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POETRY (SHI)Movie Reviews
Korean language drama about an older woman who attempts writing poetry as a way of coping with her incipient Alzheimer's Disease and a troubled grandson. Cast:Yun Junghee, Lee David, Kim Hara, An NaesangDirector:Lee Chang-dongRelease Date:February 11, 2011DVD Release:October 23, 2010From:Kino InternationalLength:2 hr 19 min
Poetry (Shi) played in key cities to sensational reviews. • Steven Rea wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...achingly exquisite... crafted with clarity and care, and Lee's implicit criticism of South Korea's patriarchal culture... sublime." • And Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...beautiful... A captivating film, as observant and nuanced as a sonnet." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The body of a raped schoolgirl who has killed herself floats downriver at the start of this exquisite Korean drama by 'Secret Sunshine's' Lee Chang-dong."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 94 words, 02/18/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Lee doesn't make exploitation films, and he doesn't find conventional answers. He is puzzled by the mysteries of inexplicable behavior."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 02/25/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...subtle, transfixing... Ms. Yun's performance is a tour de force of emotional complexity... Lee's unadorned visual style earns rather than demands your attention."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 996 words, 02/11/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "A character study of remarkable subtlety joined to a carefully worked-out plot that fearlessly explores big issues like beauty, truth and mortality..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 05/06/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the most supple and satisfying narrative picture I saw last year at the Cannes Film Festival, and seeing it again nine months later has, for me, confirmed its value."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 669 words, 02/25/11
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "...puts the underlying metaphor right out in the open (it's the title!), and yet it doesn't detract from the film's allusiveness.... It comes together neatly... It has a lucid grace."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 02/07/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Lee doesn't make exploitation films, and he doesn't find conventional answers. He is puzzled by the mysteries of inexplicable behavior."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 651 words, 02/25/11
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: OUTSTANDING "...a perfectly paced and performed character study of a woman raising a child on her own who must contend with a heinous act of violence."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 02/09/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...achieves lyricism in the way it depicts the quiet misery of its protagonist, a grandmother superbly played by Jeong-hie Yun."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 09/30/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...while injustice and suffering are the backdrop here, 'Poetry,' as its title suggests, is also a meditation on how beauty can find its place in such a world."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 09/30/11
Mike D'Angelo, LA Weekly: FAIR "...throws a bunch of tonally disparate elements together and dares you to assemble them into something coherent... Yun Jung-hee is a marvel as Mija..."(See all of Mike D'Angelo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 11/04/10
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Mija discovers not comfort but, in the end, a kind of brilliant clarity about the beauty, and the possibility of transformation, that lies inside all suffering."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 03/18/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...achingly exquisite... crafted with clarity and care, and Lee's implicit criticism of South Korea's patriarchal culture... sublime."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 03/04/11
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...beautiful... Yun Jung-hee is wonderful in a deceptively powerful performance. She commands our attention like a well-timed whisper."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 368 words, 04/29/11
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Lee Chang-dong is a gifted, thoughtful filmmaker, unafraid to tackle difficult subjects.... A heartrending film... indeed a work of art."(See all of G. Allen Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 04/08/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a lyrical meditation on the value of life follows an older woman as she copes with the first signs of Alzheimer's disease..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 02/18/11
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: OUTSTANDING "...a perfectly paced and performed character study of a woman raising a child on her own who must contend with a heinous act of violence."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 02/09/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...subtle and moving... Perhaps director Lee is suggesting, the impulse toward poetry can redeem even the worst manifestations of human nature."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 585 words, 03/03/11
Mike D'Angelo, LA Weekly: FAIR "...throws a bunch of tonally disparate elements together and dares you to assemble them into something coherent... Yun Jung-hee is a marvel as Mija..."(See all of Mike D'Angelo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 11/04/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...director Lee Chang-dong reverts to the kind of storytelling he does best, watching his heroine as her troubles force her out of her usual routine."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 02/10/11
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a haunting picture of a woman whose every behavior suggests a concession to -- and, ultimately, an affront to -- institutionalized male aggression."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 650 words, 09/20/10
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...subtle, transfixing... Ms. Yun's performance is a tour de force of emotional complexity... Lee's unadorned visual style earns rather than demands your attention."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 996 words, 02/11/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "A character study of remarkable subtlety joined to a carefully worked-out plot that fearlessly explores big issues like beauty, truth and mortality..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 05/06/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "...combines lovely cinematic craft, a memorable central performance and prodigious emotional depth.... I've seen the film twice and I strongly suspect it's a masterpiece."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 734 words, 02/11/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...quietly haunting... a deceptively gentle tale with a tender ache at its center, as well as a performance from Yun Jung-hee that lingers long in the memory."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 05/19/10
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...its style so elliptical and Lee's exploration of the function of art in a morally vacuous society so ambivalent that it makes for extremely difficult and challenging viewing."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 711 words, 05/20/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "A character study of remarkable subtlety joined to a carefully worked-out plot that fearlessly explores big issues like beauty, truth and mortality..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 05/06/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...subtle, transfixing... Ms. Yun's performance is a tour de force of emotional complexity... Lee's unadorned visual style earns rather than demands your attention."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 996 words, 02/11/11
15.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Poetry (Shi)'s reviews are separated by an average 15.9 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.
Poetry (Shi) (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Poetry (Shi)'s reviews cover 33.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,225 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 490 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 16 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Poetry (Shi)'s reviews on average broke 16 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 Poetry (Shi)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Poetry (Shi) (29 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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