reviews

'John Dies at the End' Review: Hipster Ghostbusters vs. Flying Mustaches

January 24, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 20 weeks ago

Not even the droll Paul Giamatti can tether this silly horror-comedy, but if you’re in the mood for flash and dazzle, there’s nary a dead spot

  

'Parker' Review: How to Turn a Serviceable Thriller into a Bloody Bore

January 23, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 21 weeks ago

You could completely remove the Jennifer Lopez character from this Jason Statham shoot-em-up and have a much sharper and less muddled movie

  

'Mama' Reviews: Is Jessica Chastain's Horror Movie Frightening or Zero Dark Ghastly?

January 18, 2013 By Brent Lang 21 weeks ago

Critics were largely taken with "Mama"

  

'The Last Stand' Review: A Perfectly Good Car Commercial Marred by Dialogue

January 16, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 22 weeks ago

Schwarzenegger’s return offers a handful of trashy thrills, but even B movies can’t be this half-hearted and meandering

  

'Broken City' Review: Tangled Political Web Gets Snarled in This Wobbly Thriller

January 16, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 22 weeks ago

Private eye Mark Wahlberg gets snarled in NYC mayor Russell Crowe’s ambitions, but the promising script’s ballot box is overstuffed

  

'A Haunted House' Review: Who Needs Ghosts When You're Terrified of Women and Gays?

January 11, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 22 weeks ago

Marlon Wayans’ lazy “Paranormal Activity” spoof scores the occasional cheap laugh in this toxically inane comedy

  

'Gangster Squad' Review: Slick and Bloody Good, but We've Seen It Before

January 9, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 23 weeks ago

This cops-and-mobsters movie starring Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling goes nowhere new, but there’s enough period gloss and violent verve to keep it entertaining

  

'Texas Chainsaw 3D' Review: One Interesting Idea, Dozens of Stupid Ones

January 4, 2013 By Alonso Duralde 23 weeks ago

Leatherface gets upgraded from boogeyman to misunderstood monster in a sequel awash with inane slasher clichés

  

'Promised Land' Review: The Message Overwhelms the Medium

December 27, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 24 weeks ago

Gus Van Sant’s latest, starring and written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, takes a strong stand against fracking. Which is enough for a PSA, but not a movie

  

'Parental Guidance' Review: Avoid These Grumpy Old Know-It-Alls

December 24, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 25 weeks ago

The occasional moments of charm in this Billy Crystal-Bette Midler vehicle are buried in a reactionary “Grandfather Knows Best, Every Single Time” mentality

  

'On the Road' Review: Aren't We There Yet?

December 20, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 25 weeks ago

Director Walter Salles can’t make “Motorcycle Diaries” lightning strike twice, instead proving that Jack Kerouac’s novel was probably better left unfilmed

  

'This Is 40' Review: A Little Heavy on the White Whine

December 20, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 25 weeks ago

Judd Apatow’s one-liners are as sharp as ever, but this midlife-crisis comedy reveals a worldview that feels a little precious and pampered

  

'Jack Reacher' Review: A Great/Terrible Stinker/Delight

December 20, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 25 weeks ago

Whether you’re loving or hating Tom Cruise’s new action tentpole, just wait five minutes — you may change your mind entirely

  

'Zero Dark Thirty' Review: Like a Really Good 'Law & Order' - With Waterboarding

December 18, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 26 weeks ago

Kathryn Bigelow’s dissection of the hunt for Osama bin Laden starts strong and features memorable performances but fizzles a bit by the time boots hit the ground

  

'The Guilt Trip' Review: Not Like Buttah, but Better Than Margarine

December 18, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 26 weeks ago

Laughs and learning are on the itinerary in this sweet-natured comedy more likely to appeal to Barbra Streisand’s demographic than Seth Rogen’s

  

'Amour' Review: A Wrenching But Essential Look at a Disintegrating Life

December 18, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 26 weeks ago

Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant give powerful, heartbreaking performances, but neither they nor the film give in to sentimentality

  

'Django Unchained' Review: Blaxploitation and Spaghetti Westerns Make a Delicious Combo

December 17, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 26 weeks ago

Except for a few laggy bits, Quentin Tarantino’s funny, violent take on past genres spotlights great turns from Foxx, Waltz and a shockingly loose DiCaprio

  

'Les Misérables' Review: I Dreamed a Nightmare

December 17, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 26 weeks ago

A confluence of bad decisions and worse performances make this a punishing endurance test -- and Anne Hathway is so singularly awful, she’s got the Oscar wrapped up

  

'The Hobbit': What Critics Think

December 14, 2012 By Brent Lang 26 weeks ago

Reviews for "The Hobbit" are solid, but many critics hate higher frame rates

  

Spice Girls Musical: Critics Really, Really Hate 'Viva Forever!'

December 12, 2012 By Brent Lang 27 weeks ago

Spice Girls musical "Viva Forever!" endures critical beat down -- and lots of puns

  

'Hyde Park on Hudson' Review: Nothing to Fear From This FDR Tale, But Not Much to Praise, Either

December 6, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 27 weeks ago

Like the film itself, Bill Murray’s Roosevelt impersonation isn’t particularly bad, or good, or memorable

  

'Playing for Keeps' Review: Soccer Rom-Com Is Extended Penalty Kick to the Groin

December 6, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 27 weeks ago

The makers of this Gerard Butler atrocity deserve red cards for idiocy and inanity

  

'Killing Them Softly' Review: Crime Comedy Bludgeons Us Repeatedly With Subtext

November 29, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 28 weeks ago

Sharp performances (particularly James Gandolfini’s) and several good scenes can’t overcome the constant references to the economic crash of 2008

  

'Life of Pi' Reviews: Does It Sink or Swim?

November 21, 2012 By Greg Gilman 30 weeks ago

Most praise Ang Lee's 3D "Life of Pi" as a visual spectacle, though a few cranky critics weren't overly impressed by the narrative

  

'Rise of the Guardians' Review: Magic, but You'd Better Believe in Santa Claus

November 20, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 30 weeks ago

Animated adventure creates a wondrous world of imaginary titans, then strands them in an all-too-earthbound story

  

'Red Dawn' Review: Remake Swaps Jingoism for Adolescent War Fantasy

November 20, 2012 By Alonso Duralde 30 weeks ago

Talented young actors get lost among the ka-blam in this noisy, choppy retread of the Reagan-era original

  
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