| 1. |
|
09/09/10 |
Outstanding |
"Monte Hellman's first feature film in 21 years is one of his finest and deepest... displays this director's trademark virtues -- an elegant compositional eye, tough-minded thematic sense and sharp sensitivity to what goes unspoken between people..." |
| 2. |
|
08/25/10 |
Very Good |
"...highly enjoyable... writer-director Neil Marshall imagines and communicates a remote world with terrific energy and a passion for detail." |
| 3. |
|
05/05/10 |
Excellent |
"...a thorough, diligent history that must work around the man (Abramoff is still in prison, unavailable for interview). Getting everybody around his subject to open up, [filmmaker Alex] Gibney... map[s], as per his movie's subtitle, The United States of Money, which made (and makes) such corruption possible.... indispensable viewing." |
| 4. |
|
12/17/09 |
Moderate |
"The acting, sad to say, is stagey and amateurish to the point of often painful distraction... [but] it fulfills the stated ambitions of director Bruno Pischiutta and producer Daria Trifu to teach and inspire discussion." |
| 5. |
|
12/16/09 |
Excellent |
"Angry passion and visual energy define this extraordinary muckraking documentary.... The heartbreak that informs the universal reach of 'Under the Eightball' is uniquely personal." |
| 6. |
|
11/19/09 |
Moderate |
"...turns completely dark, which might have been interesting had Patrick Epino created any sense of anticipation.... The film is impeccably cast; it's shot and cut well. Unfortunately, the secret of comedy is that it's the highest form of suspense, and 'Mr. Sadman' is just too bleakly episodic." |
| 7. |
|
11/05/09 |
Weak |
"Producer, director, co-writer and star Sean Ramsay tackles an ambitious premise here, but his efforts are crushed by his wearing too many hats.... the parade of weak and over-the-top performances offers conclusive proof that Ramsay should have delegated the directing." |
| 8. |
|
10/22/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
"...farce in the unpretentious vein of 'Barbershop,' 'Barbershop2,' 'Friday,' 'Next Friday' and 'Friday After Next'.... everything builds to a fairly careless climax.... has good laughs... Ice Cube and Mike Epps play a pair of concert-promoting hustlers..." |
| 9. |
|
10/22/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
"Gummy bits of backstory may cling like Post-its to the undersides of the dialogue but the screenplay (by Glen Hartford and Nicholas Siapkaris) otherwise promotes reliable tension and lumps in one's throat." |
| 10. |
|
08/12/09 |
Outstanding |
"Such a subtle yet global view of human struggle... a mark of extraordinary promise from this remarkable new filmmaker, Amin Matalqa." |