|
| 1. |
|
05/05/12 |
Outstanding |
 "...profoundly moving.... The beautifully nuanced screenplay avoids all clichés and Southern stereotypes, rendering every character with a striking depth and humanity." |
| 2. |
|
05/04/12 |
Good |
 "...overcomes its predictable elements thanks to the inherent visual drama of watching children strain their bodies to the limit in obsessive pursuit of their goals." |
| 3. |
|
05/03/12 |
Poor |
 "Amos Kollek turns the camera on himself to analyze his past film failures.... an admittedly harrowing exercise in solipsism that will be of little interest to anyone besides the director's diehard fans and perhaps his therapist." |
| 4. |
|
05/03/12 |
Weak |
 "...relies heavily on the photogenic charms of the two leads.... But their efforts are not enough to make this trivialization of a tragic subject any more palatable." |
| 5. |
|
04/19/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Terrific music but tepid drama is on display... while it suffers from a derivative storyline, it offers enough musical authenticity to provide ample compensations." |
| 6. |
|
04/19/12 |
Moderate |
 "...not exactly revelatory... it does depict its West Hollywood milieu with a comic, insider's knowingness... Matthew Ludwinski is appealing enough to make you cheer for his character..." |
| 7. |
|
04/18/12 |
Fair |
 "...feels like an elaborate study aid.... the ironic twist to the true-life tale that is revealed at the film's conclusion only adds to the feeling of being manipulated." |
| 8. |
|
04/14/12 |
Weak |
 "...features heavy-handed melodrama and tawdry plot elements.... mostly the proceedings unroll in bland, TV movie-style fashion. The actors do what they can with the ham-fisted material..." |
| 9. |
|
04/10/12 |
Moderate |
 "...compensates for its cheesy special effects and production values, as well as its utter derivativeness, with redeeming doses of tongue-in-cheek humor." |
| 10. |
|
04/06/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...takes on more than it can comfortably handle, veering haphazardly from subject to subject... But it certainly provides plenty of food for thought along the way." |
| 11. |
|
04/05/12 |
Weak |
 "...suffers from uneven acting (talent isn't always hereditary); stereotypical characters and situations; and a manic visual style featuring the sort of split-screen obsession that felt outdated decades ago." |
| 12. |
|
04/05/12 |
Weak |
 "...plot holes and inconsistencies abound... Ultimately the sheer silliness and predictability of the proceedings gives the film an unintentional comic tone." |
| 13. |
|
03/29/12 |
Weak |
 "...essentially the sort of garden variety B-movie easily found on late night cable, only with a better cast, higher production values and, unfortunately, ponderously sluggish pacing and self-seriousness..." |
| 14. |
|
03/22/12 |
Fair |
 "...goes off on too many tangents.... The film indeed offers an encounter with Simone Weil, but we never feel that we've truly come to know her." |
| 15. |
|
03/22/12 |
Fair |
 "...an earnest, faith-based drama, which lacks sufficient entertainment value to make its message go down more palatably.... offers few surprises in its all too predictable, message laden tale." |
| 16. |
|
03/22/12 |
Fair |
 "Although his natural charisma inevitably shines through, Michael C. Hall is ultimately unable to make us care.... 'The Trouble With Bliss,' as evidenced by its punning title, feels far too pleased with itself." |
| 17. |
|
03/09/12 |
Weak |
 "A bland romantic comedy... director Sheree Folkson -- an actress and writer making her feature helming debut -- is unable to smooth over the script's clunky contrivances." |
| 18. |
|
03/09/12 |
Poor |
 "...the latest example of how the talented performer's poor choice of material continually undercuts him." |
| 19. |
|
02/24/12 |
Weak |
 "...finds Perry working in the heavily melodramatic mode that marks his weakest efforts.... As usual, the characters are strictly one-dimensional -- at least, until they're not." |
| 20. |
|
01/27/12 |
Poor |
 "...mostly resembles a failed television pilot... Although the film's official running time is listed as 106 minutes, it actually seemed closer to 90. Not that anyone's going to be complaining." |
