|
| 1. |
|
03/30/12 |
Weak |
 "...you are left to decide if it is morally acceptable to make, or to enjoy, a cinematically sophisticated, well-acted film that turns real, historic tragedy into entertainment cliches." |
| 2. |
|
03/23/12 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...not a very good movie. But it is entertaining enough -- barely enough -- to make it worth seeing.... Eventually, you know how things end; they always end this way." |
| 3. |
|
03/16/12 |
Outstanding |
 "...one of the best of the year... will stick in your gut for a long time as you work your way through its ideas and emotions." |
| 4. |
|
02/10/12 |
Excellent |
 "Her advice for one of her dancers getting ready to go onstage: 'Don't forget, you have to scare me.' Bausch's art is one of love, pain, joy, loss and loneliness..." |
| 5. |
|
10/21/11 |
Poor |
 "...comprises some 20 talking heads, each pretty much saying the same thing, interspersed with film of children dressed up as mythical heroes, enacting the stages of the 'hero's journey.' " |
| 6. |
|
10/07/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...you come away admiring Van Sant's magical facility with the camera and editing software, his style and his refusal to turn 'Restless' into the sentimental mush of 'Love Story'.... But you also aren't sure what the film is about..." |
| 7. |
|
09/30/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "If you can ignore the implausibility -- nay, the opacity -- of the plot, the film is wonderfully cinematic..." |
| 8. |
|
09/23/11 |
Excellent |
 "...leisurely paced, as many French films are, and not much actually happens, but as a character study, it feels true, and ultimately moving." |
| 9. |
|
08/26/11 |
Moderate |
 "...a well-made film, if what you look for is acting, cinematography, editing and clever narrative.... But you come away from watching it with a moral bellyache." |
| 10. |
|
08/19/11 |
Very Good |
 "...a documentary to get your juices going." |
| 11. |
|
07/15/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...it slowly becomes clear that there is little in the movie except the convention.... this very pretty melodrama is a rather ordinary entry." |
| 12. |
|
07/08/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "There is much observation of local detail and an overpowering sense of the oppressiveness of urban poverty, but the film never quite gets airborne." |
| 13. |
|
06/03/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...a frothy French confection, a sort of île flottante of movies.... it is light and almost irresistible." |
| 14. |
|
04/29/11 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "Go for Caan and Farmiga, and stay to be surprised by Reeves." |
| 15. |
|
03/25/11 |
Excellent |
 "...a very wise film, without any stench of didacticism: Through it all, the abiding power - like the strong force of an atomic bond - is not love exactly, but relationship, the net that wraps us all together and holds us fast." |
| 16. |
|
03/18/11 |
Very Good |
 "What redeems the film is the odd, sad integrity of Stanley... he persists with a purity and directness that breaks our hearts as viewers, just as life breaks his." |
| 17. |
|
01/14/11 |
Outstanding |
 "...astounding. Most of the credit goes to Vincent Cassel, who changes physically through the films at least as much as Robert De Niro did in 'Raging Bull.' " |
| 18. |
|
01/14/11 |
Excellent |
 "All the episodes are gripping, edge-of-seat stuff, but there perhaps are one or two scenes more than needed." |
| 19. |
|
12/10/10 |
Very Good |
 "...full of outrageous laughs.... betrays its low-budget origins in cinematography, editing, acting and locations. Really, none of that finally matters. Mainly, you'll laugh." |
| 20. |
|
12/03/10 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...inoffensive, and if you're of the persuasion that the world is a nice place and most people are really nice underneath, then, you may find this movie a comfortable fit." |
