Lawrence Toppman

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Charlotte Observer
For 1,622 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 56% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 41% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 0.7 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Lawrence Toppman's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 65
Highest review score: 100 Down in the Delta
Lowest review score: 0 Left Behind
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,064 out of 1622
  2. Mixed: 275 out of 1622
  3. Negative: 283 out of 1622
1622 movie reviews
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    • 79 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Fences
    Denzel Washington directed and stars in Fences, and he has translated every element of August Wilson’s play to the screen: A language that’s naturalistic yet gently poetic, a detailed sense of America at mid-century...drama that turns to melodrama at key points, characterizations that seethe and explode, the touch of the fantastic (or is it the supernatural?) that pervades most of Wilson’s stories.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Drumline
    The final drum-off (c'mon, you knew it would come down to that) resembles a combination of music, gymnastics and martial arts, and I don't think I've seen a more pulse-pounding scene this year.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Cars
    On the most basic level, Cars is an old-fashioned fable about an egotistical, talented loner who learns humility and redeems himself by helping unfortunates.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    The Pianist
    After an hour, The Pianist stops being the Holocaust movie and becomes a Holocaust movie.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Captain America: Civil War
    Captain America: Civil War appeals to me more strongly than any superhero movie of the last decade.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Dust to Glory
    It's fascinating to watch others sweat, suffer and triumph in the documentary Dust to Glory, which chronicles the longest nonstop, point-to-point race on our planet.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Match Point
    Allen, rejuvenated by foreign settings, makes us appreciate posh parts of England as he always did Manhattan. (Credit cinematographer Remi Adefarasin for showing us how seductive upper-crust London can be.)
    • 68 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Così ridevano
    Shows the fate of Sicilians who moved to the Italian industrial city of Turin 40-plus years ago, and it suggests that the experience of relocation is universal.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Away from Her
    A director needs to know how to pace the tale, where to place the camera, how to draw out a shy actor or get out of the way of a strong one. Those skills are rarer than you'd think. Sarah Polley, who never wrote or directed a feature film before Away From Her, has them all.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Bolt
    Bolt has the magical quality of great animation, the ability to touch us without the hint of preachiness or manipulation.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Ray
    Brilliantly embodied by Jamie Foxx in this unflinching, entertaining biography.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    A Beautiful Mind
    Howard has never been so grown-up in his handling of tough themes or so inventive in depicting states of mind. Goldsman has never been so down-to-earth or created so touching a character.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Shrek 2
    It has the charm, irony and saucy wit of the original, plus two supporting characters -- a suave, egocentric feline and a cheerfully conniving fairy godmother -- who are funnier than anyone in "Shrek."
    • 48 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Shark Tale
    By riffing off two iconic American narratives of the last 35 years, "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos," it has changed the template for animation, making a timely film that still deals with timeless children's themes.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Corpse Bride
    Corpse Bride had me at the maggot.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Miracle
    This film reminds us you can have a miracle only when David slings a stone at Goliath, not when two Goliaths pummel each other with sticks.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Freaky Friday
    This is the first real family comedy I've seen in a long time: one honest enough to satisfy teens, wryly funny enough for adults and zany enough for little kids.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    The Da Vinci Code
    A crackling rendition of Dan Brown's novel, siphoning off unneeded fat and fancy and leaving us with a streamlined train of a picture that never stops moving.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Lilya 4-Ever
    If you're tired of false holiday cheer, Lilya 4-Ever will provide a corrective to the spiritual eggnog force-fed to us all season. The climax takes place during Christmas, though one that would make Tiny Tim grateful for his crutch and cold chimney corner.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Moana
    Cravalho shows spunk and a generically lovely voice, though she’s saddled with assembly-line anthems Disney has done better elsewhere. Johnson has exuberance, deft timing and a passable singing voice.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    The Impossible
    Yet as fine as she and Ewan McGregor are as the parents, Tom Holland stands out as eldest son Lucas, a slightly sullen teen who learns to put other people before himself.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Toy Story 2
    The sequel is faster, funnier and wilder, with more cunningly contrived computer effects.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Kingdom of Heaven
    Bloom finally comes into his own as a man here, somberly thoughtful and melancholic. The elfin archer of "The Lord of the Rings" and the trivial boy-toy of "Troy" have been forgotten.
    • 40 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    The Phantom of the Opera
    If you've been seduced by Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage version of "The Phantom of the Opera," you'll fall in love with the gorgeous, splendidly cast film.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Baadasssss!
    The technical side of Baadasssss! far surpasses that of "Sweetback," and re-created scenes from the 1971 film look much better in the son's hands than they did in the father's.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Footnote
    Cedar is mostly interested in the father-son dynamics, and he cast excellent actors. Lewensohn, a famous Israeli theatrical director, makes his film acting debut, while the veteran Ashkenazi ("Late Wedding") handles his low-key role with bearlike grace.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    The Shape of Things
    His (LaBute) observation of human nature is keener than before, his dialogue more attuned to ambiguities.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Madagascar
    The animals' personalities have been carefully calibrated: They have sufficient edge to amuse us as characters, yet they're cuddly enough to market as plush toys or action figures.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    The Lobster
    Lanthimos and Filippou have thoroughly imagined their world.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 88 Lawrence Toppman
    Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
    Most horror movies try to show us the man inside the monster, so we'll empathize with his moral dilemmas or feel his suffering. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer shows us a man who is all monster, whose colossal amorality makes him a potential Messiah or menace to humanity.
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