|
78%
|
Iron Man 3 (2013)
|
"In the midst of various plot threads with varying degrees of contemporary relevance, Black pulls off a crazy plot twist a little more than halfway through the film that's truly inspired and solidifies it as a comedy. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
71%
|
Naked Lunch (1991)
|
"A challenge if you're expecting a forward-moving plot but there's also more than enough pitch-black humor and straight-faced madness to lighten the mood, especially since Burroughs' strange lingo and vicious knack for language are intact."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
55%
|
Oblivion (2013)
|
"Plot holes and mismanagement of suspense aside, it fails because it establishes an interesting premise and then abandons its characters as soon as things get complicated in favor of a typical save the world-type action story. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
82%
|
The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)
|
"Roger Ebert once said, 'It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it,' and that applies 100 percent to this movie, a haunting film that makes something new out of the tradition of sprawling epic tragedies told in linear fashion."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
28%
|
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
|
"I was prepared for the expected amount of flag-waving nonsense in this film, but one sequence with a Cobra member posing as the President of the United States is so offensive, it seems like it was an outtake from Team America: World Police. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
100%
|
Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
|
"It illuminates the human condition and gives you plenty of time to think. It is the nature of nature to show no mercy, but mercy is inherent to the nature of human beings, even when it seems buried under loads of suffering."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
100%
|
Narayama bushiko (Ballad of Narayama) (1958)
|
"Modern audiences may find it difficult to adjust to its laconic pace, but it is a stirring tale, full of dignity and sorrow, and worth checking out for sure."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
——
|
Dead In France (2013)
|
"Neither funny nor thrilling, and it is frustratingly, singlemindedly bent on cheap thrills and faux-clever dialogue and situations that are so contrived and hackneyed that Troy Duffy probably threw them out while making Boondock Saints II."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
82%
|
De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone) (2012)
|
" Rust and Bone is a tough, emotionally raw movie, but its not a difficult watch, and its a very skillfully rendered piece of neo-realism."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
84%
|
Smashed (2012)
|
"Smashed is a non-judgmental snapshot of the small world surrounding this couple, and is filled with insightful moments and really great low-key performances."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
63%
|
Hitchcock (2012)
|
"The Cook/Reville subplot is pretty standard stuff, so the movie is pretty lopsided, but the behind-the-scenes stuff surrounding Psycho is very compelling, even if it's not 100 percent true. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
37%
|
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
|
"Everything that happens after it lets its abrasive character off the hook is completely predictable, but movies with this kind of pervasive silliness don't exist for their unpredictable plot lines-in fact they rely on predictability. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
100%
|
Ivanovo detstvo (Ivan's Childhood)(My Name Is Ivan)(The Youngest Spy) (1962)
|
"Pairing [poetic] images with fragmented characters and Ivan's single-minded desire to get back in the fray, the result is disturbing and affecting."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
52%
|
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
|
"Flat and uninspired... the latest in the steady stream of films that takes old, familiar fairy tales and updates their antiquated social mores with a modern sensibility."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
96%
|
The Kid with a Bike (2012)
|
"The Dardennes have once again crafted a lean, efficient film that is plotted with singular purpose without hitting a false note."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
75%
|
Chicken with Plums (2012)
|
"...an admirable trip down the rabbit hole of a lonely man's mind and inspiration, but it loses its way about halfway through the movie and feels like a series of inspired, lovely short films, held together by the barest of threads."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
14%
|
Small Apartments (2013)
|
"Åkerlund seems distracted by all the inherent quirkiness of the personalities and uses it as a crutch."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
93%
|
Amour (2012)
|
"This subject matter is ripe for sentimentalization, but Haneke resists it at every turn, opting instead for unflinching honesty. It is the economy of theme paired with the subtle richness of character that make Amour so powerful."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
94%
|
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
|
"... a quiet, existential masterpiece that has turned into a bonafide cult classic."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
14%
|
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
|
"It wants desperately to be on the same level as Sam Raimi's slapstick horror Evil Dead trilogy, but it's nowhere near as fun or clever."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
78%
|
Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) (1979)
|
"There are many themes running through The Tin Drum: resistance against an unkind world, the need for acceptance, the horrors of romance and war, and the final idea that growth is inevitable and unfortunately, necessary."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
100%
|
Plein soleil (Purple Noon) (Blazing Sun) (Full Sun) (Lust for Evil) (1996)
|
"Clément's strategy is to film Ripley's actions with little editorializing and the film is both laid-back and taut at the same time, especially in the second half of the film as the stakes get higher and it becomes more of a thriller. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
11%
|
House at the End of the Street (2012)
|
"It isn't very scary, but it does pile a bunch of really tasteless twists on towards the end that make no sense and it almost becomes a comedy. On one hand, is a failure as a horror film, but as an exercise in desperation, it's kind of a hoot"
|
Eric Melin
|
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013)
|
"What makes Zero Dark Thirty such a fascinating film is that it plays both as an engaging procedural thriller and a serious examination of the country's moral compass. It is already doing what great movies do-starting conversation."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
69%
|
Not Fade Away (2012)
|
"Because its more about intertwining themes than it is about obvious plot and conflict, it has melancholic energy. It revels in the mystery, appreciation, and ultimately creation of art-from a guy who was empowered and inspired by rock himself."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
52%
|
This is 40 (2012)
|
"Apatow's biggest strength is his ability to wrangle frank and perceptive scenes into one overarching theme and wring huge laughs out of them, and he does that in This is 40 in spades."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
88%
|
Django Unchained (2012)
|
"As an entertaining revenge flick with roots in exploitation films and spaghetti westerns, Django Unchained succeeds. But it never rises above its genre to become a real, affecting emotional experience. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
61%
|
Jack Reacher (2012)
|
"Gradually, 'Jack Reacher' overcomes its eerie early parallel to the most recent awful public shooting and becomes what it is - a skillfully plotted, disposable mystery that may serve as a launching pad to a new franchise for Tom Cruise."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
67%
|
Lawless (2012)
|
"Lawless features a unique villain and several great supporting actors, but none of them are able to rise above what is pretty standard crime movie material with nothing really new added to the mix. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
79%
|
Following (1999)
|
"Besides the similarities in playing with time and structure, Nolan is already zeroed in on his favorite cinematic theme: obsession. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
69%
|
Les Misérables (2012)
|
"A punishing movie adaptation from director Tom Hooper that may very well prove to be the 'adult' equivalent of the Twilight series."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
65%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
|
"Despite some minor missteps, watching it feels like welcoming an old friend into your home. He may ramble a bit and slightly overstay his welcome, but hanging out with him reminds you of why you're friends in the first place."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
74%
|
Hope Springs (2012)
|
"Sure, there's some big, general things about common couples' problems that ring true, but Hope Springs is all posturing with very little believable character building. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
70%
|
Men in Black III (2012)
|
"Funny, if familiar. Energy and pacing are reasons it's able to skate by. It actually deepens the relationship between J and K, but it's still really a showcase for more of the same offbeat humor and imaginative special effects the first two are known for."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
75%
|
Killing Them Softly (2012)
|
"Killing Them Softly finds its own rhythm and eventually its own way of building dread, punctuated by bravura cinematic moments that won't soon be forgotten "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
95%
|
Weekend (Week End) (1967)
|
"It's all meant to be a vicious takedown of middle-class life in the late 60s, but much of it is incomprehensible today. Still, if you want to see absolute anarchy portrayed on film, you'll do no better than Weekend."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
100%
|
Rashômon (Rashomon) (In the Woods) (1951)
|
"Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece Rashomon is as compelling and powerful today as it must have been over 60 years ago when it took the world by storm."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
79%
|
Miami Connection (2012)
|
"Miami Connection is one of those rare films where the positive energy exuded by its oh-so-amateur cast and crew starts to rub off on you, despite the fact that almost all of the basic tenets of motion-picture storytelling are non-existent."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
89%
|
They Live (1988)
|
"They Live is a paranoid thriller that stretches a paper-thin budget with inventive special effects that serve the story and a message that still holds water today."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
16%
|
The Watch (2012)
|
"This lame sci-fi comedy was supposed to be for teens, but was re-written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to be aimed at adults. The result is a movie that doesn't work for either."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
|
"The movie itself is bipolar, full of mounting tension and hilarity like a classic screwball comedy, but it's all just barely skimming above a deep layer of darkness. "
|
Eric Melin
|
|
88%
|
Life of Pi (2012)
|
"For the bulk of the film, Lee masterfully combines breathtaking beauty with edge-of-your-seat suspense. During these scenes, the movie is thrillingly alive like no other this year."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
98%
|
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
|
"David Lean's movie also works on a personal level, eroding the legend of T.E. Lawrence to reveal the complicated mix of ego and understanding that drove him to perform amazing military feats."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012)
|
"Especially in today's frustratingly gridlocked political environment, Lincoln is timelier than ever. It gives us hope that government can accomplish great things even as it drags itself through the muck and strain of corruption."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
79%
|
Ruby Sparks (2012)
|
"It tackles the idea that people in a relationship will often try to remake the other person in their image. Some of the twists are more obvious than others, but it has just enough charm (mostly from Kazan herself) to skate by."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
88%
|
Fa Yeung Nin Wa (In the Mood for Love) (2001)
|
"As beautiful as it is to look at, In the Mood for Love is full of passing moments, missed opportunities, and plenty of darkness."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
97%
|
Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise) (1945)
|
"The movie isn't necessarily realistic-it's about the theater after all-but its unusually cynical center keeps it from becoming so much sentimental mush, while delivering the heartbreak that audiences so crave."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
88%
|
Neil Young Journeys (2012)
|
"...too much material drawing from his mediocre Le Noise album and the interview segments where Young drives around Ontario telling stories from his youth are less than revelatory."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
86%
|
The Forgiveness of Blood (2012)
|
"It's a searing portrait of a dangerous generational divide that ruins lives, told with a gentle touch."
|
Eric Melin
|
|
91%
|
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
|
"A lighthearted tale that deftly mixes absurdist humor with touching moments and a real feeling of loneliness."
|
Eric Melin
|
74%
28%
72%
85%
46%
40%
