Los Angeles Times' Scores

For 16,550 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:
16550 movie reviews
  1. One overstuffed movie, but it's by no means a turkey.
  2. Cleverly structured, with a slam-bam score and style to burn.
  3. When it comes to special effects, the filmmakers have spared no expense. But when it comes to the story, audiences have been shortchanged.
  4. Leaves you wanting to know more, and that's not a bad thing.
  5. 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.
  6. The kindest thing that can be said about Sandler's sense of humor is that it's unapologetically juvenile.
  7. With warm humor and perceptive writing, director Kenneth Lonergan displays a gift for creating realistic characters and a compelling story.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. A warm and pleasant romantic fantasy that shows BenGazzara and Rita Moreno to advantage but is better suited to the tube or the stage.
  11. 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.
  12. So meticulous in its craftsmanship and so earnest in its storytelling that it feels both physically and spiritually airbrushed.
  13. 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.
  14. Fishburne excels in his triple-threat roles as actor, director and adapter of his own play, and his cast glows under his direction.
  15. (Lipnicki) is pressed into the service of mugging and shtick that would test the mettle of Roberto Benigni.
  16. An assured, graceful instance of effective screen storytelling, and Meadows draws splendid performances from his cast, especially from the young Shim and Marshall.
  17. A film of simplicity and power, beautifully shot and effortlessly acted by nonprofessionals.
  18. 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.
  19. Takes us down a familiar path without discovering anything new along the way.
  20. Doomed to be inconsequential and forgettable.
  21. Clever and diverting dark comedy.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. In Just One Time, sexual fantasy gives way to a consideration of values without being heavy-handed. Janger draws winning performances from everyone.
  26. Has a great deal of the unapologetically broad and silly comedy.
  27. Visually as pleasing as it sounds.
  28. 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.
  29. Though amusing from moment to moment, is erratic, unfocused and uncertain where it's going.
  30. 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.

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