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LITTLE ASHESMovie Reviews
Drama about Salvador Dali and his bizarre blend of shyness and exhibitionism that attracts the attention of two of the university's social elite -- Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel. Cast:Javier Beltrán, Robert Pattinson, Matthew McNulty, Marina Gatell, Esther Nubiola, Arly JoverDirector:Paul MorrisonRelease Date:May 8, 2009DVD Release:January 26, 2010From:Regent ReleasingRating:RLength:1 hr 52 min
Little Ashes played in key cities to fair reviews. • Owen Gleiberman wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "I can't imagine what Dali or Buñuel would have made of such bourgeois sentimentality." • And Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "Paul Morrison, working from a screenplay by Philippa Goslett, is too admiring of his subjects -- and too conscious of their artistic legacies -- to give them a noticeable pulse." More Reviews Below...
Little Ashes Positive Reviews (30 Reviews, reviews below)
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "As Dalí, Pattinson is alternately compelling and as campy as Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, which hurts the film's tone."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 86 words, 05/07/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "The meandering film has moments of urgency, particularly when it focuses on Lorca... But that arrives too late to redeem what has gone before."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 05/08/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...an open-hearted tribute to three great iconoclasts, whose response to its piety and sincerity would, most likely, have been ruthless and obscene mockery."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/08/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "The story and performances (save for McNulty's angry Buñuel) are paint-by-numbers, with social upheaval and sexual adventurism as dramatic as an after-dinner mint."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 134 words, 05/08/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "The sex scenes are pretty mild and brief for a contemporary gay-themed movie... a threesome with Lorca's long-suffering girlfriend is unintentionally hilarious."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 05/08/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...a trifling historical fantasy, gossip wrapped in gossamer, beautiful to watch, but it takes only a light wind to leave the story in tatters."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 05/08/09
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "It's too bad that Morrison is so determined to break our hearts with the story of Lorca's impetuous crush on Dali, because it overwhelms the rest of his story."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 05/22/09
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...a typically bombastic lives-of-the-artists production made even more stilted by having all the actors (including the Spanish ones) speak accented English..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 05/06/09
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "What Pattinson never seems to get is that there must have been something beating beneath that mustache, mop of hair and awful, awful accent."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 05/29/09
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...posits a sexual affair between García Lorca (Javier Beltrán) and Dalí (Robert Pattinson) in a nation that, at the time, was anything but liberated about such matters."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 08/14/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...bravely earnest... Chapter One: meet cute. Chapter Two: steal a kiss while skinny-dipping. Chapter Three: death by firing squad for one, cultural celebrity for the other."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 06/26/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "What's intended to be a daring look at repressed sexuality, three-ways and all, has the dramatic heft of a true-love comic book."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 585 words, 05/22/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "Philippa Goslett's screenplay has a few moments of wit... But mostly, 'Little Ashes' is a little dull. Better to seek out these artists' works firsthand..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 338 words, 05/15/09
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: WEAK(cg) "The tentative romance between Dali and Lorca is the story's focus; it's staged prettily enough, yet something doesn't add up."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 05/22/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a speculative portrait of three artists: Dali, poet Federico Garcia Lorca and filmmaker Luis Bunuel, students in 1922 at a Madrid academy of fine arts."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 05/14/09
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...a typically bombastic lives-of-the-artists production made even more stilted by having all the actors (including the Spanish ones) speak accented English..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 05/06/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...an open-hearted tribute to three great iconoclasts, whose response to its piety and sincerity would, most likely, have been ruthless and obscene mockery."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/08/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a trifling historical fantasy, gossip wrapped in gossamer, beautiful to watch, but it takes only a light wind to leave the story in tatters."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 05/08/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: WEAK "...a soggy account... wavers between the polite, stuffy style of a 'Masterpiece Theater' production and the more pointed agenda of gay indie cinema..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 05/08/09
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...a speculative, impressionistic portrait without a lot of dramatic force or psychological depth.... fascinates as often as it frustrates."(See all of Stephen Farber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 05/04/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...a trifling historical fantasy, gossip wrapped in gossamer, beautiful to watch, but it takes only a light wind to leave the story in tatters."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 05/08/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...an open-hearted tribute to three great iconoclasts, whose response to its piety and sincerity would, most likely, have been ruthless and obscene mockery."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 05/08/09
17.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Little Ashes's reviews are separated by an average 17.3 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.
Little Ashes (30 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Little Ashes's reviews cover 56.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,119 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 371 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Little Ashes Coverage, Volume & Length (30 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 4 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Little Ashes's reviews on average broke 4 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 Little Ashes's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Little Ashes (30 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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