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. Venus in Fur
    Polanski views things so mischievously that the naughtiness is neutered long before sniveling Thomas is tied to a pole. He’s a captive not only to Vanda, but also to all the dull, reductive mind games.
  2. 22 Jump Street
    The laughs are what keep the film together, even when the conceit feels been-there-done-that.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The Rover
    On the bright side, Robert Pattinson’s pretty good in The Rover. Unfortunately, the movie isn’t.
  4. The Signal
    Director William Eubank seems more concerned with building to an epic, superpowered ending rather than anything making a lick of sense. In the spirit of the characters and audience, though, it feels right.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Lullaby
    Sadly, Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard are wasted in tiny parts, as is Amy Adams as the lost love of the sulky rocker.
  6. How to Train Your Dragon 2
    Younger kids looking for the cute connection between hesitant teen Hiccup and his loyal dragon, Toothless, may be stunned by the film’s violent tone. At the same time, it’s the unflinching edge that gives the film its unexpected depth.
  7. Hellion
    Hellion is a glimpse into rural American childhood that’s both tense and melancholy.
  8. Ivory Tower
    This insightful doc from director Andrew Rossi addresses topics that get more polarizing each year: the high cost of college, the factors that dictate who’s educated in this country and the culture that surrounds those decisions.
  9. Trust Me
    Every actor probably dreams of creating his or her ideal role. So kudos to Marvel movie stalwart Clark Gregg (“The Avengers,” TV’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) for actually doing it, as writer, director and star of this indie drama. If only we could extend our congratulations to the project itself.
  10. Obvious Child
    Laughter may be the best medicine, but in Obvious Child, it’s also a helluva cure for dealing with a serious topic.
  11. The Sacrament
    This sometimes-taut little thriller is sullied by its unnecessary masquerade as a documentary presented by HBO’s gonzo news show “Vice.”
  12. Ping Pong Summer
    This sweet, offhanded but lovingly observed remembrance is a real kick. It takes us back to the way things used to be, especially for 13-year-old guys, and specifically in the arcade rooms of 1985, filled with upright video games with glowing screens and big-haired girls in neon.
  13. Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
    Friends of Shep discuss his often unorthodox business sense, especially in the music biz, as well as his general decency. The guy’s tale is full of funny anecdotes and celeb privilege, but short on pretension.
  14. The Moment
    The story itself is fairly straightforward, but lands with a thud.
  15. Willow Creek
    The parts are greater than the whole, but there’s a lot to like here, including the easy interplay between the leads.
  16. The Fault in Our Stars
    The layered, tuned-in adaptation by Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter avoids calculated sentiment.
  17. Edge of Tomorrow
    Crucially, Cruise knows just how to pace Cage’s shift from cowardly to courageous. Yes, we get cool effects and impressive machinery. But he and Liman add unexpected humor and genuine tension to the seasonal thrill of blowing stuff up.
  18. Lucky Them
    While Lucky Them may not be a classic, the actors at least find a cool groove.
  19. Filth
    Director Jon S. Baird lets Welsh’s language fill up the room, even when it’s a wee bit hard to fathom.
  20. The Grand Seduction
    Gleeson and the collection of good-natured seniors with accents will win your heart.
  21. A Million Ways to Die in the West
    In the end, Albert’s biggest problem isn’t the threat of coyotes or cholera. It’s that he’s being played by the wrong guy.
  22. Maleficent
    Angelina Jolie is so wickedly enchanting in the magical, magnificent Maleficent, you may not notice how transporting this female-driven blockbuster really is.
  23. We Are the Best!
    A charming coming-of-age drama.
  24. Night Moves
    So be forewarned: What admirers will consider measured may read, to the unimpressed, as merely slow-moving.
  25. Blended
    Before you spend good money to see the purported comedy, Blended, watch the trailer. The entire movie is packed into those 152 seconds.
  26. The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
    Phil Alden Robinson’s overheated dramedy feels disconnected from reality in every emotional way.
  27. Cold in July
    "Dexter” fans will enjoy watching Michael C. Hall as a bumbling everyman terrified of violence. But there’s plenty more to appreciate within Jim Mickle’s gripping adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s pulp novel.
  28. The Dance of Reality
    Jodorowsky turns his own youth into an odd, hypnotic mishmash.
  29. Words and Pictures
    Words and Pictures doesn’t get the dunce-cap award, but it does lose points for feeling phony and contrived — especially during the moments when it appears overly proud of what it is.
  30. X-Men: Days of Future Past
    The movie sometimes has the feel of an Olympic sprinter running in place. There’s so much energy expended to get to one spot. Constant searches beget more searches. It all gets exhausting.
  31. The Immigrant
    The strength of Gray’s movie lies in showing the connection between people in a place without rules.
  32. Half of a Yellow Sun
    Those who only know Chiwetel Ejiofor from his quietly powerful work in the Best Picture-winning “12 Years a Slave” should see him here — to experience his range.
  33. A Night in Old Mexico
    If there were a Lifetime Channel for Men, Emilio Aragón’s unabashedly sentimental take on old age would surely wind up there.
  34. A Short History of Decay
    Nathan’s neurotic self-indulgence strains our patience.
  35. 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.”
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
    China’s government can’t handle dissident artist Ai Weiwei. He turns every move to suppress him into brilliant conceptual art.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The Discoverers
    Plays like a folksy version of “The Descendants,” and the unusually grizzled Dunne excels. Sadly, the movie is marred by tepid, often crass comedy.
  38. Chinese Puzzle
    It’s nice to see these characters again. But there’s an uncomfortable strain of bitterness running through the nostalgia. Klapisch is, for example, much kinder to his good-natured leading man than any of the ladies, who are by turns cruel, flaky and dishonest.
  39. Godzilla
    Despite a few fiery breaths, there’s mostly hot air from a lot of serious actors slumming it.
  40. Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
    This film is loud, ugly, disrespectful to the spirit of the classic original and far too simplistic for all but the youngest kids. Avoid any brick roads that lead to it.
  41. Palo Alto
    Instead of falling into exaggerated exploitation, Coppola always stays true to the essence of adolescence — that sense of waiting, reacting and then waiting some more.
  42. The Double
    The Double belongs to a very specific club. If you’re on its wavelength, it’s a dive into quirky, murky fun. But even if you are, this oddball offering is vague and slippery, a calmer brother to “Brazil” or Orson Welles’ Kafka tale “The Trial.”
  43. God's Pocket
    Gritty, funny, rich adaptation of a Pete Dexter novel.
  44. Devil's Knot
    This stilted crime drama from Atom Egoyan feels misguided from the start. He’s attempting to fictionalize a true story that has already been told better, several times over.
  45. Chef
    Scenes of Favreau at the grill bantering with Leguizamo and Cannavale could almost sustain an entire movie.
  46. Moms' Night Out
    There’s nothing inherently wrong with faith-based entertainment. The problem comes when, as with any heavily slanted perspective, the faith takes precedence over the entertainment.
  47. Neighbors
    Neighbors stakes its claim in suburban-property cliches. Given the dull, stale results, maybe the end of the world was a better fit.
  48. Fed Up
    Despite the film’s worthy goals, there are some empty calories. Katie Couric’s narration and Soechtig’s uninspired style make it feel more like a TV special than a feature documentary.
  49. Walk of Shame
    If Meghan's misadventures were funny, or creatively told, or even just mildly entertaining, perhaps Brill ("Little Nicky") could get away with such lazy filmmaking. Instead he wastes all of his resources, including two top-flight comic actors, shamelessly.
  50. Ida
    Ida is photographed in gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. A deep focus allows every corner of the simple, serene compositions to be seen clearly. The economy of story and dialogue extends to the running time — at barely 90 minutes, the movie feels full, yet free of excess.
  51. The Protector 2
    It’s a shame to see both actor and director play things so safe. Not only is much of the choreography reminiscent of their better films, but they rely too much on digital effects. Instead, we should be awed solely by the sight of a first-rate fighter.
  52. Friended to Death
    Michael (Hansen) fakes his death and announces it online, solely so he can see who shows up at his funeral. His plans only grow more dimwitted from there.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Belle
    The serious tone of director Amma Asante’s film goes far in undercutting any gloss. It looks more like a murky Rembrandt than an episode of “Downton Abbey.”
  54. The M Word
    There are some nice moments of camaraderie, as Feldman and Imperioli do their laid-back thing and Fisher is feisty and warmhearted. Still, the let’s-all-talk-at-once actorliness wears thin. It’s just not worth the mood swings.
  55. NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage
    This engrossing documentary winds up being about nothing less than making one of Shakespeare’s greatest works come alive through hard work — and the spark that happens within an acting company.
  56. Bad Johnson
    Somehow, though, director Huck Botko and writer Jeff Tetreault have turned their dopey tribute to testosterone into a surprisingly amusing rom-com.
  57. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
    There are two types of superhero movies: the ones that brood and the ones that swing. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is proudly the latter, filled with high-energy action.
  58. Young & Beautiful
    All we’re left with is the sight of older men hiring a gorgeous young woman to take her clothes off and fulfill their desires. If nothing else, Ozon does leave us wondering whether he intended such an uncomfortable parallel between life and art.
  59. Last Passenger
    First-time feature director Omid Nooshin deftly downplays his budgetary limitations. He creates a sense of tension on the confining set and draws as much as possible out of a strong cast, led by Scott.
  60. The Quiet Ones
    Ah, wait — it’s an ancient Sumerian curse. That seems like poppycock to everyone but this film’s four screenwriters, who also unfortunately go for crashes and yelling instead of a frightening story.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Walking with the Enemy
    While a noble, inspiring story, the filmmaking is blunt rather than intelligent.
  62. Blue Ruin
    Saulnier accomplishes something rare here. He has an ability to convey depth of feeling and ominousness without tricks or even musical cues.
  63. Brick Mansions
    The film is put together too choppily to appreciate the bounce-off-walls athleticism of parkour. That’s a shame, since “District 13” star Belle is known as a founder of the sport.
  64. The Other Woman
    So instead of the rom-com, we now have the “non-com.” The cardboard characters and predictable rhythms remain. But this time, we get all the comic cliches with none of the romance.
  65. Authors Anonymous
    You can always tell when filmmakers get their ideas from watching other movies. First-time writer David Congalton must be a Christopher Guest fan, because his derivative mockumentary feels like the work of someone who’s seen “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show” too many times.
  66. A Promise
    A romantic triangle featuring Rebecca Hall, Alan Rickman and “Game of Thrones” costar Richard Madden has no business being this dull.
  67. Small Time
    His (Surnow) unfocused script swerves all over the road, but Christopher Meloni and Dean Norris repeatedly get things back on track.
  68. Make Your Move
    It’s cheesy fun for sure, but fun nonetheless.
  69. Fading Gigolo
    For all its shortcomings, “Gigolo” knows when to turn on the charm.
  70. The Final Member
    A phallocentric documentary could easily be nothing but snickers and mockery, but the directors offer a work filled with warmth, humor and humanism.
  71. Bears
    A three-act story narrated by the affable John C. Reilly is grafted onto one “How’d they get that?” shot after another.
  72. Transcendence
    A movie that’s of two minds. It’s well-grounded, but also over the top. It’s a man-vs.-machine epic and also an intimate drama. It’s quirky-smart yet sci-fi silly. And it winds up being half as good as it could be.
  73. Heaven Is for Real
    This heavy-handed movie is simply a sermon its makers think we all should hear.
  74. The Railway Man
    Admirable without being fully engaging. It’s too intelligent to dismiss, but not emotional enough to inspire lasting passion.
  75. Only Lovers Left Alive
    This is a movie about the transcendent bond between partners who can communicate without speaking a word, so it’s only fitting that the gorgeous cinematography perfectly captures the movie’s emotional depths.
  76. Dancing in Jaffa
    When the grade-school kids are Israelis and Palestinians, the initially reluctant, moving duets they finally perform make you feel like, yes, dancing.
  77. No God, No Master
    The great David Strathairn can make any film watchable, but even he can’t save this dry dramatic thriller.
  78. A Fragile Trust
    The movie covers all the bases, but doesn’t advance the story.
  79. Perfect Sisters
    This kind of thing requires a velvet touch, though director Stanley M. Brooks hits only hammer-heavy notes.
  80. Oculus
    The result: a dangerously cracked creep flick.
  81. Rio 2
    Most impressive: the striking vibrancy of the animation. This is the rare movie that earns the extra cost of 3-D glasses.
  82. Joe
    Joe and director David Gordon Green find a middle ground between the old, vulnerable Cage and the one that seemed to eat that other guy. Good to have him back.
  83. Draft Day
    Haven’t Cleveland fans suffered enough? Not only have they never won a Super Bowl, but now the Browns serve as the center of Ivan Reitman’s painfully creaky sports drama.
  84. In the Blood
    Director John Stockwell (“Blue Crush”) knows how to make the best possible use of his star while adding a strong supporting cast, some pretty scenery and a taut mystery. Stockwell understands most of all that we don’t need Carano to talk; we need her to kick ass.
  85. Nymphomaniac: Volume II
    Here we go again. Danish director Lars von Trier has pumped out Nymphomaniac: Vol II just a few weeks after “Vol. I” came out. And the results are the same: zero stars.
  86. The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden
    How anyone could make such an uninvolving movie out of such a fascinating subject remains its own inexplicable mystery.
  87. Goodbye World
    Apocalyptic visions are no longer enough to shock us. By this point, if you want to imagine the end of the world, you really need to say something new about it.
  88. Frankie & Alice
    It’s all too much. Frankie & Alice has multiple problems it can’t get past.
  89. Alan Partridge
    So clear your calendar. There’s no better time to get to know a character so obnoxiously stubborn that not even his own creator can shake him.
  90. Under the Skin
    There’s atmosphere here, but nothing else.
  91. The Unknown Known
    Intoxicating, and at times maddening, to watch.
  92. Dom Hemingway
    When you name your movie Dom Hemingway and then require the titular antihero to repeatedly declare, “I am Dom Hemingway!” the filmmakers must be very confident that there is something special about their character. Too bad there isn’t.
  93. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
    Parents, take note: For all its heart, this is a tougher, more morally complex movie than its predecessors. Young kids carrying their miniversions of Cap’s famous shield may be in for a jolt.
  94. Noah
    Noah, Darren Aronofsky’s often ludicrous, occasionally thoughtful epic, puts theology front-and-center, and doubles down on its blockbuster ingredients — like adding huge rock monsters with glowing eyes.
  95. Cesar Chavez
    Just as the migrant workers of California deserved better treatment from their bosses, the man who won the labor dispute deserves better treatment than this film.
  96. Breathe In
    For all the obviousness on the surface, and despite some forced last-act havoc, Breathe In works like a piece of chamber music. It goes up to the edge of emotion, circles it, then backs away. But the notes not hit seem as powerful as the ones that are.
  97. Refuge
    Jessica Goldberg’s sluggish directorial debut feels like a leftover from the 1990s, when dank indie dramas littered film-festival lineups.
  98. Cheap Thrills
    In Cheap Thrills, a committed cast elevates what is, ultimately, a gimmicky thriller. It dissolves into a puddle of blood-tinged hypocrisy.
  99. Hide Your Smiling Faces
    This gem captures the unpredictability of a kid’s long summer day.
  100. Blumenthal
    The problem with this hyper-verbal comedy is in the title.
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