Story: English and Chinese language comedy drama about a New York graduate student who befriends three Chinese students, using TV to explain American culture. Cast:Ryan O'Nan, Leonardo Nam, Gillian Jacobs, James Chen, Keong Sim, Michael Esper, Peter Scanavino, Ron Cephas Jones, Kwoade Cross, Elijah Cook, Idara VictorDirector:Shimon DotanOpened:January 20, 2012From:Roam FilmsLength:1 hr. 45 min.
Watching TV with the Red Chinese, Weak Reviews NYC
Watching TV with the Red Chinese played in New York City to weak reviews. • Andrew Schenker wrote for Slant, "...we get a jumble of ideas and actions that may mirror the larger fragmentation of a culture, but don't give us any insight into the nature of that disruption." • And Daniel Gold called the film in the New York Times, "...a conventional melodrama." More Reviews Below...
Watching TV with the Red Chinese Positive Reviews (7 Reviews, reviews below)
Daniel Gold, New York Times: MODERATE "...a conventional melodrama.... If there was any intent to assess America at the end of the Carter era, it's hard to see: Rubik's Cubes and Reagan masks never become more than crude cultural markers."(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/20/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...quirky indie has an off-kilter, shaggy appeal and a filling story.... Strong acting all around helps fill in the gaps."(Read the full review...) 126 words, 01/20/12
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Director-writer Shimon Dotan takes this iffy story and makes it nearly unwatchable by jumping back and forth in time, using screens within screens and bouncing between color and black-and-white. These stylish quirks serve only to diminish what little momentum there is."(Read the full review...) 160 words, 01/20/12
Nick Schager, Village Voice: WEAK "Nearly every scene is clunky, and the film's commentary about TV as the unifying glue of American culture is embellished through lame incidents of sex and violence that eventually validate the Chinese tourists' anti-U.S. critiques."(Read the full review...) 234 words, 01/18/12
KEY CITIES (0 Reviews)
Watching TV with the Red Chinese has not been reviewed in Key Cities
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice: WEAK "Nearly every scene is clunky, and the film's commentary about TV as the unifying glue of American culture is embellished through lame incidents of sex and violence that eventually validate the Chinese tourists' anti-U.S. critiques."(Read the full review...) 234 words, 01/18/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...a film about how being dipped into a chaotic moment in American history affects three naïve foreigners hoping to experience life in the U.S. while remaining separate from it. It's especially frustrating, then, that the film depicts so little interaction between the Chinese men and the pop media that's supposed to provide them with a cultural bridge."(Read the full review...) 421 words, 01/19/12
Andrew Schenker, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...we get a jumble of ideas and actions that may mirror the larger fragmentation of a culture, but don't give us any insight into the nature of that disruption."(Read the full review...) 732 words, 01/15/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (1 Review)
Daniel Gold, New York Times: MODERATE "...a conventional melodrama.... If there was any intent to assess America at the end of the Carter era, it's hard to see: Rubik's Cubes and Reagan masks never become more than crude cultural markers."(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/20/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (2 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: FAIR "The Gotham adventures of three exchange students from mainland China are told from the vantage point of the neighbor who befriends them.... feels fundamentally old-fashioned in its storytelling.... the conversations feel artificial, overly concerned with re-creating period detail or interjecting relevant philosophical life concepts..."(Read the full review...) 469 words, 01/18/12
Daniel Gold, New York Times: MODERATE "...a conventional melodrama.... If there was any intent to assess America at the end of the Carter era, it's hard to see: Rubik's Cubes and Reagan masks never become more than crude cultural markers."(Read the full review...) 282 words, 01/20/12
17.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Watching TV with the Red Chinese's reviews are separated by an average 17.6 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.
Watching TV with the Red Chinese (7 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Watching TV with the Red Chinese's reviews cover 8.7% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume:The film's reviews total 2,424 words involume (average is 19,979 words). Length:The film's reviews average 346 words in length (the norm is 512 words).
Watching TV with the Red Chinese Coverage, Volume & Length (7 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 14.6 Hours Before Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)
Watching TV with the Red Chinese's reviews on average broke 14.6 hours before 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 Watching TV with the Red Chinese's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Watching TV with the Red Chinese (7 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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...
