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OCTOBER COUNTRYMovie Reviews
Documentary about a year in the life of four generations of a family living in rural upstate New York, measured from one Halloween to the next. Cast:Dottie Mosher, Don Mosher, Denise, DanealDirector:Donal Mosher, Michael PalmieriRelease Date:February 12, 2010DVD Release:October 19, 2010From:IFCLength:1 hr 20 min
October Country played in key cities to good reviews. • Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...the beauty of 'October Country,' beside its artful images, is how it compresses the windblown fortunes of working-class America into the fallen leaves of one forlorn family." • And Kevin Thomas wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...a loving but unflinching probing of the lives of Mosher's family..." More Reviews Below...
October Country Positive Reviews (19 Reviews, reviews below)
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "The filmmakers offer neither hope nor despair, possibly because their deep acquaintance with the Moshers prevents any kind of easy conclusion."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 878 words, 02/12/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "...a beautiful evocation of a time and place -- Mohawk Valley in upstate New York... a loving but unflinching probing of the lives of Mosher's family in the course of a year."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 02/19/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...riveting... doesn't really have a point, or a story, but it's an almost unbearably vivid portrait of four generations in a single working-class family, the Moshers."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 02/12/10
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Donal Mosher, a 2001 graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, keeps out of the picture and off the soundtrack. Michael Palmieri shoots with a keen eye."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 06/04/10
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "If the film doesn't get anywhere narratively, that's just form following content: The Moshers themselves don't go anywhere, either."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 02/10/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...creates an almost lyrical atmosphere... Neither the Moshers nor the filmmakers are ground down by the spectres of failing health, abusive mates, looming court battles..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 11/12/09
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "An award-winning documentary... a powerful portrait of the American working poor and the dynamics that govern all families, regardless of economic class."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 04/09/10
Janice Page, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...filmmakers Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher tell their tale with an eerie, offbeat artistic sensibility that turns the clan into a sort of Addams Family on food stamps."(See all of Janice Page's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 04/30/10
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...beautifully shot and compelling... You can probably extract a sociological or political message from the film, but I don't think that was the intention."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 05/07/10
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "As outside observers, we clearly see how the Moshers are locked into a multigenerational stasis, and we feel sympathy but very little hope."(See all of Jeff Shannon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 305 words, 03/19/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...manages to excavate enough universal pathos from the mundane to find something truly extraordinary in the ordinary."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 04/02/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the beauty of 'October Country,' beside its artful images, is how it compresses the windblown fortunes of working-class America into the fallen leaves of one forlorn family."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 296 words, 06/04/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "If the film doesn't get anywhere narratively, that's just form following content: The Moshers themselves don't go anywhere, either."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 02/10/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...looks every bit as luminous as Mosher's photos... But in digging deeper into the stories behind the junk, the film veers awfully close to exploitation."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 02/11/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...creates an almost lyrical atmosphere... Neither the Moshers nor the filmmakers are ground down by the spectres of failing health, abusive mates, looming court battles..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 11/12/09
Jule Banville, Washington City Paper: VERY GOOD "In the tradition of some really good, if depressing, fucked-up family documentaries made by members of their own families ('Capturing the Friedmans,' 'Frank & Cindy')..."(See all of Jule Banville's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 06/10/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "The filmmakers offer neither hope nor despair, possibly because their deep acquaintance with the Moshers prevents any kind of easy conclusion."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 878 words, 02/12/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a beautiful evocation of a time and place -- Mohawk Valley in upstate New York... a loving but unflinching probing of the lives of Mosher's family in the course of a year."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 02/19/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Andrew Barker, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Gorgeously shot and ethically problematic... A nearly unrelenting sense of despair is alleviated through the poetic grace of Palmieri and Mosher's camerawork..."(See all of Andrew Barker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 06/26/09
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...lacks the narrative drive and emotional resonance of such examples of the genre as 'Tarnation' and 'Capturing the Friedmans'... feels far more exploitative..."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 408 words, 02/12/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a beautiful evocation of a time and place -- Mohawk Valley in upstate New York... a loving but unflinching probing of the lives of Mosher's family in the course of a year."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 02/19/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "The filmmakers offer neither hope nor despair, possibly because their deep acquaintance with the Moshers prevents any kind of easy conclusion."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 878 words, 02/12/10
11.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
October Country's reviews are separated by an average 11.7 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.
October Country (19 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:October Country's reviews cover 20.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,650 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 403 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
October Country Coverage, Volume & Length (19 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 19 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
October Country's reviews on average broke 19 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 October Country's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
October Country (19 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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