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| 1. |
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02/19/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Zhang Yimou returns with the much more ascetic, chamber-like dramedy.... the pic is spiced up with some pratfall humor and visually enhanced by saturated lensing of the dusty red landscapes that slightly recalls Zhang's 'Hero.' " |
| 2. |
|
02/17/10 |
Weak |
 "...grindingly slow, content-light fare for card-carrying minimalists.... the pic's biggest flaw is that the viewer has no idea what the main characters are thinking or feeling and therefore tunes out emotionally at an early stage." |
| 3. |
|
02/15/10 |
Fair |
 "...as short on originality and sustained tension as it is long on striking widescreen vistas and impressive technical smarts." |
| 4. |
|
02/14/10 |
Very Good |
 "...succeeds at a purely metaphysical and character level, without any strident sexual politicking, thanks to sensitive, dignified playing by lead Sibel Kekilli." |
| 5. |
|
02/12/10 |
Weak |
 "Polanski brings not a jot of his own directorial personality or quirks to a political pulp thriller whose weaknesses (let alone lack of any real action or thrills) are laid bare when brought to the screen in such a workmanlike, anonymous way." |
| 6. |
|
02/11/10 |
Very Good |
 "...never lets politics take precedence over characterization, producing an emotionally meaty family drama -- flecked with ironic moments..." |
| 7. |
|
01/01/10 |
Good |
 "...takes a while to lay out its game plan but pays off emotionally in its second half.... Most of the character development is packed into this second half, which packs several unexpected dramatic reversals despite the generally light tone." |
| 8. |
|
12/04/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Amitabh Bachchan is the star of -- and the only reason to go see -- 'Paa'.... Pic's light, non-maudlin tone is refreshing, and gains much from Bachchan's ability to create a believable half-child, half-adult character..." |
| 9. |
|
09/21/09 |
Moderate |
 "Based on the amazing but true tale of a German male athlete forced to secretly compete as a woman to overshadow a Jewish female teammate... sports a strong lead cast but is diminished by TV-style helming and production qualities." |
| 10. |
|
09/15/09 |
Fair |
 "Pulpy script, played by a largely Brit cast on sitcom autopilot, is partly redeemed by a dignified perf from Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede..." |
| 11. |
|
09/10/09 |
Very Good |
 "...hardly puts a foot wrong.... manages to juggle a large number of characters and cameos without leaving any of them feeling underdeveloped." |
| 12. |
|
09/09/09 |
Excellent |
 "...a superbly written loony-tunes satire, played by a tony cast at the top of its game." |
| 13. |
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09/07/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...packs every punch except one to the heart... Performances are OK, but the dialogue is largely functional, and their characters are neither likable nor especially interesting." |
| 14. |
|
09/05/09 |
Weak |
 "A one-trick pony that rapidly wears out the considerable welcome of its first reel... a grunge-and-gore Viking movie that, like its characters, spends most of its time going round in circles..." |
| 15. |
|
09/04/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Either a subtly subversive black comedy, a deeply spiritual portrait of physical rebirth or a whole lot of nothing in a self-consciously arty package..." |
| 16. |
|
09/02/09 |
Good |
 "...has a restlessness and almost tactile feel, mirroring the young protag as he forms a curious relationship with the birth mother who once abandoned him." |
| 17. |
|
08/16/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...holds interest more through the screen chemistry of Lotte Verbeek and co-lead Stephen Rea than through its self-consciously manipulative script.... thanks to Verbeek's perf, full of physical grace notes and small details, she manages to involve the audience..." |
| 18. |
|
07/31/09 |
Very Good |
 "This thoroughly entertaining, tightly cut slice of widescreen hokum goes the usual route of focusing on a small, dysfunctional group before the badass brine hits, but with much more leavening humor than most Western efforts." |
| 19. |
|
06/02/09 |
Very Good |
 "...engrossing... Less visionary than Bong's 2003 serial-killer mystery, 'Memories of Murder,' but with the same skillfully natural evocation of a rural community hiding dark secrets..." |
| 20. |
|
05/22/09 |
Very Good |
 "The Never-ending Story between Arabs and Jews gets another wryly humorous workout, marbled with personal sadness and mystification..." |
