|
| 1. |
|
04/30/09 |
Moderate |
 "...a baby-steps ballet doc, especially next to 'Ballets Russes,' which spends its entire two hours proudly on pointe." |
| 2. |
|
05/07/09 |
Outstanding |
 "There are surprises, a big one being the object of Uhura's romantic interest. There's Leonard Nimoy as Old Spock to anchor the proceedings." |
| 3. |
|
05/14/09 |
Very Good |
 "...a Baroque goodie that mostly justifies its extravagant conceits." |
| 4. |
|
06/04/09 |
Very Good |
 "...a dizzying fugue, not just on Italian politics but on Italian filmmaking, all to music that ranges from Sibelius's Second Symphony to '80s German band Trio's 'Da Da Da.' " |
| 5. |
|
09/24/09 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Fanny Brawne deserved more than just a generic place in the heavens as a Great Lover Thwarted by Fate. 'Bright Star' is only second-magnitude." |
| 6. |
|
11/05/09 |
Moderate |
 "...set in the simpler (?) time of 1007 AD, and it's more or less what you'd have if Ingmar Bergman had shot 'The Blair Witch Project' back then." |
| 7. |
|
12/10/09 |
Outstanding |
 "...for both company and audience, it's tough love, in Wiseman's usual fashion: no ID of the dancers, no ID of any of the seven works they rehearse and perform, few subtitles." |
| 8. |
|
03/18/10 |
Outstanding |
 "...it's the way the visuals tap into mediæval Celtic art that elevates this Oscar-nominated animation from Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey..." |
| 9. |
|
04/22/10 |
Very Good |
 "...looks at first to be limited by its feel-good story arc. But it dances beyond that, largely on the strength Sar, and his ballet teacher, Russian émigrée Olga Kostritzky." |
| 10. |
|
05/27/10 |
Very Good |
 "For a franchise that was supposed to be adventurous about sex, this film is about as cutting-edge as 'The Love Boat.' But if you're a fan, you'll get your money's worth." |
| 11. |
|
06/10/10 |
Moderate |
 "...damning mess of a documentary purports to reveal that Italy is TV- and celebrity-besotted -- which is true but not new." |
| 12. |
|
10/07/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Mike Rich's screenplay goes straight to the cliché factory... What keeps the film out of the claiming ranks is a tough Diane Lane..." |
| 13. |
|
10/14/10 |
Very Good |
 "...a broken nose, an email Valentine, the livestock stampede, and the dog that comes to a bad end... a film that does Simmonds justice and would make Hardy proud." |
| 14. |
|
11/04/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a bare-bones bio-pic that's long on politics and short on Hildegard's visions and especially her music... Barbara Sukowa in the title role is serious to a fault." |
| 15. |
|
01/20/11 |
Outstanding |
 "They swing from ropes, play with big plastic tubs, drink bottles of tea, and gaze inscrutably at the camera, as if waiting for us to figure out what they already know." |
| 16. |
|
03/17/11 |
Outstanding |
 "...might well be the best of the lot.... It's a big-screen first: a 19th-century 'Jane Eyre.' " |
| 17. |
|
03/31/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...you have a TV-movie diatribe against 'honor killing' instead of a feature film. What elevates it is the three-dimensional acting and the larger context." |
| 18. |
|
04/27/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...what amounts to a classy TV-movie... there's plenty of shadowy sex, and that, unfortunately, trumps the potentially interesting relationships..." |
| 19. |
|
06/16/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...treads a formulaic path, following various competitors as they train for Glasgow and then strut their stuff before the judges. There are some unlikely faces..." |
| 20. |
|
06/01/12 |
Moderate |
 "...a competent heartwarmer about a self-absorbed business type... the film loses its edge as soon as the music stops.... The story line sticks to familiar TV-movie territory." |
