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A TOWN CALLED PANICMovie Reviews
French language animated tale about the adventures of three plastic toy friends, Cowboy, Indian and Horse. Cast:Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier, Bruce Ellison, Benoît Poelvoorde, Jeanne BalibarDirector:Vincent Patar, Stéphane AubierRelease Date:December 16, 2009DVD Release:July 20, 2010From:ZeitgeistLength:1 hr. 15 min.
A Town Called Panic played in key cities to excellent reviews. • Clint O'Connor wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...a sublime slice of silliness..." • And Tom Keogh wrote in the Seattle Times, "...one can't watch it without being amazed at the extraordinary effort involved in putting together a movie like this... good for just loosening one's grip on reality." More Reviews Below...
A Town Called Panic Positive Reviews (25 Reviews, reviews below)
A Town Called Panic has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: EXCELLENT "The film's humor, simultaneously giddy and satirical, is reminiscent of 'South Park' and the 'Wallace & Gromit' movies, but it's less pointed, more poetic."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 12/16/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...completely unexpected.... Though the setup is amusing, it's the cartoonish resistance to any rational logic that makes for the most fun."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 134 words, 12/18/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "I enjoyed this film so much I'm sorry to report it was finally too much of a muchness. You can only eat so much cake. But I don't think that's a problem."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 01/14/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Made with an anarchic, anything-goes spirit, this is truly a film, not to mention a town, where you never know what's going to happen next."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 01/29/10
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Adults will appreciate 'A Town Called Panic.' Kids used to Pixar may at first be put off by the subtitles and little dolls, but they'll most likely get into the fun."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 12/18/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: OUTSTANDING "The blurty voices and jerky animation recall 'South Park' (which I mean as a high compliment), but the film has a transcendent silliness all its own."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 172 words, 12/14/09
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...take a deep breath - preferably of helium - and surrender yourself to the surreal, action-packed hilarity of 'A Town Called Panic' ('Panique au village')."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 526 words, 02/19/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...has more strident colors and less synopsizable action than a year's worth of comic-book adventures, embodies a sensibility that might be termed 'extreme quirk.' "(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 12/16/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Watching 'A Town Called Panic' is like burrowing into a small child's head as he amuses himself with a bucket of forgotten toys. I mean that in the best possible way."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 02/18/10
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an utterly delightful excursion to a place where far too few films these days ever take us... That place is called the realm of the imagination."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 02/12/10
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an ultra-low-tech animated exercise from a Belgian filmmaking duo with a genius for sight gags, absurdity and general mischief."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 04/02/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Aubier and Patar's comic timing is impeccable... a proudly Calvinist work - I mean the comic strip character, not the philosopher - that understands the delights of deep play."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 01/22/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...supreme silliness... I feel sorry for anyone -- adult or kid -- who can't surrender to this delirious lunacy. It's 'Toy Story' on acid. It's Monty Python meets Gumby."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 03/12/10
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...one can't watch it without being amazed at the extraordinary effort involved in putting together a movie like this... good for just loosening one's grip on reality."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 01/22/10
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a sublime slice of silliness... a ridiculous stop-motion romp in which three roommates -- Horse, Cowboy, and Indian -- attempt to overcome various mishaps."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 05/28/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Belgian animators Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar mix the surrealism of their countryman Rene Magritte with the infantilism of Pee-wee Herman."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 187 words, 03/12/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...has more strident colors and less synopsizable action than a year's worth of comic-book adventures, embodies a sensibility that might be termed 'extreme quirk.' "(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 12/16/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Watching 'A Town Called Panic' is like burrowing into a small child's head as he amuses himself with a bucket of forgotten toys. I mean that in the best possible way."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 02/18/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: EXCELLENT "The film's humor, simultaneously giddy and satirical, is reminiscent of 'South Park' and the 'Wallace & Gromit' movies, but it's less pointed, more poetic."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 12/16/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Made with an anarchic, anything-goes spirit, this is truly a film, not to mention a town, where you never know what's going to happen next."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 01/29/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "Made with an anarchic, anything-goes spirit, this is truly a film, not to mention a town, where you never know what's going to happen next."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 01/29/10
Mike Hale, New York Times: EXCELLENT "The film's humor, simultaneously giddy and satirical, is reminiscent of 'South Park' and the 'Wallace & Gromit' movies, but it's less pointed, more poetic."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 12/16/09
11.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
A Town Called Panic's reviews are separated by an average 11.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
A Town Called Panic (25 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:A Town Called Panic's reviews cover 22.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,694 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 348 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
A Town Called Panic Coverage, Volume & Length (25 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 37 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
A Town Called Panic's reviews on average broke 37 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is A Town Called Panic's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
A Town Called Panic (25 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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