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| 1. |
|
05/09/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a bland, sub-'Hangover' comedy about guys on the make in South America.... The film is most successful in the way it subverts expectations." |
| 2. |
|
05/02/13 |
Good |
 "What distinguishes the movie is its look, which combines the garish gore and muted tones of '70s Euro-horror with the subtle glow of modern moviemaking..." |
| 3. |
|
05/02/13 |
Very Good |
 "In Penn Badgley and Daniel Algrant's hands, the movie isn't an origin story; it's a sketch of one man's inevitable ascendance." |
| 4. |
|
04/25/13 |
Moderate |
 "...a standard-issue, earnest American indie, where the people do what's needed to serve the plot and the point, even if that means behaving like short-sighted idiots..." |
| 5. |
|
04/25/13 |
Fair |
 "Bahrani's intentions are good, and the movie's plot is suitably complex.... But the dialogue and performances are about at the level of a Founders' Day pageant." |
| 6. |
|
04/25/13 |
Excellent |
 "...playfully experimental... so alive with possibility and gusto that it makes other independent films look not just damnably safe, but inert." |
| 7. |
|
04/18/13 |
Outstanding |
 "...inventive.... All the way up to the stunning final shot, Ozon urgently asks whether, for storytellers, it's better to be on the outside looking in, or the inside looking out." |
| 8. |
|
04/18/13 |
Very Good |
 "...thrillingly weird... Zombie proves once again that he understands how many different ways there are to give an audience the creeps." |
| 9. |
|
04/11/13 |
Very Good |
 "Cronenberg is more interested in ideas than in blood and guts.... it's rarely tedious, because he keeps coming up with clever new details..." |
| 10. |
|
04/04/13 |
Good |
 "...has a lot of value, because Gregory is such a remarkable individual whose career has gone under-recorded on film and video." |
| 11. |
|
03/28/13 |
Outstanding |
 "...intense. It's a deep dive into the rabbit hole of semiotics, designed to train viewers to become alert to what they're really seeing." |
| 12. |
|
03/28/13 |
Excellent |
 "The film's plot is gimmicky, but Pablo Berger mainly uses it as a line on which to hang one craftily shot and cut setpiece after another..." |
| 13. |
|
03/21/13 |
Outstanding |
 "...has an energy that's been missing from independent film lately. It's not dreary or quirky; not excessively stylish or stubbornly formless." |
| 14. |
|
03/21/13 |
Fair |
 "...director Marc Evans and screenwriter Laurence Coriat fumble both the musical side of their movie and the coming-of-age side.... the songs are mostly inert." |
| 15. |
|
03/14/13 |
Excellent |
 "...beautiful in a distinctly Ghibli way, distinguished by dappled light, soft pastels, and the slow-but-constant motion of a port town.... It's all lovely and sweet..." |
| 16. |
|
03/14/13 |
Good |
 "...can be affecting at times, and might've been even more so if Potter hadn't made its theme so explicit, via heavy 'this is the point' speeches..." |
| 17. |
|
03/07/13 |
Fair |
 "Friedrich's snide tone gets in the way, turning a study of capitalism run amok into one artist who just can't stand all these rich squares and their 'fancy dogs.' " |
| 18. |
|
03/07/13 |
Good |
 "...emphasizes the uplifting aspects of Pineda's Journey experience, describing how he came from poverty and delinquency, before he dedicated himself to his craft..." |
| 19. |
|
02/28/13 |
Outstanding |
 "...an immersive experience, plunging viewers into darkness and chaos, amid a rush of vivid color and rapid movement.... It's difficult to describe the eerie beauty..." |
| 20. |
|
02/28/13 |
Excellent |
 "...about a man who has a difficult time being understood... a short, docu-realistic film, with very little plot and scenes that play like loose improvisations." |
