|
92%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
|
"A supremely creative and original horror/comedy that goes in some genuinely shocking directions."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
87%
|
Bully (2012)
|
"Tackles a worthy subject and has its heart in the right place, but it's still highly problematic for a variety of reasons."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
44%
|
American Reunion (2012)
|
"A pretty transparent nostalgia exercise that never veers from formula and takes no risks. But it's still exceptionally funny and enjoyable."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
50%
|
Mirror Mirror (2012)
|
"While it sports fine chemistry between its leads and a unique, creative look, it's considerably uneven and not especially memorable. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
85%
|
The Hunger Games (2012)
|
"Lawrence and the character she plays are excellent. But the movie's story is told poorly, too slowly and with little momentum"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
67%
|
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012)
|
"It's one part romantic comedy, one part nature travelogue, one part globalization parable and one part cynical, "In the Loop"-style British political satire. In all, it's inoffensive but rather forgettable. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
44%
|
Casa de mi padre (2012)
|
"Won't join the list of Ferrell's best films, but it's very funny and a worthy diversion. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
59%
|
Wanderlust (2012)
|
"Wildly uneven, and based around a bunch of things- hippies, hallucinogens, nudity, ostentatious single-character scenery-chewing - that aren't nearly as hilarious as the filmmakers think they are"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
74%
|
Rampart (2012)
|
"It's not competently directed, and the plot is convoluted, but Harrelson's turn makes it worthwhile almost all by itself. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
26%
|
This Means War (2012)
|
"A bottom-feeding mess. Everyone involved has done much better work and would likely like to forget about this "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
86%
|
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
|
"A very impressive bit of storytelling and style that only steps wrongly in its final third."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
77%
|
War Horse (2011)
|
"Some great moments but most of them, as well as the film's other major themes and elements - have been done previously, and better, by Spielberg"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
72%
|
Carnage (2011)
|
"A deeply uncomfortable yet very funny film, featuring a quartet of standout performances."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
75%
|
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
|
"A highly impressive technical and visual achievement that unfortunately has very little to offer in the plot and character departments."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
80%
|
Young Adult (2011)
|
"What's missing is any semblance of a compelling story, as well as the wit and humanity that marked Reitman's first three pictures. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
93%
|
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011)
|
"One of the year's biggest surprises: a third sequel to a franchise whose heyday is long in the past, featuring a star who's pushing 50 and a director who's not even supposed to be able to do live action."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
80%
|
Shame (2011)
|
"One of the year's best, thanks to a dynamite performance from Michael Fassbender and an aesthetic and storytelling approach that are boldly, refreshingly unconventional. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
22%
|
The Sitter (2011)
|
"A truly odious and repugnant comedy, the first I can remember in which I spent the entire running time rooting for the hero to get arrested."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
73%
|
Like Crazy (2011)
|
"Tells a thin and wispy story about shallow, underdeveloped characters about whom I had a lot of trouble caring."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
96%
|
The Muppets (2011)
|
"A loving, faithful and very entertaining adaptation that gets what the Muppets are about and why people love them."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
94%
|
Hugo (2011)
|
"Probably the first kids film in history to double as a propaganda film for the cause of classic film preservation. And I mean that in the nicest possible way."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
89%
|
The Descendants (2011)
|
"A heartbreaking story with satisfying emotional payoffs, and truly beautiful Hawaiian photography."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
44%
|
J. Edgar (2011)
|
"Goes wrong in just about every way that a biopic can go wrong. Plenty of wrong choices, starting with the makeup"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
69%
|
Tower Heist (2011)
|
"There's really no reason to go see Tower Heist when you can watch Ocean's Eleven on TNT again."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
98%
|
The Artist (2011)
|
"A lovingly shot, beautifully realized love letter to cinema history."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
50%
|
The Rum Diary (2011)
|
"Boasts a highly impressive cast and contains some great touches, but it's too long by a half hour and meanders severely in its second half. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
47%
|
The Mighty Macs (2011)
|
"The filmmakers may as well have taken the screenplay of Hoosiers and just made a few edits, changing the decade from the '50s to the '70s and the male characters into women. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
85%
|
The Ides of March (2011)
|
"An engaging, well-acted and very entertaining political thriller, but doesn't have a whole lot to say about its ostensible subject. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
40%
|
The Big Year (2011)
|
"Well-made, well-acted and at times very touching, despite featuring characters generally behaving like obsessed weirdos"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
93%
|
50/50 (2011)
|
"A near-great movie made out of the hardest-to-thread, most oxymoronic genre imaginable - "cancer comedy.""
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
25%
|
Killer Elite (2011)
|
"A solid, but mostly forgettable, thriller that has an intriguing plot and solid cast going for it, but isn't particularly well-made."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
95%
|
Moneyball (2011)
|
"It's the movie baseball hot stove and transaction junkies have been waiting for their entire lives. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
85%
|
Contagion (2011)
|
"Gets off to a very strong start, but eventually gets bogged down in questionable plotting and weak characterization. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
76%
|
The Debt (2011)
|
"Sports an intriguing premise and uniformly strong performances, but its second act is mediocre and its third act even worse, and it can't help but pale in comparison to Munich"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
24%
|
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
|
"While not lacking for lamentations from women or anybody else, primarily concentrates on the "crush your enemies" part. The movie fails because it can't make that gore interesting"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
68%
|
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
|
"Wastes a cast of very talented comedic performers by giving them just about nothing funny to do, and sticking them in a plot in which every character is a moron, a moral monster or both. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
76%
|
The Help (2011)
|
"Simplistic at times, and flirts with manipulation, but it's also a deeply touching and well-acted film. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
45%
|
30 Minutes or Less (2011)
|
"This is no comedy classic, but it delivers plenty of laughs, thanks to a witty script and no less than five very hilarious performances. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
25%
|
The Change-Up (2011)
|
"Seems to believe that bodily fluids and bare breasts are just inherently hilarious, and surrounding them with jokes isn't necessary. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
78%
|
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
|
"A lively, well-acted, deeply honest look at love, family and romance. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
44%
|
Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
|
"In a long summer of mediocre, effects-laden action pictures, Cowboys and Aliens is one of the most mediocre of all."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
79%
|
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
|
"A few flashes of greatness appearing throughout, all but ruined by one of the worst 3D transfers of the year"
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
96%
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011)
|
""A worthy conclusion to the series, providing numerous worthwhile payoffs to J.K. Rowling's wizard saga.""
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
70%
|
Horrible Bosses (2011)
|
"Takes a thin premise and milks it for all its worth, riding a witty script and super-strong cast to comedic glory."
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
38%
|
Cars 2 (2011)
|
"Pixar's first true disaster, which totally fails to understand what was good about the first film, or what's great about Pixar itself. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
|
26%
|
Green Lantern (2011)
|
"The mythology is nonsensical and the plot takes forever to get going. But once it does, the movie takes advantage of a strong cast and a director who knows what he's doing. "
|
Stephen Silver
|
73%
21%
63%
85%
46%
40%
