Los Angeles Times' Scores

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For 16,523 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 2.3 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: 8,698 out of 16523
  2. Mixed: 5,808 out of 16523
  3. Negative: 2,017 out of 16523
16523 movie reviews
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    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Laurence Anyways
    At nearly three hours, it's by turns an extraordinary and exhausting work.
  2. Un Flic (re-release)
    Though not among Melville's classics, Un Flic is a pleasure to experience.
  3. Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's
    A lively, clever, fast-moving film that isn't overly reverential about its subject.
  4. Unmade in China
    It's a cautionary tale of sorts, but the story is so strange it is often not clear exactly what it's cautioning us against.
  5. Blended
    It could have been a bit smarter and a lot shorter, but Blended, the third big-screen pairing for Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore (after "The Wedding Singer" and "50 First Dates"), is a fun, often funny, largely enjoyable romp.
  6. The Crumbles
    This one's all about the next jaunty, jangly guitar riff on the soundtrack that signals a new day, the next bit of inspiration or opportunity, and sometimes that's just fine.
  7. Dracula Untold
    As effective and fat-free as its sinewy star, Luke Evans, Dracula Untold proves an absorbing, swiftly comprehensive origin tale.
  8. State 194
    With a two-state solution still elusive, "State 194" may feel a bit like yesterday's news — literally and figuratively. But as an aid to better understanding this vital, complex dispute, the film is definitely worth a look.
  9. And Now a Word from Our Sponsor
    With the nimble Greenwood and a kinder, gentler-than-usual Posey in charge, "And Now" proves a thoroughly engaging lark.
  10. Deliver Us From Evil
    Buckle up for the ride that is Deliver Us From Evil, a highly intense and effective mash-up of police procedural and horror show.
  11. The Typewriter (In the 21st Century)
    The death of the typewriter has been greatly exaggerated, at least according to the fun, compact love letter of a documentary The Typewriter (in the 21st Century).
  12. Berberian Sound Studio
    Writer-director Peter Strickland...uses atmosphere as others would use plot, and knows how to provoke comic shudders. But he tends to repeat himself, and he doesn't quite find a satisfying denouement for the inventive premise.
  13. Hannah Arendt
    Barbara Sukowa's performance in the title role is the kind that reverberates long after the screen goes black.
  14. Storm Surfers 3D
    Justin McMillan and Christopher Nelius' rah-rah documentary is most alive when it unearths old '80s footage of the friends partying it up with blond groupies — talk about thrilling curves.
  15. Labor Day
    The film finds its footing as the weekend progresses and the temperature and tension — outside and in — rise.
  16. Rising from Ashes
    As a filmmaker, [Johnston] doesn't always trust his audience as much as he should, opting for overly insistent music and voice-over and withholding information in key areas. But he knew a good story when he saw one, and we can all be grateful for that.
  17. Borgman
    For all its emotional roller-coastering and wild intrigue, the film's purpose — as well as its title character — feels more symbolic than specific. Still, this well-shot and -designed picture is a mostly compelling, intrepid ride.
  18. Non-Stop
    Non-Stop is a crisp, efficient thriller that benefits greatly from the intangibles Neeson can be counted on to supply.
  19. Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
    Even if you may not be putting a Pussy Riot song on your next playlist, there is something so of-the-moment and exciting about the group that Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer feels important, if not fully complete.
  20. Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
    A skillfully rendered narrative that should satisfy fans and pique the interest of the uninitiated.
  21. One Mile Above
    As the deliberately paced film never gets under the character's skin, it doesn't quite get under ours. Still, it's a physically impressive, visually compelling journey.
  22. Dirty Wars
    The ambitions toward '70s-era paranoia thrillers aside, as a connect-the-dots narrative, Dirty Wars is eye-opening, a fierce argument that there are chilling ramifications to endless, vague aggression.
  23. The Last of the Mohicans
    The Last of the Mohicans comes at you like a tomahawk. Hard, fast and brutal, it slashes at your throat and just about leaves you for dead. Undeniably exciting as this definitely is, however, its impact comes at the expense of some of the gentler virtues, qualities that even top-drawer barn-burners really shouldn't ignore.
  24. Following
    As a psychological mystery it plays persuasively if not profoundly. Nolan relishes the sheer nastiness he keeps stirred up, unabated for 70 minutes. You can, too, provided you don't ask more of it.
  25. Kansas City
    Too much of some good things and not quite enough of others, Kansas City is the kind of film you're eager to like more than you do. It could never for an instant be mistaken for anything but a Robert Altman film, and that counts for a lot.
  26. Blackfish
    Blackfish, named after the Native American term for orcas, remains decidedly one-sided. But when that "side" is such a vital, convincing proponent for the greater protection and understanding of such evolved and majestic creatures, it can't help but win.
  27. The Lesser Blessed
    Pensively shot, painfully and poetically told.
  28. 100 Bloody Acres
    With a fun post-credits gag to round it off, 100 Bloody Acres is great summer counterprogramming for anyone who wants to unwind with a bit of bloody fun and goofball gore.
  29. Somm
    The film's formula of following these four from three weeks before the start of things right through the competition is a tried and true one that can't help but have success.
  30. Spider-Man: Homecoming
    Against considerable odds, Spider-Man: Homecoming finds its pace and rhythm by the end. Not only did figuring out how to become an effective Spider-Man require more of a learning curve than Parker anticipates, figuring out how to make a successful superhero movie mandated one for the filmmakers as well.
  31. Downloaded
    Downloaded is still a vigorous retelling of Fanning's and Parker's wildfire achievement and its ethical pitfalls, even if there's little in the way of journalistic balance.
  32. Hell Baby
    Its modest (if occasionally gross-out) stabs at genre parody rarely insult our intelligence and even allow for the kind of retro deadpan silliness Mel Brooks used to underline his louder punch lines.
  33. Mood Indigo
    With its indefinable, almost indescribable combination of whimsy, sentiment and strangeness, "Mood Indigo" (co-written by Gondry and Luc Bossi) will not be to all tastes at all times. But frame for frame, the amount of invention going on here can't be believed unless it's seen.
  34. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
    Often an engrossing example of the sweeping, stirring biography.
  35. Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp
    The movie is itself rough around the edges, notably in some chintzy attempts at animating pulp graphics. But it's briskly pieced together from interviews and archival footage.
  36. The Lifeguard
    The Lifeguard is a watchable, emotionally redolent trip down one woman's memory lane.
  37. Man of Tai Chi
    The brutally efficient shooting style Reeves employs to film master choreographer Yuen Woo Ping's breathtaking fights...is refreshingly grounded and old-school kinetic.
  38. Dear Mr. Watterson
    The film, named for "Calvin" creator Bill Watterson, offers not only an in-depth look at the comic strip's unique influence but also a concise snapshot of the dwindling state of newspapers and their "funny pages."
  39. I Declare War
    An entertaining and insightful portrait of boyhood.
  40. Casting By
    A vivid reminder of the hand-in-glove importance of right actor/right role — and the indispensability of those casting mavens who helped make movie history. Good stuff.
  41. Linsanity
    [An] enjoyable documentary.
  42. Una Noche
    Moving performances from Una Noche's charismatic non-pro cast, Mulloy's keen eye for visual detail and stunning cinematography by Trevor Forrest and Shlomo Godder of Cuba's turquoise water exploding against the sea wall offer a compelling portrait.
  43. Parkland
    The writer-director digs deeply and with a marked sensitivity, capturing the desperate, heartbroken humanity of the time and the place. But it is also a movie of frustrating stumbles — blunders that diminish what might have been a brilliant film.
  44. The Judge
    However unwieldy the final result, Dobkin and company deserve credit for helping Duvall and Downey create vibrant, dramatic characters that involve the performers in rousing, stem-winder ways.
  45. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
    It's amazing what a little story and a little substance add to a movie. It might not be a giant leap for mankind, but it is a small step for one old man.
  46. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
    It is an imperfect film about this imperfect world. But if "Mister & Pete" doesn't make you rethink the social safety net that fails these kids, and so many others like them, book some time with a cardiologist.
  47. Bad Milo!
    Its lo-fi charms — the cutesy-scary monster design, earnest family values and Danny Elfman-esque soundtrack — make the film feel like an '80s throwback in a way that justifies the nostalgia.
  48. Haunter
    Haunter offers a freaky, visceral experience — without a hint of gore.
  49. And While We Were Here
    It's to Coiro's credit that no one emerges as a villain — and that, however painful, on the other side lies hope.
  50. Herb & Dorothy 50X50
    Megumi Sasaki's follow-up to her first documentary, 2008's Herb & Dorothy, is as engaging and unpretentious as its subjects.
  51. Zipper: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride
    Documentarian Amy Nicholson puts a human face on the deterioration of the iconic New York amusement park by focusing on the fate of her favorite ride.
  52. Pig Death Machine
    Anyone who longs for the old, weird films of John Waters or the psychotronic freak-outs of New York's Cinema of Transgression school should be able to get their fix from Pig Death Machine.
  53. Herblock: The Black & the White
    Block's work, so often ahead of the curve (Woodward and Bernstein marvel at how he understood Watergate before them), always comes shining through, revealing an artist who made it his mission to champion the "little guy" and speak truth to power.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Birth of the Living Dead
    Enjoyably recounts how, in 1967, Romero and an assortment of Pittsburgh locals shot a micro-budget chiller that would unexpectedly change the face of horror films.
  55. Ted 2
    While Ted 2 is absurd and occasionally disgusting, it is also wickedly funny.
  56. Million Dollar Arm
    You can see the stuff Million Dollar Arm throws at you from miles away, but that doesn't stop this baseball movie from being genially enjoyable.
  57. Wadjda
    While the uniqueness of the film's Riyadh setting and the disturbing nature of Wadjda's depictions of life for women behind the Saudi curtain are thoroughly involving, the actual plotline of a 10-year-old girl's determination to own a bicycle can be as standard as it sounds.
  58. Escape from Tomorrow
    For the first hour, the plot is stultifyingly aimless, while the satire of Disney's oppressive optimism is as stale as any theme-park snack. But like a roller coaster, a queasily rollicking and dizzyingly loopy climax... ultimately makes the long wait worthwhile.
  59. Go Grandriders
    Tian-Hao Hua's documentary distinguishes itself not with false suspense but tremendous poignancy and humor, much of which come from the riders' varied histories and motivations for revving up their bikes.
  60. The Muslims Are Coming!
    The hint at disagreement among the performers about who can and cannot call themselves Muslim is particularly provocative — a debate that would have been better off played out on-screen rather than summarized after the fact.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Broadway Idiot
    A fast-paced, thoroughly entertaining if hardly trenchant show biz documentary.
  62. Instructions Not Included
    There's a lot of movie here with unexpected developments, held together by the irresistible chemistry between Derbez and his adorable pint-sized co-star.
  63. American Made Movie
    An involving primer on the realities of homegrown versus global industrialization.
  64. We Are What We Are
    Like the family, the film occasionally comes apart at the seams. But Childers and Garner are absolutely mesmerizing as Iris and Rose.
  65. Red Obsession
    Documentaries by their nature are prisoners of their moment in time. If they are fortunate, as the makers of Red Obsession are, that moment, even if it's brief, will be able to hold our interest.
  66. I Am Breathing
    "Breathing" takes its humorous, contemplative tonal cues from Neil himself.
  67. The Short Game
    Greenbaum shoots the game play especially well, employing dynamic camera work and kinetic editing to convey the drama of what non-fans might consider a static sport.
  68. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
    Helping to make these pleasantries funny is their spur-of-the-moment quality, the same quick spontaneity that characterizes chance remarks overheard at raucous movie houses. Capturing that bright and unexpected quality is what the MST3K crew does best. Too bad that's not all they do.
  69. All Is Bright
    In its own strange way, All Is Bright pulls you in even as it frustrates. This is far from a picture-perfect Christmas story, mind you, but there is a spirit in its celebration of disappointment that is quite special.
  70. GMO OMG
    If forewarned is forearmed, Seifert's movie might one day prove quite prescient.
  71. The Secret Lives of Dorks
    Johnny Severin and Nicholas David Brandt's otherwise clever and original script takes an unexpected turn at nearly every intersection, resulting in a funny and big-hearted coming-of-age romance.
  72. Grace Unplugged
    Grace Unplugged proves a far more involving, accessible and enjoyable movie than its peek-a-boo marketing strategy suggested.
  73. Newlyweeds
    The sights, sounds and sociological quirks of Lyle's and Nina's particular circle of existence are what give Newlyweeds its indie resonance, less a city symphony than an urban alt-fugue.
  74. Hawking
    What Hawking does do well is open a window onto how his mind works and the passions that ignite his soul.
  75. Enemy
    Enemy may be built more on questions than answers, but in the probing it generates a satisfyingly arch hum of weirdness.
  76. Fading Gigolo
    While Fading Gigolo periodically threatens to come apart at the seams, it is Turturro's most disciplined and delightful work yet.
  77. Joe
    Though Joe occasionally slips and falters, the filmmakers and actors get all the hard-luck details right.
  78. Life of Crime
    Life of Crime has the authentic Leonard snap, crackle and pop.
  79. Philomena
    Dench is not the only reason to see this unapologetic crowd-pleaser, but she is the best one.
  80. Big Sur
    Although no less fawning and indulgent about its self-centered subject, played by Jean-Marc Barr (who also narrates, run-on style), the muted emptiness of the ill-fated sojourn wills its way toward something like existential meaningfulness.
  81. Dislecksia: The Movie
    Has a necessary charge to it, but also a distractingly goofy side.
  82. Wolf Children
    Wolf Children is rather an odd story, told in a one-of-a-kind style that feels equal parts sentimental, somber and strange.
  83. At Berkeley
    An involving portrait of what's called "one of the world's most powerful knowledge-producing institutions" and an examination on how that institution is coping with a significant financial crisis.
  84. Pulling Strings
    Serving mostly as a strong calling card for star Jaime Camil, the film has an appealingly loose, slightly ramshackle charm.
  85. Spinning Plates
    What raises this film to a more interesting level is that in addition to the food, each segment presents a personal drama that extends beyond the table.
  86. McConkey
    Witnessing him defy long odds, gravity and death is a thrill; even the uninitiated should find his unresolved father complex of interest.
  87. Blood Brother
    Hoover's stubbornly ground-level perspective renders the documentary's lack of context about HIV in India...rather frustrating. But Blood Brother feels important anyway, not so much as a snapshot of one volunteer but for its passionate portrayal of the curative powers of love.
  88. Enzo Avitabile Music Life
    In Enzo Avitabile Music Life, Demme has not given us an expansive film, and there are spots you wish he'd dug deeper. But there is such a well of emotion that the music alone is almost enough.
  89. In the Name Of
    Despite some diffused messaging and oddly elliptical storytelling, "In the Name Of" proves an absorbing, at times hypnotic drama about religion, repression and sexuality.
  90. Wilde Salomé
    Pacino bites off an awful lot here, yet, as our puckish, ebullient and, later, prickly guide on this kaleidoscopic journey, he manages to present an intriguing and passionate view of artistic risk and reward.
  91. The New Black
    Director Yoruba Richen has refreshingly avoided making this polemic into propaganda, a temptation many lesser documentarians could not resist.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I Am Divine
    On the evidence of the documentary I Am Divine, to know the drag star Divine was to love him.
  93. One Chance
    Director David Frankel has crafted a sweet, funny, heartfelt film, and while we may know all along how it all turns out, Paul's signature performance still gives us chills.
  94. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
    The Marked Ones is refreshingly uncynical and straightforward in its desire to simply be a movie that makes the audience jump and be scared. It's a fun fright film and wants to be nothing more.
  95. Not Yet Begun to Fight
    Not Yet Begun to Fight is barely an hour long, but it justifies a theatrical release with a lyrical meditation on nature and war.
  96. Nosotros los Nobles
    The performances are genuine and the narrative beats land solidly for a perfectly enjoyable feel-good dramedy.
  97. Blood and Ties
    Director Dong-Suk Kuk ratchets up the tension, effectively toggling back and forth in time to reveal the picture's various puzzle pieces.
  98. Finding Mr. Right
    Its depiction of esoteric facets of immigrant life lends an air of credibility seldom seen in rom-coms.
  99. Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey
    Director Wendy J.N. Lee, who made the grueling trek with a solar-powered camera operated by a monk, provides plenty of breathtaking footage and a strong sense of both the journey's illuminative highs and treacherous (as in altitude and terrain) lows.
  100. The Truth About Emanuel
    Writer-director Francesca Gregorini builds unbearable tension into scenes that otherwise risk tilting toward melodrama and brings the eye of a fashion photographer to the film's hallucinatory dream sequences.
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