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| 1. |
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03/07/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Fox hardly breaks new ground -- this is a standard bildungsroman... But he lights the scenes well, frames shots competently, and moves things along at an enjoyable pace." |
| 2. |
|
10/04/12 |
Poor |
 "...a dumbed-down, Capraesque crowd-pleaser... The movie preaches about 'hope' and 'yes we can,' but a slightly different buzzword comes to my mind: bullshit." |
| 3. |
|
05/17/12 |
Moderate |
 "...most of the time, the sentimental rom-com antics and underdeveloped archetypes feel as fake as the big bellies the ladies are showing off." |
| 4. |
|
03/14/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...an aesthetic blender. One moment Berg tries to inspire with shots of flying birds set to 'The Times They Are a-Changin'; then she attempts a procedural detailing the case." |
| 5. |
|
01/31/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...more like fan fiction than a coherent script. At one point, Levine even dedicates a close-up to a copy of the grindhouse classic 'Zombi 2.' " |
| 6. |
|
02/28/13 |
Moderate |
 "...originally a 1970s TV show, but with the archetypal characters, the rote plot, and the nondescript gunfights, it feels more like an adaptation of a video game." |
| 7. |
|
11/08/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "It desperately wants to be 'Kill Bill' -- Quentin Tarantino even serves as 'presenter' -- but unlike that picture, 'Iron Fists' never transcends its genre shackles." |
| 8. |
|
01/03/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...alternates between intense set pieces and sub-Spielbergian drivel.... The hokum can wear you down worse than the tsunami." |
| 9. |
|
10/25/12 |
Moderate |
 "The stage seems to be set for a boozed-up 'Blue Valentine,' but just as the melodrama gains traction we cut to a coda and the credits..." |
| 10. |
|
07/26/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...hangs on a series of exposition-heavy conference scenes, and it's hard to stay emotionally invested in a plot so twist-heavy." |
| 11. |
|
02/28/13 |
Weak |
 "Simultaneously bizarre and banal.... The crass Americanization invalidates the detail; the silly melodrama invalidates the realism... leaves it all feeling like self-parody." |
| 12. |
|
12/27/12 |
Outstanding |
 "...the picture captures our country with daring honesty.... This is Chase's attempt to make the 'Great American Film About Music.' He almost succeeds." |
| 13. |
|
03/07/13 |
Outstanding |
 "There's a great scene in 'Taxi Driver' where Cybill Shepherd says that selling a political candidate is like 'selling mouthwash.' Here's a movie about a man who realizes that." |
| 14. |
|
11/22/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...more about beauty than about searching for something under its surface. The film poses as a spiritual experience, but it's more like a postcard." |
| 15. |
|
09/27/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Josh Radnor has undeniable talent behind the camera. But his films are hobbled by his own humorless performances.... The script is strong..." |
| 16. |
|
08/09/12 |
Outstanding |
 "William Friedkin directs; his taste for sadism has never been personified better than in McConaughey's unassuming-but-dangerous drawl." |
| 17. |
|
10/11/12 |
Outstanding |
 "In trying to capture a moment in time, Sachs has left nothing uncovered. Navigating his darkest moments with unsparing honesty, he finds a flicker of hope." |
| 18. |
|
02/21/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "The conspiracy-laden plot, told with fetishistic devotion in numerous expository conversations, becomes so convoluted that it morphs into sci-fi satire." |
| 19. |
|
12/13/12 |
Moderate |
 "...it's all played for droll, knowing laughs. But most of the time it feels like an 'SNL' sketch with all the punchlines removed." |
| 20. |
|
09/28/12 |
Poor |
 "Tasteless and sentimental, yet unfunny and offensive, this is one film you don't want to take the kids to. Especially when paying extra bucks for the worst 3D of the year." |
