Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
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For 1,337 reviews, this critic has graded:
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55% higher than the average critic
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3% same as the average critic
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42% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 4.2 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Lawrence Toppman's Scores
- Movies
| Average review score: | 64 |
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| Highest review score: |
Critic Score
100
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| Lowest review score: |
Critic Score
0
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 858 out of 1337
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Mixed: 230 out of 1337
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Negative: 249 out of 1337
1,337
movie reviews
- By critic score
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Lawrence Toppman 88
This is the first real family comedy I've seen in a long time: one honest enough to satisfy teens, wryly funny enough for adults and zany enough for little kids. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
You can say nothing of Castle-Hughes except that she's already a movie star: The camera loves her and we do, too. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
The results require immense patience but also reward it immensely. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
The most sophisticated and satisfying ghost story on film since "The Sixth Sense." -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
His height didn't stop independent writer-director Thomas McCarthy from casting his friend in The Station Agent, scoring a triumph for both. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
McNamara's too mentally adroit to let Morris pin blame or guilt on him, and the director's not interested in shaming him. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Perelman and Otto make auspicious, nearly flawless debuts. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
It settles into the typical reflective mode of Iranian films, but something IS happening: A human being is slowly, sullenly, silently approaching his combustion point. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
This film reminds us you can have a miracle only when David slings a stone at Goliath, not when two Goliaths pummel each other with sticks. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Reflective, touching, intimate portrait of a samurai facing action in his waning years. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
It has the charm, irony and saucy wit of the original, plus two supporting characters -- a suave, egocentric feline and a cheerfully conniving fairy godmother -- who are funnier than anyone in "Shrek." -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Control Room ends by acknowledging that independence, accuracy and even truth itself may be illusory. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
In an era when most scripts are written by committees of monkeys, hearing one man's intelligent voice is an almost forgotten pleasure. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
The technical side of Baadasssss! far surpasses that of "Sweetback," and re-created scenes from the 1971 film look much better in the son's hands than they did in the father's. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Like a story-spinner from the "Tales of the Arabian Nights," Steven Spielberg begins by demanding we accept impossible things. If we do, his spell can enchant us; if not, it must vanish like colored smoke. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
The ex-lovers' new conversation is stimulating and banal, selfish and broad-minded, affectionate and recriminatory, insightful and obtuse - in short, the kind of dialogue two people might have while pouring out their hearts and poring over their pasts. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Marston doesn't develop the characters, except for the strong-willed and quick-witted Maria. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Trumping its predecessor with a tauter plot, a lower body count and just as many edge-of-the-seat jolts. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
The longer film makes Donnie's intentions clearer, explains the time-travel theme better and also leaves us in no doubt as to Frank's identity. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Another of Charlotte native Ross McElwee's musings about his family, history (this time the tobacco industry) and life. It may be his best. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
The result owes a little to the 1927 "Metropolis," a little to film noir, a little to early depictions of H.G. Wells' science fiction -- notably the 1936 "Things to Come" -- and a little to lovably far-fetched sci-fi serials. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
By riffing off two iconic American narratives of the last 35 years, "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos," it has changed the template for animation, making a timely film that still deals with timeless children's themes. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Watching I Heart Huckabees was like taking my first Manhattan cab ride with a madman behind the wheel. As the skyscrapers whizzed by, I thought, "What a view! I just wish we'd slow down, so I could take everything in." -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
It's obviously meant to help his presidential candidacy - why release it a month before the election, otherwise? - and for the first 7 minutes, it plays like a campaign commercial about young John's integrity, hard work and humble roots. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Brilliantly embodied by Jamie Foxx in this unflinching, entertaining biography. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Johnny Depp has finally won me over to rabid support after "Neverland" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." He gives the most controlled, least mannered performance of his career, staying sweet and rueful while suggesting unseen emotional depths. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
Among the handsome explosions, wacky effects, slapstick comedy and zooming action sequences of The Incredibles, writer-director Brad Bird is attempting to start a revolution. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
But as cynical as I may have been going in, I came out a believer. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
If you've been seduced by Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage version of "The Phantom of the Opera," you'll fall in love with the gorgeous, splendidly cast film. -
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Lawrence Toppman 88
An articulate plea to Westerners not to repeat these terrible sins of omission. -
