New York Daily News' Scores

Select another publication »
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
view
per page
  1. Synecdoche, New York
    Hoffman, Morton and Jon Brion's aching score somehow capture the all-too-human need to get things right. If you're in a certain frame of mind, those moments make up for all the stagecraft.
  2. The Universe of Keith Haring
    Utilizing copious film footage of her puckish subject and new interviews with Haring's contemporaries, gallerists and mentors, director Christina Clausen makes her fascinating movie as big-hearted, city-centric and energetic as its subject.
  3. W.
    A measured and thoughtful meditation on a leader who, this terrific movie believes, inadvertently made the world as roiling as his soul.
  4. Filth and Wisdom
    An atrocious mess.
  5. Max Payne
    The story has more holes than a shot-up metal door, the acting feels bored at best, and the intermittent action, while passable, hardly makes up for the downtime.
  6. Morning Light
    A Disney movie about a Disney project, this slick sailing documentary feels a little too self-promotional, almost like an attraction you might stumble into at Epcot. But at least it turns out to be a fairly wild ride.
  7. The Secret Life of Bees
    Fortunately, the cast cuts through a cloying script and boosts unsure direction with sharply focused performances.
  8. Sex Drive
    Just slightly funnier than you'd expect, this dashed-off teen comedy cribs from a thousand other movies, without coming up with anything original of its own.
  9. Frontrunners
    Frontrunners is a lot rougher than Nanette Burstein's recent, similar documentary, "American Teen," and its comparable lack of gloss is both an asset and a flaw.
  10. Body of Lies
    It's like torture, though Body of Lies has nothing to spill.
  11. The Express
    Sports biodramas generally take one of two tacks: gauzily sentimental or scrappy tale of struggle. The Express runs the thin line between the two and, to its benefit, more often than not hits the first mark.
  12. Dung che sai duk
    Only in its final scenes do the usual WKW themes emerge in full bloom, but purists shouldn't miss it.
  13. Breakfast with Scot
    With witty throwaway bits and Cavanagh's fast delivery, "Scot" gets away with a third-act dip into hearts and platitudes. Otherwise, it's refreshingly snarky and quick.
  14. City of Ember
    Though the film ultimately falls short of its considerable promise, there's more than enough here to keep thoughtful moviegoers - of any age - intrigued.
  15. Happy-Go-Lucky
    Is it possible to enjoy the company of the world's most irritating woman? Mike Leigh's surprisingly sunny dramedy makes a pretty good case that, in fact, it is.
  16. RocknRolla
    On the plus side, the actors - especially Butler and Wilkinson - work overtime to pump some extra life into the self-conscious script.
  17. Religulous
    What he does do finally in this funny, refreshing movie is assert how unrestrained religiosity could guarantee the "end days" many of his subjects admit to looking forward to.
  18. How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
    Problem is, this movie is all surface - to quote one character, it has hidden shallows.
  19. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
    Every generation deserves its ultimate high school romance, and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist clearly aims to take the slot currently open. Despite a valiant attempt, though, it doesn't quite make the grade.
  20. Beverly Hills Chihuahua
    Coasting on lazy stereotypes, the script basically ends where it started, teaching young viewers that it's really not so bad to be a spoiled bitchy puppy.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Blindness
    Piles on the indignities, violence and island-of-man turmoil.
  22. Flash of Genius
    It's not a lightning show, but "Flash" still shines.
  23. Rachel Getting Married
    A film that is both deceptively modest and deeply resonant.
  24. Eagle Eye
    See, everyone complains about humans in movies but no one does anything about it, so it fell to Eagle Eye to make everything laughably, ridiculously fake.
  25. Nights in Rodanthe
    It's an increasingly rare pleasure to see two naturally aging adults onscreen, and it's not exactly hard work to watch this still-gorgeous pair fall in love.
  26. Miracle at St. Anna
    Of course the experiences and sacrifices of black troops, which were so often overlooked, should be represented and honored. But because Lee underestimates our desire to do so, the movie that follows doesn't do them justice.
  27. Ghost Town
    Leoni and Kinnear are charming, and Koepp keeps the mood appropriately light. But really, this would be just another disposable comedy if it weren't for our unassuming star.
  28. Igor
    Sparky voice performances and heart make up for this family film's theft of Tim Burton's sensibility.
  29. Lakeview Terrace
    The same boring routine gets played out again.
  30. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
    Very little actually happens, since most of the time Mr. Shi sits alone in Yilan's empty apartment, wondering how to help her. But there's a gentle beauty in these long, anguished silences, and Wang and his actors make the most of it.
  31. Appaloosa
    Though the leads do fine work, their efforts often feel slightly futile. Despite a few flashes of the darker tone percolating under the surface, the movie remains too well-mannered to truly pull us in.
  32. Battle in Seattle
    Well-intentioned but as earnest as a college freshman discovering campus politics.
  33. The Duchess
    A rousing period drama with all the familiar trimmings: gorgeous costumes, palatial settings and romantic intrigue.
  34. Hounddog
    Rarely has there been a movie as misguided as Hounddog, which self-righteously indulges in exploitation while loudly decrying it.
  35. Burn After Reading
    Hopped up like a Bugs Bunny cartoon on mescaline and as chatty and uppity as a 5-year-old, Burn After Reading could be seen as the Coen brothers' need to let loose after the tightly wound "No Country for Old Men."
  36. The Women
    Is it an exaggeration to call The Women the worst movie of the year? Well, yeah, probably. But it may be the most disappointing, given all the effort that went into it.
  37. Righteous Kill
    Of the supporting performances, Gugino, Leguizamo and Wahlberg offer solid turns, but are let down by dialogue.
  38. Flow: For Love of Water
    Flow makes you thirsty for more information.
  39. Moving Midway
    Cheshire refuses to look away, no matter how complicated things get. In fact, it's the tangled, tortured roots that most inspire him, turning this deeply personal film into a potent meditation on our nation's past.
  40. Towelhead
    Ball knows one trick, and it's sure over.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Family That Preys
    Perry's notoriously overstuffed plots have sometimes been top-heavy, but this movie, like Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters," hangs on an elegant structure that doesn't feel forced.
  42. Bangkok Dangerous
    Adds to the sad realization that this once-vibrant and witty actor (Cage) is completely controlled now by his inner teenager.
  43. A Secret
    Beautifully acted and exquisitely photographed, director Claude Miller's superb drama, from Philippe Grimbert's autobiographical novel, is awash with the ripples created by unlived lives.
  44. Everybody Wants to Be Italian
    As for that title, neither character is Italian, but each thinks the other is - a weak device designed purely to inspire a slew of stereotypes.
  45. Mister Foe
    Jamie Bell gives a watchable performance in this self-conscious, coming-of-age drama, though the film's overall effect is best described as David Lynch lite.
  46. Ping Pong Playa
    A decidedly lightweight amusement.
  47. The Pool
    Smith ("American Movie") sees the poetry in everyday people, and lets his rambling story find its own rhythm.
  48. Disaster Movie
    Why would you watch a bad movie about better movies, when you could just rent the originals instead?
  49. Babylon A.D.
    The plot makes absolutely no sense.
  50. I Served the King of England
    A film as unique as this is a gift that shouldn't be ignored.
  51. My Mexican Shivah
    All this story needs is a mariachi band to walk in on all the overwrought mourners. Oh, wait ... yep. There it is.
  52. Sukiyaki Western Django
    A lightweight goof that feels a little dashed-off.
  53. Year of the Fish
    David Kaplan's sweet, if superficial, fairy tale won't change the world, but it makes nice use of its setting (Chinatown) and visual style (rotoscope animation).
  54. Traitor
    Nachmanoff fills the movie with a sense of gripping, '70s-style grittiness that helps undercut the web-of-evil tone.
  55. Death Race
    Well, you've got to say this for Death Race: It knows what it is and doesn't apologize for it. What it is, incidentally, is junk.
  56. The House Bunny
    not a good comedy. But there's no airbrushing out the funny surrounding its star.
  57. The Longshots
    It also has another watchable turn from Ice Cube, and, as with his previous films, the rap artist-actor leads by example.
  58. Hamlet 2
    There's a lot of potential here, and a sharper script might have made all the difference.
  59. Trouble the Water
    Filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal utilize the footage Kim and Scott Roberts had taken throughout the disaster, showing how residents suffered, survived and came together to help when official assistance let them down.
  60. Momma's Man
    A little miracle, Azazel Jacobs' lovely story of a life lost and found tackles big issues -love, maturity, fulfillment - in deceptively modest fashion.
  61. The Rocker
    Wilson works overtime to hold Peter Cattaneo's flimsy comedy together.
  62. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
    The latest indignity.
  63. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
    There are two stormy performances from Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz that elevate Allen's melancholy thoughts on love and relationships.
  64. The Girl Cut in Two
    Velvety storytelling still feels more thawed-out than heated.
  65. Henry Poole Is Here
    It's easy to see how a film so unafraid of religious touchstones could become a phenomenon among the faithful. Nonbelievers, however, need not apply.
  66. Fly Me to the Moon 3D
    Forgive us for being demanding, but shouldn't an animated kids movie like this one be, at the very least, fun? Cute? Watchable?
  67. Tropic Thunder
    Although this ­satire of Hollywood inanity isn't the comic ­classic it could have been, Downey's gonzo performance is a must-see.
  68. Elegy
    Roth's works are particularly hard to do justice to onscreen, perhaps because the celebrated author's personality is really in his words
  69. Pineapple Express
    When "Pineapple" goes from ganja to genre, it sours.
  70. Bottle Shock
    Unfortunately, Miller never finds the right balance, so while there are some sweet notes, the pileup of clichés ultimately leaves a slightly acrid aftertaste.
  71. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
    The reason this franchise has been so successful - both on film and in Ann Brashares' original novels - is that, just like the jeans, it suits the needs of vastly different girls.
  72. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
    Boredom is the very basis of this sequel, at least at the beginning.
  73. Swing Vote
    A good-ol'-boy civics lesson that's too scattered to achieve its predictable goals.
  74. In Search of a Midnight Kiss
    By the end, Holdridge has captured the bittersweet complexities of romance with a wisdom that proves surprisingly seductive.
  75. America the Beautiful
    Often insightful and more than a little depressing, this is a story that only gets uglier as it goes on.
  76. Frozen River
    Has moments of honesty, but more often the barren landscape - both outside and inside - drains the emotions out of the film.
  77. The X Files: I Want to Believe
    The truth is, the mystery pales next to the best "X-Files" plots. But fans will appreciate sly references to past episodes, an unexpected appearance from an old friend and the still-poignant bond our heroes share.
  78. Step Brothers
    So that's three snickers, not counting the Bush quote, 'cause including that one ain't fair, man.
  79. American Teen
    The kids here do come across as genuine people, struggling with issues everyone can understand.
  80. Baghead
    Anybody who missed 2006's excellent indie "The Puffy Chair" has another chance to discover the off-kilter world of the Duplass brothers.
  81. Brideshead Revisited
    May feel especially like a statue covered in drapery. Unfortunately, the movie's attempts to steam things up feel about as exciting as an after-dinner mint.
  82. Bustin' Down the Door
    Some of the talk gets a little bombastic, but it's hard to deny the thrill involved.
  83. CSNY/Déjà Vu
    "I hate this stinkin' war," Neil Young announces in this chronicle of CSNY's "Freedom of Speech Tour," and the rest of the movie is just as unapologetically blunt.
  84. Man on Wire
    History has made his midair stroll meaningful, but the film shows how even then, everyone - from Petit to his accomplices to the cops who were waiting for him atop the North Tower - recognized the stunt's crazy poetry.
  85. Boy A
    If Hitchcock had done a coming-of-age drama, it might have resembled this haunting, nervous, sad movie about an early twentysomething.
  86. The Dark Knight
    Twisted, tortured, terrifying - and terrific.
  87. Mamma Mia!
    On the scale of modern musical adaptations, it's not a disaster of "The Producers" proportions. But it is missing the razzle-dazzle of a success like "Chicago."
  88. Space Chimps
    And then there is the most annoying animated sidekick in a long time: a bulb-headed, trying-to-be-cute glow creature called Kilowatt (Kristen Chenoweth), who sings an ear-piercing, high-pitched note when it's scared, which is often.
  89. A Very British Gangster
    Charismatic and complicated, Noonan tries to run the movie the way he runs his town. But while the director sometimes appears to be glorifying Noonan's choices, reminders of uncomfortable reality intrude regularly.
  90. The Doorman
    Built on an amusing idea that can't quite support an entire movie, Wayne Price's comedic debut might have made a terrific short.
  91. Felon
    There are times when a Kilmer performance is like watching a clock move: well-timed and oddly compelling, even though it's totally predictable. That's the case with Felon, which doesn't belong to Kilmer but which he steals anyhow.
  92. Berlin
    Intermittent shots of actress Emmanuelle Seigner embodying the lyrics are surplus.
  93. Take
    Another preachy, overacted message film that owes its out-of-time structure to "21 Grams" and "Babel," except writer-director Charles Oliver uses the idea of restorative justice.
  94. Transsiberian
    Since Alfred Hitchcock set the standard for strangers-on-a-train thrillers, Anderson has a lot to live up to. He falls short of creating a new classic, but he does manage to keep us on edge for most of the movie.
  95. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
    The endlessly inventive del Toro creates visual fantasies unlike any other, and the creatures on display here are truly extraordinary. But amid all the costumes, all the action, and all the special effects, it's the humanity that makes his work so memorable. Yes, the monsters are amazing. But the moment when a heartsick Hellboy discovers Barry Manilow? Priceless.
  96. Journey to the Center of the Earth
    The cast hits the right notes. Fraser, switching between affable good sport and heroic goofball, clearly doesn't mind this stuff. He realized early on with "George of the Jungle," "Dudley Do-Right" and the "Mummy" movies that his B-movie build and persona is perfect for live-action cartoons.
  97. Meet Dave
    The "Star Trek" gibes feel especially lazy, since the movie ought to be "Men in Black" kicky, not sketch-comedy dusty.
  98. The Stone Angel
    Writer-director Kari Skogland adapts a beloved Canadian novel gracefully and with plenty of spunk, the same way its main character moves through the world from cradle to grave.
  99. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
    It was a true media circus, and despite Polanski's work before and since, the film shows how it will forever be his first association in the public consciousness. In the U.S., at least.
  100. August
    There's not much to it, but Austin Chick's hyper-focused indie does serve as a nicely assured showcase for lead Josh Hartnett.
Page:

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »