The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
“Stretches itself too thin making it easy for interest to dwindle.”
Out of the Furnace
“Lack of a narrative focus is one of the reasons the film fails from a storytelling perspective.”
The Armstrong Lie
“Director Alex Gibney has provided another dense cautionary tale about the dark side of sports.”
Frozen
“A polished and exhilarating film…resurrects the Disney animated musical.”
Philomena
“Heartbreaking, sensitive and at times very funny, it takes us on an incredible, full-circle journey.”
Kill Your Darlings
“The counter-culture story becomes disarrayed as the picture moves further into a true-to-life tale of murder.”
The Book Thief
“The film builds and then, without warning, deflates in a series of false endings and overly-dramatic beats.”
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
“For a second movie in a franchise, there still seems to be a lot of set-up.”
Delivery Man
“It’s nice to see Vaughn branch out and try a new role, but ultimately the film can’t get out of neutral.”
Dallas Buyers Club
“What McConaughey does on screen is enough to forgive the film’s storytelling shortcomings.”
Thor: The Dark World
“Director Alan Taylor does a fine job expanding Thor’s home world, but now the character is more obtuse.”
12 Years a Slave
“Significant subject matter… extremely powerful and essential viewing for everyone.”