|
| 21. |
|
02/08/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...the story isn't so much full of surprises as it is riddled with plot holes.... [still,] the film looks classy, keeps your interest, and has attractive actors." |
| 22. |
|
01/31/13 |
Moderate |
 "Lopez has lost some of her shine since she kicked ass as a US Marshall in 'Out of Sight.' So has director Taylor Hackford, who was nominated for an Oscar for 'Ray.' " |
| 23. |
|
01/31/13 |
Very Good |
 "Comparisons have been made to Pasolini's 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew,' and there are also elements of Bresson, Dreyer, and 'The Exorcist.' " |
| 24. |
|
01/24/13 |
Moderate |
 "...a maelstrom of corruption, shady real estate deals, extortion, murder, and half-baked dialogue." |
| 25. |
|
01/24/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...the NRA should encourage films like this lighthearted bloodbath. The Tea Party should endorse it too, as it demonstrates the uselessness of the Federal government." |
| 26. |
|
01/17/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Very romantic. Or maybe not.... aspires to a romantic ideal of a different sort -- the liberation of the individual from all social ties, including those of love." |
| 27. |
|
01/03/13 |
Outstanding |
 "Densely detailed, superbly shot and acted, illuminating and thrilling... the best film of 2012.... The truth is in the details..." |
| 28. |
|
12/27/12 |
Moderate |
 "...an ambiguous homily about the energy crisis and environmental pollution.... A twist clarifies nothing, and Van Sant's direction is as subtle as the fracking process itself." |
| 29. |
|
12/27/12 |
Weak |
 "He dislocates arms, crushes skulls, and smashes '70s muscle cars in high-speed chases. He never gets beat and he's never wrong, and he's a bore." |
| 30. |
|
12/20/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...overwrought melodrama... Cotillard's performance is a match for the histrionics, but the film still could cut a lot of fat." |
| 31. |
|
12/13/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...some of the action sequences will amaze even the jaded, like one in an underground goblin city that combines Jackie Chan with 'The Temple of Doom.' " |
| 32. |
|
12/06/12 |
Moderate |
 "Stefan Ruzowitzky seems to be attempting a critique of patriarchy, since all the men are assholes and the women are victims." |
| 33. |
|
11/22/12 |
Moderate |
 "...it's timely, perhaps, and photographed with a gloomy beauty, but halfway through I was hoping they would cut [spoiler] to the axe." |
| 34. |
|
11/15/12 |
Outstanding |
 "...the images transcend the lower-class world that is their subject and touch on an otherworldliness reminiscent of David Lynch, Edward Hopper, or Andrei Tarkovsky." |
| 35. |
|
11/15/12 |
Very Good |
 "...bristles with quirky authenticity.... With De Niro playing the volatile Pat Sr., it's kind of like 'All in the Family,' except the laughs sometimes degenerate into violence." |
| 36. |
|
11/15/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...though it distracts from the realism that makes the novel so immersive, the artificiality does highlight the most genuine aspect of the movie -- the performances." |
| 37. |
|
11/08/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...sluggish... the characters pursue their soap-opera lives, minimally inconvenienced by five years of Nazi rule." |
| 38. |
|
11/08/12 |
Moderate |
 "...this Lincoln doesn't develop much beyond being a genial blowhard. Even the conflict of resorting to dubious tactics doesn't ruffle his sanctity." |
| 39. |
|
11/08/12 |
Very Good |
 "...a sly commentary on the urgency of the future and the inescapability of the past; and it's a rip-snorting good time, with action equal to the series' best." |
| 40. |
|
11/02/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Despite Washington's gutsy performance and John Goodman's antic turn as a drug dealer, the film ends not with a crash but a sermon." |
