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. Life Is Beautiful
    A rare blend of comedy and tenderness whose point is not the horrors of war but the lengths a parent will go to protect his child's innocence.
  2. Stoker
    Stoker is like the baby David Lynch and Tim Burton had, then left on the doorstep of the Addams Family. Full of heavingly gorgeous images that envelop a viewer before smothering them, its maddening elements eventually become too much to bear.
  3. The King
    Surely among the darkest-themed movies ever made.
  4. Love & Air Sex
    “Keep Austin weird” is the mantra of the capital of Texas. In no way does that mean “Keep Austin gross.” The unfunny Love and Air Sex unfortunately takes the latter slogan as its mission.
  5. Trouble with the Curve
    Trouble With the Curve is easily digestible in chunks – if it were a CBS show, it'd be called "Postseason With Morrie" - and it has an affectionate view of grubby motels, greasy diners and small-town scoreboards.
  6. Hard Candy
    A psychosexual thriller that treads a thin line between art and exploitation. The mere fact that it manages this queasy high-wire act is what sets debut director David Slade's slick mind game apart from the drooling pack.
  7. Go Further
    Offbeat, engaging documentary.
  8. Defiance
    Craig, far from James Bond but still swaggering, makes a leathery, craggy commander, and Schreiber - who'll show his full-on action chops this summer in the Hugh Jackman "Wolverine" movie - is tough but sullen. Yet all this old-style moviemaking doesn't always pay off.
  9. Nerve
    Nerve, a thriller set in a world of smartphone-obsessed teens, is clever, exciting, sweet and full of quick twists that never devolve from serving a well-built story.
  10. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
    With the added layer of humor that comes with switching genders, Neighbors 2 ends up offering even more laughs than the original movie.
  11. Brown Sugar
    The vitality of the hip-hop scene serves as both backdrop and metaphor in a romantic comedy as sweet as its title.
  12. The Bridge
    Eric Steel's documentary has more than a whiff of exploitation about it.
  13. Gayby
    The baby angle is really just a hook on which to hang wry commentary about single life in the city, but Lisecki approaches his subject with obvious affection, and the game cast makes most of the sitcom-silly antics work.
  14. Orchestra of Exiles
    Toscanini plays a role in the tale, as does Einstein and a young Zubin Mehta. If director Josh Aronson tries to follow a few too many strands of the story, it's only because there's so many tantalizing ones.
  15. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
    It's up to you to decide if his oddly artsy vision, which pulls in first-person perspectives, surreal memories and highbrow cinematic references, suggests interesting ambition or misplaced pretension.
  16. Shrek Forever After
    This is - allegedly - the final chapter in the series, and everyone involved appears invigorated.
  17. Turbo
    Families who have already raced to “Monsters University” and “Despicable Me 2” will find Turbo an acceptable third-place finisher. A sort-of escargot-meets-“Cars” adventure, it has some sharp vocal turns and remains fun even when its inventiveness runs out of gas.
  18. Beloved
    Has a great deal going for it. [16 October 1998, p. 57]
    • New York Daily News
  19. Sisters
    A gross-out comedy motored by girl power that’s funnier than hell. Raunchier, too.
  20. Unleashed
    Unleashed serves two masters, each one disappointingly: It's a brutal series of over-amped fights, and it's a touching story of human nature at war with itself.
  21. Biutiful
    Here, it's all Bardem, and this great actor's careworn face and sensitive presence counts for a lot. He ultimately can't save the soul of Biutiful, but he makes the journey easier.
  22. The Dictator
    The easily offended will be appalled. The rarely offended may be appalled. But they'll have to stop laughing long enough to realize it.
  23. Quantum of Solace
    The result isn't bland, but it's not exactly Bond either.
  24. Roman J. Israel, Esq.
    Washington is terrific as Roman. The character may be unclear, but the actor’s commitment is focused, and his anger and indignation are sharp and painful.
  25. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
    What the movie lacks in depth it makes up for in surreal humor, and - just as he should - Gainsbourg look-alike Elmosnino seduces us effortlessly.
  26. I Declare War
    There’s social commentary in all of this, but it takes a back seat to a surprisingly compelling narrative of the two combating teams.
  27. ...And They Lived Happily Ever After
    Gives moviegoers a funny, observant, evanescent approach to the mysteries of human desire.
  28. Danny Collins
    Leave it to Al Pacino to find the good in the mediocre.
  29. Rise of the Guardians
    Dour animated adventure that aspires to holiday joy, but is as enjoyable as a sock full of coal.
  30. Snakes on a Plane
    Hilariously funny, full of fang-popping scares, and guaranteed to increase travel by train.
  31. Pioneer
    This one can't handle the pressure.
  32. Virgil Bliss
    Unlike most indie directors dealing with this sort of material, Maggio refuses to wallow in the romance of either misery or redemption. Instead, he hangs everything on the honesty of his lead, unknown actor Jordan -- who is so good that if there's any justice, he won't remain unknown for long.
    • New York Daily News
  33. The Grey Zone
    It's an intelligent, chilling movie, but one that can't quite shake those stage origins.
  34. K-19: The Widowmaker
    The Cold War isn't exactly a hot ticket right now, but K-19 punches up the timeless aspects of the story -- adventure, danger, teamwork, noble self-sacrifice and two forceful actors butting heads, even if you don't buy them as Russian for a moment.
  35. Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
    The fourth documentary screed this summer to have grown out of the left's frustration with the nation's turn to the right. Keep 'em coming, I say.
  36. Easy Virtue
    We could all use a little more Noel Coward in our lives. But the fizz falls flat in Stephan Elliot's adaptation of a lesser-known play, which, while blithe enough, has little spirit to speak of.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    13 Minutes
    A superbly acted and strikingly evocative work, with careful attention to period detail and its many emotional beats.
  38. Frontera
    The modern, gritty Western Frontera takes a lot of the clichés and delicately upends them to tell a tale about undocumented immigrants.
  39. Fuck
    Filmmaker Steve Anderson stuffs an astonishing 800-plus mentions of the F-word into this 90-minute documentary. When the spectacle ends, the same question lingers: Why?
  40. The Prey
    The script unfurls too many obvious setups, but director Eric Valette is smart enough to rely on his most authentic effect — Dupontel’s natural intensity.
  41. Just a Sigh
    If you’re wondering how much heat you’ll find in this French romance, the title offers an unexpectedly frank clue.
  42. Closing Escrow
    If you can watch it without weeping over your own predicament, you'll see some serious talent bursting out.
  43. 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.
  44. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
    The truth is, almost everyone planning to see Eclipse will know how things end before the opening credits even appear. So Slade and his cast can be proud that they consistently keep us involved anyway.
  45. Lights Out
    While the central visual of the figure in the dark goes a long way to provide the essential scares, the success of the film is just as much about what the filmmakers do to develop the characters that the audience cares about.
  46. Gabi on the Roof in July
    Levine offers a mostly sharp takedown of middle-class hipsterdom, and he's terrific as a guy whose easygoing demeanor hides continuing growing pains.
  47. Splinter
    If "Saw V" offers an example of how little filmmakers can get away with, Splinter proves how much a director can do with next to nothing.
  48. (Untitled)
    In mistaking obvious observations for cutting insight, writer-director Jonathan Parker becomes what he lampoons.
  49. The Trench
    By the time they're ready to leave their trench, we're not at all ready to see them go.
    • New York Daily News
  50. Man on the Moon
    Carrey gives an otherworldly, possessed performance as Kaufman.
  51. The Safety of Objects
    Troche is most interested in exploring the secret lives hidden inside freshly painted Colonials, and what she finds is that everyone's secret is exactly the same: a crushing inability to connect with the people closest to them.
  52. Session 9
    A natural successor to "The Blair Witch Project" in terms of its small suggestions of horror past and future.
  53. Shanghai Knights
    The unlikely cowboys play off each other's strengths like the best doubles team in tennis. The exquisiteness of this match is that Chan and Wilson are both reactive comedy actors.
  54. Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
    Young kids will be so distracted by the silly songs and clever contemporary references that they won't even realize they're sitting through cinematic Sunday school.
  55. Gozu
    There are some genuinely funny moments amid the gore, but who knew this famously edgy director would find bathroom humor to be such a knee-slapper?
  56. Populaire
    This frisky late-’50s-set French comedy about a competitive typing contest hunts and pecks a bit for fun after its story gets rolling, but it’s visually vibrant throughout.
  57. Men in Black III
    A solidly entertaining summer movie is always welcome, even if it can't quite claim to be out of this world.
  58. Big Fish
    But Burton and August have added ­anger to the mix, and it sours much of the otherwise wondrous tone.
  59. Snowden
    You might not agree with Stone that the man is a hero, but you probably do want to see the film so you can compute what the whole uproar was about.
  60. Hello Lonesome
    The parts are ultimately greater than the whole, but Adam Reid's offbeat debut suggests a talent worth watching.
  61. Lawless
    The action is, overall, as exciting as the primary performances are impressive.
  62. Brothers
    Brothers tries to delve into how war can tear families apart, but only succeeds in showing how miscasting and melodrama obscure good intentions.
  63. A Hologram for the King
    Much like the technology in the title, "A Hologram for the King" flickers in and out of focus — sharp at times, but ultimately lacking resolution.
  64. Happy Death Day
    It’s a thriller’s job to make you jump out of your skin and Happy Death Day gets it done — on occasion.
  65. Prime
    The occasionally amusing, generally fatuous romantic comedy about a dazzling divorcee, a smitten Jewish boy and a controlling Jewish mom who also happens to be the divorcee's psychotherapist, is a high-concept movie with a Yiddish accent.
  66. Jimmy P.
    Intellectually intriguing but sadly dull biopic.
  67. Rising from Ashes
    Filmed over six years, “Ashes” is joyous and uplifting, full of spirit, memorable athletes (including Olympian Adrien Niyonshuti) and remarkable achievements, both big and small.
  68. The Legend of 1900
    It doesn't strike a single note of authentic emotion.
  69. ZigZag
    The greatest strength of this modest production is Jones. ZigZag's autism is mild, meaning his symptoms are subtle, and the 19-year-old novice is completely convincing.
  70. Tortilla Soup
    If you care more about the quality of the movie than the food, language or location, there's no choice: Order Chinese.
  71. Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
    A rare window into the apparatus and limitations of glam-rock.
  72. Francis Ford Coppola Presents: The Legend of Suriyothai
    Yukol has spread a huge canvas, gloriously costumed and photographed, but the staging and acting are often awkward and the saga is simply too dense for good drama.
  73. Abschied - Brechts letzter Sommer
    A sad, almost morbid -- and cinematically inert -- eulogy to a complex man whose own genius was dampened by arrogance and politics.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    I Am Chris Farley
    The movie is never able to get to the bottom of why the man so loved by his friends was unable to be comfortable out of the spotlight. But I Am Chris Farley is a warm, nostalgic reminder of a talent who died before his time.
  75. Ask the Dust
    The sepia-tinted palette of Ask the Dust drips, reeks and creaks of the seamy side of a city that takes more often than it gives.
  76. Lost in Beijing
    Part soap opera, part sitcom and part relocated French farce.
  77. Somebody Up There Likes Me
    The actors hold our attention, and there’s something to be said for the guys’ pathological disconnect. But the movie itself is too disconnected to say it.
  78. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
    It's one thing to sit on your couch watching football in HD. It's another to view one of literature's most enduring fantasies in the same manner. The experience that felt so breathtakingly cinematic in Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" series now seems frustratingly fake.
  79. Shrek the Third
    It's not all bad. There is a funny early sequence where Prince Charming is being jeered for his lousy cabaret act in a village pub and a hilarious death-lily scene with the bullfrog King Harold (John Cleese) trying to squeak out the name of his heir while snapping up one last fly.
  80. The Finest Hours
    Despite some great effects, and one good performance, it never quite gets underway.
  81. Aurora Borealis
    The latest "Dawson's Creek" alumnus to break out of his WB bonds, Joshua Jackson proves himself all grown up in this sweetly scrappy indie.
  82. The Tree
    Falls short of being revelatory, yet has a mysterious, sturdy power that grows on you.
  83. 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.
  84. The Night Before
    It’s enjoyable, but it’s also trite.
  85. Hotel Artemis
    The wannabe thriller set in the near future packs gritty style and ambiance, but that’s no match when the story has no stakes and doesn’t add up.
  86. Undisputed
    Offers nothing new to the long tradition of boxing films. But Hill's reverence for the classic form and the stone-cold performances of Rhames and Snipes propel the whole thing forward with a prefight buildup that's more fun -- and probably more honest -- than the awkward attempts at macho showmanship we get from real fighters these days.
  87. Kiss of the Dragon
    The action scenes, including one on that tourist sightseeing staple, the Bateau Mouche, were directed by Cory Yuen with some creative touches, including a hail of chopsticks during a fight in a restaurant kitchen.
  88. American Pie
    The successful bits, along with an amiable cast of losers and their prom-night prey, make American Pie a winner.
  89. May
    Novice director Lucky McKee wrote the first draft of this labored horror flick while he was in school, and for a student film, it's not bad. But it's not ready for the big time.
  90. Forget Baghdad: Jews and Arabs - The Iraqi Connection
    Feels a little too much like a film-school project, but it does offer an informative look at a timely issue.
  91. Ocean's Twelve
    Whatever substance there is of Ocean's Twelve fades faster than invisible ink. But it's not the kind of movie you watch for plot details. It's really about spending two hours on that Lake Como speedboat, relaxing with pals.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
    Among the ties with the past, the opening portion introduces a comic orgy that is deliberate parallel cantina scene in “Star Wars” and among the new thrills there is an airborne vehicle chase through a forest, projected at a speed to leave audiences dizzy.
  93. Freakonomics
    From a consumer perspective, you're better off skipping the movie and putting your money toward their book instead.
  94. Away We Go
    If we learn anything from Away We Go, it’s that a lack of ambition might not be such a bad thing after all.
  95. Fading Gigolo
    For all its shortcomings, “Gigolo” knows when to turn on the charm.
  96. Escape from Tomorrow
    Moore shows promising ingenuity in shooting parts of the movie covertly, within the notoriously restrictive Disney World resort. But his script never takes the same sort of risk.
  97. Glory Road
    As movie fiction, I guess it is entertaining enough.
  98. Gemma Bovery
    The emotions are florid and the entanglements heated. But the film become preoccupied with, as Flaubert would say, the pettiness and mediocrity of daily life. Arterton, though, is plushly magnetic. She draws us in despite the overly lyrical atmosphere.
  99. We Bought a Zoo
    "Field of Dreams" this ain't, and Crowe, whose "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous" are justly held in high esteem, can't build the right frame here. It's neither fish nor fowl; a "guy-gets-his-life-right" rom-com runs smack into a "kids-with-animals" lark.
  100. Low Down
    Director Jeff Preiss soaks his movie in a brownish retro atmosphere, which helps smooth over the many dull spots, but only briefly. Though his cast is strong even when the movie lags, they often feel like soloists doing their own thing next to each other — always melodic but never truly meshing.
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