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GHOST BIRDMovie Reviews
Documentary about the purported rediscovery in 2004 in Arkansas of the ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to have been extinct for decades. Cast:David Sibley, Nancy Tanner, Jerome Jackson, David LuneauDirector:Scott CrockerRelease Date:April 28, 2010DVD Release:December 14, 2010Length:1 hr. 25 min.
Ghost Bird played in limited release to very good reviews. • Stan Hall wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "You don't have to be a birder to be drawn into Scott Crocker's haunting, bittersweet documentary... testament to the power of wishful thinking over hard evidence." • And Guy Dixon called the film in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...thoughtful, even-tempered...." More Reviews Below...
Ghost Bird has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (5 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Scott Crocker has turned a bird-watching tale into a multilayered story that will fascinate practically everybody... a witty, wistful documentary about the supposed rediscovery in Arkansas of the ivory-billed woodpecker..."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 04/28/10
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an orinthological documentary with divergent tones. Lyrical aerial shots frame the fleeting shadow of a small plane passing over bayous. Elsewhere, Crocker playfully overlays Sha Na Na's goofy song 'Surfin' Bird.' "(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 306 words, 09/17/10
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice: GOOD "...builds up familiar frenzy -- newspaper notoriety, tourism uptick, government attention... Crocker's folksy head-scratching gets at the hope behind the hunt. Or, in the words of one observer, 'You can never prove it doesn't exist.' "(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 04/28/10
Guy Dixon, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...thoughtful, even-tempered... about so much more than ornithological evidence. It's as much about the loss of a certain quality of human reasoning, as about ecological loss."(See all of Guy Dixon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 08/05/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...surprisingly thrilling, especially for a movie about birdwatching, possibly the most mundane activity urbanites can imagine.... a perfect recession-era doc."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 08/04/11
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "You don't have to be a birder to be drawn into Scott Crocker's haunting, bittersweet documentary... testament to the power of wishful thinking over hard evidence."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 126 words, 10/08/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (2 Reviews)
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice: GOOD "...builds up familiar frenzy -- newspaper notoriety, tourism uptick, government attention... Crocker's folksy head-scratching gets at the hope behind the hunt. Or, in the words of one observer, 'You can never prove it doesn't exist.' "(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 04/28/10
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...surprisingly thrilling, especially for a movie about birdwatching, possibly the most mundane activity urbanites can imagine.... a perfect recession-era doc."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 08/04/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Scott Crocker has turned a bird-watching tale into a multilayered story that will fascinate practically everybody... a witty, wistful documentary about the supposed rediscovery in Arkansas of the ivory-billed woodpecker..."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 04/28/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (1 Review)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Scott Crocker has turned a bird-watching tale into a multilayered story that will fascinate practically everybody... a witty, wistful documentary about the supposed rediscovery in Arkansas of the ivory-billed woodpecker..."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 04/28/10
7.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Ghost Bird's reviews are separated by an average 7.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Ghost Bird (6 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Ghost Bird's reviews cover 6.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 1,895 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 316 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 105 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Ghost Bird's reviews on average broke 105 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Ghost Bird's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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