|
81%
|
Kon Tiki (2013)
|
"The film unfolds with earnest majesty, characterized by sweeping camera moves (shot by Geir Hartly Andreassen) and orchestra swells. But the sheer beauty also creates distance."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
86%
|
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
|
"This is the same Enterprise crew we've known for 40-plus years, but they're just different enough to pop a few surprises on you."
|
Loey Lockerby
|
|
49%
|
The Great Gatsby (2013)
|
"No one will ever accuse Luhrmann of just going through the motions. This production is teeming with cinematic moxie, especially compared to its best-known predecessor: the lethargic Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version from 1974."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
8%
|
The Big Wedding (2013)
|
"It's a movie packed with purportedly smart characters making the sort of absurdly contrived decisions that haven't been seen since "Three's Company" went off the air."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
46%
|
Pain & Gain (2013)
|
""Pain & Gain" is good enough to be disappointing, which represents some kind of progress for Bay."
|
Loey Lockerby
|
|
56%
|
Oblivion (2013)
|
"So much creativity went into the visual design that apparently little was left when crafting the plot."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
94%
|
The Central Park Five (2012)
|
"The Central Park Five takes one of the most sensational crimes of the late 20th century and strips the circus that followed down to its roots. The horrific attack in the woods on that April night 24 years ago was just the beginning."
|
Sara Smith
|
|
77%
|
42 (2013)
|
"While director/writer Brian Helgeland inevitably employs - or fails to avoid - some of the hoariest visual, thematic and structural cliches of sports biopics, the film is surprisingly effective."
|
Robert Trussell
|
|
92%
|
Jurassic Park: An IMAX 3D Experience (2013)
|
""Jurassic Park" is such an impressive technical achievement that it seems churlish to note that it accomplishes this at the expense of more substantive elements."
|
Robert W. Butler
|
|
93%
|
The Sapphires (2013)
|
"A movie with enough melody and camaraderie to cover up its lack of originality."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
62%
|
Evil Dead (2013)
|
"It's never truly scary, but it is spectacularly disgusting, so if that turns you on, prepare to be thrilled beyond measure."
|
Loey Lockerby
|
|
45%
|
On the Road (2012)
|
"If the movie weren't so visually eloquent at evoking post-war America, it might prove unbearable."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
9%
|
The Host (2013)
|
"It offers viewers the choice of Team Hokey or Team Absurd."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
43%
|
Admission (2013)
|
"'Admission' probably began with a clear artistic vision but was compromised along the way. The messy result offers glimpses of greatness dragged down by scenes that are bafflingly tone-deaf."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
67%
|
Stoker (2013)
|
"A beguiling debacle that in its best case scenario might achieve cult status ... or could just as easily fade into obscurity."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
69%
|
The Croods (2013)
|
"The kooky Cage, representing the voice of authority for a change, creates a marvelous character. He's part Mr. Incredible, part Homer Simpson; he's a great warrior limited by his own inflexibility."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
37%
|
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
|
"In a film about people who perform death-defying stunts, the last thing you want to inspire is a yawn."
|
David Frese
|
|
60%
|
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
|
"A long but enjoyable family adventure that is as noisy as it is clever."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
95%
|
West of Memphis (2012)
|
""West of Memphis" becomes a greatest-hits concert of prosecutorial misconduct, and you'll agree when the film asserts that prosecutors knew they had the wrong guys."
|
Sara Smith
|
|
58%
|
Snitch (2013)
|
"An engrossing balance of drama and thriller, "Snitch" introduces a minefield of compromised morality, where every action taken or not taken could lead to a worse predicament for its hero."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
13%
|
Safe Haven (2013)
|
"The film offers an already weird hybrid of love story and police procedural. But the closing creates head-scratching moments that even the cast doesn't quite know how to handle."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
93%
|
Amour (2012)
|
"In many ways, it's a horror film, as the woman descends into helplessness, and - like the audience - the man can only watch. It's a potent piece of filmmaking."
|
David Frese
|
|
20%
|
Identity Thief (2013)
|
"'Identity Thief' is not a great movie. But it is a great vehicle for two terrific actors who drape themselves in material perfectly tailored to them."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
80%
|
Warm Bodies (2013)
|
"A cute if occasionally cheesy love story that manages to tweak zombie lore while raising the bar on Hollywood's supernatural teen romance phase."
|
David Frese
|
|
47%
|
Bullet to the Head (2013)
|
"'Bullet to the Head' may be trashy, but it's never dull."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
79%
|
Quartet (2013)
|
"While the movie touches on issues of aging and self-worth, it's really an excuse to gather some elite British actors and indulge in a musical house party, AARP-style."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
30%
|
Broken City (2013)
|
"A zigzagging thriller that is equally satisfying and forgettable."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
65%
|
Mama (2013)
|
"Can we declare a moratorium on stringy-haired ghost women who make freaky noises?"
|
Loey Lockerby
|
|
32%
|
Gangster Squad (2013)
|
"Watching "Gangster Squad" is like being caught in the middle of a mob war between historical inaccuracy and bad taste."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013)
|
"Director Kathryn Bigelow and her "Hurt Locker" screenwriter, Mark Boal, deftly quilt together disparate events in the almost 10 years between 9/11 and bin Laden's death."
|
David Frese
|
|
51%
|
Promised Land (2013)
|
"Lacking confidence that these didactic speeches will drive its message home, the film throws in a paranoid plot twist from which it never recovers."
|
Ann Lewinson
|
|
38%
|
Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
|
"The film misses a choice opportunity to build a central story around its secondary one."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
81%
|
The Impossible (2012)
|
"Among the most morally and ethically interesting movies to come along in some time."
|
David Frese
|
|
18%
|
Parental Guidance (2012)
|
"This '90s-type family comedy falls into the same traps as most second-tier sitcoms, with eccentric characters and snappy zingers spouted as if cue cards were hovering at the edge of the frame."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
88%
|
Django Unchained (2012)
|
"It's too grueling to enjoy and too sloppy to respect."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
69%
|
Les Misérables (2012)
|
"The actors - particularly Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne - carry the day, despite Hooper's often claustrophobic camera angles and occasional bursts of mincemeat editing."
|
Robert Trussell
|
|
61%
|
Jack Reacher (2012)
|
"There's no spark between the leads. Cruise and Pike look as if they're just saying lines and occasionally talking over one another."
|
David Frese
|
|
52%
|
This is 40 (2012)
|
"It delivers the most laughs of any comedy this year."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
65%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
|
"The film is frequently gorgeous, technologically adventurous and eventually thrilling."
|
David Frese
|
|
4%
|
Playing for Keeps (2012)
|
"It's comforting to know that American culture has progressed to where soccer routinely joins baseball, football and basketball as a backdrop for forgettable romantic comedies."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
63%
|
Hitchcock (2012)
|
""Hitchcock" may be a muddled and shallow portrait of its actual title character, but it shines a much-deserved spotlight on the great woman behind this particular great man."
|
Loey Lockerby
|
|
75%
|
Killing Them Softly (2012)
|
""Killing Them Softly" has style and substance but not much soul and no real center."
|
David Frese
|
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012)
|
"If it's only a play, why should we care?"
|
Ann Lewinson
|
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
|
"David O. Russell's latest entertaining ode to lovable characters you should probably be afraid of. "
|
Loey Lockerby
|
|
88%
|
Life of Pi (2012)
|
"From the CGI to the subject matter, the film contains several layers of fiction, but regardless of your level of belief, "Life of Pi" always feels true."
|
David Frese
|
|
74%
|
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
|
""Rise of the Guardians" is not the first holiday effort to explore this "Polar Express"-style concept, but it's one of the most inventive. "
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
13%
|
Red Dawn (2012)
|
"The flick emphatically caters to the militia groups and secessionists who've installed really cool home theater systems in their bunkers."
|
Jon Niccum
|
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012)
|
"Daniel Day-Lewis is so good in "Lincoln" he makes a $5 bill look phony."
|
David Frese
|
|
48%
|
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)
|
"The changes make for a visceral, satisfying climax. After the ups and downs of previous "Twilight" films, it's good to have the series quit while it's ahead."
|
Sharon Hoffmann
|
|
94%
|
The Sessions (2012)
|
"Most R-rated comedies involve meaningless sex. "The Sessions" is the rare one about meaningful sex."
|
Jon Niccum
|
78%
——
——
85%
45%
40%
