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| 1. |
|
01/17/07 |
Good |
 "...the German film industry has finally mustered up the courage to make a comedy about Hitler.... pulls its punches... despite a stellar cast, excellent production values and a neat storyline with a cheeky twist." |
| 2. |
|
05/21/07 |
Good |
 "...given dramatic heft by good perfs -- especially by actress du jour Ozgu Namal -- and careful direction by producer-helmer Abdullah Oguz." |
| 3. |
|
05/28/07 |
Moderate |
 "...ambitious, almost novelistic... Credit amassed by pic's slow-burning beginning and interesting mid-section is dissipated by a long final act in which the air is let out..." |
| 4. |
|
09/10/07 |
Outstanding |
 "...upscale French entertainment at its best... enjoyable in its wry observation of Eros' hits and misses..." |
| 5. |
|
01/14/08 |
Good |
 "Partly thanks to Peter Chan's direction and the bulky, rough-edged costumes, Jet Li dominates the drama whenever he's onscreen." |
| 6. |
|
02/11/08 |
Outstanding |
 "...intelligent, entertaining cinema from hot-button current issues is beautifully illustrated by 'Lemon Tree,' a multifaceted drama straddling the Palestinian-Israeli chasms..." |
| 7. |
|
02/18/08 |
Moderate |
 "...one of director Hong Sang-soo's lightest and most easily digestible metaphysical meals to date -- though, at 145 minutes, is several courses too long.... Movie requires radical tightening to preserve the best and cut away the discursive undergrowth." |
| 8. |
|
03/17/08 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a dumb, pedal-to-the-metal actioner... Neeson growls his way through the functional dialogue as an unstoppable killing machine in impressive, cold-eyed style." |
| 9. |
|
03/24/08 |
Moderate |
 "Assayas' script is more allusive than demonstrative... At the end of the day, it's a slim movie, with no dramatic fissures or development of the characters." |
| 10. |
|
05/05/08 |
Fair |
 "The production and costume design soar but the drama and characters hardly get one wheel off the ground... fails to build a head of steam..." |
| 11. |
|
05/17/08 |
Fair |
 "...interweaving name actors into the docu fabric smacks of auteurism for the sake of it... pic says nothing new or revealing that hasn't been said in countless other movies..." |
| 12. |
|
05/18/08 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a small film with a big heart." |
| 13. |
|
05/18/08 |
Good |
 "...puts some fresh juice into the waning step of the onetime J-horror specialist.... quietly spacey take on characters in massive self-denial is entertaining enough..." |
| 14. |
|
05/24/08 |
Very Good |
 "...emotionally and physically, pic is a much more intense, visceral, full-contact experience than Leone's 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'..." |
| 15. |
|
07/20/08 |
Outstanding |
 "...the most expensive Chinese-language picture ever... balances character, grit, spectacle and visceral action in a meaty, dramatically satisfying pie that delivers..." |
| 16. |
|
08/08/08 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...an often grippingly staged mountain movie that's good but not great.... the cutaways from the mountain deliver progressively fewer returns as the main drama mounts." |
| 17. |
|
08/13/08 |
Excellent |
 "...proof that a good script and simpatico direction and performances can overcome budgetary restrictions.... has a satisfyingly complete dramatic arc..." |
| 18. |
|
08/15/08 |
Fair |
 "Script tries to build up a full range of heroic characters in conflict but is let down by workaday dialogue and direction that doesn't conjure any special atmosphere." |
| 19. |
|
08/18/08 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a generally entertaining piece of fluff that's kept afloat by a weathered cast... would have been more successful played simply as a light romantic comedy..." |
| 20. |
|
08/29/08 |
Weak |
 "...the film doesn't finally reveal much beneath the emperor's clothes to repay viewers' concentration during the first half." |
