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MICHAEL (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama about a seemingly meek insurance agent who secretly holds a 10-year-old boy captive in his basement. Cast:Naseeruddin Shah, Mahi Gill, Purav Bhandare, Sabyasachi ChakrabortyDirector:Markus Schleinzer, Ribhu DasguptaRelease Date:February 15, 2012DVD Release:May 15, 2012From:Strand ReleasingLength:1 hr. 38 min.
Michael (2012) played in limited release to mixed reviews. • Liam Lacey wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...the authenticity of the performances and the skill of Markus Schleinzer's filmmaking are difficult to deny..." • And Kirk Honeycutt wrote in the Hollywood Reporter, "...a seriously misguided film. It bravely tackles a subject most filmmakers would shun, then loses courage..." More Reviews Below...
Michael (2012) Positive Reviews (15 Reviews, reviews below)
Michael (2012) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "This coldly compelling film doesn't try to explain Michael's behavior or analyze his disease.... it eventually metes out unequivocal punishment, but it is small consolation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 02/15/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a strange and troubling little film, a hermetically sealed creep-fest that seems to have no desire to be anything more than just that."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 02/17/12
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "To his credit, director Markus Schleinzer avoids exploitation, choosing to present Michael as pitiable rather than evil. Whatever you do, don't miss the final shot."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 02/15/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Schleinzer approaches his subject as though covering up a crime scene and scrubbing it of anything that might provide insight or empathy or psychological traction."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 02/15/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the authenticity of the performances and the skill of Markus Schleinzer's filmmaking are difficult to deny in this portrait of a monster as the bland guy next door."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 142 words, 09/10/11
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a film that's hard to watch and hard to recommend.... it is well made, but it's hard to imagine any response to it other than queasiness."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 05/11/12
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a strange and agonizingly engrossing drama despite its repellent subject.... Markus Schleinzer, in his filmmaking debut, looks like a talent to watch."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 05/11/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Schleinzer approaches his subject as though covering up a crime scene and scrubbing it of anything that might provide insight or empathy or psychological traction."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 02/15/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...from the Michael Haneke school of brutally austere Austrian cinema... a chilling film about the routine business of unspeakable acts."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 02/16/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a movie about watching movies, a series of questions about how you're drawn into suspense, hope for worst as much as best, feel for multiple characters at once."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 02/15/12
Andrew Schenker, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...a dismal formal exercise.... Schleinzer depersonalizes his portrait of criminality, turning his on-screen victim into little more than a kicking, screaming cipher..."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 02/12/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "This coldly compelling film doesn't try to explain Michael's behavior or analyze his disease.... it eventually metes out unequivocal punishment, but it is small consolation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 02/15/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...deliberate and very discreet. It shocks by suggestion, not by display.... [but] for all its studious detachment, it can't escape the melodrama inherent in its subject."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 02/16/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a strange and troubling little film, a hermetically sealed creep-fest that seems to have no desire to be anything more than just that."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 02/17/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Alissa Simon, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...impressively controlled and sometimes darkly humorous... takes a coolly nonjudgmental, non-psychological approach to a disturbing topic..."(See all of Alissa Simon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 518 words, 05/14/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...a seriously misguided film. It bravely tackles a subject most filmmakers would shun, then loses courage and fails to make any sense, either psychological or morally..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 05/14/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a strange and troubling little film, a hermetically sealed creep-fest that seems to have no desire to be anything more than just that."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 02/17/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...poses a lot of disturbing questions and gains a disturbing power by simply being. What it has to say is not easily forgotten."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 938 words, 05/23/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "This coldly compelling film doesn't try to explain Michael's behavior or analyze his disease.... it eventually metes out unequivocal punishment, but it is small consolation."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 02/15/12
21.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Michael (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 21.7 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.
Michael (2012) (15 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Michael (2012)'s reviews cover 15.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,913 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 528 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Michael (2012) Coverage, Volume & Length (15 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 23 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Michael (2012)'s reviews on average broke 23 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 Michael (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Michael (2012) (15 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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