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Critics Consensus

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Critics Consensus: Gangster Squad Is Style Over Substance (98 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Jan. 10 2013, 04:20 PM

This week at the movies, we've got tough cops (Gangster Squad, starring Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling), a tenacious CIA agent (Zero Dark Thirty, starring Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton), and a bedeviled couple (A Haunted House, starring Marlon Wayans and Essence Atkins). What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: The Impossible is Certified Fresh (28 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Jan. 03 2013, 04:11 PM

This week at the multiplex, we've got a family in peril ("The Impossible," starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor), a town versus a corporation ("Promised Land," starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski), and killer with a chainsaw ("Texas Chainsaw 3D," starring Alexandra Daddario and Tremaine "Trey Songz" Neverson). Find out what the critics have to say!

Critics Consensus: Merry Christmas! Django Unchained is Certified Fresh (62 comments)

by on Monday, Dec. 24 2012, 12:08 PM

Merry Christmas! This week at the movies, we've got a quest for vengeance (Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio), a prisoner-turned-businessman (Les Mis�rables, starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway), and an old-school grandfather (Parental Guidance, starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler). What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: Jack Reacher Features Tom Cruise in Control (30 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Dec. 20 2012, 04:15 PM

This week at the movies, we've got a cool cop (Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike); harried marrieds (This is 40, starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann); mother-son bonding (The Guilt Trip, starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen); and a fanciful circus (the performance film Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away). What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Is (Mostly) Worth the Trip (203 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Dec. 13 2012, 05:22 PM

This week's lone wide release is the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, starring Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson's hotly-anticipated return to the Lord of the Rings universe. What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: Playing for Keeps Misses the Mark (49 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Dec. 07 2012, 01:07 PM

This week at the movies brings only one new release: Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, and Uma Thurman. What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: Killing Them Softly Is Certified Fresh (29 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Nov. 29 2012, 04:20 PM

This week at the movies, we've got an efficient enforcer (Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins) and a methodical madman (The Collection starring Emma Fitzpatrick and Josh Stewart). What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: Life of Pi Is Certified Fresh (107 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Tuesday, Nov. 20 2012, 07:55 PM

Happy Thanksgiving! This week at the movies, we've got a furry castaway (Ang Lee's Life of Pi starring Suraj Sharma); folkloric fighters (Rise of the Guardians, with voice work from Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin); teen guerillas (Red Dawn, starring Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson); and unhappy singles (Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence). What do the critics have to say?

Critics Consensus: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Is a Decent Send-Off (67 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Nov. 16 2012, 12:09 PM

This week at the multiplex, we've got "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2," starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the final installment of the wildly popular vampire franchise, and Steven Spielberg's hotly-anticipated biopic "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Honest Abe. And in limited release, we've got "Silver Linings Playbook," a romantic comedy starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, as well as Joe Wright's unorthodox adaptation of "Anna Karenina," starring Keira Knightley in the title role. There's no middle ground on the Twilight series: either you're enraptured by the tale of Bella Swan and her supernatural paramours, or you're mystified by its appeal.

Critics Consensus: Skyfall Is Certified Fresh (59 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Nov. 09 2012, 12:04 PM

This week at the movies brings only one new wide release: Skyfall, the latest James Bond adventure, starring Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem. What do the critics have to say? Director Sam Mendes is best known for his portrayals of suburban malaise (his credits include American Beauty and Revolutionary Road), so at first blush he?d seem to be an odd choice to direct a James Bond movie. However, critics say Skyfall is a nearly perfect balance of drama and action that winks at 007?s storied cinematic past while delving deeper into the psyche of the most iconic of movie characters.

Critics Consensus: Wreck-it Ralph, Flight Are Certified Fresh (41 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Nov. 02 2012, 01:58 PM

This week at the movies, we've got a sensitive villain (Wreck-it Ralph, with voice work by John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman), a troubled pilot (Flight, starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle), and a fighting blacksmith (The Man With the Iron Fists, starring Russell Crowe and the RZA). What do video game characters do when the lights go off at the arcade? That's the inspired premise of Wreck-it Ralph, which critics say is a visual phantasmagoria with a clever story and heartfelt characters that should appeal to kids and their parents. Flight is the tale of the flawed man behind a great act of courage, and critics say it features a terrific performance from Denzel Washington.

Critics Consensus: Cloud Atlas Is a Beautiful Mess (84 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Oct. 25 2012, 04:20 PM

This week at the movies, we've got time-spanning connectedness ( Cloud Atlas, starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry); a Halloween escapade (Fun Size, starring Victoria Justice and Chelsea Handler); a legendary surfer (Chasing Mavericks, starring John Weston and Gerard Butler); and a demonic town (Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, starring Adelaide Clemens and Sean Bean). The Wachowskis have never been short on ambition; they've been blowing minds (or trying to) ever since The Matrix put them on the map. Now they're back with Cloud Atlas, and critics are divided -- some say it's an awe-inspiring work of visual and emotional daring, while others say it's muddled, pretentious, and overlong.

Critics Consensus: Paranormal Activity 4 Offers Up Stale Scares (54 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Oct. 19 2012, 01:24 PM

This week at the movies, we've got ghostly video recordings (Paranormal Activity 4, starring Katie Featherston and Kathryn Newton) and a killer on the loose (Alex Cross, starring Tyler Perry and Matthew Fox). The first three Paranormal Activity films were able to wring a surprising amount of scares out of purported found footage from stationary cameras. However, all good things must come to an end, and critics say Paranormal Activity 4 finds the franchise repeating itself. Despite the middling critical response to Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, detective Alex Cross gets another shot at big screen glory. Unfortunately, critics say Alex Cross is a thoroughly generic action thriller.

Critics Consensus: Argo Is Certified Fresh (57 comments)

by Ryan Fujitani and Tim Ryan on Friday, Oct. 12 2012, 10:37 AM

This week at the movies, we've got a daring escape (Argo, starring Ben Affleck and Alan Arkin); a tough teacher (Here Comes the Boom, starring Kevin James and Salma Hayek), frightening footage (Sinister, starring Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance); criminal cinephiles (Seven Psychopaths, starring Colin Farrell and Christopher Walken); and striking capitalists ( Atlas Shrugged: Part II, starring Samantha Mathis and Jason Beghe). What do the critics have to say? As a director, Ben Affleck is on a roll. With two Certified Fresh films (Gone Baby Gone and The Town) under his belt, critics say Affleck scores again with Argo, a tense, darkly comic thriller.

Critics Consensus: Taken 2 Is Less Than Captivating (61 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Oct. 04 2012, 05:00 PM

This week at the movies, we've got a kidnapping plot (Taken 2, starring Liam Neeson and Famke Janssen), a reanimated pooch (Frankenweenie, with voice work from Charlie Tahan and Winona Ryder), and a cappella all-stars (Pitch Perfect, starring Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow). What do the critics have to say? Why would anyone mess with Liam Neeson's family again, given the brutal swath he cut in the first Taken? That's a great question, say critics, who find Taken 2 to be largely bereft of the kinetic thrills -- and surprises -- that made the original a hit. Tim Burton has always had a taste for the macabre, and a love for outsiders. Critics say those fixations dovetail nicely in Frankenweenie.

Critics Consensus: Looper Is Certified Fresh (57 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Sep. 27 2012, 04:20 PM

This week at the multiplex, we've got a futuristic hitman ("Looper," starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a monster bash ("Hotel Transylvania," with voice work by Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg), and a pair of education advocates ("Won't Back Down," starring Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal). Find out what the critics have to say! The fanboy anticipation for Looper has grown to a fever pitch over the last few months. It appears the wait was worth it; critics say Rian Johnson's third feature pulls off that rarest of trifectas -- it's at once a provocative head trip, a tense thriller, and an intriguing character study.

Critics Consensus: Trouble with the Curve Is Solid But Predictable (75 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Sep. 20 2012, 04:30 PM

This week at the movies, we've got an aging baseball scout (Trouble with the Curve, starring Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams); a deadly judge (Dredd 3D, starring Karl Urban and Olivia Thirby); cartel-busting cops (End of Watch, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena); a religious leader (The Master, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman); and a creepy dwelling (House at the End of the Street, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue). Plus, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson in a coming-of-age drama about an awkward teenager coming out of his shell, is in limited release.

Critics Consensus: Resident Evil: Retribution Not Screened -- Guess the Tomatometer! (95 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Sep. 14 2012, 12:13 PM

This week at the movies, we've got a zombie apocalypse (Resident Evil: Retribution, starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez) and a Pixar classic (Finding Nemo 3D, with voice work by Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres). When the apocalypse comes, the only things likely to survive will be cockroaches and the Resident Evil franchise. Unfortunately, Resident Evil: Retribution wasn't screened for U.S. critics prior to its release, so we can't tell you how it stacks up with its four (critically panned) predecessors. Pixar doesn't lack for masterpieces, but Finding Nemo is a jewel that shines particularly brightly in the studio's crown.

Critics Consensus: The Words Doesn't Know What To Say (43 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Friday, Sep. 07 2012, 03:03 PM

This week at the movies, we?ve got a literary fraud (The Words, starring Bradley Cooper and Zo� Saldana) and a kidnapping plot (The Cold Light of Day, starring Henry Cavill and Bruce Willis). The Words is an ambitious film with an undeniably intriguing premise: how does someone rationalize reaping the rewards of a big con? Unfortunately, critics say The Words is mostly a missed opportunity ? despite the best efforts of its talented cast, the film is elaborately structured but rarely emotionally fulfilling. Not all globetrotting spy thrillers are created equal. Take, for example, The Cold Light of Day, which critics say borrows liberally from the Taken and Bourne playbooks without adding much.

Critics Consensus: Lawless Is Violent and Atmospheric (51 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Aug. 30 2012, 04:20 PM

This week at the movies, we've got bootlegging brothers (Lawless, starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy), a bedeviled box (The Possession, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick), and some bewitching balloons (The Oogieloves in The Big Balloon Adventure, featuring Toni Braxton and Christopher Lloyd). Director John Hillcoat (The Road) has carved out a niche as a filmmaker skilled at wringing empathy from bleak and bloody scenarios. Critics say his latest, Lawless, is brilliantly acted and evocatively atmospheric, which helps it to overcome the script's sometimes slack narrative. The Possession earns points for injecting a dash of Jewish mysticism into the bedeviled-tot subgenre. Otherwise, critics say, this is a pretty ho-hum frightfest.