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CIRCOMovie Reviews
Spanish language documentary about a family-run traveling circus in Mexico that has been in operation for 100 years. Cast:Moises Ponce, Alexia Ponce, Tino Ponce, Alejandra Ponce, Tacho PonceDirector:Aaron SchockRelease Date:April 1, 2011DVD Release:September 20, 2011From:First RunLength:1 hr 15 min
Circo played in key cities to very good reviews. • Kenneth Turan wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...a marvel... a clear-eyed and affectionate film that tells a remarkable story with both visual and personal sensitivity. More impressive still, it's largely the work of one man." • And Gerald Peary wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...touching as a personal family story, but extraordinary as a visual document..." More Reviews Below...
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a marvel... a clear-eyed and affectionate film that tells a remarkable story with both visual and personal sensitivity. More impressive still, it's largely the work of one man."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 04/08/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...takes viewers behind the scenes of this one-tent circus... times are tough... a look at a unique family and a disappearing way of life."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 04/01/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a stunning documentary... has the feel of a dramatic film; more than once you will have to remind yourself that this is indeed reality."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 802 words, 07/22/11
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...gradually transports us beyond the exotic and into gripping universal storytelling, aided all the way by the evocative music of Tucson songsmiths Calexico."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 07/22/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Bursting with colour and life, the film looks great, and a jaunty original soundtrack by Calexico adds rhythm and texture to the memorable images."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 07/21/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...says as much about human nature as it shows about struggling entertainers.... proves that in the particular we find the universal."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 05/20/11
Loren King, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...fascinating.... Schock's gritty, haunting portrait of a way of life fast fading offers a glimpse of a Mexico that American audiences rarely get to see."(See all of Loren King's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 04/22/11
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...documents the fearsome labor and intense willpower it takes to keep this shoestring show on the road, and the price paid by the family that runs it."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 04/15/11
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...stark, melancholy and beautifully realized... as enthralling an anthropological study as it is a glimpse of exuberant reality for a genuine circus family..."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 04/22/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an artfully observant and unexpectedly moving documentary about a circus troupe that tours the small towns of rural Mexico.... amazing..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 06/03/11
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...touching as a personal family story, but extraordinary as a visual document of an eroding world, thanks to Schock's second job as an amazing cinematographer."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 04/21/11
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...doesn't skimp on the exotic wonder of a life on the road, surrounded by color and danger. Or as one Tino Ponce says, 'This circus is tough and beautiful... it is both.' "(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 03/31/11
Chuck Bowen, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...deserves to be included among the handful of docs that audiences actually support... one of the most humane, not to mention pleasurable, docs that I've seen in years."(See all of Chuck Bowen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 912 words, 03/31/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Bursting with colour and life, the film looks great, and a jaunty original soundtrack by Calexico adds rhythm and texture to the memorable images."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 07/21/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a marvel... a clear-eyed and affectionate film that tells a remarkable story with both visual and personal sensitivity. More impressive still, it's largely the work of one man."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 04/08/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...as an outsider's view of a generally ignored corner of Mexican life, it's notable for the ease with which filmmaker Aaron Schock becomes a part of the traveling clan."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 06/18/10
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...its visual poetry is worth a big-screen look. It's noteworthy, too, as a film that's immersed in Mexican culture without reference to the country's neighbor to the north."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 10/15/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a marvel... a clear-eyed and affectionate film that tells a remarkable story with both visual and personal sensitivity. More impressive still, it's largely the work of one man."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 04/08/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a transcendent experience... If Terrence Malick were to make a documentary about circus life in Mexico, it might look and feel a whole lot like this."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 03/20/11
11.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Circo's reviews are separated by an average 11.2 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.
Coverage:Circo's reviews cover 17.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,862 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 443 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Circo's reviews on average broke 10 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 Circo's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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