|
| 1. |
|
12/18/12 |
Outstanding |
 "...the degree of complexity Bigelow and Boal bring to their story has to be counted a surprise in a major Hollywood film.... uncommonly freighted with the weight of history." |
| 2. |
|
06/15/12 |
Very Good |
 "...by the final reel, audiences will likely have been so seduced by the film's spontaneous wit and understated charm that only the really churlish will object." |
| 3. |
|
12/09/11 |
Good |
 "...at times like a mashup of styles and genres -- part curdled rom-com, part psycho-prom-queen flick, with a little 'Revenge of the Nerds' thrown in." |
| 4. |
NPR All Things Considered |
05/01/09 |
Weak |
 "The most terrifying thing about the movie, really, is that plural: Originsssss. So many mutants, so much time. Thank God we can leave that for another summer." |
| 5. |
NPR All Things Considered |
09/08/10 |
Good |
 "...a charmer filled with people who seem every bit as surprised as we are when they manage to look past surface differences, and find reasons to bond." |
| 6. |
|
12/09/11 |
Very Good |
 "...the film's bluntness doesn't diminish the power of the nature-versus-nurture questions.... Or of Swinton's harrowing portrait of parental guilt." |
| 7. |
|
12/21/11 |
Good |
 "Cameron Crowe lays on the charm with a trowel.... Damon proves amiable and appealing.... The movie deals thoughtfully with loss and family dynamics..." |
| 8. |
NPR All Things Considered |
03/06/09 |
Moderate |
 "...backstories tend to clutter up a movie... director Zack Snyder is still doling out origin flashbacks two hours and seven minutes into his little epic." |
| 9. |
|
01/31/13 |
Very Good |
 "Levine really gets this hero's predicament... he finds strategies to make what has long been considered a deathless tale undead in a new way." |
| 10. |
NPR All Things Considered |
09/10/09 |
Good |
 "Disney would develop a reputation as a control freak with a dark side. But on this trip, he was not yet 40 and still willing to wear a gaucho costume and twirl a lasso..." |
| 11. |
NPR All Things Considered |
03/26/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...no one is going to mistake 'Waking Sleeping Beauty' for a tell-all documentary. It's hardly impartial... it seems to have a score to settle with Jeffrey Katzenberg..." |
| 12. |
NPR All Things Considered |
11/27/10 |
Very Good |
 "...has a big heart.... has the rhythm and texture of real life, as well as emotional undercurrents that are haunting." |
| 13. |
NPR All Things Considered |
12/22/10 |
Outstanding |
 "...splendidly acted and takes full advantage of every breathtaking vista it comes across, a grand epic made quirky and intimate by the dialogue... terrific filmmaking." |
| 14. |
NPR All Things Considered |
11/12/10 |
Good |
 "...a story that feels as true to life as you'd expect.... plays like situation comedy, but with an overlay of performance art." |
| 15. |
NPR All Things Considered |
05/06/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...give the producers credit for casting that slab of beefcake with the blazing smile. Hemsworth looks and acts like a comic-book superhero come to life..." |
| 16. |
|
04/20/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...takes time-honored stand-up material and turns it into something pleasantly sitcom-ish... it's sort of a two-hour infomercial, but a decently amusing one." |
| 17. |
|
02/02/12 |
Very Good |
 "Candles and cobwebs, cries from the marsh, fog machines on overdrive, a secluded manse... there's a reason they're time-honored." |
| 18. |
|
08/05/11 |
Good |
 "...it would be tough to watch if not for the controlled fury Weisz brings to her performance as a down-to-earth avenging angel." |
| 19. |
NPR All Things Considered |
01/21/11 |
Fair |
 "...proof of the maxim that epic elements don't mean much without engaging characters to hang them on." |
| 20. |
NPR All Things Considered |
06/29/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...has pretty scenery, pretty people, pretty wolves and pretty broad winks at the audience... Director David Slade keeps the action brisk and the time-killing attractive." |
