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SOUTH OF THE BORDER (2010)Movie Reviews
Documentary that explores social and political movements in five South American countries as well as the U.S. media's perception of these same countries. Cast:Tariq Ali, Raúl Castro, Hugo Chávez, Rafael Correa, Evo Morales, Cristina Kirchner, Lula da SilvaDirector:Oliver StoneRelease Date:June 25, 2010DVD Release:October 26, 2010From:Cinema LibreLength:1 hr 18 min
OCTOBER 26, 2010
South of the Border (2010), Mixed Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
South of the Border (2010) played in key cities to mixed reviews. • Richard Corliss wrote in Time, "...amateur night as cinema, as lopsided and cheerleadery as its worldview.... But there's an undeniable fascination in the project, even some inspirational value..." • And Kyle Smith wrote in the New York Post, "...marks an anti-milestone in journalism... Oprah would have been tougher on these guys." More Reviews Below...
South of the Border (2010) Positive Reviews (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...amateur night as cinema, as lopsided and cheerleadery as its worldview.... But there's an undeniable fascination in the project, even some inspirational value..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,311 words, 06/27/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...captures South America in a paradigm shift, wrenching itself free of centuries of colonial control. The film is rose-colored agitprop, but it catches a current of history."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 108 words, 06/25/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a film filtered through the lens and world view of Oliver Stone. His interviews, while sometimes probing, can be surprisingly superficial."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 07/01/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a provocative, if shallow, exaltation of Latin American socialism.... a valuable, if naïvely idealistic, introductory tutorial on a significant international trend."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 06/24/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...does offer some helpful history for those who know little about South American politics.... But as Stone himself notes, propaganda - of any stripe - is always tough to take."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 184 words, 06/25/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: WEAK "...it is hard not to feel frustrated... plays more like a fan's notes than a substantial piece of cinema, an extended home movie that will change few if any minds."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 584 words, 07/02/10
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...propaganda in the form of a home movie, documenting Stone's summer vacation... 'South of the Border's' subjects are masters at cooking bullshit, and Stone just eats it up."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 06/23/10
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...has an important larger case to make: Love the revolutions or despise them, what's happening in Latin American shouldn't be demonized or ignored."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 07/02/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Oliver Stone might not be the ideal reporter to send on a truth-seeking mission to South America, but if nobody else wants to do it, we have to take what we can get."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 07/23/10
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...fascinating, sometimes puzzling, inevitably controversial... a little formless, not quite grounded in the present. It looks like raw notes and impressions for a future novel."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 07/30/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's fascinating to watch these people speak, even when they're led by Stone's clumsy interview technique to self-satisfied declarations of their worthiness."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 07/30/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...propaganda in the form of a home movie, documenting Stone's summer vacation... 'South of the Border's' subjects are masters at cooking bullshit, and Stone just eats it up."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 406 words, 06/23/10
Chris Faraone, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a revealing documentary about the social-welfare-minded neo-liberal leaders running South America, and the liars in the Bush administration..."(See all of Chris Faraone's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 09/30/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: POOR(cg) "Shockingly, Stone finds a lot of leaders who are extremely happy to tell him how well things are going.... a tremendous missed opportunity."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 06/24/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a provocative, if shallow, exaltation of Latin American socialism.... a valuable, if naïvely idealistic, introductory tutorial on a significant international trend."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 06/24/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...it is hard not to feel frustrated... plays more like a fan's notes than a substantial piece of cinema, an extended home movie that will change few if any minds."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 584 words, 07/02/10
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Good-humored, illuminating... suggests a clear way forward for a continent that has largely shaken off the grip of imperialism and what Stone calls 'predatory capitalism'..."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 09/06/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...it is hard not to feel frustrated... plays more like a fan's notes than a substantial piece of cinema, an extended home movie that will change few if any minds."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 584 words, 07/02/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a provocative, if shallow, exaltation of Latin American socialism.... a valuable, if naïvely idealistic, introductory tutorial on a significant international trend."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 740 words, 06/24/10
25.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
South of the Border (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 25.0 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.
South of the Border (2010) (22 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:South of the Border (2010)'s reviews cover 43.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,090 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 459 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
South of the Border (2010) Coverage, Volume & Length (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 7.9 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
South of the Border (2010)'s reviews on average broke 7.9 hours 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 South of the Border (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
South of the Border (2010) (22 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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