New York Daily News' Scores

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For 6,911 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 42% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 55% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 8.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 57
Highest review score: 100 Fruitvale Station
Lowest review score: 0 The Fourth Kind
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,885 out of 6911
  2. Mixed: 2,801 out of 6911
  3. Negative: 1,225 out of 6911
6911 movie reviews
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  1. The Shape of Water
    It still marks Del Toro’s strongest work since “Pan’s Labyrinth” 11 years ago. It is an homage to classic cinema, albeit a slightly quirky one.
  2. Caché (Hidden)
    Caché seems at first glance like a straightforward thriller - about a talk-show host being stalked by a technologically savvy blackmailer. But it's really a sly, subversive commentary on conscience, race, class and inequity.
  3. All About My Mother
    Almodovar is adept at weaving together strands you'd never guess would match.
  4. Moneyball
    This extraordinary hybrid of a movie lives and breathes the game, yet its achievement is bigger than that. There's a touch of old-fashioned romanticism here, but more crucially there's strategy going on inside Bennett Miller's movie that turns it into something cool and special.
  5. Rushmore
    One of the freshest, richest, most original films to come out of Hollywood in a very long time.
  6. The Wind Will Carry Us
    A brilliant if slow-paced movie about one man's unwitting journey into adulthood.
    • New York Daily News
  7. Ten
    The already minimalist filmmaker has gone positively threadbare with Ten, a movie that feels as if there was no director on the set. For the most part, there wasn't.
  8. Tangerine
    Tangerine offers a warts-and-all depiction of a subculture seldom treated with respect by straight society. The movie handles it in a sincere way that’s entertaining, too.
  9. The Tillman Story
    Mary's search drives The Tillman Story, and throughout this taut, true epic, we see a smart, sometimes angry, always loving family find their destiny: to speak truth to power, to call wartime myths what they are and to show how the American character is not about blind obedience.
  10. To Be or Not to Be
    The picture, produced by Alexander Korda, under Lubitsch's direction, has some deliciously funny moments and every now and then a serious sequence is injected that startles the audience into an attitude of taut suspense. But it seems to me that the background of the Melchior Lenggel story is a bit too grim for joking.
  11. The English Patient
    A smashing success on its own terms, though as a transcendent love story it lacks the firm foundation in human reality that characterizes Lars Von Trier's superior "Breaking the Waves."
  12. Nebraska
    Capturing family on film — the real rhythms of family, with all the annoyances, awkwardness and affection — is tough. Tougher still is wrestling a story around the murky emotional waters of Midwestern relatives. Yet one needn’t be cut from that cloth to see the hilarious beauty, and the beautiful honesty, in Nebraska.
  13. Ordinary People
    It is nearly impossible to look at this brilliantly executed movie without being moved to tears.
  14. Under the Sand
    A fascinating movie that explores grief from an emotionally truthful angle rarely seen in movies.
  15. 42: Forty Two Up
    I love this series; it's possibly the most exciting use of the documentary medium ever.
  16. Million Dollar Baby
    Million Dollar Baby is a knockout. It is Clint Eastwood's baby in every respect — a movie that approaches the level of great boxing films, like "Raging Bull," by using sport as a metaphor for human nature.
  17. Hard Boiled
    It's not his most satisfying, full-bodied work, though it does provide many of the Woo pleasures. [18 Jun 1993]
    • New York Daily News
  18. Last Days in Vietnam
    This fact-driven doc is eye-opening and at times thrilling. A sequence following a chopper pilot trying to get his family to an American aircraft carrier is like a short film unto itself.
  19. Rebecca
    The suspense of the story is magnificently sustained throughout the film, which didn't surprise us, as maintaining suspense in a story has always been Director Hitchcock's forte
  20. The Babadook
    So many horror films trade depth for a thrill. The Babadook has both. It dispenses with cheap scares and draws tension from a slowly enveloping dread. And when you think you know where it’s going, that’s when it goes in for the kill.
  21. Little Men
    Credit to Sachs and his co-screenwriter, Mauricio Zacharias, for creating a complex gentrification fight, along with cinematography by Óscar Durán and music by Dickon Hinchliffe that is both gritty and dreamy.
  22. Boogie Nights
    Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has perfectly wedded form to function by filming Boogie Nights in a style suggesting the grainy texture of porn and the ambivalence of the era.
  23. The Kids Are All Right
    Every scene has its highlights, from amusing observations about sex to poignant truths about parenting and partnerships. But what you'll remember most is the exquisitely lovely final scene, in which Cholodenko reminds us that all we need is a single moment of perfection -in a family, or even in a film - to believe that somehow, things will always be all right.
  24. The Straight Story
    If there is any justice in the world, Farnsworth will be remembered at Oscar time.
  25. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
    Director Werner Herzog's latest cinematic mind trip blows you away with its beauty.
  26. Carrie
    Were there Richter scales for measuring the degree of terror induced by movies of this kind, De Palma's "Carrie" would register only 2.2 in terms of actual shock value, but it would score well on the laugh meter. This satiric examination of the American high schooler turns out to be scathingly funny.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Red Turtle
    The animated feature The Red Turtle is about as far as you can get from a typical cartoon movie musical. Except for a few tsunami crashes and howls, this lovely but tortoise-paced work from the celebrated Japanimation house Studio Ghibli is basically a silent film.
  28. How to Survive a Plague
    David France's survey of AIDS advocacy should be invaluable to every frustrated movement, as both a road map and a reminder of how vital personal activism remains.
  29. In the Bedroom
    It's a human drama, drawn in such careful emotional detail, its two acts of violence -- one shown, one not -- are almost incidental.
    • New York Daily News
  30. Of Gods and Men
    Quiet, soulful and wrenching.
  31. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
    Arguably Lumet's best film in 20 years.
  32. West Side Story
    The film adaptation of Robert E. Griffith’s and Harold S. Prince’s stage production of “West Side Story” retains all the vibrant qualities of the original work while added brilliance and originality have been brought to the screen presentation.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Raiders of the Lost Ark
    The movie is so entertaining it hardly seems right to say it's susceptible to holes being picked in it, but it is.
  34. Deliver Us from Evil
    Amy Berg's riveting documentary, tracks O'Grady's predatory trail from San Andreas, Calif., to Ireland, where he is now living on a church pension that was apparently meant to buy his silence.
  35. The Great Beauty
    Sorrentino’s dazzling tribute to Roman indulgence is a bittersweet, slightly surreal epic.
  36. Argo
    Argo is movie magic. Ben Affleck's third directorial outing, is an entertaining, real-life, race-the-clock thriller that nabs you at the start and never makes a wrong move.
  37. Traffic
    Borderline brilliant. Tackles the war on drugs from a kaleidoscope of perspectives.
  38. Talk to Her
    This quiet yet jolting meditation on love, obsession, loneliness, friendship and fate has the quality to entrance you through a first viewing, and compel you to take its themes and characters home with you for further consideration.
  39. Summer Hours
    Assayas and his cast hit so many perfect notes, you'll swear you've seen these characters and heard these conversations before - not in Chekhov's thematically similar "Cherry Orchard," which was an obvious influence, but in your own life.
  40. The Master
    This superb, cerebral film about unchecked belief is a fictionalized and cutting drama hinging on the origins of Scientology. Scratch around a bit, though, and its wider indictments become clear.
  41. Boys Don't Cry
    A powerful, deeply moving tale, immeasurably facilitated by the performance of relatively unknown Hilary Swank as Brandon...smartly shot and edited, and the performances are dead-on.
  42. Los Angeles Plays Itself
    What Andersen does best is capture the sense of growing up and living among the landmarks of Hollywood's authentic back lot.
  43. This Is England
    Turgoose, in his first film role, is entirely convincing as the strong-willed but naïve Shaun, and Graham is a genuine fright as the feral prototype of the violent skinhead culture on the horizon.
  44. Sweet Sixteen
    Compston, with Loach's uncanny guidance, gives a performance of such natural power you'd think you were watching a drama-class prodigy like James Dean rather than a moonlighting high-schooler.
  45. The Son
    Sitting through the film is punishing work. The jittery closeups create a response that is more physical (I'm thinking nausea) than emotional, and there are no respites.
  46. Ponyo
    Trippy in the right way, and wholly enchanting.
  47. The Interrupters
    This is crucial work, evidenced by a line on a wall of R.I.P. graffiti that reads simply, "I am next." This film of common folks fighting the seemingly inevitable is just as moving.
  48. Baby Driver
    Amid all the high-speed action, this “Baby” is also spiked with humor. In large part that's thanks to Spacey and Foxx, as well as Jon Hamm, who makes the bank robber Buddy, one of his better movie roles. Having such strong actors also brings a gravitas to the story.
  49. Beasts of the Southern Wild
    Winds up feeling like a form of emotional tourism. The images recall Terrence Malick, but the film fills "atmosphere" into dry narrative holes where a story should reside.
  50. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
    Consistently compelling and required viewing for anyone remotely interested in pop culture.
  51. Flight of the Red Balloon
    Hou intends to celebrate the classic 1956 children's film "The Red Balloon," and he has done a beautiful job. In fact, he may well have created a future classic of his own.
  52. The Gleaners & I
    Varda injects her sprightly personality into the film, a seasoning that sometimes overwhelms the stew.
  53. Before Night Falls
    A personal eulogy, from one artist to another, and an indictment of all systems of government that deny people the right to free expression and the full realization of their talent.
  54. Waking Life
    Linklater's ravishing new movie represents a bold leap into the possibilities of technology.
  55. From Here to Eternity
    There isn't a dull moment in the picture.
  56. The Bourne Ultimatum
    Bursting with so much amped-up energy, you may need to rest once it's finally done.
  57. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
    It's wonderful. Epic and heartbreaking and just as grand as it needs to be.
  58. Take Shelter
    Nichols approaches his subject with thoughtful empathy, and while his themes are enormous - he's addressing no less than the state of our nation - he wisely underplays even the most important moments.
  59. You Can Count on Me
    It's a compassionate story about what makes people tick and what really matters.
  60. The Pianist
    The power of the arts to transcend cultural differences is presumably what moves the German to spare Szpilman, and, perhaps, is the key to Polanski's salvation as well.
  61. Children Underground
    First-time filmmaker Edet Belzberg may be the first person to assign any value to the lives of the homeless Romanian youngsters featured in her harrowing documentary.
    • New York Daily News
  62. Get Out
    It's very funny at times, but it isn't a comedy. It is that very rare of beasts: a new and original motion picture.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Amy
    The result may be depressing, but the performance footage balances it with rousing evidence of Winehouse’s eternal talent.
  64. The Edge of Heaven
    Like a more personal, less pretentious version of Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Babel," this spiraling dissection of circumstance, choice and fate is more about thoroughness of vision than tricky storytelling.
  65. The Savages
    The Savages is a TV movie made for the big screen - and it needs the larger venue to accommodate the huge performances of its stars, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.
  66. An Education
    Watch Mulligan's face as she goes from weary to awakened, and see it all come together.
  67. Lebanon
    Director Samuel Maoz's gripping you-are-there feel does for tanks what "Das Boot" did for submarines, and that chokehold only gets tighter as this taut drama about the 1982 Israeli-Lebanese war goes on.
  68. The Endurance
    The combination of the ancient tinted footage and Butler's crisp, sweeping vistas of the same areas provides a breathtaking recap of one of history's most stirring rescues.
  69. Exit Through the Gift Shop
    Along the way, the movie documents a movement while deftly skewering a cynical media and ever-gullible public. So whether we're being had or just enlightened, Banksy's definitely found a new medium in which to create his own works of art.
  70. Kings & Queen
    Arnaud Desplechin's sprawling drama exudes a go-for-broke determination that is frustrating and exhilarating.
  71. Sling Blade
    Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and stars in this compassionate, occasionally funny, character-driven movie about a mentally unstable man who takes the best interests of children very seriously.
  72. Let's Get Lost
    A combination homage, living obituary and darkly moody piece of cinematic poetry.
  73. Offside
    Director Jafar Panahi has long been an eloquent and passionate representative for Iranian women. But judging by this deeply poignant comedy, they may not need a mouthpiece much longer.
  74. Sleeping Beauty
    It is a picture that will charm the young and tickle adults, since the old fairy tale has been transferred to the screen by a Disney who kept his tongue in his cheek throughout the film's animation. It is a beautiful and amusing cartoon.
  75. Knocked Up
    What follows is an extreme case of reverse courtship, which begins at conception and works backward toward getting to know each other, and then moves forward to one of the funniest birthing scenes ever filmed.
  76. Turtles Can Fly
    There's no refuge in this uncomfortably realistic movie, and that is its strength.
  77. The Departed
    A movie-movie of the first rank.
  78. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
    Where Kim's best-known movie, "The Isle," was a stomach-churner, this beautifully composed canvas is the sort of film one falls into, resurfacing at the end with great reluctance.
  79. Festival Express
    A raucous, riveting account of the greatest party you were never invited to.
  80. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
    Even those who adored Alec Guinness as the small-screen George Smiley will appreciate Gary Oldman's perfectly attuned turn as a Cold War spy drawn back from forced retirement.
  81. Half Nelson
    It is not easy to watch, yet beyond the traps that society and the urban culture have set up for Drey and the other kids, and the traps that Dan is falling into on his own, this is ultimately a hopeful story of common humanity.
  82. Vincere
    There’s visual poetry here and haunted performances from Mezzogiorno and Timi -- who plays two roles, and is especially gripping as Dalser’s grown son.
  83. The Insider
    May be the best movie of the year.
  84. Street Fight
    Newark Mayor Sharpe James is the kind of politician that Tony Soprano would be happy to own.
  85. Domestic Violence
    Wiseman's film is revealing. But it is also a silent rebuke to a society that tries to hide this pervasive problem behind a smug vision of itself.
  86. Love and Diane
    Amazing... There are only a finite number of filmmakers with the devotion, patience and ability to tease out these stories.
  87. About Schmidt
    Payne achieves an impressive control over the look and tone, so that, melancholy as the movie is, it comes off as both comedy and comment on the human condition.
  88. Hero
    As gorgeous and contemplative as it is, Hero is a genre picture and needs to deliver the action goods. To that end, there are plenty of clever, lovingly choreographed sequences.
  89. Neil Young: Heart of Gold
    Dropping in amusing anecdotes and tender memories, a deeply reflective Young revisits - and often reinterprets - both his recent and classic work.
  90. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
    The production is fantastically funny, high-energy camp, punctuated by Trask's infectious score and by Mitchell, dressing in a succession of wigs twice the size of his body.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Holy Motors
    Each episode of director Leos Carax's film perfectly masters the exact tone of a different genre, finding precisely the saddest moment in each of its vignettes.
  92. Unforgiven
    Unforgiven is a high-caliber movie, a gripping and haunting work of art that should finally establish Eastwood as one of America’s best directors.
  93. The Intruder
    The title might as well refer to the viewer who tags along on Louis' often-silent journey from solitude to some tentative form of family. Some will consider the experience insurmountably frustrating; others will find it exhilarating.
  94. The Dark Knight
    Twisted, tortured, terrifying - and terrific.
  95. Everybody Wants Some!!
    There's never an emotional moment here to compete, or even compare, with his last film, "Boyhood." But there's not supposed to be. Everybody Wants Some!! is as laid-back and low-pressure as a Saturday afternoon at someone's dorm room.
  96. The Past
    The Past is not as nuanced as its predecessor — and not as impactful, either. But this is still far more complex than most family dramas.
  97. 24 Hour Party People
    Personally, I'd rather have my brain invaded by flesh-eating beetles than listen to 10 seconds of the Sex Pistols -- Truth is, I've rarely had a worse time watching a good movie.
  98. Atonement
    It is an amazing story, filled with quiet moments of profundity and more surprises than you could imagine.
  99. The Tree of Life
    Like so much in this astounding, consistently beautiful and challenging movie, the answer depends on what you bring to it. Think of it as the Ultimate Anti-Summer-Blockbuster.
  100. The Host
    Bong's primary point is dead-on: Battling bureaucracy, from dishonest government leaders to indifferent civil servants, is the biggest horror of all.
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