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THE BEACHES OF AGNES (LES PLAGES D'AGNES)Movie Reviews
Documentary about French filmmaker Agnès Varda, a summation of her long and enduring career, a free-floating essay film, paying homage to Varda's past. Cast:Agnès VardaDirector:Agnès VardaRelease Date:July 1, 2009DVD Release:March 2, 2010From:Cinema GuildLength:1 hr 50 min
MARCH 2, 2010
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes), Exceptional Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes) played in key cities to exceptional reviews. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "If you have never seen a single film by Agnes Varda, perhaps it is best to start with 'The Beaches of Agnes'.... The film is a poem, a song, a celebration." • And Andrea Simakis wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...playful, surreal, emotionally raw and visually scrumptious..." More Reviews Below...
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes) Positive Reviews (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it invites the art-house audience to get wistful for what it once was -- that is, for a time when an artist like Varda only had to dream it, and we would come."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 07/24/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a remarkable history, rich in comedy and occasionally heartbreaking, filled with wise reflections and strange digressions about the wonders of life."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 950 words, 07/01/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "If you have never seen a single film by Agnes Varda, perhaps it is best to start with 'The Beaches of Agnes'... The film is a poem, a song, a celebration."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 08/13/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Packed with so many interlocking love stories, of people and places, of ideas and experimentation, it's difficult not to leave the theater giddy..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 07/03/09
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sentimental, whimsical autobiography... Varda uses interviews, clips from her old movies, family photos, reconstructions and the power of memory to reminisce."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 07/01/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...a cinematic reverie, a prowl among the signifiers of a life lived behind and in front of the lens... so profoundly goofy you forgive it everything..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 06/22/09
James Adams, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a lovely, quirky and not a little poignant film from Agnès Varda, at 81 the still spry grande dame of the Nouvelle Vague that revolutionized French and world cinema..."(See all of James Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 07/24/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...mixing present-day flights of fancy with archival footage and clips from her films... as delightful and moving as anything else Agnès Varda's produced in the last 10 years."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 90 words, 07/23/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Varda wins the audience's goodwill from the beginning, striking the right tone with her homey, unfussy look and her unsentimental manner."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 12/18/09
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A playful elegy, a surrealist documentary... a work of delightful contradictions from a filmmaker who has always played by her own rules."(See all of Chris Vognar's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 12/18/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a captivating cine-memoir, impressionistic and surrealistic, surveying Varda's formidable career as a still photographer, filmmaker, documentarian, and life force."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 637 words, 09/04/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a chipper, colorful film essay about Agnès Varda's life, her career and friendships with the bad boys of French filmmaking..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 09/18/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The warm, elfin filmmaker makes a fine companion through this vivid story of a life well lived, reminding us at the end of how we create our own safe havens..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 09/11/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "For the many mavens who aren't familiar with Varda, this autobiographical documentary will be puzzling, in the best and most literal sense."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 01/29/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a treat to anyone who already cherishes Agnes Varda's films and a perfect primer for those who haven't yet discovered her work..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 273 words, 09/11/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...no less than a homely cinematic essay on the nature of memory and mortality and the power of film, albeit illusory, to vindicate these aspects of the human condition."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 03/12/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...mixing present-day flights of fancy with archival footage and clips from her films... as delightful and moving as anything else Agnès Varda's produced in the last 10 years."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 90 words, 07/23/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a remarkable history, rich in comedy and occasionally heartbreaking, filled with wise reflections and strange digressions about the wonders of life."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 950 words, 07/01/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Packed with so many interlocking love stories, of people and places, of ideas and experimentation, it's difficult not to leave the theater giddy..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 07/03/09
Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...genuinely playful... sufficiently erudite and extract-packed to satisfy cinephiles but also accessible to those for whom her name rings only vague bells."(See all of Neil Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 11/18/08
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Packed with so many interlocking love stories, of people and places, of ideas and experimentation, it's difficult not to leave the theater giddy..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 949 words, 07/03/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a remarkable history, rich in comedy and occasionally heartbreaking, filled with wise reflections and strange digressions about the wonders of life."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 950 words, 07/01/09
15.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes)'s reviews are separated by an average 15.8 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.
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes) (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes)'s reviews cover 30.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,248 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 509 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes) Coverage, Volume & Length (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 48 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes)'s reviews on average broke 48 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 The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Beaches of Agnes (Les plages d'Agnes) (28 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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