|
A-
|
(undefined)
|
Alan Sepinwall
|
This is an absolute: Top of the Lake is great.
Posted Nov 16, 2021
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe
(2011)
|
Alan Sepinwall
|
Campbell's got the charisma and self-deprecating sense of humor to carry a whole film. We know that. But the Sam presented here isn't nearly as much fun as Campbell gets to be on the show.
Posted Nov 16, 2018
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Loved Ones
(2009)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
If you like horror that pulls no punches, this one's worth the effort to track it down and check it out.
Posted Jan 08, 2018
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Zootopia
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Zootopia is a reminder of just how beautiful animated films can be. Holy cow, this thing is almost hallucinatory.
Posted Dec 30, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A-
|
The Birth of a Nation
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
The Birth of a Nation is a vibrant, furious piece of work, and the fact that it seems extra-relevant right now should be seen as a failure of our culture, not as a calculated move by Nate Parker or his collaborators.
Posted Oct 04, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Snowden
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Snowden has a secret weapon, and it's one that I wasn't expecting: a fully-engaged and on-his-game Oliver Stone.
Posted Sep 19, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Blair Witch
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
It feels like a real test of Wingard and Barrett's ability to cross over into a bigger commercial world, and the movie is as good a Blair Witch film as anyone could have faithfully delivered.
Posted Sep 19, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
C
|
Sully
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
I can imagine all of the good impulses that went into the decision to make Sully, but none of that matters when the film is as resolutely limp as this one.
Posted Sep 13, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Southside With You
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Southside With You is quietly romantic, but more than that, it burns with a deep sense of optimism.
Posted Aug 26, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
Kubo and the Two Strings
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
It may be a little melancholy for younger viewers, but that could simply be an opportunity to talk to kids about how life does not always give us what we expect, especially when it comes to the people in our lives.
Posted Aug 19, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Strange Brew
(1983)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Overall, I'm not sure anyone picking up Strange Brew cold right now without any prior exposure to the characters would even be able to tell what they're looking at. I still find it entertaining, and I love Rick Moranis in the film in particular.
Posted Aug 17, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
Pete's Dragon
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Our best fables and fairy tales are the ones that speak truth, and this version of Pete's Dragon easily takes its place on any short list of the great films for young audiences as a result.
Posted Aug 17, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
C
|
The Sea of Trees
(2015)
|
Gregory Ellwood
|
[Matthew McConaughey] recent work has demonstrated that he's a man of many talents but even he can't transform a beat that feels so tedious, unnecessary and, sadly, clichéd into a moment that should be powerful and heartbreaking.
Posted Aug 16, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Trust
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
It's a smart, well-observed piece, and it has a jet black sense of humor that makes it feel like something special. It's very small, and because of that, it feels very focused.
Posted Aug 16, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A-
|
Sausage Party
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Sausage Party is obviously the product of diseased minds, and I love it.
Posted Aug 09, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B-
|
The Mind's Eye
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
"The Mind's Eye" isn't trying to redefine a genre or stand outside it; this is mean-and-potatoes genre filmmaking, and the more straightforward, the more fun it is.
Posted Aug 03, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Suicide Squad
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
It is gleefully nihilistic, and it takes a different approach to what has become a fairly familiar story form at this point, right at the moment when it feels like superhero movies either have to evolve or die.
Posted Aug 02, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
C
|
Jason Bourne
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
I'm always happy to see Gregg Henry show up in a film, but his appearance doesn't negate what a missed opportunity this feels like in the end.
Posted Jul 27, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B-
|
The Secret Life of Pets
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
This one won't stick to you the way the great movies do, but it was a genuinely enjoyable sit, and it further pushes the idea that Illumination is one of the rare start-up animation houses that has actually cemented a future for themselves.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
The Legend of Tarzan
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
David Yates and company have made something that is often lovely, eventually thrilling, and even occasionally kind of arousing, and this pulp adventure should be seen in as big a theater as possible to fully enjoy what they've done.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
C+
|
The Purge: Election Year
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
For audiences who want mindless mayhem, the films never really tip over into that, and for anyone who wants to see this idea fully explored, you may leave frustrated. At least this time, it feels like the dart is on the dartboard instead of in the wall.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
The Neon Demon
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
This is a ride, a carefully crafted experience, and it is precisely because it is so immersive and controlled that I would recommend it.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
When this film earns your tears... and it will... it does it honestly, and I suspect this is a film that people are going to share by word of mouth for years, one of those rare gems that will play equally well for viewers of any age.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
C
|
Raiders!
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Whatever it was that drove them as kids to work on this project summer after summer is long gone, and their attempt to create a new triumphant coda for the story feels false and craven.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B-
|
Central Intelligence
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
In the case of Central Intelligence, several things work better than I would have suspected, and as a result, I genuinely enjoyed the movie.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Finding Dory
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Finding Dory may be familiar magic, but there's magic in it all the same.
Posted Jul 20, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
Star Trek Beyond
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
If you're even remotely interested in a new Star Trek film, this feels like everything you could have asked for. Here's hoping the great adventure continues for another 50 years from here.
Posted Jul 17, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A-
|
Ghostbusters
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
It's not easy to make a good comedy, but it's really not easy to make one this beautiful on a visual level that also still feels loose and funny enough for improvisation and random left turns into lunacy.
Posted Jul 10, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
O.J.: Made in America
(2016)
|
Alan Sepinwall
|
Though Simpson himself only speaks through archival news footage and occasional audio recordings, Edelman paints a rich, three-dimensional, tragic portrait of the man.
Posted Jun 09, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
This is a film for fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and it feels like an affectionate, energetic effort, clearly coming from a place of real appreciation for why these characters have endured.
Posted Jun 01, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
Keanu
(2016)
|
Roth Cornet
|
A gut-busting, endearing, salty-sweet, and highly re-watchable comedy.
Posted Mar 14, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B-
|
Disorder
(2015)
|
Gregory Ellwood
|
It's good stuff and, in a perfect world, will prompt Hollywood execs to take Winocour's directing skills very seriously.
Posted Feb 19, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Deadpool
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
I'll just marvel at the fact that Fox finally grew the jooblies to let this film happen.
Posted Feb 06, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B-
|
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
(2016)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies turns out to be entirely agreeable, if not spectacular, and considering the alternatives when you're dealing with something as borderline preposterous as this, that's fairly impressive.
Posted Feb 03, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Grease: Live!
(2016)
|
Louis Virtel
|
It had all the infectiousness and emoji-big smiles you need from three hours of live musical entertainment.
Posted Feb 01, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
(2015)
|
Daniel Fienberg
|
Montage of Heck is about the representation and self-representation of Kurt Cobain, a fascinating process for any figure whose entire fame was based on modes of self-representation.
Posted Jan 03, 2016
Edit critic review
|
|
A
|
The Hateful Eight
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
It's a terrific piece of entertainment, first and foremost, mean and ugly and did I mention mean?
Posted Dec 23, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
A-
|
Finders Keepers
(2015)
|
Daniel Fienberg
|
Finders Keepers has the sort of plot that no screenwriter in his or her right mind would ever dream up.
Posted Dec 21, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
A+
|
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
From the very first line of the film's opening crawl, it is apparent that JJ Abrams, Michael Arndt, and Lawrence Kasdan have pushed the series back onto the right track...
Posted Dec 16, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
A+
|
Inside Out
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
There's a great sense of invention to the way they've laid out the landscape of the mind here, and there are some sequences that are pure animation in a way that Pixar rarely gets to indulge in their features.
Posted Dec 08, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
7 Days in Hell
(2015)
|
Alan Sepinwall
|
Quick, easy, filthy, stupid, funny. You don't need to know anything more.
Posted Dec 03, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
A-
|
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
"The Hunger Games" knows that it's wrong to sell war and death as entertainment, and that tension between message and form is part of what has made this a welcome if uncomfortable addition to the pop culture landscape.
Posted Nov 23, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
The Night Before
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
I suspect this will be a film that people return to in future holidays, taking its rightful place on the list of films that become part of the annual tradition.
Posted Nov 19, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
B
|
By the Sea
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
While I didn't love everything about "By The Sea," there is much to like if you're in the right mood.
Posted Nov 12, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
|
Rosewater
(2014)
|
Gregory Ellwood
|
It's a somewhat bumpy road for the first time filmmaker, but it's surprisingly effective when it needs to be.
Posted Nov 09, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
The Peanuts Movie
(2015)
|
Drew McWeeny
|
What surprised me was the way they took a quiet approach to finding something else to say about Charlie Brown.
Posted Nov 05, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
C-
|
The Assassin
(2015)
|
Gregory Ellwood
|
Hou should be congratulated for making the most boring martial arts movie ever.
Posted Nov 03, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
|
The Leisure Class
(2015)
|
Alan Sepinwall
|
It's insubstantial, clumsy, and ineffective as either comedy or drama.
Posted Nov 02, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
B-
|
The Summer of Sangaile
(2015)
|
Gregory Ellwood
|
Director Alant Kavat has a unique and talented eye, but she can only do so much to make this compelling material beyond its aesthetic charms.
Posted Oct 20, 2015
Edit critic review
|
|
B+
|
Wild
(2014)
|
Gregory Ellwood
|
Thanks to a powerhouse performance by Reese Witherspoon, Vallée succeeds in avoiding those potential cliches again and again and again.
Posted Oct 09, 2015
Edit critic review
|