|
| 1. |
|
11/12/09 |
Weak |
 "...just another doomsday film, with new digital effects and stock scenes patched together from 'Jaws,' 'The Poseidon Adventure' and 'Armageddon.' " |
| 2. |
|
09/01/11 |
Moderate |
 "...like a 'Meatballs'-era summer romp, the kind we're generally either too cynical for now or we've simply outgrown. It's a party of a movie, for better or worse..." |
| 3. |
|
09/22/11 |
Weak |
 "...a cynical movie, with little in mind other than a showcase for a very popular, young actor.... the plot is increasingly absurd and the dialogue often comically poor." |
| 4. |
|
02/23/12 |
Weak |
 "Sissy things like plot and character development aren't worthy of the mission. It's as though they've been chased out of the theater by a barking drill sergeant." |
| 5. |
|
03/04/10 |
Moderate |
 "Burton has beefed up the original story so that it feels less personal and more like the many action films about young, maturing heroes who must slay a giant villain." |
| 6. |
|
12/15/11 |
Weak |
 "...noxiously contemporary... full of the cheapest kind of pop culture references.... don't mind the voice credits: They all sound the same." |
| 7. |
|
04/23/13 |
Moderate |
 "...uneven but respectably ambitious... the rebel role doesn't suit Zac Efron... seems to be wrestling with the balance of a more sizable production." |
| 8. |
|
12/10/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...clearly revolutionary, a spectacle that millions will find adventure in. But it nevertheless feels unsatisfying and somehow lacks the pulse of a truly alive film." |
| 9. |
|
11/19/09 |
Very Good |
 "...one of the most curious films to arrive in a long time.... something fresh and gloriously insane.... it has a pulse, and it's a marvel to watch in wonder." |
| 10. |
|
03/10/11 |
Weak |
 "The spectacle of disaster is oddly lacking throughout. At one point, our jaws are supposed to drop for an obliterated freeway onramp." |
| 11. |
|
04/26/12 |
Very Good |
 "The real stars are, unquestionably, the townspeople of Carthage, Texas.... a curiosity -- a dark comedy that's not entirely dark and not quite a comedy, either." |
| 12. |
|
12/29/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...tries to juggle fatherhood, divorce, business ethics and ghosts. It's mountains to heap on an actor, and truly remarkable that Bardem manages it so beautifully." |
| 13. |
|
11/19/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "The overcooked drama can grow tiresome, but resistance is typically as futile as trying to fully describe one of Almodóvar plots." |
| 14. |
|
12/03/09 |
Moderate |
 "...has aspirations for 'Deer Hunter' territory... 'Brothers' can't preserve the intimacy of the original film, and the loosened characters slide into cliche despite noble intentions." |
| 15. |
|
09/30/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...an intriguing if somewhat absurd B-movie.... the interest here is getting an answer to: 'How'd they do that? How'd they make such an uncinematic movie?' " |
| 16. |
|
08/05/10 |
Moderate |
 "...fails to summon any magic, and this film -- a kind of Middle East version of 'Lost in Translation' -- passes with merely a picturesque tick-tock." |
| 17. |
|
02/10/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "As leading man, Ed Helms holds the screen well, buoyed by the strong supporting cast.... hard to resist -- especially when Reilly and Heche are in your corner." |
| 18. |
|
10/22/09 |
Weak |
 "...might be the most overstuffed movie of the year.... a high school film crossed with a vampire film crossed with a mutant film crossed with Willem Dafoe cameos." |
| 19. |
|
03/18/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "The set up all begs a little too obviously for indie quirk... But the outer-borough oddities of 'City Island' are hard to resist." |
| 20. |
|
04/01/10 |
Moderate |
 "...will likely lure moviegoers chiefly by its digital effects (which are largely quite good but forgettable) and its promise of 3-D spectacle (which disappoints altogether)." |
