|
| 1. |
|
09/09/10 |
Outstanding |
 "...displays this director's trademark virtues -- an elegant compositional eye, tough-minded thematic sense and sharp sensitivity to what goes unspoken between people..." |
| 2. |
|
08/12/09 |
Outstanding |
 "Such a subtle yet global view of human struggle... a mark of extraordinary promise from this remarkable new filmmaker, Amin Matalqa." |
| 3. |
|
12/13/12 |
Excellent |
 "...a key to this film's wit and wisdom is that, as in life, anticipation doesn't make a thing inevitable. Few things are scarier than a dream that threatens to come true." |
| 4. |
|
09/12/12 |
Excellent |
"There isn't a false note in either the dialogue or the performances. The characters as written and played have such intricate backstories... uniquely, movingly suspenseful." |
| 5. |
|
05/06/10 |
Excellent |
 "Abramoff's uniquely dramatic career still has much to reveal about how power malfunctions in America." |
| 6. |
|
05/05/10 |
Excellent |
"...thorough, diligent history that must work around the man (Abramoff is still in prison, unavailable for interview).... indispensable viewing." |
| 7. |
|
12/17/09 |
Excellent |
 "What might have been dull charts and talking heads are instead clever reenactments and quick cuts, with key words and footnotes superimposed in well-chosen graphics." |
| 8. |
|
12/16/09 |
Excellent |
"Angry passion and visual energy define this extraordinary muckraking documentary.... The heartbreak that informs the universal reach of the film is uniquely personal." |
| 9. |
|
08/26/10 |
Very Good |
 "...its craftsmanship and freedom from pretension suit it more to comparisons with Anthony Mann's two classic pursuit-Westerns, 'The Naked Spur' and 'Man of the West.' " |
| 10. |
|
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." |
| 11. |
|
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..." |
| 12. |
|
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." |
| 13. |
|
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." |
| 14. |
|
11/19/09 |
Moderate |
 "...turns completely dark... 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." |
| 15. |
|
11/05/09 |
Weak |
 "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." |
