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. 10 Items or Less
    Every potentially worthwhile or amusing moment in writer-director Brad Silberling's 10 Items or Less could be told in 10 minutes or less, with credits included.
  2. Swimfan
    Christensen is a bold actress with chilly frosting. For much of the movie, her character seems determined, sophisticated and bemused, rather than just plain nuts.
  3. Coastlines
    Nunez's fans will appreciate his ability to evoke a palpable atmosphere. But there's just not enough spark in his scorched setting.
  4. Strangers with Candy
    The jokes are so sketchy and silly it quickly passes the point of wretched excess.
  5. Harsh Times
    The result is an angry, violent mess of a movie with a central character threatening to implode right on the screen.
  6. No Reservations
    Even the food - usually the centerpiece of a restaurant movie - is oddly uninspired. Despite Zeta-Jones' best efforts, barely a moment here feels organic, or fresh.
  7. The Story of Us
    Overwrought comedy-drama.
  8. All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live!
    All we get is mild platitudes before the shows, and one-song sets.
  9. Miss Julie
    A brutally claustrophobic battle of wits and will, whose cruel nature ultimately seems to turn on the audience.
  10. RocknRolla
    On the plus side, the actors - especially Butler and Wilkinson - work overtime to pump some extra life into the self-conscious script.
  11. Every Little Step
    Directors Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern focus primarily on the casting process for the 2006 revival, parading so many personalities past us that we don't really get to know anyone. Bypassing the original for the recreation? That ain't it, kid.
  12. High Crimes
    Judd has genuine movie star magnetism -- beauty, intelligence, presence and talent to spare. In the old studio days, she'd be Ingrid Bergman by now.
    • New York Daily News
  13. Dead or Alive: Final
    Takashi Miike is a master at making love-'em-or-loathe-'em spectacles, but even fans are likely to consider the final film of his Dead or Alive trilogy a minor entry in his oeuvre.
  14. The Salon
    Adapted from a years-old stage play, The Salon, Mark Brown's stilted, sista-centric answer to "Barbershop," definitely shows its roots. And despite a few highlights, the overall effect is not pretty.
  15. The Wendell Baker Story
    A shiny shell of a movie, "TWBS" is pretty to look at, and occasionally fun to watch. But ultimately, it's an exercise in futility - for the participants, who can do so much more, and the audience, which deserves so much better.
  16. The Final Destination
    If you like your gore hardcore, you'll want to head straight for "Halloween II." But if you're happy to ease around a slightly smaller track, look no further.
  17. 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.
  18. The Hard Word
    I may be wrong, but I think Guy Pearce is wearing Nicole Kidman's false nose in The Hard Word. Whatever it is that's on his face, it looks like a dead cod and won't win him an Oscar.
  19. Spartan
    If I were in the sign business, I'd produce a bumper sticker that reads "Even smart people make dumb movies" -- and give the first one to David Mamet.
  20. Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic
    On stage, the attractive 34-year-old Silverman is very funny. She's too blue for Comedy Central, and too slow-paced for an HBO hour, but she'd come off better in either of those formats than she does in this mishmash.
  21. Firehouse Dog
    If Firehouse Dog was on cable, where it belongs, it would make a passable diversion from homework or chores. But a kid would have to be pretty desperate to leave the house - and waste allowance money - for this modest distraction.
  22. College Road Trip
    If, on the other hand, your driver's license is still a distant dream, consider this a path to pure hilarity.
  23. Our Lady of the Assassins
    The intimate love story is overwhelmed by the carnage. It may be an accurate picture of life in Medellin, but it's not convincing.
  24. The Wedding Weekend
    A grab bag of sitcom jokes that work about 20% of the time.
  25. Loser
    Feels like a college knockoff of Billy Wilder's "The Apartment."
  26. Oscar and Lucinda
    Armstrong is usually a strong and original director of actors (her 1979 "My Brilliant Career" launched the inimitable Judy Davis). But here, her taste seems to have deserted her. [31Dec1997 Pg.30]
    • New York Daily News
  27. Behind Enemy Lines
    There aren't many better examples of how commercial intuition sabotages story integrity in today's Hollywood.
  28. Nowhere in Africa
    Though the story itself is undeniably fascinating, this somewhat prosaic account simply doesn't do it justice.
  29. Memoirs of My Nervous Illness
    Mays throws himself into the role of a man who attempts to transform into a woman, but his efforts feel like futile flailings: The actor - and his character - are so much bigger than any story we're allowed to see.
  30. Scooby-Doo
    The movie is so shiny, bright and noisy, the under-10 set ought to be sufficiently entertained.
    • New York Daily News
  31. The Singing Detective
    You don't mess with perfection. That is the main reason why The Singing Detective, a virtual remake of the ­brilliant BBC-TV series of the 80s, falls flat on its psoriatic face.
  32. The Secret Life of Bees
    Fortunately, the cast cuts through a cloying script and boosts unsure direction with sharply focused performances.
  33. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
    The laugh ratio in this run-on of skits is pretty low, at least to the unaltered mind of one who's seen enough of these films and eaten enough White Castle burgers to last a lifetime.
  34. Bush's Brain
    The movie feels like a rush job and at times its tactics are as suspect as those attributed to its subject. But when it comes to political strategy trumping policy in the Bush White House, it makes its case.
  35. Night of Henna
    Mildly pleasant movie.
  36. Standing Still
    The drama never gets too deep or the comedy too funny in this L.A.-centric story that feels more like a pilot for a "Friends"-style series.
  37. The Promise
    The awkward love triangle feels forced and unnecessary and distracts from and dilutes the power of the historic drama.
  38. Meet the Fockers
    A sluggish sequel.
  39. Trembling Before G-d
    Strangely unengaging.
  40. Bangkok Dangerous
    There are movies that are all about the characters, and then there are movies, like Bangkok Dangerous, that are far more about the directors who created those characters.
  41. Hearts in Atlantis
    Is it possible to have too much Anthony Hopkins? Believe it or not, the answer is yes. Hopkins' quiet power and perfectly formed vowels overwhelm the rickety, falsely sentimental Hearts in Atlantis.
  42. Mr. Church
    Murphy’s low-key but affecting performance is filled with loaded and loving glances. And the restraint becomes the 55-year-old star. If only the film were better.
  43. Martian Child
    The entire cast is fully committed to this squishily sentimental tale, which is especially impressive given that it's the kind of generic dramedy you'll swear you've seen a thousand times before.
  44. Don't Come Knocking
    In what is more a cry of regret than a coherent story, Shepard's character mopes his way through meetings with an old girlfriend (Jessica Lange) and the grown children he sired, the only apparent lesson being that bad behavior has a way of circling back on you.
  45. Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)
    Director John Scheinfeld's film, utilizing interviews with friends and collaborators, hits a high note on Nilsson's friendship with Ringo Starr and his fear of stage performance.
  46. Shopgirl
    Danes' smart, fun, radiant and very attractive Mirabelle actually undermines the premise of the book
  47. Pokémon 4: The Movie
    Little more than a blatant marketing tool. But it's breezy and brief enough to keep young fans - and even their parents - modestly entertained.
  48. Eagle vs Shark
    This is the kind of movie in which Jarrod's nemesis turns out to be paraplegic, while his dad lives in a wheelchair despite the fact that he can walk just fine. Ha.
  49. Games of Love and Chance
    The play within the movie is much more entertaining.
  50. Steal This Movie
    An admiring but overly simplified walk down memory lane.
  51. Everything's Gone Green
    The dialogue does have Coupland's characteristic snap, but like its mellow hero, the movie takes the easy route just a little too often.
  52. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
    Has all the appeal of a video game without the joystick. All you can do is watch. It's noisy and moves fast, but if you can't play, why pay?
  53. A Single Shot
    Who would have guessed that sex, drugs and double-crossing could be so unrelentingly boring?
  54. A Thousand Words
    If only this Eddie Murphy flick had taken its own advice and spent a little more time being reflective instead of hyperactive, it might have overcome a trite script and awful, obvious excuses for comedy.
  55. True Story
    True Story is a prisoner of its own dull storytelling.
  56. The Damned
    You won't get much back story, and the action is fairly generic. But The Damned still makes for a serviceable horror flick, with better performances than a movie of this caliber usually offers.
  57. After.Life
    The only thing worse than bad horror is pretentiously bad horror. From title to finish, After.Life takes itself far more seriously than you will.
  58. The Railway Man
    Admirable without being fully engaging. It’s too intelligent to dismiss, but not emotional enough to inspire lasting passion.
  59. Applause
    Steen, her face full of remorse, does a great job of portraying someone unclear of where to go or what to say without a script.
  60. Baggage Claim
    If you’re considering spending your hard-earned money on such bland fare, you should at least know what you’re getting: a rehash of every rom-com cliché imaginable.
  61. 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.
  62. Knight of Cups
    It’s visually sumptuous but laborious. Worse, it’s pretty humorless. Knight of Cups takes itself very seriously.
  63. 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.
  64. Ten Thousand Saints
    The cast all do well with banal material that’s beneath them, especially Emily Watson.
  65. Life as We Know It
    The sisters who play Sophie are adorable. And if you happen to be a sleep-deprived parent yourself, there are worse ways to catch a two-hour nap.
  66. Man on a Ledge
    Screenwriter Pablo Fenjves start with a promising premise, and the opening scenes are taut and suspenseful. A late-day chase scene picks up the sagging middle, but Leth totally fumbles what should be the movie's biggest moment.
  67. Child 44
    The mystery at the heart of the film is a riddle wrapped in an enigma covered in dullness.
  68. The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
    The oh-so-out-there mentality earns some chuckles, but that, along with Piven's preening, gets very trying. A hard sell is still a hard sell.
  69. Happiness Runs
    The kids' story gets out of control, but Andie MacDowell is a pleasantly earthy mess as Victor's out-of-it mother, and familiar New York faces (Ann Magnuson, Mark Boone Jr., Richard Edson) lend quirky support as the out-of-it elders.
  70. Prom
    A movie that's so anachronistically mushy and awkward, it earns extra credit simply for being so innocent.
  71. Man Down
    For all of its effort to make an important point about the unseen casualties of war, Man Down is a taxing exercise for the viewer.
  72. Contraband
    Only Wahlberg rises above the muck; everything else here feels buried in concrete.
  73. 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.
  74. Faster
    Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is overhyped as Billy Bob Thornton is slow and steady.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Unfriended
    Unfortunately, the engine underneath that gloss is woefully familiar, offering the same jump scares we’ve seen a thousand times before.
  76. The Identical
    The Identical is one wacky movie, based on a bit of truth.
  77. Piranha 3-D
    There are few real scares, though, and even fewer actual laughs. Despite several obvious gags, Aja never captures the spoofy fun of the 1978 original.
  78. Two If by Sea
    Though the slow, obvious "Two If By Sea" probably won't do much to advance Bullock's standing as America's current sweetheart, it shouldn't do irreparable damage to it, either. [13 Jan 1996, p.21]
    • New York Daily News
  79. Tamara Drewe
    The book itself is an easy read -- conveniently enough, it shouldn't take you more than two hours. So you might want to skip the discordant copy, and use that time to discover the real thing.
  80. The Hollars
    The cast, led by John Krasinski, who doubles as director, has its own fight against the lame and contrived script by Jim Strouse.
  81. West of Memphis
    Certainly, the West Memphis 3 deserve more chances to detail how the justice system went nightmarishly awry. But take this as ultimately more personal journal than investigation.
  82. Salvation Boulevard
    Loosely adapting Larry Beinhart's darker novel, Ratliff and co-writer Douglas Stone indulge in so many cheap shots and caricatures, their disdain drips off the screen.
  83. Smart People
    In what world does Smart People exist? Clearly not the real one, though this dramedy wants to think it's filled with ironic insights about love and family.
  84. As Good as Dead
    This taut but cliched little thriller is like "Wait Until Dark" with neo-Nazis.
  85. Big Man Japan
    When a movie is this strange, it's gotta count for something.
  86. Silent House
    The tricky camera moves that fill up Silent House make for one-half of a nerveracking horror film – before the movie's obviousness just gets on your nerves.
  87. Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries)
    From performances to pacing, nearly every element of Rao's debut is uneven. But her passionate vision of so much useless prejudice leaves a lingering impact.
  88. The Founder
    The details of how the McDonalds literally invented the fast-food concept are fascinating. The period details feel right. All in all, the film's a slick, good-looking package. But it still feels empty. Where's the message? Where's the meaning? Where's the beef?
  89. Jack and Jill
    There are moments in Jack and Jill that are genuinely funny - and, just like countless family reunions, there are moments when you can't wait for it to end.
  90. It's About You
    Still, every time Kurt opens his mouth you wish he would refocus and realize that, in fact, we've come to see a movie about someone else.
  91. The Divergent Series: Allegiant
    The only thing that's revolting is how dull the series has gotten.
  92. The Strip
    If one of your non-filmmaker friends watched "Office Space" a few too many times, this is probably the movie he'd make.
  93. The Possession
    Slick direction and a strong central turn from Jeffrey Dean Morgan will keep you watching, if rarely from the edge of your seat.
  94. Chaos Theory
    The kind of movie designed more for a has-been than a potential leading man, this slapdash dramatic comedy fits the now-established pattern perfectly: Your (Ryan Reynolds) committed performance is the sole reason to see it.
  95. Sukiyaki Western Django
    A lightweight goof that feels a little dashed-off.
  96. Snitch
    Snitch is like watching an elephant on ice: inelegant, but you admire the effort.
  97. Just Go with It
    A witless rom-com that is only marginally watchable.
    • 26 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Innocence
    Sadly, the movie is weakly paced and sinister only when Pamela coos oh-so-sympathetically in people’s ears.
  99. London Boulevard
    Had the film stood still more often, its stylish gambit would have worked better.
  100. The Benefactor
    Old silver-fox Gere looks great. He’s almost embarrassingly charming — which is the point — but there’s not much else here.
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