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| 1. |
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12/02/11 |
Poor |
 "Director Dina Rosenmeier's tendency to insert herself at the center of the story at first seems slightly immodest. Gradually, it suggests a deeply unsettling level of self-involvement." |
| 2. |
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11/11/11 |
Poor |
 "This jumbled epic of absurd coincidences and logical gaps can barely track its internal mythology.... an ugly, burlap sack of a film..." |
| 3. |
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11/04/11 |
Outstanding |
 "...one of the most accomplished and undersold directorial debuts this year.... a searching, present-tense study of evolving cultural values in the heartland..." |
| 4. |
|
10/19/11 |
Moderate |
 "...there are lots of stories within the story: priestly parables, absurdist fables, campfire horror yarns.... If you're feeling thoroughly confused but still sort of curious, 'The Catechism Cataclysm' was made for you." |
| 5. |
|
10/14/11 |
Fair |
 "...spits out more references and audiovisual material than any one person can manage. What's missing is a compelling synthesis and clear through line." |
| 6. |
|
10/11/11 |
Outstanding |
 "...one of the best documentaries of the year.... offers more substantive insights into pressing issues of public education and urban poverty than many political commentators muster in a career.... the intimacy of the portraiture is so raw that it transcends sociology." |
| 7. |
|
10/07/11 |
Moderate |
 "...tracks a half-century of the gay civil-rights movement through the lens of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans.... testimonials succeed one another so quickly that it becomes difficult to track individual personalities..." |
| 8. |
|
10/06/11 |
Moderate |
 "Conceptually ambitious and oblique in the extreme.... It fails to engage either the intellect or the senses. At once austere and conceptually overwrought... both too much and not enough." |
| 9. |
|
10/03/11 |
Weak |
 "Overplotted and understructured... a slog to get through at 130 minutes. Though the scenes of light comedy are mildly amusing, and the action set pieces are competently directed, they feel tacked on to the main storyline..." |
| 10. |
|
09/16/11 |
Moderate |
 "...skimps on intellectual substance but skirts by on the lightly likable charm of its subject, who appears throughout... its general superficiality is compounded by a strategic avoidance of divisive political issues." |
| 11. |
|
09/16/11 |
Moderate |
 "...somehow Mr. Reid has an ability to push so far into the depths of stupidity that he breaks out the other side, making you laugh in spite of yourself." |
| 12. |
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09/14/11 |
Moderate |
 "Director Pamela Yates systematically avoids difficult issues... Like its dictator-nailing subtitle, 'Granito' often feels in its certitude like an inversion of vintage neoconservatism." |
| 13. |
|
09/09/11 |
Good |
 "...proudly affirms the American dream, reclaiming it for Muslims who see no conflict between their patriotism and their faith.... Though there are few surprises, the emotional arc is satisfying enough..." |
| 14. |
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09/09/11 |
Fair |
 "...so artistically well-intentioned and earnest in its ambitions that you can almost forgive the banality of its every scene." |
| 15. |
|
06/26/11 |
Poor |
 "The principal characters can be reduced to a handful of tics, and the entire story line is immaculately devoid of incidental detail. It's like sitting in a padded cell for about 90 minutes." |
| 16. |
|
03/18/11 |
Poor |
 "...excruciating acts of violence are somewhat offset by Mr. Mena's pictorial grace notes... But frankly I'd sooner touch a nine-volt battery to my tongue than sit through this film again." |
| 17. |
|
12/27/10 |
Outstanding |
 "...viscerally raw and lyrically stylized reverie for first love lost.... yes, devastatingly sad.... it works beautifully." |
| 18. |
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11/05/10 |
Weak |
 "...the narrative seems meandering, its modulation of tone singsong and slushy.... rife with grade-school civics lessons, tribal boosterism and Wikipedia-worthy anecdotes.... a washout for all but the most dedicated fans." |
| 19. |
|
10/21/10 |
Poor |
 "...clichéd and mechanical and initially very confusing; and the color-processed stock looks distractingly wrong, like someone in the lab forgot to carry a one or left the intern in charge for the day." |
