|
76%
|
Concussion (2013)
|
"Takes this well-worn storyline and makes something unique out of it, something fresh and bizarre."
|
Sheila O'Malley
|
|
——
|
Dislecksia: The Movie (2013)
|
"It's packaged in an easygoing 83 minutes that sometimes gets too cutesy for its own good but never wears out its welcome."
|
Odie Henderson
|
|
50%
|
All Is Bright (2013)
|
"I wish I could give four stars to Giamatti's big, sad eyes and outrageous Civil War beard."
|
Steven Boone
|
|
68%
|
Bad Milo! (2013)
|
"On paper, "Bad Milo!" sounds loosey-goosey-crazy-go-nuts. But in practice, it's understated, if only in relation to its bonkers premise."
|
Simon Abrams
|
|
——
|
Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde (2013)
|
"Pacing can be painfully languid, to the point of being nap-inducing."
|
Christy Lemire
|
|
80%
|
I Used To Be Darker (2013)
|
"It's hard to appreciate an intentionally blurry portrait of a family that's so impressionistic that all you can see of its already-withdrawn characters are their shadows."
|
Simon Abrams
|
|
——
|
Besharam (2013)
|
"It's not always possible to get everything exactly right when making a movie. But it is possible to get at least one or two things right, and "Besharam" can barely meet that threshold."
|
Danny Bowes
|
|
55%
|
A.C.O.D. (2013)
|
""A.C.O.D." is a sharp, dark-ish character comedy, settling for a dry tolerance in its point of view that is very appealing and even admirable."
|
Dan Callahan
|
|
8%
|
Argento's Dracula 3D (2013)
|
"As he did with his adaptation of "Phantom of the Opera," Argento offers up a version that plays like a choppy condensation based on hazy memories of the book, then augments it with nudity and gore."
|
Peter Sobczynski
|
|
84%
|
A Touch of Sin (2013)
|
"It's not a pretty picture, but it's a compelling one."
|
Marsha McCreadie
|
|
97%
|
Gravity (2013)
|
"The most surprising and impressive thing about "Gravity" isn't its scale, its suspense, or its sense of wonder; it's that, in its heart, it is not primarily a film about astronauts, or space, or even a specific catastrophe."
|
Matt Zoller Seitz
|
|
8%
|
Runner Runner (2013)
|
""Runner Runner" is the kind of meat-and-potatoes genre picture that might be passable if the people involved in making it had given the same thought and concentration to the development of the plot and the ending as they did to the fairly involving set-up."
|
Dan Callahan
|
|
47%
|
Parkland (2013)
|
""Parkland" expends lots of energy and expertise on re-creating these infamous events, yet it is so lacking in narrative purpose that many viewers are likely to leave muttering, "Okay...but so what?""
|
Godfrey Cheshire
|
|
85%
|
We Are What We Are (2013)
|
"One of the more remarkable horror films of late-one that does not rely on sudden shocks or outrageous gore to get under the skin of its viewers."
|
Peter Sobczynski
|
|
78%
|
Metallica Through the Never (2013)
|
"A gigantic spectacle, a virtual-reality experience that is both ridiculous and sublime, sometimes in the same moment."
|
Sheila O'Malley
|
|
59%
|
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)
|
"The world of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" is a cleverly-conceived one, the design of the film is engaging on all levels, and the voice cast is great. It's the story that fails to engage beyond the glittering surface."
|
Brian Tallerico
|
|
94%
|
Muscle Shoals (2013)
|
"It might have functioned even better as an hour-long TV documentary. But with such great music coming, one hit after after another, it's always a joy to watch."
|
Christy Lemire
|
|
43%
|
Wedding Palace (2013)
|
"Yoo finds room for all of the obligatory bad first dates and fantasy sequences, montages and misunderstandings, a wisecracking best friend and overbearing parents. It doesn't appear that she means any of this ironically, or as parody."
|
Christy Lemire
|
|
91%
|
Inequality For All (2013)
|
"If you like your movie stars to be smart, engaging, well-spoken, self-deprecating and Danny DeVito-size, you couldn't do much better than this leading authority on economics who served under presidents Ford, Carter and Clinton."
|
Susan Wloszczyna
|
|
82%
|
Don Jon (2013)
|
"Hearing the star of "Who's the Boss?" drop about 500 f-bombs is one of the film's few pleasures."
|
Odie Henderson
|
|
18%
|
Baggage Claim (2013)
|
""Baggage Claim" is so archaic in its depiction of feminine self-worth-and, frankly, so insulting-it's amazing that it's coming out in 2013, not 1963."
|
Christy Lemire
|
|
81%
|
The Wind Rises (Kaze tachinu) (2014)
|
"It is not enchanting or charming enough to be recommended, and its story and characters are less engaging compared to the memorably colorful or complex characters we encountered in [Miyazaki's] other works."
|
Seongyong Cho
|
|
67%
|
Haute Cuisine (2013)
|
"This movie keeps up a vigorous pace and carries you along on the force of its self-confidence."
|
Hank Sartin
|
|
60%
|
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013)
|
"This is a rare case where, if a film had been livelier and less traditional and "respectful," its lead performance might have seemed less special."
|
Danny Bowes
|
|
89%
|
After Tiller (2013)
|
""After Tiller" takes the politically divisive, emotionally charged issue of late-term abortions and portrays it with grace, understatement and humanity."
|
Christy Lemire
|
|
5%
|
Battle of the Year (2013)
|
"The movie's inability to showcase its greatest asset, the grace and control of its dancers, is its most conspicuous failing."
|
Simon Abrams
|
|
50%
|
Thanks For Sharing (2013)
|
"You can admire the skill that has gone into the shaping of these scenes while also rejecting their ultimate aim."
|
Dan Callahan
|
|
71%
|
C.O.G. (2013)
|
"People who approach it as a film in its own right, with its own rhythms and goals and pleasures, will be amply rewarded."
|
Dan Callahan
|
|
88%
|
Rush (2013)
|
"It was immediately apparent that there was a slick formulaic surface clinging to this cinematic road trip. And for me, that was a turnoff."
|
Susan Wloszczyna
|
|
81%
|
Prisoners (2013)
|
"Aspects of "Prisoners" are effective, but for the most part it's rather ridiculous (despite the fact that it clearly wants to be taken super-seriously), and there's an overwrought quality to much of the acting."
|
Sheila O'Malley
|
|
14%
|
The Colony (2013)
|
"The filmmakers' aversion to any hint of storytelling originality means that the main impression "The Colony" leaves is one of almost stupefying over-familiarity."
|
Godfrey Cheshire
|
|
51%
|
A Single Shot (2013)
|
"An odd mix of beautifully bleak atmosphere and hammily mannered performances, "A Single Shot" is simultaneously understated and overpowering."
|
Christy Lemire
|
|
67%
|
Newlyweeds (2013)
|
"It's a special movie. Odd, disjointed and not entirely coherent, but special."
|
Matt Zoller Seitz
|
|
95%
|
Enough Said (2013)
|
"Gandolfini ... allows us to forget the ugly temper and sadistic tendencies of his most famous creation while lending Louis-Dreyfus some of his teddy-bear warmth."
|
Susan Wloszczyna
|
|
95%
|
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
|
"As he does in his roles, Stanton opens himself up to the camera in a way that has the indelible stamp of truth, an almost fragile sense of honesty."
|
Sheila O'Malley
|
|
83%
|
The Patience Stone (2013)
|
"The details of the woman's life are like a crash course in the sociology of a country living through turmoil ..."
|
Hank Sartin
|
|
100%
|
Jodorowsky's Dune (2014)
|
"The documentary suggests the collaborations and creative ferment Jodorowsky fostered leave a legacy that lasts to this day."
|
Ben Kenigsberg
|
|
44%
|
Blind Detective (Man Tam) ()
|
"It's about as light-hearted and goofy as they come, but also disorganized, chaotic, and lacking much of the cohesive sense of style and vision that normally characterizes a To film. "
|
Barbara Scharres
|
|
70%
|
Like Father, Like Son (2013)
|
"Kore-eda's plots are simple and direct; one could almost say childlike. It's how the ending is achieved in emotional terms that matters."
|
Barbara Scharres
|
|
95%
|
Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013)
|
"The trajectory of life in "Blue Is the Warmest Color" is grounded in the normalcy of the ordinary, and Kechiche depicts love of any persuasion as the stuff of everyday."
|
Barbara Scharres
|
|
94%
|
Only Lovers Left Alive ()
|
"I can't even think where to start in trying to cut him some slack on "Only Lovers Left Alive," which is a priggish film full of in-group references that will provide a-ha moments for those in the know."
|
Barbara Scharres
|
|
92%
|
Sample This (2013)
|
"For a documentary filled with such joyous, danceable beats, there's still a note of sadness playing through Sample This."
|
Odie Henderson
|
|
84%
|
Blue Caprice (2013)
|
"The end product is a psychological thriller that's light on thrills and psychology."
|
Matt Zoller Seitz
|
|
33%
|
Jayne Mansfield's Car (2013)
|
"With its sprawling array of characters and anecdotal, ramshackle structure, [the film] feels more like a collection of interrelated short stories cobbled into an flavorful but ultimately unwieldy narrative."
|
Godfrey Cheshire
|
|
33%
|
The Family (2013)
|
"The Family is a pretty uneven film, lurching from comedy to violence to sentiment, but it's best when it sticks in the realm of flat-out farce."
|
Sheila O'Malley
|
|
64%
|
Herb & Dorothy 50x50 (2013)
|
"As the saying goes, I may not know art, but I know what I like. I like this movie."
|
Peter Sobczynski
|
|
58%
|
GMO OMG (2013)
|
"This is a David-vs.-Goliath movie, but David's aim is so spotty that Goliath has nothing to fear."
|
Simon Abrams
|
|
35%
|
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
|
"Insidious: Chapter 2 is a puzzle movie with too many unnecessary pieces and not enough essential ones, but it's superior to its predecessor in a few basic ways."
|
Simon Abrams
|
|
96%
|
Mother Of George (2013)
|
"A stunningly imagined account of African immigrant life in present-day Brooklyn."
|
Godfrey Cheshire
|
|
——
|
Plush (2013)
|
"It feels so inauthentic at every turn, it's as if the film itself is unsure of what it's supposed to be. "
|
Christy Lemire
|
