Kerry Lengel

Select another critic »
Arizona Republic
For 176 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 61% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 37% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 2.8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Kerry Lengel's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 Too Late to Die Young
Lowest review score: 20 Peterloo
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 176
  2. Mixed: 86 out of 176
  3. Negative: 4 out of 176
176 movie reviews
view
per page
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    After the Storm
    Abe’s performance is compelling in the way it captures the gap between who Ryota has become and how he wants to see himself, and Japanese screen veteran Kirin Kiki gives a terrifically nuanced turns as his again mother, pulled between the disappointments of the past and a fierce determination to find joy in her present.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Trial by Fire
    Even though Trial by Fire is less than a masterpiece, it still came as a gut punch that forced me to examine my own complicated feelings on the issue. In short, it taught me something, and that was a surprise.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    El Angel
    Ortega wants us to see that allure, feel that lust. But to do it, he has to turn fact into fiction.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Goldstone
    As a cinematic diatribe set in a stark moral universe, Goldstone comes in loud and clear.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Kevin Hart: What Now?
    If you dig Hart’s stuff, you’ll probably love the movie. So go.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Border
    Border brings to horror-fantasy the same Swedish sensibility that “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” brought to crime thrillers. Welcome to the land of eternal night.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Oldboy
    Surprisingly, the movie doesn’t bear much of the stylistic stamp we’ve come to expect of Lee, who’s in his generic journeyman mode here. But aside from a satisfyingly clever new direction in the denouement, what distinguishes the remake from the original is its cartoonishness.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    The Sun Is Also a Star
    Under the perfectly paced direction of Ry Russo-Young (“Before I Fall”), Shahidi and Melton develop an easy chemistry on the way toward a satisfying denouement that’s neither tear-jerking tragedy nor fairy-tale wish fulfillment.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    For fantasy fans who have dreamed all their lives of spending time inside Tolkien’s dazzling alternative reality, it’s a ride well worth taking.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Loving Vincent
    Visually you can certainly call the film a breakthrough.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    The Boy and the Beast
    The Boy and the Beast might not quite have the storytelling sophistication to win over every adult, but for teens and tweens in the midst of their own coming-of-age stories, it has the potential to be a wondrous eye-opener.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    The Oath
    Somewhat courageously, the film’s real focus is not on the obvious villains in this tale of two Americas, but on the absurd contradiction of its liberal hero watching a political apocalypse unfold on his iPhone.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    A Royal Night Out
    Though there are no blazing historical insights here, the film is filled with moments of ribald humor and tender poignancy that offer glimpses into a society divided by class but united, mostly, in an outpouring of sheer, overwhelming relief.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Glass
    Inevitably, embroidering upon a fairly simple idea saps some of its impact, and Glass ends up tipping more toward the self-conscious genre-riffing that “Unbreakable” offers an antidote for.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Pavarotti
    Maybe Pavarotti would be even more compelling if Howard had delved deeper into the contradictions and controversies. But the director does achieve the first goal on entertainment: Always leave them wanting more.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Motherless Brooklyn
    Even if the big thematic statements are less than subtle, the story is solid and thought-provoking, and the performances are just stylized enough to match the intensity of Norton’s deep-dive performance.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Jane Eyre
    What he (Fukunaga) doesn't deliver, however, is a fresh take on an often-told love story.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    X-Men: First Class
    X-Men: First Class isn't anywhere close to being a genre classic like "Spider-Man 2" or "The Dark Knight," but it is good enough to rejuvenate a franchise stuck on idle.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
    The sequel is even more “all about Al,” but ironically, with any question of another electoral run put to rest, the results work better as cinema.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Ralph Breaks the Internet
    It’s a bit of a letdown, though still entertaining.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    The Last Ride
    Unlike, say, Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison in "The Doors," Thomas makes no attempt to create a convincing facsimile of Hank Williams, which is just as well, since he bears little resemblance to the sinewy singer.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Shazam!
    Like Tom Hanks in Big, Levy does a great job of capturing — or parodying — the giddiness of a kid flexing his adult muscles (literally and figuratively). The two-hour-plus running time breezes by in a well-paced adventure that mines familiar comic-book tropes for laughs.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Cut Snake
    Muscled and ruggedly un-manscaped, Stapleton is an intimidating presence based on physicality alone, but the actor ratchets up the menace factor with a gripping portrayal of a man driven by emotions more complex than mere anger.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Harvest of Empire
    As an analysis of the causes of migration, it is one-dimensional and unconvincing. But as a social history of Latinos in America, it is provocative and fascinating. And as an indictment of decades of economic injustice and covert military action committed in the name of freedom, it is devastating.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    When Marnie Was There
    There are no princesses, monsters or castles in the sky, but that doesn't mean there is no magic.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Kerry Lengel
    Forks Over Knives
    Depending on your own relationship with food, the pro-vegetarian documentary Forks Over Knives may be an inspiring call to action, a tedious bit of propaganda or a 90-minute guilt trip.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 Kerry Lengel
    Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
    While it is a perfectly serviceable placeholder in the larger series, its contributions to the Potterverse are disappointingly minor.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 Kerry Lengel
    Boulevard
    Despite his roots as an over-the-top stand-up comedian, Williams long ago proved himself to be one of those rare actors who can truly inhabit a role, and “Boulevard” is no exception. But that’s not always enough to keep the viewer’s eyes glued to the screen.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 60 Kerry Lengel
    Before I Go to Sleep
    Kidman and Firth both deliver compelling performances, although this kind of plot-driven fare is no real challenge to their considerable acting talents.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Kerry Lengel
    The Girl Who Played with Fire
    Despite the lethal force that inevitably gets applied to poor Lisbeth, we never really fear for her safety, but we do fear for her future happiness. That is where the real drama lies.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »