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| 1. |
|
08/19/12 |
Poor |
 "...unfunny slapstick.... Far more frustrating than the film's banally conventional plot structure is its characters' lack of depth.... leaves one feeling unmoored..." |
| 2. |
|
09/20/12 |
Moderate |
 "The American characters are clichéd and vapid... seeing them get knocked around and told to wake up can be validating if you know people as spoiled as them." |
| 3. |
|
02/27/13 |
Moderate |
 "...wildly ambitious... contains some compelling moments.... But there's no consistent narrative thread to carry the film from start to finish..." |
| 4. |
|
02/27/13 |
Very Good |
 "Refreshingly evenhanded.... Kim Nguyen's matter-of-fact storytelling proves to be the right match for a life of extraordinary suffering." |
| 5. |
|
03/07/13 |
Very Good |
"...anything but an overwrought depiction of atrocities in the third world. In its finest moments the film's pared-down style recalls Terrence Malick's..." |
| 6. |
|
03/13/13 |
Moderate |
 "...is only sporadically at its best.... while the kids are wildly charming at first, like a tired babysitter, one may find their antics growing repetitive and trying." |
| 7. |
|
03/13/13 |
Excellent |
 "...gentle storytelling manages to extract the emotional payoffs of melodrama without ruining one's suspension of disbelief.... A film about fathers and children..." |
| 8. |
|
03/14/13 |
Moderate |
"By cramming into 100 minutes material that requires at least a miniseries to be appropriately addressed, Kitchell has made his storytelling task incredibly difficult." |
| 9. |
|
03/21/13 |
Excellent |
"...the animators paint remarkably nuanced states of teenage distress... ultimately it's not about its story as much as the emotional states it probes." |
| 10. |
|
04/03/13 |
Fair |
 "...the movie's refusal to find nuance in its didactic worldview ensures that the film will ultimately only succeed for audiences already in agreement with it." |
| 11. |
|
04/03/13 |
Fair |
 "...viewers may find the narrative aimlessness here frustrating. Perhaps a narrower scope -- like one dinner? -- could have proven more manageable." |
| 12. |
|
04/03/13 |
Fair |
 "It's got an awfully serious delivery, but the graver it gets, the sillier it becomes.... its world is never imbued with any structure or meaning." |
| 13. |
|
04/04/13 |
Fair |
"...an often too-intimate portrait.... Rooted in restlessness, the doc cycles through a myriad of subjects with a desultory air." |
| 14. |
|
04/04/13 |
Fair |
"If you've ever wanted to see a therapist sit a bunch of gangsters down and soothingly suggest, 'Let's talk about killing,' you're in luck." |
| 15. |
|
04/17/13 |
Good |
 "...coasts on the strength of its portrait of two systemic outsiders.... Herman Wallace's disembodied persona is movingly revitalized by Jackie Sumell's efforts..." |
| 16. |
|
04/17/13 |
Very Good |
 "A charming display of auto-critique.... It's not so much a thriller as a playful deconstruction thereof, allowing characters to comment on their own roles..." |
| 17. |
|
04/18/13 |
Very Good |
"...creates something far more original than the same old heart-pounding. Germain's commentary ensures an alienating effect, and therein lies the refreshing uniqueness..." |
| 18. |
|
05/01/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
 "...leaves the lingering sensation that more fun could have been had if the film cut loose and lived a little, as its central characters ultimately -- if unoriginally -- learn." |
| 19. |
|
05/01/13 |
Very Good |
 "...assured... treats its story with quiet, matter-of-fact confidence, rather than overly stylizing it to align with notions of romanticized myth." |
| 20. |
|
05/02/13 |
Good (Not Great) |
"Some things are charming about European films that ape Hollywood, the same way that seeing yourself reflected through a funhouse mirror can be." |
