|
| 1. |
|
01/25/13 |
Poor |
 "...monumentally tedious... it's as though the director just can't tear himself away from this mesmerizing tale of good and evil and exploding body parts." |
| 2. |
|
01/03/13 |
Poor |
 "...leaden... some awful plague of glum-and-grim afflicts the whole cast, most notably Andy Garcia and Forest Whitaker.... Ponderously executed..." |
| 3. |
|
12/27/12 |
Poor |
 "...speaks to our lowest common denominator, intellectually, serio-comically, sentimentally, excrementally, you name it." |
| 4. |
|
12/21/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Tight and quick, often entertaining, the film lacks nothing but juice -- the kind of high-octane cinematic fuel that turbocharged, say, Michael Mann's 'Collateral.' " |
| 5. |
|
12/17/12 |
Outstanding |
 "A relentless and shattering masterwork... Intelligence, integrity and a striking sense of character present and accounted for dominate." |
| 6. |
|
12/06/12 |
Very Good |
 "...a nifty little noir thriller that showcases solid acting and potent action, all within strikingly visualized winterscapes and interiors.... too dynamic to bog down for long." |
| 7. |
|
11/23/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Audiard massages our emotional responses with an all-too-practiced hand. Even his mix of socio-economic 'realism' with soap opera feels calculated..." |
| 8. |
|
11/08/12 |
Moderate |
 "...disappointingly conventional, much too decorous and, at two hours-plus, sometimes just plain dull.... the story's robbed of immediacy and color." |
| 9. |
|
11/01/12 |
Weak |
 "Not one iota of Cronenbergian subtlety or symbolic resonance sexes up this art-house attempt to mate hormonal passion with horror elements." |
| 10. |
|
10/25/12 |
Poor |
 "...good intentions don't hang ten: Except for glimpses of the ferocious majesty of five-story waves, this is a total wipeout." |
| 11. |
|
10/19/12 |
Weak |
 "Fourth time out it's pretty much like waiting... and waiting... and waiting until an old pal gets to the point -- or the director applies the cattle prod. One is not riveted." |
| 12. |
|
10/15/12 |
Very Good |
 "...deliciously rude and crude... the script is rife with wit and raunch... creates over-the-top characters who nonetheless project genuine, if grotesque, humanity." |
| 13. |
|
10/11/12 |
Moderate |
 "...errs on the side of heavy-handed, unpersuasive moral lessons. Barratier slathers sunshine over every shadow; feel-good sentimentality defeats harsh reality..." |
| 14. |
|
10/11/12 |
Poor |
 "...can't deliver the hair-raising goods.... may make you jump at predictable intervals, but it never rattles your existential certainties the way truly subversive horror does." |
| 15. |
|
09/20/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Sadly, deep for Ayer is pretty shallow. What saves this cop show from its predictable tropes and cliches are terrific performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena..." |
| 16. |
|
09/10/12 |
Moderate |
 "Shouldn't constructing character cost something, even hurt a bit, as cherished but anachronistic aspects of personality are cut away to make room for new growth?" |
| 17. |
|
08/23/12 |
Very Good |
 "...it blasts your breath away... [but] it isn't mindless mayhem... David Koepp's film has a brain; it celebrates muscular kinesis -- just not of the superhero variety..." |
| 18. |
|
08/20/12 |
Very Good |
 "...may be set in the near future but it's no silly sci-fi fairy tale. Whimsical and poignant by turns, 'R&F' never goes gooey at its emotional center..." |
| 19. |
|
08/06/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...dutifully delivers gentle laughs.... ultimately Frankel and the script chicken out, ditching challenging cargo in favor of a dash for the picture-pretty port of Feel Good." |
| 20. |
|
07/26/12 |
Moderate |
 "Despite their infectious energy and some mind-blowing moves, there's a chaotic formlessness to even the best of these set pieces." |
