passions that seem to have cooled."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 13, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
61%
|
The Bling Ring (2013) |
"
It would rather mock its protagonists than help us understand them."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 13, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
This Is the End (2013) |
"
With no outsiders to coddle, this tight-knit ensemble locks into a groove and reaches some truly giddy heights, turning even the weakest material (a spoof of "The Exorcist") into anarchic fun."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 11, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
38%
|
The Purge (2013) |
"
The vague posters for "The Purge" won't prepare you for how sharp and shockingly subversive this home-invasion flick can be."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 6, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
34%
|
The Internship (2013) |
"
It's a well-timed comedy about unemployment, technology and the generation gap, and its comforting main message is that the world will always need the kind of guy known as a people person."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 6, 2013
|
|
|
4%
|
Vampires Suck (2010) |
"
It's almost as cynical as the actual Twilight, and not nearly as funny."
—
Newsday
Posted Jun 3, 2013
|
|
1/4
|
11%
|
After Earth (2013) |
"
"After Earth" isn't just chaotic and desperate -- and grindingly slow -- it's also lazy."
—
Newsday
Posted May 30, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
91%
|
Frances Ha (2013) |
"
Late-blooming 20-somethings have never been so perfectly captured -- and Gerwig has never been more appealing -- than in this funny, tender, life-affirming movie."
—
Newsday
Posted May 23, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
71%
|
Fast & Furious 6 (2013) |
"
A comedown from the high of "Fast Five," but the physics-be-damned stuntwork and girl-on-girl beatdowns keep this series the guiltiest of pleasures."
—
Newsday
Posted May 23, 2013
|
|
|
20%
|
The Hangover Part III (2013) |
"
It seems to have one goal: to be so dark, nasty and joyless that audiences won't want Part IV."
—
Newsday
Posted May 22, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
83%
|
Kon Tiki (2013) |
"
Upbeat and less exciting than you might wish, though it could be a good adventure film for older kids."
—
Newsday
Posted May 16, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) |
"
"Into Darkness" is fast and fun, zipping along on all thrusters while everyone on the bridge settles comfortably into an agreeably lighthearted vibe (and into ever-slimmer outfits)."
—
Newsday
Posted May 14, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
48%
|
At Any Price (2013) |
"
In the end, "At Any Price" strikes a dark, even ghastly tone, and rather suddenly it becomes a cynical commentary on small-town hypocrisy and American business. It's hard to tell whether that was the intention."
—
Newsday
Posted May 9, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
36%
|
Peeples (2013) |
"
"Peeples" is a just-this-side-of-legal knockoff of "Meet the Parents," altered only by minor script details and an African-American cast."
—
Newsday
Posted May 9, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
50%
|
The Great Gatsby (2013) |
"
The fourth adaptation of the Fitzgerald novel scores some hits and wild misses, but DiCaprio nails the bull's-eye."
—
Newsday
Posted May 6, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
54%
|
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013) |
"
Fairly insightful as a drama, but barely adequate as a thriller. Ahmed is pitch-perfect as the conflicted hero, but he's in two movies that cancel each other out."
—
Newsday
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
78%
|
Iron Man 3 (2013) |
"
The usual winks and snarks from Tony Stark, but this edition feels fresher and funnier, thanks to writer- director Shane Black."
—
Newsday
Posted May 1, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
45%
|
Pain & Gain (2013) |
"
You may feel the grisly laughs sticking in your throat."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 25, 2013
|
|
0.5/4
|
47%
|
The Lords of Salem (2013) |
"
Rob Zombie, film scholar? I'm convinced. Rob Zombie, filmmaker? Mmmyeah, not so much."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 18, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
65%
|
Disconnect (2013) |
"
Journalists lie, spouses stray and thieves steal, but "Disconnect" keeps trying, unsuccessfully, to pin the blame on technology rather than its users."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 18, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
56%
|
The Company You Keep (2013) |
"
The film offers a lot to chew on for boomers -- and for aging punks and indie-rockers -- who may still be wondering whether they made a separate peace with The System or simply gave up the fight."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 18, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
55%
|
Oblivion (2013) |
"
Playing spot-the-influence is the most fun you'll have during this expensive-looking, slow-moving plod through familiar territory."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 18, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
77%
|
Thor (2011) |
"
Let's hope Branagh was well-compensated, at least. To quote his favorite author: No profit grows where is no pleasure taken."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
|
81%
|
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) |
"
It's fresh, funny, inventive and unique."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
|
4%
|
Scary Movie 5 (2013) |
"
You know that friend of yours, the one who can't tell even the simplest joke? Watching him struggle for 85 minutes would still be funnier than this movie."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
77%
|
No Place On Earth (2013) |
"
"No Place on Earth" depends heavily on re-enactments, but Tobias handles them delicately and keeps a lid on any overemoting."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 11, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
81%
|
The Place Beyond The Pines (2013) |
"
Its three stories are so loosely connected, its themes so scattered -- morality, justice, fate, fatherhood -- that it never manages to make a point."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 11, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
77%
|
42 (2013) |
"
This big-budget period piece is more concerned with burnishing a legend than dramatizing a life."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 10, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
93%
|
The Sapphires (2013) |
"
It's a sweet little tale, and that co-writer Tony Briggs is the son of one of the real-life singers adds to the heart-tugging. In the end, though, it's not quite enough to sustain a feature-length film."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 4, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
62%
|
Evil Dead (2013) |
"
"Evil Dead" turns Raimi's homemade horror treat into a professional-looking, overscripted bore."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 4, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
92%
|
Jurassic Park (1993) |
"
"Jurassic Park" remains an absolute thrill from a Spielberg in top form: Funny, scary, fast-moving and full of just-right details."
—
Newsday
Posted Apr 4, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
16%
|
Temptation (2013) |
"
If Perry has had one strength as a dramatist, it's been his willingness to empathize with villains as well as victims. In Temptation, he lacks even that."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 29, 2013
|
|
1/4
|
9%
|
The Host (2013) |
"
A sci-fi writer like Philip K. Dick ("Blade Runner") might have used this premise to explore notions of memory and identity. Meyer uses it to create a teen soap opera."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 28, 2013
|
|
|
28%
|
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) |
"
The junky pleasures of the first installment now just seem like junk in this noisy, nonsensical, lead-footed sequel."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 27, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
38%
|
Admission (2013) |
"
It promisingly pairs Fey with the dreamy-funny Paul Rudd, though they generate warmth without ever catching fire. The bigger problem is the story they're in."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 21, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
37%
|
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) |
"
[It] fumbles so badly that you can almost make out the flop-sweat on its brow."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 14, 2013
|
|
1/4
|
37%
|
Dead Man Down (2013) |
"
This blend of Scandinavian gloom and Hollywood hokum never jells."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 8, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
30%
|
Emperor (2013) |
"
This potentially interesting dilemma becomes thoroughly dull in the hands of director Peter Webber, who stages endless conversations about political fine points without giving us much to look at."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 7, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
59%
|
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) |
"
A reasonably smart, imaginative spin on the 1939 MGM classic."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 7, 2013
|
|
0.5/4
|
26%
|
21 And Over (2013) |
"
All, or at least some, might be forgiven if there were just one likable character or memorable joke."
—
Newsday
Posted Mar 1, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
52%
|
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) |
"
"Jack the Giant Slayer" is the kind of old-fashioned, entertaining fantasy-adventure you once saw regularly in theaters."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
0.5/4
|
25%
|
Phantom (2013) |
"
A challenge that offers zero rewards."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
|
94%
|
The King's Speech (2010) |
"
A powerful back story does not necessarily improve a movie, but The King's Speech has a pretty irresistible one. It might even end with a dramatic night at the Oscars in February."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 16, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
98%
|
The Artist (2011) |
"
It isn't arty or intellectual, though it is artful and ingenious, and it's the rare crowd-pleaser that never feels obvious or pandering."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 15, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
46%
|
Beautiful Creatures (2013) |
"
In the end, "Beautiful Creatures" has one overarching problem: It's boring."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 13, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
13%
|
Safe Haven (2013) |
"
"Safe Haven" is passably engaging and almost works as a proper thriller. Then -- wham! Sparks throws that schmaltz pie right in your kisser."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 13, 2013
|
|
|
15%
|
A Good Day To Die Hard (2013) |
"
Frenetically directed by John Moore from a sketchy script by Skip Woods, A Good Day to Die Hard has the dubious distinction of making John McClane unlikeable. He's had some bad days in the past, but this one finally got him down."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 13, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
20%
|
Identity Thief (2013) |
"
The darkness in this comedy is exactly what makes it work so well."
—
Newsday
Posted Feb 7, 2013
|
74%
78%
61%
52%
26%
4%
