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SLEEP DEALERMovie Reviews
Sci-fi drama set in a bleak future where a tech-savvy campesino from a small farm village discovers a mysterious blueprint for the city of the future. Cast:Luis Fernando Peña, Leonor Varela, Jacob VargasDirector:Alex RiveraRelease Date:April 17, 2009DVD Release:September 8, 2009From:Maya ReleasingRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 30 min
Sleep Dealer played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Peter Hartlaub wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...flawed, but still vibrant and inventive. Whether he finds larger budgets or keeps doing movie like this, Alex Rivera is definitely a filmmaker to follow." • And Kirk Honeycutt wrote in the Hollywood Reporter, "...smart and imaginative..." More Reviews Below...
Sleep Dealer has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...there is sufficient ingenuity in the film's main ideas to hold your attention, and the political implications of the allegorical story are at once obvious and subtle."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 04/17/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...smart but ultimately finds nowhere to go.... Haunting ideas and efficient storytelling, but director-cowriter Alex Rivera needed to fine-tune a bit more."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 142 words, 04/17/09
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...employs science fiction to tackle labor issues. Though it won the Amnesty International Prize at the 2008 Berlin Festival, Rivera does not go for didactic overkill."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 514 words, 06/05/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...combines visually arresting science fiction done on a budget with a strong sense of social commentary in a way that few films attempt, let alone achieve."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 04/17/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Science fiction, long a vehicle for political satire, is imaginatively served... won a prize for screenwriting at the Sundance Film Festival."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 269 words, 04/17/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...overstuffed but intriguing... pretty effective science fiction, with one foot in its imagined world, and the other in the one we know."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 06/05/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: FAIR "...from imperialist villains and their humanitarian abuses to the laborers dying on their feet... what's so clever about tricking out this worn-out tale of woe into a genre flick?"(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 04/15/09
J. Hoberman, LA Weekly: MODERATE "...the dystopian near-future of Alex Rivera's feature debut focuses, admirably, on how globalization affects the Third World... as subtle as a light saber to the face."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 324 words, 04/16/09
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...flawed, but still vibrant and inventive. Whether he finds larger budgets or keeps doing movie like this, Alex Rivera is definitely a filmmaker to follow."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 06/19/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...rusty amateurism, future technology, and clear-and-present politics creates a trippy time-space kick: This dusty little movie feels like yesterday, today, and tomorrow."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 05/15/09
Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...employs a minimum of special effects and beautiful dreamlike images to weave a frighteningly prescient view of the future.... bold..."(See all of Julie E. Washington's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 07/31/09
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...average acting, slightly incoherent plotting and cheap special effects. But as a platform for ideas, there's a lot for genre fans to chew on."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 130 words, 07/24/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "Just when you thought Mexican cinema had lost its edge with films like 'Rudo y Cursi,' along comes an ambitious and intelligent offering like this dystopic fable..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 163 words, 05/14/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: FAIR "...from imperialist villains and their humanitarian abuses to the laborers dying on their feet... what's so clever about tricking out this worn-out tale of woe into a genre flick?"(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 04/15/09
J. Hoberman, LA Weekly: MODERATE "...the dystopian near-future of Alex Rivera's feature debut focuses, admirably, on how globalization affects the Third World... as subtle as a light saber to the face."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 324 words, 04/16/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...there is sufficient ingenuity in the film's main ideas to hold your attention, and the political implications of the allegorical story are at once obvious and subtle."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 04/17/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...combines visually arresting science fiction done on a budget with a strong sense of social commentary in a way that few films attempt, let alone achieve."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 04/17/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...lacks the vision, or the budget, to pull off its fusion of sci-fi and aspirational saga.... intrigues early on, but falls short on narrative and emotional drive."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 01/25/08
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...smart and imaginative... The freshness and ingenuity of this techno-thriller should spark a cult following among sci-fi fans at the very least..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 01/25/08
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...combines visually arresting science fiction done on a budget with a strong sense of social commentary in a way that few films attempt, let alone achieve."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 04/17/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...there is sufficient ingenuity in the film's main ideas to hold your attention, and the political implications of the allegorical story are at once obvious and subtle."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 415 words, 04/17/09
18.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Sleep Dealer's reviews are separated by an average 18.0 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.
Sleep Dealer (18 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Sleep Dealer's reviews cover 19.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,629 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 368 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 26 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Sleep Dealer's reviews on average broke 26 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 Sleep Dealer's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Sleep Dealer (18 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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