Story: Documentary about the design of cities looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design. Cast:Oscar Niemeyer, Norman Foster, Amanda Burden, Alejandro Aravena, Rem KoolhaasDirector:Gary HustwitOpened:October 28, 2011On DVD:February 14, 2012From:IFCLength:1 hr. 22 min.
Urbanized played in limited release to very good reviews. • Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "Following 'Helvetica' (2007) and 'Objectified' (2009), filmmaker Gary Hustwit completes his trilogy for design geeks — we know who we are — with a lively if schematic overview of city planning at its best and not so best." • And A.O. Scott called the film in the New York Times, "...fascinating, idea-packed." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "Following 'Helvetica' (2007) and 'Objectified' (2009), filmmaker Gary Hustwit completes his trilogy for design geeks -- we know who we are -- with a lively if schematic overview of city planning at its best and not so best."(Read the full review...) 88 words, 10/28/11
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fast zoom out to the big picture: The colonies or hives in which we arrange, display and support our lives."(Read the full review...) 677 words, 11/04/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...fascinating, idea-packed.... surveys both the challenges and promises facing some of the world's important cities.... It is worth venturing out of your room, climbing on your bike or boarding a low-emissions bus and fighting your way through a crowd to see."(Read the full review...) 610 words, 10/28/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...at times is weighed down by statistics and shop talk, but Luke Geissbuhler's smartly rendered cinematography saves the day."(Read the full review...) 125 words, 10/28/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fast zoom out to the big picture: The colonies or hives in which we arrange, display and support our lives."(Read the full review...) 677 words, 11/04/11
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: EXCELLENT "...stylishly dives into the issues... director Gary Hustwit gorgeously enhances the talking-head commentaries of architects, policymakers, and other progressive thinkers with spatially clean, static-camera compositions..."(Read the full review...) 217 words, 10/26/11
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a showcase for many conflicting viewpoints.... may open your eyes to the deliberate way some cities are designed -- and the accidental ways in which others become distorted."(Read the full review...) 310 words, 01/06/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (2 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: EXCELLENT "...stylishly dives into the issues... director Gary Hustwit gorgeously enhances the talking-head commentaries of architects, policymakers, and other progressive thinkers with spatially clean, static-camera compositions..."(Read the full review...) 217 words, 10/26/11
Bill Weber, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a sufficiently thoughtful primer on the uncertain future of cities that it can be forgiven for ending with a glamour shot of Brooklyn's infamous G train, which to New Yorkers threatens a future of delayed or absent gratification."(Read the full review...) 426 words, 10/31/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...fascinating, idea-packed.... surveys both the challenges and promises facing some of the world's important cities.... It is worth venturing out of your room, climbing on your bike or boarding a low-emissions bus and fighting your way through a crowd to see."(Read the full review...) 610 words, 10/28/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (2 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "A wide-ranging overview of the concerns facing modern city-dwellers, activists, planners and architects... smartly concludes Gary Hustwit's expansive docu trilogy on the prevalence of visual design in daily life."(Read the full review...) 703 words, 09/25/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...fascinating, idea-packed.... surveys both the challenges and promises facing some of the world's important cities.... It is worth venturing out of your room, climbing on your bike or boarding a low-emissions bus and fighting your way through a crowd to see."(Read the full review...) 610 words, 10/28/11
11.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Urbanized's reviews are separated by an average 11.9 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.
Urbanized (8 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Urbanized's reviews cover 15.7% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,156 words involume (average is 19,979 words). Length:The film's reviews average 394 words in length (the norm is 512 words).
Reviews Broke 64.5 Hours After Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)
Urbanized's reviews on average broke 64.5 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 0.2 hours after. 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 Urbanized's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Mobile Web App version 1.0 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
