Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
LITTLEROCKMovie Reviews
Japanese and English language drama about two siblings visiting America who are stuck in the California desert town of Littlerock when their car breaks down. Cast:Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zacharia, Rintaro SawamotoDirector:Mike OttRelease Date:August 12, 2011DVD Release:April 10, 2012From:Variance FilmsLength:1 hr 24 min
Littlerock played in key cities to very good reviews. • Peter Keough wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...deceptively simple... altogether original... captures with subtlety, wit, and irony the points of view of both the Japanese visitors and the local yokels..." • And James Adams wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...wins your involvement by its meandering off-handedness..." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tells a confident story that knows precisely where it's going. Its characters all learn a little and grow a little and one of them cries a little."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 09/09/11
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD "...significantly smaller and more casual than 'Mystery Train' or 'Lost in Translation,' movies its premise calls to mind, but in some ways it's more layered and complex."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 08/12/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Carl McLaughlin, who has a good eye for the minimal, manages to bring out the haunting beauty of empty places littered with the discards of forgotten lives."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 09/02/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "A mumblecore-ish slice of life... a fairly shapeless odyssey, at least until the siblings finally arrive at their destination..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 152 words, 08/12/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tells a confident story that knows precisely where it's going. Its characters all learn a little and grow a little and one of them cries a little."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 09/09/11
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Atsuko the actress, speaking mostly un-subtitled Japanese when she speaks at all, gives a performance that's a marvel of nonverbal reaction."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 08/10/11
Greg Quill, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Otherness, exclusion, states of belonging and not belonging are the stuff of 'Littlerock'... has the feel of accident but aspires to revelation..."(See all of Greg Quill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 04/08/11
James Adams, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's Cory (brilliantly and hilariously played, in simpering, space-cadet mode, by real-life Littlerockian Cory Zachariah) who gives the film much of its tension..."(See all of James Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 04/08/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Writer-director Mike Ott captures the bored-townie vibe so well, you'll be squirming in your seat. It brings unexpected poignancy..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 128 words, 04/07/11
David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...evocative, deceptively rich... Mike Ott is clearly more focused on the journey than the destination. And as journeys go, this is a pretty interesting one."(See all of David Lewis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 09/09/11
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...unexpectedly moving, simmering... Mike Ott's low-key approach to exploratory storytelling is reminiscent of the fine independent filmmaker Victor Nunez."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 01/13/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Atsuko the actress, speaking mostly un-subtitled Japanese when she speaks at all, gives a performance that's a marvel of nonverbal reaction."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 08/10/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...altogether original... captures with subtlety, wit, and irony the points of view of both the Japanese visitors and the local yokels..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 04/27/11
Bill Weber, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "Atsuko Okatsuka's performance, and her voiceovers of letters home to her father, hold a yearning mix of bafflement and purpose..."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 578 words, 08/07/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Writer-director Mike Ott captures the bored-townie vibe so well, you'll be squirming in your seat. It brings unexpected poignancy..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 128 words, 04/07/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD "...significantly smaller and more casual than 'Mystery Train' or 'Lost in Translation,' movies its premise calls to mind, but in some ways it's more layered and complex."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 08/12/11
Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR: EXCELLENT "...picks at more than just otherness and the ease (or unease) of assimilation.... exposes not only the limitations of language but the deceptiveness of nonverbal clues."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 08/11/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Carl McLaughlin, who has a good eye for the minimal, manages to bring out the haunting beauty of empty places littered with the discards of forgotten lives."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 09/02/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Well-crafted pic has a nice sense of place and rudderless youth, though in the end, simply too little happens for the story to have much resonance."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 244 words, 05/09/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Carl McLaughlin, who has a good eye for the minimal, manages to bring out the haunting beauty of empty places littered with the discards of forgotten lives."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 09/02/11
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD "...significantly smaller and more casual than 'Mystery Train' or 'Lost in Translation,' movies its premise calls to mind, but in some ways it's more layered and complex."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 08/12/11
9.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Littlerock's reviews are separated by an average 9.7 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.
Littlerock (16 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Littlerock's reviews cover 18.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,620 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 351 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 14 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Littlerock's reviews on average broke 14 days before 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 Littlerock's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Littlerock (16 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
