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| 1. |
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05/06/12 |
Outstanding |
 "...it's the formal and thematic adventurousness that not only makes it near-Sebaldian, but also thrilling, provocative, and fascinating in its own right." |
| 2. |
|
05/06/12 |
Very Good |
 "...suggests scintillating questions about how much of a responsibility artists have to reflect current political moments in their music, especially when taking the kind of risks Paul Simon did in making 'Graceland.' " |
| 3. |
|
04/28/12 |
Very Good |
 "...sidesteps most of the potential pitfalls of sentimentality inherent in its premise and ends up as a generally affecting and occasionally insightful drama about the ways people handle an awareness of mortality." |
| 4. |
|
04/22/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...amiably loose... warmly observant... beautifully acted... it's a shame the film eventually threatens to fall apart under the weight of an excess of plot twists and hedged bets." |
| 5. |
|
03/16/12 |
Very Good |
 "Mike Birbiglia's refreshingly frank about his insecurities, and certainly there's something to be admired about his willingness to put his whole self on the line in this way." |
| 6. |
|
03/11/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "The end results are mixed... an impressionistic portrait of an artist that focuses almost wholly on the facts of his existence and the physical details of his art-making..." |
| 7. |
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02/26/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a deeply impressive work.... has the power to leave one rattled, for sure, but alas, we are left none the wiser for having endured such ugliness." |
| 8. |
|
02/14/12 |
Moderate |
 "...features thematic territory that was mined to more compelling effect by Christopher Nolan 10 years ago in his Alaska-set remake of the 1997 Norwegian psychological thriller 'Insomnia.' " |
| 9. |
|
04/26/11 |
Very Good |
 "...sometimes feels like punishment, from its Dardennes-like aesthetic to its general humorlessness.... [but] there are glimmers of a real, if amazingly bleak, worldview underlying its dour surface, as well as a tough-minded compassion that one might even go so far as to call humanism..." |
| 10. |
|
04/22/11 |
Very Good |
 "The film may not be much more than hagiography, but it's no less engrossing for that. And you certainly have to hand it to Jiro... even at his old age, he still sees the making of sushi as his own personal search for perfection." |
| 11. |
|
04/21/11 |
Moderate |
 "...almost astoundingly unambitious, at least it's generous and warmhearted enough to be reasonably inoffensive. Oh, and the songs aren't too bad, either: bland but pleasant, much like the film itself." |
| 12. |
|
04/20/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "If the film holds together at all as a character portrait, it's because of Carice van Houten, who thoroughly embodies Ingrid Jonker's passion in all its highs and lows, without attention-grabbing histrionics." |
| 13. |
|
03/16/11 |
Very Good |
 "...shows breathtaking audacity... the way Matt D'Elia divides his film up into acts suggests he wants us to be aware of the film's theatricality... it is original, gutsy, and uncompromising." |
