The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Matthew Lucas
Rating Title/Year Author
2/4 Lone Survivor (2013) Matthew Lucas Feels more like a military recruitment commercial than an actual film, filled with superficial displays of patriotism. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
2/4 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) Matthew Lucas Formless, unwieldy, and ultimately disappointing. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3/4 Frozen (2013) Matthew Lucas Disney still has the magic and charm to turn out something wonderful, and Frozen is a delightful animated treat for the whole family. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3/4 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Matthew Lucas What sets The Hunger Games apart from other blockbusters of its type is how it doesn't use its violence as a crutch. It actually makes us feel the loss of its victims. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
4/4 12 Years a Slave (2013) Matthew Lucas Too often have [slavery's] horrors been whitewashed in popular culture, but here at last McQueen lays them bare through the eyes and words of a man who experienced the unthinkable. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3.5/4 Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) Matthew Lucas An incisive look at the burning fire of first love, and the ache and devastation of its fading. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3/4 Ender's Game (2013) Matthew Lucas Offers enough challenging ethical material for its target audience that it should be celebrated for asking these questions in the first place. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3.5/4 Captain Phillips (2013) Matthew Lucas Mainstream films this good deserve to be celebrated, because they don't come along nearly as often as they should. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3.5/4 Gravity (2013) Matthew Lucas A wondrous experience, a space epic on a grand and rare scale that is one of this year's can't miss films. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
2/4 Rush (2013) Matthew Lucas It's bland and unmemorable where it should be fresh and exhilarating, and despite some fine period design and nifty cinematography. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3.5/4 Prisoners (2013) Matthew Lucas A slow burning powder keg of mystery and emotion that winds up the audience and never lets it go. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3.5/4 The Grandmaster (2013) Matthew Lucas An intoxicating exploration of love and honor, and Wong's finest film since his 2001 masterpiece, In the Mood for Love. EDIT
Posted Jun 9, 2019
3/4 Blue Jasmine (2013) Matthew Lucas It's the kind of performance Oscars are made of, but beyond any thought of awards or accolades, Blanchett delivers a once-in-a-lifetime kind of achievement. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) Matthew Lucas It's an odd, uneven film, but there is a lot to like here. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
1.5/4 Elysium (2013) Matthew Lucas The action sequences are so frenetically edited that they lack cohesion, leaving the film without a narrative drive. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Fruitvale Station (2013) Matthew Lucas It's a rough sit, sometimes unpleasant, and ultimately deeply painful, but somehow an essential watch. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 The Wolverine (2013) Matthew Lucas is a refreshing change of pace for a superhero film to directly deal with the emotional fallout of its predecessor. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Pacific Rim (2013) Matthew Lucas The love for these films is evident, and Del Toro makes us love them, too, through the sheer force of his enthusiasm. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 The Lone Ranger (2003) Matthew Lucas Often patently ridiculous, with plenty of outrageous stunts and off the wall humor, but that's part of its singular charm. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 The Heat (2013) Matthew Lucas The main appeal here is clearly the two leads, and indeed Bullock and McCarthy are a comedic dream team. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Monsters University (2013) Matthew Lucas A decent enough way to pass the time, but it pales in comparison to the modern classics that Pixar has delivered before. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Man of Steel (2013) Matthew Lucas An event movie that is actually an event. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2/4 Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Matthew Lucas As if everyone involved was just going through the motions, playing Star Trek dress-up but ignoring the true essence of what they're trying to embody. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
4/4 To the Wonder (2012) Matthew Lucas A mesmerizing, haunting work of immense beauty and insight, a film that is constantly alive, pulsing with feeling and emotion in every frame. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 The Great Gatsby (2013) Matthew Lucas It retains the raw power of the original story without sacrificing thematic intimacy, and that is a rare achievement indeed. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Iron Man 3 (2013) Matthew Lucas This is biggest, boldest Iron Man yet. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Oblivion (2013) Matthew Lucas A wholly satisfying post-apocalyptic adventure that blazes new trails while channeling some of the greatest science-fiction films of all time. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
4/4 Jurassic Park (1993) Matthew Lucas Just as magical now as it was 20 years ago. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
4/4 Spring Breakers (2012) Matthew Lucas Finds transcendence in trash, wallowing in the basest instincts of human nature to create a mesmerizing and frightening portrait of a world gone mad and innocence destroyed. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2/4 The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) Matthew Lucas Like its titular character, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is all promise and no payoff. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2/4 Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) Matthew Lucas There's not an honest, human moment in the entire film. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) Matthew Lucas There's nothing ground-breaking here by any means, but Singer has beefed up a classic tale into an entertaining family adventure. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Dark Skies (2013) Matthew Lucas Puts a new spin on a tired subgenre. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Side Effects (2013) Matthew Lucas An engaging and deeply pleasurable nail-biter done without compromises. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Bullet to the Head (2012) Matthew Lucas Much like its star, it's a film from another era, and at its heart pulses a steely verve that is sorely missing in many modern action films. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Matthew Lucas A perfect storm of great writing and expert performances working in tandem, a rare romantic comedy with both a heart and a brain that rings painfully and beautifully true. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 The Last Stand (2013) Matthew Lucas Serves as both an entertaining action film and a sort of exploration of tried and true values still operating in a modern world. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Matthew Lucas This is crackerjack filmmaking, at once thrilling and deeply felt, a gripping CIA procedural that shows us what great movies are all about. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2/4 Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) Matthew Lucas If there is such a thing as Oscar porn, then Hyde Park on Hudson is as obscene as they come. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Les Misérables (2012) Matthew Lucas This is the kind of show that demands to be seen live, and no amount of cinematic spectacle can replace a Broadway production. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) Matthew Lucas A grand cinematic spectacle that demands our full surrender but doesn't overwhelm its simple tale of courage with its spectacular special effects. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Anna Karenina (2012) Matthew Lucas Its nearly flawless craft is done at the expense of the story rather than in service of it, and that I think is its fatal mistake. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Life of Pi (2012) Matthew Lucas Lee imbues the film with remarkable grace, even when its imagery threatens to overwhelm it. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 Lincoln (2012) Matthew Lucas A haunting performance that is one of Lewis' finest in a career filled with towering achievements, proving yet again that he is arguably our greatest living actor. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Skyfall (2012) Matthew Lucas A hugely entertaining adventure that takes Bond into previously uncharted territory, giving us everything we have come to expect from the 007 films and more. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Flight (2012) Matthew Lucas Even amidst the depths of personal despair, Zemeckis maintains a light touch, interjecting moments of humor that keep the film entertaining and not as ponderous as it could have been. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Cloud Atlas (2012) Matthew Lucas Tykwer and the Wachowskis clearly aimed for the stars, and while the final product ultimately falls short, there is still quite a bit to admire in the failure of their epic folly. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
2.5/4 Sinister (2012) Matthew Lucas Bughuul is perhaps one of the most terrifying horror villains in recent memory, even though he has relatively little screen time. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3.5/4 Argo (2012) Matthew Lucas Both a riveting spy thriller and an emotionally engaging piece of historical filmmaking. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019
3/4 Frankenweenie (2012) Matthew Lucas A gothic comedy for youngsters, mixing Burton's love of the macabre with a decidedly gentler bent. Frankenweenie finds Burton squarely in his element. EDIT
Posted Jun 8, 2019