Los Angeles Times' Scores

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For 16,552 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 56% higher than the average critic
  • 6% same as the average critic
  • 38% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 63
Highest review score: 100 Sand Storm
Lowest review score: 0 Saw VI
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8,716 out of 16552
  2. Mixed: 5,819 out of 16552
  3. Negative: 2,017 out of 16552
16552 movie reviews
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  1. Valentine
    A smart, stylish horror picture that offers a fresh twist on the ever-reliable revenge theme and affords a raft of talented young actors solid roles that show them to advantage.
  2. Head Over Heels
    Although Head Over Heels moves swiftly, has an appealing cast and a serviceably diverting plot, it is nevertheless hard to fall head over heels over it.
  3. In the Mood for Love
    The result is a kind of ultimate romantic film, joining an almost Jamesian sadness and discipline to that extraordinary visual sensibility. It's not the kind of thing you see every day.
  4. Nico and Dani
    An exceptional coming-of-age film--subtle, humorous, compassionate, acutely perceptive.
  5. Trolösa
    Complex, challenging and richly rewarding, it glows with the kind of wrenchingly selfless portrayals that are the hallmark of the Bergman classics.
  6. Glamour
    An elegant, poetic fable of endurance.
  7. Two Ninas
    It is amazing how writer-director Neil Turitz, a seasoned journalist, has taken the familiar ingredients of the spiky New York dating game movie and made them seem so fresh and original, filled with individuals acutely detailed and compassionately observed.
  8. Sugar & Spice
    Amusingly subversive, thanks to sharp writing and direction, by Mandy Nelson and Francine McDougall, respectively.
  9. The Wedding Planner
    The picture is never less than pleasant -- but it's not more than that often enough.
  10. Amy
    A skilled heart-tugger from Australia that verges on rock opera.
  11. The Amati Girls
    Has plenty of warmth, affection and conventional wisdom, but too much of the time it plays out in routine fashion with moments of contrivance.
  12. The Pledge
    A forced march toward certain disaster, a scenario only passionate believers in predestination are likely to savor.
  13. Snatch.
    Even if it's not quite as lighter than air as its predecessor, Snatch remains a lethal diversion.
  14. Zheng hun qi shi
    Director Chen Kuo-fu adds a refreshingly wry humor to this view and then deftly throws in some wrenching moments and an ultimately astounding final twist.
  15. Panic
    A lot of this is quite well done, but Bromell has a tendency to have too schematic an aesthetic agenda for his story: treating film noir like kabuki is not necessarily the best way to go, no matter how beautifully you do it.
  16. Antitrust
    It is ultimately more routine than provocative, despite the timeliness and seriousness of the issues it raises.
    • 25 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Double Take
    An even-handed mixture of suspense and comedy that aims to play fair with the audience on both fronts.
  18. Save the Last Dance
    The story comes full circle in a way that might seem overly schematic did it not have the courage to wear its heart on its sleeve without losing its head.
  19. Chunhyangdyun
    Im Kwon Taek's exquisite Chunhyang brings to the screen one of Korea's most cherished folk tales, a timeless romance in which the lovers are challenged by differences in class.
  20. The Claim
    Sadly the film is so elusive, so distant, that it never seems more than half-alive.
  21. Shadow of the Vampire
    Willem Dafoe's performance in Shadow of the Vampire is so irresistible it not only breaks that cycle but turns an otherwise just adequate film into something everyone will want to take a look at.
  22. Traffic
    So though it takes important steps in that direction, the film pulls back from what seems to be its own logical conclusion.
  23. All the Pretty Horses
    In an odd way Pretty Horses has been too faithful to the spirit of this somber, fatalistic, melancholy romance, too much a stubborn ode to stoicism, to light any emotional fires.
  24. Vatel
    Boldly distinctive in its depiction of individuals caught up in a veritable infernal machine designed solely to give pleasure to a monarch, Vatel is a timeless tale of love and sacrifice in a world as opulent as it is cruel.
  25. Thirteen Days
    Dealing with all these crises and decisions gives Thirteen Days a surprising amount of tension and watchability for a story whose outcome we already know.
  26. An Everlasting Piece
    This late-in-the-year gem glows with Levinson's characteristically warm embrace of a wide range of people and his superlative sense of time and place.
  27. Malèna
    Malena the film is as beautiful and seductive as its heroine, with its ravishing Lajos Koltai cinematography and sweepingly romantic Ennio Morricone score.
  28. Before Night Falls
    Anchored by a charismatic and accessible performance by Javier Bardem as star-crossed Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, this florid examination of an artist's coming of age, of cultures in collusion and conflict, is difficult to resist.
  29. Injeong sajeong bol geot eobtda
    For all his mastery of his medium, Lee is no less effective in directing actors than in creating images.
  30. The House of Mirth
    Above all else expresses the timeless impact of Lily Bart's plight.
    • 26 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dracula 2000
    Dracula 2000 is at heart a solidly old-fashioned cloak-and-fangs vampire flick. It honors the central traditions of the form a lot more often than it skewers them.
  32. Miss Congeniality
    A mainstream Hollywood escapist fantasy that in the end melts satire into sentimentality, but it is funny and knowing, detached enough to take a bemused stance toward its calculated tone.
  33. State and Main
    A quintessentially wised-up insider comedy, ideally cast and filled with sharp writing from start to finish.
  34. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
    Enlivening things to an unprecedented extent, the songs turn O Brother into perhaps the warmest production in the Coens' repertoire.
  35. Cast Away
    Comes off as convincing but never compelling. There's a ponderous quality to it, as if it's forever clearing its throat to say something of value that doesn't quite get articulated.
  36. The Family Man
    Not even a sincere and heroic effort by Nicolas Cage can redeem the film's essential phoniness.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    My Neighbors the Yamadas
    Rendered in Japanese ink wash, it is a surreal look at nuclear family dynamics. [21 Oct 2014, p.D5]
    • Los Angeles Times
  38. Finding Forrester
    Even fairy tales could use a bit more substance than this.
  39. The Gift
    Overly familiar material, even well done, cannot be made more intrinsically interesting than it is. Not even by Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves.
  40. Pollock
    Stands out among creative bio-pics for an ability to show art being made in a way that's as realistic and exciting as it's ever been on screen.
  41. South of Heaven, West of Hell
    Overlong, overwritten.
  42. The Visit
    This is a film that stays with you long after the lights have gone up.
  43. The Emperor's New Groove
    A delightful, effervescent morality tale for children conveyed with such wit and sophistication that adults are likely to be enchanted as well.
  44. What Women Want
    A vaguely amusing formulaic comedy with a premise that turns out to be more discomforting than endearing.
    • 30 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dude, Where's My Car?
    There's a benign, peace-loving air about it all that forces you to accept and embrace the film's two central characters.
  46. Chocolat
    A work of artistry and craftsmanship at the highest level.
  47. Vertical Limit
    Vertical Limit, despite its weaknesses, finds the right director in Martin Campbell to energize this high-altitude thriller.
  48. Dungeons & Dragons
    Whalin is awful, Birch is saddled with lines that would make a silent film star blanch and Irons devours huge chunks of scenery with the ferocity of one of those dog-fighting dragons.
  49. Proof of Life
    An ambitious film that aims to examine the human equations behind the abductions. But for all its good intentions, it's not as subtle as it might be, and it's finally pitched too broadly to achieve the level of emotional truth it aims for.
  50. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
    Crouching Tiger's blend of the magical, the mythical and the romantic fills a need in us we might not even realize we had.
  51. Boys Life 3
    Lively, amusing collection of five films that take a wry look at being gay.
  52. Spring Forward
    Spring Forward is so fully realized and so moving that you wish you could get away with merely saying: "Go see it for yourself."
  53. 102 Dalmatians
    You can't help but feel that Disney has delivered a turkey for Thanksgiving.
  54. Unbreakable
    It would be foolish to deny that Unbreakable has scenes that make you jump, but without anything resonant to apply that skill to, the film has no option except squandering its technique.
  55. Quills
    Soon becomes a sadistic experience in its own right. Experiencing this pretentious wallow -- overwritten, under-thought and overdone -- is a very sophisticated form of torture.
  56. Lies
    A work of honesty and artistic integrity that nonetheless will be difficult to watch for many viewers.
  57. Bounce
    Affleck and Paltrow, who've been excellent elsewhere, display less chemistry than they've shown in magazine photo shoots. Even Woody and Bo Peep had more going on between them in "Toy Story" than these two manage here.
  58. La bûche
    With its lovely images of wintertime Paris and its lyrical Michel Legrand music, La Bu^che does take the cake.
  59. One Day in September
    This utterly compelling behind-the-scenes account of that horrific event unfolds with a potent sense of authority and authenticity.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - Rugrats II
    All of this film's faults are nearly forgiven for the short but memorable scene of sumo wrestlers singing a karaoke version of "Bad Girls."
  61. The 6th Day
    From its standard-issue action to its halfhearted dialogue and acting, that's one situation even two Schwarzeneggers aren't enough to solve.
  62. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    One overstuffed movie, but it's by no means a turkey.
  63. Non-Stop
    Cleverly structured, with a slam-bam score and style to burn.
  64. Red Planet
    When it comes to special effects, the filmmakers have spared no expense. But when it comes to the story, audiences have been shortchanged.
  65. Men of Honor
    Leaves you wanting to know more, and that's not a bad thing.
  66. Looking for an Echo
    The film's locales have an appealing authentic feel to them, and everything from decor to music contributes to making Looking for an Echo an appealing heart-tugger.
  67. Little Nicky
    The kindest thing that can be said about Sandler's sense of humor is that it's unapologetically juvenile.
  68. You Can Count on Me
    With warm humor and perceptive writing, director Kenneth Lonergan displays a gift for creating realistic characters and a compelling story.
  69. Suzhou River
    Daring and edgy, it's a German co-production (critical for avoiding censorship) that's filled with the intoxicating excitement of creating images for the screen.
  70. Boesman and Lena
    Gradually, the power of the material and the stars takes hold, flashbacks begin to flesh out the characters' lives, and Boesman & Lena comes alive--achingly and passionately.
  71. Blue Moon
    A warm and pleasant romantic fantasy that shows BenGazzara and Rita Moreno to advantage but is better suited to the tube or the stage.
  72. Kippur
    A classic war film, at once elegiac and immediate, that takes you smack into the chaos of combat yet is marked by a detached perspective.
  73. The Legend of Bagger Vance
    So meticulous in its craftsmanship and so earnest in its storytelling that it feels both physically and spiritually airbrushed.
  74. Charlie's Angels
    A potato chip of a movie. Tasty and lightweight, it's fine for a cinematic snack, if that's what you're looking for. Making it an entire meal, however, really isn't advisable.
  75. Once in the Life
    Fishburne excels in his triple-threat roles as actor, director and adapter of his own play, and his cast glows under his direction.
  76. The Little Vampire
    (Lipnicki) is pressed into the service of mugging and shtick that would test the mettle of Roberto Benigni.
  77. A Room for Romeo Brass
    An assured, graceful instance of effective screen storytelling, and Meadows draws splendid performances from his cast, especially from the young Shim and Marshall.
  78. A Time for Drunken Horses
    A film of simplicity and power, beautifully shot and effortlessly acted by nonprofessionals.
  79. Vénus beauté (institut)
    There is a sophistication about affairs of the heart, about the wisdom and the risks of romantic involvement that is more than quintessentially French. It's irresistible as well.
  80. Stardom
    Takes us down a familiar path without discovering anything new along the way.
  81. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
    Doomed to be inconsequential and forgettable.
  82. Lucky Numbers
    Clever and diverting dark comedy.
  83. What's Cooking?
    For so brisk and entertaining a film, sharp in its observations but light in its touch, Cooking has unexpected substance and is a formidable accomplishment in that it brings dimension to its nearly 40 principal characters.
  84. Sound and Fury
    Josh Aronson's Sound and Fury, as illuminating and comprehensive as it is heart-wrenching, is an example of what the documentary can accomplish at its most vital and engaging.
  85. The Yards
    So strong and secure in its remorseless movement that you buy into what's happening, its people so firmly gripped in the vise of fate and their own character flaws.
  86. Just One Time
    In Just One Time, sexual fantasy gives way to a consideration of values without being heavy-handed. Janger draws winning performances from everyone.
  87. The Legend of Drunken Master
    Has a great deal of the unapologetically broad and silly comedy.
  88. Calle 54
    Visually as pleasing as it sounds.
  89. Pay It Forward
    The combination of restrained writing and direction and top-of-the-line acting is enough to make even confirmed agnostics want to believe in this unashamed fairy tale.
  90. Bedazzled
    Though amusing from moment to moment, is erratic, unfocused and uncertain where it's going.
  91. Just Looking
    There are enough grace notes and gentle surprises strewn along this well-trod path to make Just Looking just good enough to justify Alexander's career move.
  92. Cleopatra's Second Husband
    A diabolically clever psychological suspense movie.
  93. Lost Souls
    A dreary tale of supernatural horror.
  94. Dr T and the Women
    Rapp is clearly in sync with Altman's peerless sense of rhythm and knows how to write incisively and economically for Altman's cherished large ensemble casts.
  95. The Contender
    It does move right along and it's enlivened by stronger, more enjoyable acting than this kind of picture usually provides.
  96. Billy Elliot
    In its determination to overdo sure-fire material, Billy Elliot becomes as impossible to wholeheartedly embrace as it is to completely reject.
  97. The Ladies Man
    Manages to sustain a sweet, funny groove for, say, 65 of its 85 minutes.
  98. Animal Factory
    One of the least sensationalistic--and therefore, more unsettlingly plausible--visions of prison life ever transfigured into big-screen drama.
  99. Ratcatcher
    Bleak childhoods make for the best cinema, and Ratcatcher stands at the head of the class.
  100. One
    If you care about the best kind of independent filmmaking, if you want the option of experiencing artistic films when you go to the movies, missing out on One is not an option. When a film like this appears, attention should be paid.
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