|
| 1. |
|
05/10/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Grace's apparently bottomless self-absorption is well played by Eva Mendes, who has always infused her man-candy roles with warmth and a weary intelligence..." |
| 2. |
|
05/09/12 |
Fair |
 "...a precarious blend of glib indie tropes and bleak urban melodrama.... A few striking performances -- Ritter, Preston, and Canterbury are especially great -- smooth out what might have been a much bumpier ride." |
| 3. |
|
05/09/12 |
Good |
 "More successful as a primer on the Sebaldian worldview than a visual representation of 'Saturn's' specifics... serves its subject best when it echoes his rapt and penetrative attention through a perspective of its own." |
| 4. |
|
05/02/12 |
Good |
 "...a soft-willed religious tolerance parable.... seems to resist introspective pit stops, cruising toward its tidy resolution with a host of missed opportunities in its wake." |
| 5. |
|
05/02/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "An anecdotal approach keeps the pace tight... If the information flows calmly and clearly, cumulatively the story feels a little scattered. Occasionally the subject hopping confuses..." |
| 6. |
|
04/27/12 |
Very Good |
 "...succeeds in spite of a faint but persistent sense of factory settings and finishes.... It's all rather casual -- not unengaging, exactly, but lacking a narrative energy all its own." |
| 7. |
|
04/25/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...does a perfect white swan but has trouble developing much of a personality.... leaves you wondering about all the steps and turns it's missing." |
| 8. |
|
04/19/12 |
Very Good |
 "Inter-chimp and territorial fighting are facts of nature, but the extreme anthropomorphism of 'Chimpanzee' makes what is natural feel bizarre." |
| 9. |
|
04/18/12 |
Moderate |
 "If he never hits a satiric mark, director Casper Andreas is more successful in handling the dramatic elements of yet another young actor's contemplation of whom he'll blow to get famous." |
| 10. |
|
04/13/12 |
Good |
 "...has a bit of that gonzo energy - a fair bit, actually.... Very often the line between spoofing and playing it straight is too subtle to make out.... It's the casual tone that makes all the difference, but it can't quite carry the movie." |
| 11. |
|
04/11/12 |
Good |
 "...four interlocking shorts from director Hong Sang-soo.... Hong's signature observational style is at once offhanded and astute, romantic and lightly chilled." |
| 12. |
|
04/11/12 |
Outstanding |
 "Sophie Nélisse, with her tough, Courtney Love puss, and Émilien Néron's portrayal of a boy's well-defended torment are extraordinary... a really great movie." |
| 13. |
|
04/05/12 |
Very Good |
 "Director Daniel Nettheim finds a smooth, confident rhythm... Dafoe and Woodlock in particular have a few moments that transcend the plot holes surrounding them..." |
| 14. |
|
04/04/12 |
Good |
 "If the structure sometimes disrupts the story of his life, the strong lines and melancholy sensibility of the illustration form an anchor that keep the power of Tatsumi's work firmly in view." |
| 15. |
|
03/29/12 |
Moderate |
 "An action/effects showcase like this one is not the place to turn for nuanced characterization, but the script seems to defy even the few opportunities it has to make us care." |
| 16. |
|
03/28/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...plays too much like an actual, incoherent nightmare to make a good movie... a psychodrama divided against itself.... more interested in the aesthetics of scary movies than the whys, whats and wows." |
| 17. |
|
03/21/12 |
Weak |
 "A slick piece of pro-life propaganda, it has relatively luxe production values, painfully earnest performances, and a drippy 'inspirational' score." |
| 18. |
|
03/21/12 |
Very Good |
 "...small finally feels big for Stephen Dorff... the twisty double ending sets the slight but ultimately critical emotional detachment of the preceding ninety minutes into greater relief." |
| 19. |
|
03/21/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...an adoring, exhaustive survey... instead of sustaining a significant cultural story, at almost two hours, 'All In' feels like an energetic but overlong highlight reel." |
| 20. |
|
03/15/12 |
Moderate |
 "For a movie with a comedic premise this simple - essentially: can you believe we made a movie with a premise this simple? - 'Casa de Mi Padre' can feel pretty exhausting." |
