NO NO NO!!! DNR is supposed to be used conservatively to remove spots on frames. Dirt, damage, etc. It was then found it can be used to remove grain and they went hog wild with it.
During the days of DVD it was no big deal. You couldn't really see grain all that defined. But with High Def the grain is visible. Some nimrod with a DNR dial and a crack pipe can then remove the grain, which results in wax dummies for actors.
DNR can be used properly to clean up certain shots that have more grain than the shots surrounding it. Films like CLASH OF THE TITANS can benefit from this. The British HIGHLANDER BluRay has a little too much DNR for my tastes, but it certainly wasn't a wax job and certain shots that were not exposed correctly and had huge grain are now minimized and match the shots before and after.
But then look at THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY and you see DNR cranked way up, ruining the image. Meanwhile FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE looks incredible because they did not liberally apply DNR. It's night and damned day.
The Criterion IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE had some DNR properly applied. The grain structure is defined and looks exactly like film. I've had the pleasure of seeing that film privately on a large screen in 35mm (here in NYC) and the BluRay is as close as one can hope to get to the look of capturing what was on the print.
And again, I saw what DNR could do on my own Super16 short film. There is no question that DNR can help a transfer when those behind the dial know what they are doing and why.