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THROW DOWN YOUR HEARTMovie Reviews
Documentary about American banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck's travels to Africa to explore the little-known roots of the instrument and record an album. Cast:Bela Fleck, Oumou Sangare, Bassekou Kouyate.Director:Sascha PaladinoRelease Date:April 24, 2009DVD Release:November 3, 2009Length:1 hr. 37 min.
NOVEMBER 3, 2009
Throw Down Your Heart, Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Throw Down Your Heart played in key cities to good reviews. • Reyhan Harmanci wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...part road trip, part music lesson, follows virtuoso musician Béla Fleck on a trip through Africa to reclaim the banjo's roots. It's an entertaining journey..." • And Stan Hall wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...a feast of stirring sounds and sights." More Reviews Below...
Throw Down Your Heart Positive Reviews (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...nicely captures the hypnotic allure and rich rhythms of African music that are deeply ingrained in everyday life throughout the continent."(See all of Mary Houlihan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 08/14/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...settle in for an exhilarating feast of sight and sound, courtesy of the talented Béla Fleck and the documentary's director, Sascha Paladino."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 06/05/09
Unattributed, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...at least 20 minutes too long. By the time Fleck gets to the final stop, Mali, the film, directed by Sascha Paladino (a half-brother of Fleck), has worn out its welcome."(See all of Unattributed's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 04/27/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "It's refreshing to see a doc in Africa that's not about the heartbreak of HIV and genocide... [still,] the film could have been a whole lot shorter."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 04/22/09
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...part road trip, part music lesson, follows virtuoso musician Béla Fleck on a trip through Africa to reclaim the banjo's roots. It's an entertaining journey..."(See all of Reyhan Harmanci's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 04/24/09
Laura Bennett, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a sweet and stirring exploration of the universal hypnosis of music, but the monotonous plot ultimately snuffs out the film's spark."(See all of Laura Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 07/10/09
Ted Fry, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fascinating and delightful documentary that tracks banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck on a journey through Africa and his unique collaborations with traditional and folk musicians."(See all of Ted Fry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 08/07/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "It's refreshing to see a doc in Africa that's not about the heartbreak of HIV and genocide... [still,] the film could have been a whole lot shorter."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 04/22/09
Chris Faraone, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...packs some contextual history -- mostly about slavery and musical migration -- but the film is more of an amalgamation of improvised concert footage..."(See all of Chris Faraone's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 07/09/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...settle in for an exhilarating feast of sight and sound, courtesy of the talented Béla Fleck and the documentary's director, Sascha Paladino."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 06/05/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: GOOD "...overlong but engaging... Fleck comes across as respectfully curious and eagerly collaborative while exploring the roots of his favorite musical instrument."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 237 words, 03/19/08
Rex Roberts, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...lacks drama... watching native musicians performing on unfamiliar instruments like the kalimba (a plucked thumb piano) and the n'goni (an oblong banjo) is fascinating..."(See all of Rex Roberts's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 04/28/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...settle in for an exhilarating feast of sight and sound, courtesy of the talented Béla Fleck and the documentary's director, Sascha Paladino."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 06/05/09
12.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Throw Down Your Heart's reviews are separated by an average 12.8 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.
Throw Down Your Heart (14 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Throw Down Your Heart's reviews cover 15.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 4,089 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 292 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Throw Down Your Heart Coverage, Volume & Length (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 49 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Throw Down Your Heart's reviews on average broke 49 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 Throw Down Your Heart's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Throw Down Your Heart (14 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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