MarcDoyle's Profile at Metacritic

MarcDoyle

232

Reviews

243

Ratings

My Scores

Movies (186)
TV (39)
Music (5)
Games (1)

Average movie review score: 6.4

User Score 10

Latest High Score:

The Artist

User Score 0

Latest Low Score:

How Do You Know

Score distribution:

Positive: 130 out of 185
Mixed: 40 out of 185
Negative: 15 out of 185

The Vow

Average User Score: 5.5

User Score 5

Tatum and McAdams are charming and fun to watch, but there's so little substance here, despite so much opportunity. There were probably 5 instances - potential plot twists - throughout the film in which I thought, "Yes, this is going to get good" - but the writers just smoothed them over. It needs more spice and excitement. Even for a Valentine's Day Rom-Com, its milquetoast.… Expand

Helpful?

0 of 0 users said yes
Rampart

Average User Score: 5.3

User Score 8

I was expecting something a little darker, closer to The Bad Lieutenant. To the contrary, it's fairly light fare. Woody is excellent in the lead role, bringing wit, humor, and more compassion than I expected, but as a huge The Shield fan, I kept found myself comparing his role to that of Vic Mackie and the strike team. The key difference is that Date Rape's character is a lone wolf, Vietnam Vet who is extremely intelligent and obviously far more tortured. I'm not a huge fan of the ending - which seems to be a trend in movies over the last couple of years. I remember trying it in a writing seminar and got destroyed for it. But I won't hold that against it!… Expand

Helpful?

0 of 0 users said yes
Safe House

Average User Score: 6.9

User Score 7

Knowing that the critics gave it a lukewarm reception, I went in with moderated expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. Reynolds is not the typical nubie (he's more deliberated, focused, and cerebral), and Denzel does his typical solid job as the dramatic heart and soul of the movie. The look of the film is fantastic, and the action sequences are exciting. The conclusion could have used some work.… Expand

Helpful?

1 of 1 users said yes
Kill List

Average User Score: 8.6

User Score 7

Fairy brutal flick, but still with a light-hearted, buddy-flick edge to much of it. It has flavors of Blair Witch and Eyes Wide Shut to it as well, not to give too much away. The central character's relationship with his ex-military Swedish wife is interesting, and his partnership with his best friend / co-hitman Gail is very normal. Can't give away too much of the plot, but I'll just say the end is a little over-the-top brutal and shocking. And a very quick foreshadowing from the first act puts you on edge for the rest of the film. Unsettling, indeed.… Expand

Helpful?

0 of 0 users said yes
The Grey

Average User Score: 6.9

User Score 6

I appreciate the spare, gritty look and feel of the movie. No, the wolves didn't look 100% realistic with Jurassic Park-style CGI, but it doesn't matter. What's here is certainly convincing enough. The relationships between the men, they way each of them reacts to the crisis, and their journey have a very real texture to them. In some way that I can't specifically articulate, it reminds me a bit of Meek's Cutoff (a film I don't care for), though this film is much more entertaining. The characters are a bit flat, and given the way that some of the dialogue was written, it also reminds me of more off-the-cuff, found-footage films like Blair Witch and Paranormal 3. Which worked for me - it all sounds very natural. And as Ebert suggests, you have to sit through the credits if you want to see the final shot of the film.… Expand

Helpful?

3 of 4 users said yes
Haywire

Average User Score: 5.3

User Score 7

I enjoyed the film for what it is - a vehicle to show off Carano's ass-kicking abilities - just like many movies (see: Jeff Speakman is "The Perfect Weapon") have done before. I take issue with Lisa Schwarzbaum's "calling foul" upon seeing Channing Tatum beat up on Carano at the outset of the film. So it's OK for movies to show women beaten, belittled, raped, and tortured - so long as they don't fight back?? How is this movie "depressing" for a pro-woman audience? I loved seeing Mallory Kane beat the living hell out of the guys with a force and kinetic energy that you rarely see presented on screen - even from men. It's the difference between how an object reacts when it by a 38 caliber round and a 44 cal round. The 44 doesn't just penetrate - it knocks you down. So does a full-bodied Carano kick. Is the acting uniformly top shelf? Is there character development Hell no. Did I have fun with this movie? Of course.… Expand

Helpful?

1 of 2 users said yes
Contraband

Average User Score: 6.1

User Score 7

It's no work of art, and it cheats a bit in its storytelling, but it's a fun film - exactly what you're looking for on a Friday night in January. Ben Foster is always perfect in this type of role, incidentally.… Expand

Helpful?

1 of 1 users said yes
A Separation

Average User Score: 9.0

User Score 9

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A truly outstanding movie that ratchets up the tension from jump. The acting is uniformly excellent - it presents such interesting windows into the lives of each character. The glimpse into the Iranian legal system is incredibly interesting. What I initially considered to be organized chaos actually started to make some sense by the end, as I loosed up on my western notions of how these disputes should be resolved. It puts an incredible amount of power into a single magistrate's hands, but it sure does cut down on the red tape! Though trusting the suspect in a murder case not to talk to a key witness as he summons her from the hallway of the courtroom seemed a bridge too far. Then again, the judge seemed to know how to deal with the possibility of corruption in that process. The notion of honor, as reflected in honesty - from citizen to society, and from father to daughter - transcends the legal process. At least in this case, among this group of peole. I would have liked to have known a bit more about the mother's motivation to leave the country, but it's not something that detracted from the film. This is an easy recommendation.… Expand

Helpful?

3 of 3 users said yes
We Bought a Zoo

Average User Score: 7.1

User Score 7

Sure, it's a bit of a letdown for a Cameron Crowe movie, but judged in isolation, it's a heartwarming flick, and Thomas Hayden Church is hilarious in it - in a small role. The actor who plays the son isn't quite up to the task, and Elle Fanning over-acts to a fault, but, surprisingly, Scarlett Johansson is better in this than just about anything I've seen her in. The restrained sexuality is what does it for her. You don't have to bed the owner in the first scene to have value in the movie, Scar....… Expand

Helpful?

1 of 1 users said yes

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