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. Capital
    Sex is plentiful, but the lust is for paydays. This is territory covered far more vibrantly in “Margin Call,” yet director Costa-Gavras (“Z,” “Missing”) still has good, old-fashioned indignation to count on.
  2. Transporter 2
    This stripped-down premise made the first "Transporter" fun: It's all about driving skills and choreographed fights, not logic. Even with so few requirements, Transporter 2 runs on empty.
  3. Million Dollar Arm
    As slickly entertaining as you’d expect a Disney-produced inspirational sports movie to be. But it’s so lacking in sincerity and creativity that “inspirational” never rounds the corner to “inspiring.”
  4. American Violet
    A message movie that's genuinely worth watching.
  5. God Bless America
    As both a comedian and filmmaker, Bobcat Goldthwait ("Shakes the Clown") has carved out a valuable spot as an idiosyncratic instigator. But even fans may be disappointed at how swiftly he undermines its own message here.
  6. Tiger Eyes
    There are no surprises among the characters — depressed mom (Amy Jo Johnson), controlling aunt (Cynthia Stevenson), new boyfriend (Tatanka Means) — but the cast is strong enough to build on familiar elements.
  7. 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.
  8. Jumping the Broom
    Director Salim Akil has found actors skillful enough to enhance Elizabeth Hunter and Arlene Gibbs' conventional screenplay.
  9. The Family Stone
    A machine-tooled entertainment that's as fake and flimsy as a plastic Christmas tree. The only reason the movie isn't as bad as it has a right to be is the marvelous Diane Keaton.
  10. The Glass Castle
    The Glass Castle is a family portrait that at its heart is a father-daughter movie, anchored by two outstanding actors.
  11. Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish
    But oy, such terrible jokes and choppy direction. Would it have killed her to share the credits with someone else?
  12. The Crazies
    Has warmed-over chills and a muddled, zombie-like execution.
  13. Moon Shadow
    Just once, can't a city slicker go country and stay unchanged? Not in this sentimental 1995 Italian drama.
  14. A Chronicle of Corpses
    There's little depth underneath the simmering surface, but if you're looking for escapist Halloween scares, you could do a lot worse.
  15. Cabin Fever
    Other than a few witty jokes and a game cast, there's nothing particularly special here.
  16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    This plodding British revenge thriller has less energy than a pint of Bass that has sat out overnight.
  17. Eleven Minutes
    If you watched "Project Runway's" first season and wondered what happened to winner Jay McCarroll, here's your chance to find out.
  18. Race
    A movie that really mined that story would be worth the gold. This one barely doesn’t even capture the bronze.
  19. The End of Love
    There is plenty of evidence that Webber has something significant to say, and the gifts with which to express himself. Once he’s ready to commit fully to his own vision, there’s no end to what he might accomplish.
  20. Midnight's Children
    To be sure, there are many reasons to see the film. The cinematography is memorably vibrant, and the performances are solid, even if they pass by too swiftly. Most of all, of course, the subject matter remains fascinating.
  21. On the Road
    Salles has made an admirable effort, which - while no roman candle - can be appreciated for its honest ambitions.
  22. You're Not You
    The sort of movie that’s not good enough to embrace, but not quite bad enough to dismiss.
  23. Watchmen
    The most pleasant surprise in the movie adaptation of "Watchmen" is the pop-art fusion set off by placing superheroes in a "real" world. The film's biggest challenge – and accomplishment – was making that plausible.
  24. Saints and Soldiers
    In his feature film debut, Little uses washed-out color and a you-are-there immediacy to tell a powerful wartime tale of survival, morality and honor.
  25. The Chorus
    A crowd pleaser, even if it is unremarkable.
  26. Lords of Dogtown
    A tormented dramatization of the exact same events, and it's as bad as the earlier film ("Dogtown and Z-Boys") was good.
  27. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
    This year-in-the-life comedy will appeal mostly to its target audience -- the boys of middle school, USA -- and frankly, that's all it needs. Who else would appreciate the idiocy of social pressure,
  28. Focus
    Will Smith may have run through every trick in his bag. In Focus, the one-time fresh prince and former box-office champ looks tired, bored and, even worse, uninspired.
  29. Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
    Where the film fails, ironically, is in the central love affair. Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is undeniably gifted, but his Stravinsky is a blank, stoic presence only comfortable at a piano.
  30. How to Eat Fried Worms
    Here's hoping its old-fashioned sensibility appeals to contemporary kids, because we could certainly use more movies as smart and sweet as this one.
  31. Leatherheads
    Frankly, Zellweger shouldn't have to compete with the ghosts of Rosalind Russell and Carole Lombard, as Clooney forces her to do. It's one thing to evoke the Champagne sophistication of the screwball era; it's another to try to emulate it. Inevitably, the harder you work at capturing madcap fizz, the flatter things are going to feel.
  32. Paper Towns
    If you’re searching for smart, soulful teen entertainment, you can start looking inside Paper Towns.
  33. The Big Kahuna
    The dialogue often sounds like arch Mamet, and John Swanbeck's direction is as spare as the hotel-room decor.
  34. The Five Senses
    Most of the film is so purposefully bound by its construct that it feels more like a creative-writing project (sure, give it an A) than a movie (B-).
  35. Speaking in Strings
    If it doesn't shed much light on the violinist's personal life, it certainly conveys how personally she relates to her work.
  36. The Cherry Orchard
    The film medium allows us to witness a most ravishing cherry orchard. But the grand cast is given to emoting as if they were playing to the peasants in the cheap seats.
    • New York Daily News
  37. Once Upon a Time in Mexico
    Paying homage to Sergio Leone, "Mexico" aims too high and, in the process, becomes more like every generic, overplotted drug-cartel-and-revenge flick out there.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    The Fate of the Furious
    Is it so much to ask for dialogue that doesn’t make you roll your eyes throughout “F8”? Or, you know, a story that adds up?
  39. It's All Gone Pete Tong
    The faux-documentary format does nothing for the material, but Kaye turns in a chaotic and ultimately moving performance.
  40. Non-Stop
    The best twist is how Neeson’s growly presence makes a bumpy ride enjoyable.
  41. Extreme Measures
    Sarah Jessica Parker makes an unflatteringly tense appearances as a nurse who knows more than she's telling, and David Morse dredges up his hulking soulfulness as a maverick FBI agent. But no one involved in "Extreme Measures" is displaying a commitment beyond showing up for work. [27 Sept 1996, p.42]
    • New York Daily News
  42. Coastlines
    Nunez's fans will appreciate his ability to evoke a palpable atmosphere. But there's just not enough spark in his scorched setting.
  43. Little Accidents
    Colangelo shows a mature levelheadedness in depicting how close-knit communities fall and rise together.
  44. Storks
    The jokes in Warner Bros.'s new animated flick mostly fall flat, the characters are largely unlovable and the simplistic plot expects more from its audience than it gives.
  45. Valkyrie
    If there are Nazis fighting other Nazis in a movie and it's still boring, something's gone wrong. Valkyrie has a coterie of problems, and represents a whole new front in Tom Cruise's public relations war, but first and foremost there's the tedium.
  46. Douchebag
    The rhythms of this comedy-drama may be familiar, but besides its fratty title, it's surprisingly sophisticated.
  47. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
    If you flinch at "boo," you'll find plenty to jump at here. Just don't expect striking originality, or even genuinely memorable eeriness. Still, every time "Dark" starts to feel like a generic thriller, it's saved by the distinctive stamp of co-screenwriter/producer Guillermo del Toro.
  48. Date Night
    The trouble is, too much of director Shawn Levy's '80s-ish lark is filled with noise, when it really needed more quietly silly stuff.
  49. Driving Lessons
    Linney hits a single note for her uptight character, while Walters travels the scale indiscriminately. Her outsized eccentric darts from amusing to grating. Only Grint is just right, as the boy they, and the film, can't do without.
  50. The DUFF
    Fortunately, the cast — featuring Allison Janney as Bianca’s scattered mom and Ken Jeong as her sympathetic mentor — is savvy and silly. Really, though, most of the credit goes to Whitman, who stands in, and stands up, for the DUFF in all of us.
  51. Anna and the King
    If you're seeking transcendent love this season, skip the morose "End of the Affair" and go with Anna and the King.
  52. All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live!
    All we get is mild platitudes before the shows, and one-song sets.
  53. Sylvia
    Paltrow does this role exceptionally well, but it is underwritten.
  54. Danny Deckchair
    Danny Deckchair may be a trifle, but it offers a breezy lift for the dog days of summer.
  55. Perlasca: The Courage of a Just Man
    Zingaretti does a fine job shading a character that is written as an unalloyed saint.
  56. Sabrina
    The cinematic equivalent of comfort food it soothed when you were younger and, in its familiarity, it soothes again.
    • New York Daily News
  57. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
    It’s slow, lethargic, utterly lacking in charm and undeserving of the Cold War setting that is its best trait.
  58. The Brave One
    Not enough to overcome the proven axiom that although you can make a bad movie from a good script, you can't make a good one from a bad one.
  59. Wolf Creek
    Just because Dimension considered Greg McLean's nasty exploitation flick worthy of their time and money doesn't mean it deserves yours.
  60. 39 Pounds of Love
    There are some very moving scenes, and Ankilewitz' emotional and physical strength is certainly inspiring. Equally compelling is the dedication of his able-bodied friends and family, who never patronize him. Regrettably, the film itself, which feels both breathlessly over-awed and padded out at only 74 minutes, is unable to treat him with the same relaxed respect.
  61. Miss Julie
    Liv Ullmann’s screen version of August Strindberg’s 19th-century drama is an austere, pared-down take that does one thing extremely well: It allows actors Jessica Chastain, Samantha Morton and especially Colin Farrell to shine. But this emotionally brutal work is anything but cinematically engaging.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Minions
    Introduced in “Despicable Me” in 2010, those yellow, pill-shaped, gibberish-speaking “Minions” now have their own spinoff — and they still ride a fine line between irritating and adorable.
  63. Real Steel
    In either a stunningly brave or misguided act of meta-absurdity, Real Steel, which is about a boy, his dad and the robot that changes their lives, actually feels as if it were made inside the mind of a kid obsessed with robots.
  64. Spoken Word
    The self-conscious poetry and Cruz's diagnosis of bipolar disorder threaten to add too many notes to this quiet drama.
  65. For No Good Reason
    When this film focuses on the work, it’s engaging.
  66. Unknown
    Twisty, engaging thriller.
  67. The Rum Diary
    Luckily, the cast is comfortable going with the flow. Ribisi is amusingly corrosive, while Jenkins and Rispoli are sweaty, cigar-chomping movie-journalist archetypes.
  68. Ramona and Beezus
    It won't change anyone's world, but it'll keep kids happy - and cool - for a couple of hours.
  69. Filth
    Director Jon S. Baird lets Welsh’s language fill up the room, even when it’s a wee bit hard to fathom.
  70. Breaking and Entering
    There's a great deal of potential here, but like Will, Minghella loses his bearings whenever he wanders too far from home.
  71. Bamboozled
    This is the kind of misfire that can take everyone down with it. It's not just bad, it's mean-bad.
  72. Hereafter
    It doesn't help that Eastwood's laconic style is as torpid as it was in such misfires as "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and "Changeling."
  73. The Minus Man
    There are absolutely no psychological insights into sick minds in The Minus Man, a poky, opaque drama with a good cast and not much going on upstairs.
  74. CQ
    May have more enthusiasm and attitude than good story sense, but it, too, is the work of someone who might be at this game for a long time.
    • New York Daily News
  75. Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
    After 45 minutes of incomparable boredom, the movie gets slightly better when it stops reaching for cheap yuks and lets the actors do what they do well.
  76. The Anniversary Party
    A caustic, funny, low-budget treat, shot on digital video.
  77. Phone Booth
    Farrell, adding to the case for his impending stardom, locks into his role with the laser precision of the sniper's rifle scope.
  78. The Ladykillers
    You have to look at the earlier film to understand where the Coen brothers went wrong - terribly, noisily, annoyingly wrong. They've made a broad comedy out of a black comedy and completely lost its charm in the process.
  79. Troy
    A "Ben-Hur"-size epic with beefcake, beauty, outsize heroes, flashy duels and epic battles. There are breathtaking vistas, taut political intrigues, dangerous romantic liaisons and one of the greatest wardrobes ever assembled for a costume drama.
  80. After Midnight
    Ferrario deft use of old silent-movie footage - especially Buster Keaton - makes After Midnight enchanting.
  81. Men of Honor
    One of the more uplifting films of the season.
  82. Phoebe in Wonderland
    So much of this irritating film from first-time writer-director Daniel Barnz feels like a writing exercise it's amazing Elle Fanning, in the title role, comes off as well as she does.
  83. Maleficent
    Angelina Jolie is so wickedly enchanting in the magical, magnificent Maleficent, you may not notice how transporting this female-driven blockbuster really is.
  84. One Fine Day
    While Pfeiffer is a stickier subject, Clooney is so game he could have chemistry with a sandbox. [20 Dec 1996, p.61]
    • New York Daily News
  85. 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.
  86. Pretty in Pink
    As irresistibly sweet as cotton candy. Even though the poor-girl-meets-rich-kid plot is older than the Hollywood hills, and this romantic comedy lacks the cheeky humour of Hughes' first outing, "Sixteen Candles," the film definitely warms the heart.
  87. December Boys
    The movie is mildly notorious for a (relatively chaste) scene in which Radcliffe's character loses his virginity. But if you're looking to watch this former child star grownup, track down his classic guest turn on TV's "Extras" instead.
  88. Then She Found Me
    Has some nice moments, but it feels very much like a first film. The pacing is off, and the cast members appear to be acting in completely different projects.
  89. Sangre De Mi Sangre
    The movie shows the city as both an intimidating and enticing place for new arrivals, but ultimately gets bogged down in the cliched split destinies and intentions of its main characters.
  90. Dinner for Schmucks
    While the climactic dinner is a bit too much like a circus audition, Roach -- who helmed the "Austin Powers" movies as well as "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers" -- knows how to enjoy each sideshow.
  91. Downloaded
    A fascinating, alternate-universe look at the dawn of the music-sharing phenom — once a cause of concern in the industry, yet now a footnote to our all-digital music marketplace.
  92. Dinosaur
    For sheer bravura film making, for creating a cartoon world with real air, flesh, blood and the exhilarating cycle of fear and escape, Dinosaur is tops.
  93. The Recruit
    So much is so good about The Recruit that you'll wish the ending were better. It's like opening the last lid in a Chinese box and having a clown figure pop out on a spring.
  94. Ned Kelly
    The result is a handsome, action-packed biographical drama with a credibility gap wider than the screen.
  95. 2 Days in the Valley
    The film's confused moral sense is summed up by the contrast between the Aiello and Spader characters. Though both are professional killers, Aiello is somehow coded as "good" because he takes time to make pasta, and Spader is "bad" because he plays mildly kinky games with his mistress (imposing South African model Charlize Theron). [27 Sept 1996, p.43]
    • New York Daily News
    • 56 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Joy
    Joy is joyless.
  97. The Three Stooges
    There's just some great imitations of what remains an acquired taste.
  98. Wassup Rockers
    Some moments of off-the-cuff beauty aren't enough to mask the creepy heart of Larry Clark's latest look at outcast kids.
  99. The Extra Man
    Kline has a ball, while Dano turns in a pitch-perfect performance. He never mocks his character's desires, or undersells his fears.
  100. A Fragile Trust
    The movie covers all the bases, but doesn’t advance the story.
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