|
98%
|
Before Midnight (2013)
|
"The movie is a great romantic story because it bravely displays the downside of love in which two people can expose each other in the most personal fashion yet still remain committed."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
55%
|
Man of Steel (2013)
|
"While the story may fall apart in the last several minutes, "Man of Steel" connects on a strong emotional and spiritual level, presenting the audience with a man who must come to grips with a destiny that is not of his own choosing."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
85%
|
This Is the End (2013)
|
"The movie is one grand in-joke that smartly lets us in on the gag. These guys don't care if we laugh with them or at them - as long as they can keep us in stitches."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
38%
|
The Purge (2013)
|
"Its ominous tone is consistent throughout its 85-minute duration, and you wish the film were a bit longer with more exposition of the events that shaped this dystopian future."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
11%
|
After Earth (2013)
|
" "After Earth" is a Smith-family vanity project, a home movie foisted on an unsuspecting and gullible public. Maybe next time Will and Jaden want to connect, they should just build a treehouse."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
71%
|
Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
|
"A movie such as this is the great-grandchild of the old-time serial or B-Western where heroes and villains would pummel each other without losing their hats."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
87%
|
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
|
"Yet, wherever "Into Darkness" goes, it is looking over its shoulder, giving its audience knowing nods and winks, encouraging viewers to recall its past instead of concentrating on its here and now."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
50%
|
The Great Gatsby (2013)
|
" "Gatsby" is dazzling and infuriating. Luhrmann goes overboard in portraying the superficiality of the era, pounding it into the audience through loud music and striking colors."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
78%
|
Iron Man 3 (2013)
|
"If it were not for (Robert) Downey (Jr.), "Iron Man 3" would be a total disaster, undermined by a haphazard, disjointed and sloppy plot."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
92%
|
No (2013)
|
" "NO" is an inspirational political drama in which the people are roused by the visual to overcome the vicious. "
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
55%
|
Oblivion (2013)
|
"Which brings us to "Oblivion's" biggest drawback; its lack of originality. The movie borrows from so many sources that you can spend the entire 125 minutes playing "Name That Movie.""
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
68%
|
Trance (2013)
|
"(Rosario) Dawson, in a performance worthy of an Academy Award nomination, reveals Lamb to be a wily fox able to outwit the stronger prey that surrounds her."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
77%
|
42 (2013)
|
""42" is a solid three-bagger of a movie. It is a fitting tribute to a pioneer who, simply because he wanted to play baseball, bore a burden unlike any one else in baseball."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
92%
|
Jurassic Park (1993)
|
"It is as if time has passed the movie by. "Jurassic Park" remains solid entertainment, but the awe and wonder have faded."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
69%
|
The Croods (2013)
|
"A witty and slapstick-laced script by writers-directors Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco, some flawless 3-D work and solid character and beautiful background animation combine for an entertaining 92 minutes."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
41%
|
The Call (2013)
|
"These unilateral changes throw the entire film off-kilter and turns what was an exciting thriller into a ridiculous and clichéd mini-slasher film."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
59%
|
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
|
"Throughout, though, (James) Franco mugs as if in a silent movie and basically acts like a big kid playing dress-up. He is hardly a whiz of a wiz."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
52%
|
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)
|
"Yet, despite reaching incredible heights, the movie never soars. It seems rather pedestrian. (Director Bryan) Singer strains to reach for the grandeur of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but cannot grasp it."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
20%
|
Identity Thief (2013)
|
"What keeps "Identity Thief" from being totally derailed is (Melissa) McCarthy's performance. She is a wonderful physical comedian who can elicit laughs just by running on a highway."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
82%
|
De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone) (2012)
|
"The strength of director Jacques Audiard's film is that he refuses to elicit pity from the audience for his protagonists."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
|
"Writer-director David O. Russell keeps the audience guessing. He takes unexpected twists and turns as if defying you to guess what will come next."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
60%
|
The Last Stand (2013)
|
" "The Last Stand" is pure throwback action genre - with car chases, explosions, enough firepower to arm a Third World nation and enough bloodshed to make Quentin Tarantino smile."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013)
|
"(Jessica) Chastain's powerful performance, for which she deserves a best actress Academy Award, drives the film. She has no private life, no friends. Her obsession drives her."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
81%
|
The Impossible (2012)
|
"You are involved in the family's plight, and you do suffer along with them. But gnawing in the back of your mind is the thought about all those nameless others who lost loved ones or whose stories of survival are probably just as miraculous."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
69%
|
Not Fade Away (2012)
|
" 'Not Fade Away' is as yesterday as eight-track. It works very hard at creating a mood and tempo for an era that is a turning point for most baby boomers."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
51%
|
Promised Land (2013)
|
"Sadly, "Promised Land" ... chooses to take the lazy road and simply become another member of the liberal posse that finds it easier to place a black hat on big business than to have an adult discussion about complex issues."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
88%
|
Django Unchained (2012)
|
"Perhaps I have an askew view of the world or an odd sense of humor, but I found "Django Unchained" to be the funniest Western parody since "Blazing Saddles.""
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
69%
|
Les Misérables (2012)
|
"Director Tom Hooper has traded the soaring voices of the stage presentation for a concept incorporating dramatic interpretations of the songs that, while not as vocally exhilarating as Broadway, makes this transition more cinematically palatable."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
38%
|
Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
|
""Hyde Park" lacks a solid focus. It juggles too many stories, so much so that it becomes a distraction and you quickly lose interest."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
52%
|
This is 40 (2012)
|
"Comedic moments are plentiful, but most are not the laugh-out-loud kind; they are more the smile or nod of self-recognition that longtime married couples will appreciate."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
65%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
|
"Sad to say, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a pale shadow trying to reach the sun on the strength of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
84%
|
Smashed (2012)
|
"Mary Elizabeth Winstead's vulnerability, turmoil and pain as she faces the challenges of beginning a new life without the crutch of booze are heartbreaking as well as courageous."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
63%
|
Anna Karenina (2012)
|
"(Director Joe) Wright's cinematic choices, unfortunately, keep viewers at arm's length instead of drawing them into the story."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
63%
|
Hitchcock (2012)
|
"The film is more of a tale of artistic expression vs. the 1950s' status quo, with Hitch, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, pushing the boundaries of what is considered - and mandated - as good taste by the industry's powers-that-be."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
88%
|
Life of Pi (2012)
|
"Director Ang Lee has crafted an imaginative tale in which he takes viewers on an amazing journey, while we simultaneously question our perception of reality."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
13%
|
Red Dawn (2012)
|
"The new "Red Dawn" is a simplified, dumbed-down version of the 1984 original. Gone are the few political nuances Milius peppered through his script."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012)
|
"(Daniel) Day-Lewis forges a Lincoln who is a tower of strength, a man who, while others look to the here and now, sees 50 or 100 years ahead."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
48%
|
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)
|
"Ironically, Kristen Stewart shows more life and spark dead than she did alive in four previous movies as the vapid Bella."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012)
|
" "Skyfall" will take its place among the best of the movies in the 50-year Bond franchise. It is a transitional film, introducing new characters while bidding a sad farewell to some veterans."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
86%
|
Wreck-it Ralph (2012)
|
"The movie's retro sensibilities will appeal to adults, while the colorful games and characters, as well as the simplicity of the story, will hold the attention of young viewers."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
53%
|
Simon and the Oaks (2012)
|
"So much is thrown at the audience, it makes it difficult to focus or choose the important points in this sprawling story."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
67%
|
Cloud Atlas (2012)
|
" "Cloud Atlas" is a movie that takes patience and concentration to fully appreciate."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
33%
|
Little Red Wagon (2012)
|
" "Little Red Wagon" almost seems better suited for a made-for-TV, Lifetime movie."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
88%
|
The Other Dream Team (2012)
|
" "The Other Dream Team" is a saga of hope, courage and overcoming adversity and how a sport and its players helped a nation rekindle its voice and place on the world stage. "
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
39%
|
Here Comes the Boom (2012)
|
" "Here Comes the Boom" plays it smart through appealing to its audience by acting like the class clown."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
96%
|
Argo (2012)
|
"Argo" is a superb drama from a conscientious actor-director who tells his story in a taut, straightforward manner without any gimmicks or tricks."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
75%
|
Chicken with Plums (2012)
|
"Directors Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi use various cinematic tricks to examine their protagonist and his life. Voice-over narration, animation and music are a few of the options with which they compose their narration."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
87%
|
Frankenweenie (2012)
|
"A sense of youthful joy and lightness, missing from many recent Burton works, engulfs "Frankenweenie," despite its dark subject matter."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
96%
|
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
|
"Searching for Sugar Man" is a saga about the power of music, living life on one's own terms and the joy of second chances."
|
Bob Bloom
|
|
52%
|
Trouble with the Curve (2012)
|
""Trouble With the Curve" is an entertaining and enjoyable movie. It just doesn't say anything new about either baseball or parent-child relationships that we haven't seen before."
|
Bob Bloom
|
72%
77%
61%
52%
26%
4%
