|
76%
|
Dead Man's Burden (2013)
|
"Moshé immediately establishes an unforgiving milieu for his moody, minimalist Western."
|
Curtis Woloschuk
|
|
78%
|
Pieta (2013)
|
"Kim has a very specific wringer he intends to usher his pawns through and a particular course he's plotted to it. Consequently, a complex, troubling character study slowly becomes a borderline conventional narrative."
|
Curtis Woloschuk
|
|
87%
|
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
|
"For Trekkies, Abrams' film is part two of an extended, mostly pleasurable exercise in alternate reality resonance -- it's like film fan fiction, minus the slash-fic component."
|
Michael Burgin
|
|
73%
|
Love Is All You Need (2013)
|
"Overall Love is all you need for a feel-good viewing experience that's enjoyable without feeling superficial."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
71%
|
The Source Family (2013)
|
"There seem to be many missed opportunities for some excitement in a bland film."
|
Joan Radell
|
|
68%
|
The Iceman (2013)
|
"Despite the film's flaws, it's Shannon's take on Richard Kuklinski's duality -- as a brutal, amoral killer who insists on sending his two girls to Catholic school -- that's most fascinating to watch."
|
Christine N. Ziemba
|
|
50%
|
The Great Gatsby (2013)
|
"It may never come close to what you've read, but you'll definitely see something new."
|
Jeremy Mathews
|
|
80%
|
Something in the Air (2013)
|
"Part of Something in the Air's charm is that director Olivier Assayas looks at this tumultuous time with a sense of understanding and empathy."
|
Monica Castillo
|
|
78%
|
Iron Man 3 (2013)
|
"Though Iron Man 3 is a better constructed film than its predecessor, ultimately it succeeds for the same reason the first two films did -- Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark."
|
Michael Burgin
|
|
51%
|
Post Tenebras Lux (2013)
|
"If greeted with enough openness and interest, Post Tenebras Lux's seemingly incoherent string of scenes reveals itself as a carefully executed emotional structure that begs for, and rewards, repeated viewings."
|
Joe Peeler
|
|
77%
|
42 (2013)
|
"42 delivers a powerful story, adding one more crucial piece to the puzzle that is American history. But as for a fleshed-out biopic that provides more pieces to the puzzle that was Jackie Robinson, the man? For that, you'll have to wait."
|
Shannon M. Houston
|
|
81%
|
Kon Tiki (2013)
|
"Hagen's performance shows an unblinking determination that makes every near-death moment more unpredictable."
|
Jeremy Mathews
|
|
88%
|
Upstream Color (2013)
|
"If Shane Carruth's time-traveling debut Primer was about outthinking what you might do in the future, his second movie, Upstream Color, is about deciphering why you feel the way you do right now."
|
Joe Peeler
|
|
99%
|
Mud (2013)
|
"Mud combines the poignance of a boy coming to terms with life's realities with the excitement of top-notch suspense."
|
Jeremy Mathews
|
|
84%
|
Graceland (2013)
|
"Take the worst day you've ever had at your job and multiply it by ten. That still probably won't compare with the day that Marlon Villar (Arnold Reyes) is having in Graceland."
|
Matt Shiverdecker
|
|
8%
|
The Big Wedding (2013)
|
"Yet another comedy about a wacky weekend wedding for wealthy WASPs."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
45%
|
Filly Brown (2013)
|
"The movie works best as a showcase for Rodriguez, transcending its simplistic script and clichéd plot in snatches -- when its leading lady is at the mike and especially in the film's final awkward family reunion."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
77%
|
André Gregory: Before and After Dinner (2013)
|
"As in My Dinner with Andre, Gregory comes across as a man who may not have all the answers, but never stops asking the right questions."
|
Curt Holman
|
|
56%
|
How to Grow a Band (2012)
|
"Mark Meatto's How To Grow A Band is masterful filmmaking that takes the audience where they need to go."
|
Joan Radell
|
|
51%
|
At Any Price (2013)
|
""At Any Price" is consistently gentle and affectionate toward its characters but, sadly, it's also director Ramin Bahrani's least affecting film."
|
Tim Grierson
|
|
76%
|
It's a Disaster (2013)
|
"While Berger's approach to satire and social commentary is somewhat scattershot, his reference-heavy dialogue is sharp enough to allow each cast member to make an impression."
|
Curtis Woloschuk
|
|
88%
|
The Angels' Share (2013)
|
"The Angels' Share is a stellar bit of activist cinema with a light touch."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
67%
|
Disconnect (2013)
|
"A dramatic triptych of loosely connected stories that mostly avoids the pitfalls of an easy target with solid work from all involved."
|
Dan Kaufman
|
|
42%
|
To The Wonder (2013)
|
"Frankly, To The Wonder becomes bogged and down and more than a little bit boring over the course of its two hours."
|
Jonah Flicker
|
|
55%
|
Oblivion (2013)
|
"Even if Oblivion comes up short of being the insta-classic sci-fi masterpiece it so clearly aspires to be, it doesn't miss by much. It may not "wow" a generation -- but it will certainly entertain many of them."
|
Michael Burgin
|
|
73%
|
Iron Man 2 (2010)
|
"The most cynical and calculating part of it all is that the movie never really finds a justification for its existence; except, that is, as a bald-faced setup for The Avengers."
|
Michael Saba
|
|
81%
|
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
|
"Like the special effects, the characters are sketched out in tiresome cinematic shorthand, as if to reassure the viewer that this joyride really isn't worth thinking too hard about."
|
Michael Saba
|
|
93%
|
Iron Man (2008)
|
"Indeed, the entire script is a thing of beauty. Stark possesses a bone-dry sense of humor that reveals itself throughout the film."
|
Patrick Rollens
|
|
96%
|
Persepolis (2007)
|
"Equal parts contrarian and humanist, Persepolis -- regardless of how it was inked -- refuses to see anything in black and white."
|
Jesse Jarnow
|
|
75%
|
Simon Killer (2013)
|
"Simon Killer leaves you uneasy long before you wonder if Simon will get caught or find a conscience for his crimes, both real and imagined."
|
Billy Tatum
|
|
76%
|
No Place On Earth (2013)
|
"In No Place on Earth, director Janet Tobias explores this profound discovery, shedding light on a incredible story of endurance."
|
Cameron McAllister
|
|
55%
|
The Company You Keep (2013)
|
"Rather than illuminating hard truths about decisions made in the context of domestic oppression and uprising, the film instead bogs itself down in ambiguous moralizing, voiding the audience's ability to root for any interest or character."
|
Tyler Chase
|
|
59%
|
Detour (2013)
|
"Despite doubling as a plausibility-straining endorsement for the battery life of Apple's iPhone, Dickerson's claustrophobic survival thriller proves itself a technically proficient, expertly paced affair."
|
Scott Wold
|
|
50%
|
Hemingway & Gellhorn (2013)
|
"Certainly one expects as bit more from the likes of director Philip Kaufman."
|
Mark Rozeman
|
|
82%
|
The Place Beyond The Pines (2013)
|
"In a bold follow-up to his controversially rated, critically lauded Blue Valentine, Derek Cianfrance continues his exploration of family ties with The Place Beyond the Pines."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
70%
|
Wrong (2013)
|
"This isn't a long film, but it lacks propulsion at times. Luckily, it maintains its wry outlook and never quite erases the good will that its best moments inspire."
|
Jeremy Mathews
|
|
96%
|
Blancanieves (2013)
|
"A visual feast, a musical masterpiece and a heartbreaking romance."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
94%
|
Room 237 (2013)
|
"Confounding, eye-opening, and often hilarious."
|
Norm Schrager
|
|
27%
|
The Brass Teapot (2013)
|
"The story is set up and unfolds in a very subtle, nuanced manner that enriches each reveal."
|
Leland Montgomery
|
|
62%
|
Evil Dead (2013)
|
"For those unfamiliar with the original films, this latest Evil Dead serves well enough as a neatly packaged, delightfully repulsive gore fest."
|
Michael Burgin
|
|
43%
|
Admission (2013)
|
"Admission never gives its world-class players the opportunity to do anything but sit on the sidelines while the film goes in circles, trying to find a consistent tone without ever getting out of its own way."
|
Tyler Chase
|
|
37%
|
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
|
"One of the most disappointing aspects of the whole thing is that you really want to like the movie."
|
Tyler Chase
|
|
52%
|
The Playroom (2013)
|
"In the tradition of The Ice Storm, The Playroom revisits 1970s suburbia, when the chilly civility between husband and Stepford wife bumps up against the sexual revolution."
|
Annlee Ellingson
|
|
67%
|
Stoker (2013)
|
"As fascinating as it is frustrating, Stoker boasts all the potential for the making of a great film. Instead, it settles for merely being an admirable one."
|
Mark Rozeman
|
|
79%
|
Reality (2013)
|
"That may not be a new thesis but Garrone portrays it beautifully -- from the first God-like view from a helicopter to the film's denouement."
|
Will McCord
|
|
65%
|
Starbuck (2013)
|
"This is a feel-good movie about a man who made himself feel good a lot."
|
Will McCord
|
|
91%
|
Gimme The Loot (2013)
|
"Much more grownup than it looks, Gimme the Loot is that rare teen-centric film whose brisk pace is unburdened by sentimentality."
|
Monica Castillo
|
|
30%
|
Emperor (2013)
|
"This is a movie that tries to be that great war film, as well as a star-crossed romance and a political thriller, without really succeeding on any front."
|
Tyler Chase
|
|
69%
|
The Croods (2013)
|
"It doesn't add up to much more than easily digestible family fare, but this is a caveman's approach to animation -- minimal sophistication with physical aspects that can be breathtaking."
|
Tyler Chase
|
|
66%
|
Spring Breakers (2013)
|
"Ultimately, Korine's latest proves a pointless trip through spring break hell."
|
Will McCord
|
75%
22%
67%
85%
46%
40%
