|
| 1. |
|
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." |
| 2. |
|
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." |
| 3. |
|
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." |
| 4. |
|
08/09/12 |
Outstanding |
 "William Friedkin directs; his taste for sadism has never been personified better than in McConaughey's unassuming-but-dangerous drawl." |
| 5. |
|
07/05/12 |
Outstanding |
 "One of the most assured debuts in years... the sheer exuberance of Benh Zeitlin's most stunning visuals suggests an artistic voice far too strong to write off." |
| 6. |
|
10/04/12 |
Very Good |
 "...all it takes is a few moments with the next generation to see the gravity of the problem.... before the games can change, we need to." |
| 7. |
|
09/27/12 |
Very Good |
 "It's the people, not the plot, that win us over. This could have ended up feeling like a B-list 'New Year's Eve,' but it's more like 'Dazed and Confused: Ten Years Later.' " |
| 8. |
|
08/02/12 |
Very Good |
 "...engages in a class study while disguised as an action melodrama.... The most powerful moments involve private lives and social conflict, not gunfights." |
| 9. |
|
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." |
| 10. |
|
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." |
| 11. |
|
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." |
| 12. |
|
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.' " |
| 13. |
|
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." |
| 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. |
|
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." |
| 16. |
|
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..." |
| 17. |
|
08/16/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "What's unfortunate is that the sub-Apatow set pieces (one subplot ends up being an overlong setup for a masturbation joke) throw the film's tone off balance irrevocably." |
| 18. |
|
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." |
| 19. |
|
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." |
| 20. |
|
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." |
