Fresh
| N/A | In the Beginning (2009) | "
True story of a stretch of asphalt rolled out by formerly jobless road workers in northern France, under the command of an impostor, blends social critique, character drama and crime into one smooth, good-looking package." — Variety Posted Aug 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | The Misfortunates (2009) | "
Calling the Strobbe clan a working-class family would imply that some of its members worked (or had class), but none of the lowlife protags do in the visually robust and often hilarious Flemish tragicomedy The Misfortunates." — Variety Posted Aug 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 89%
| O'Horten (2009) | "
The decidedly Nordic -- though not at all glacial -- O'Horten is a mixture of sweetness and deadpan that proves the Kaurismäki/Andersson school of filmmaking still has new delights in store." — european-films.net Posted Aug 16, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 82%
| The Country Teacher (2009) | "
This small, contemporary Czech marvel showcases two bright talents and a sentiment not seen often enough on screen nowadays: sincerity." — european-films.net Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | Cherrybomb (2009) | "
Dare bests truth at each turn in Cherrybomb, a zippy if over-schematic teen pic from tyro helmers Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn." — Variety Posted May 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | Millénium - Le Film (2009) | "
Gives a relatively faithful idea of the novel's ingenious construction but only glimpses of its scathing portrait of Sweden as a corrupt, bankrupt and misogynistic society." — Variety Posted May 4, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | Bellamy (2009) | "
Upscale talkfest, which delights in its witty banter and sly references, could be helmer's most commercial work in quite some time, especially if the pic is tightened by a good 10 minutes." — Variety Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | The Milk of Sorrow (2009) | "
Peruvian realities and Llosa's light magical realism mesh to create a vivid picture of a society and its problems." — Variety Posted Feb 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Boogie (2008) | "
Three 30-somethings relive their gloriously lurid college days for one night only in Radu Muntean's Boogie, a restrained and honest look at the male midlife crisis in an embryonic state." — european-films.net Posted Jan 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | Loft (2008) | "
A tightly drawn, atmospheric thriller that has one false bottom too many to qualify as great." — Variety Posted Jan 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| The Wedding Song (2009) | "
A bold, very carnal take on adolescent female bonding in a setting not often portrayed onscreen. Small but ambitious movie should be able to sing its way into fests and arthouses." — Variety Posted Dec 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Bride Flight (2008) | "
As in Twin Sisters, a veneer of nostalgia, plus excellent lensing and acting, make the soap-opera plot play on the bigscreen." — Variety Posted Dec 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Los (2008) | "
Though it occasionally skirts TV territory, pic remains involving, thanks to an ace performance from legit actor Pepijn Caudron and sumptuous widescreen lensing." — Variety Posted Dec 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Lol (2009) | "
Jaw-droppingly handsome cast, laugh-out-loud moments aplenty and a finely sketched, more serious undertow should make this third feature by Gallic helmer Lisa Azuelos a big hit in Gaul." — Variety Posted Dec 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 78%
| Un Secret (2008) | "
Makes for compelling viewing despite many familiar elements." — european-films.net Posted Sep 6, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | The Friend (2008) | "
A subtle portrait of loss and personal growth." — Variety Posted Aug 19, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Valu (2008) | "
Screenplay struggles to develop its more serious themes, but pic's plentiful laughs and gorgeous lensing make it an enjoyable experience overall." — Variety Posted Aug 19, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Une Chanson dans la Tête (2008) | "
Though on the surface Habibi is, indeed, a full-blown, crowd-pleasing melodrama, there's also a more thoughtful subtext below its glossy exterior." — Variety Posted Aug 19, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Karamazovi (2008) | "
The phenomenal legit performances are alone worth the price of admission, but a side story involving the troupe at a festival in Poland adds extra weight and underlines the timelessness of Dostoyevsky's themes." — Variety Posted Aug 19, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 74%
| A Girl Cut in Two (2008) | "
Snappy timing, focused writing and pitch-perfect acting." — european-films.net Posted Aug 11, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| Moscow, Belgium (2008) | "
Crossover hits from Flanders are rare and Flemish working-class romantic comedies even less so, but van Rompaey may have actually made both when he made Aanrijding in Moscou (Moscow, Belgium)." — european-films.net Posted Jun 25, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 97%
| Tulpan (2008) | "
The details of the exotic trappings on display may be relatively new but the rites-of-passage story is as old as civilisation itself in Tulpan, a timeless and endearing coming-of-age tale for the Story of the Weeping Camel crowd." — european-films.net Posted Jun 24, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 92%
| Il Divo (2009) | "
The uncrowned king of post-war Italian politics, Giulio Andreotti, might be the subject of Paolo Sorrentino's nominal biopic Il Divo, but it is as an incisive portrait of Italian politics in general that it impresses." — european-films.net Posted Jun 24, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 96%
| Gomorra (2008) | "
The Neapolitan mafia, known as the Camorra, gets the Syriana treatment in Matteo Garrone's Gomorra (Gomorrah), one of the most incisive organised-crime films to emerge from any country since the 1970s." — european-films.net Posted Jun 23, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 97%
| The Class (2008) | "
Again an austere but acutely observed drama with a quasi-documentary style, Entre les murs (The Class) impresses with its veracious tone and nuanced characterisations." — european-films.net Posted Jun 19, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 71%
| Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis (2008) | "
A winner. Puts its tale of a southern postal worker hoping for a transfer to the Côte d'Azur through the very effective reverse psychology wringer when he ends up in the dreaded north instead - but discovers he loves it." — european-films.net Posted Apr 25, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | L...Kot Ljubezen (2008) | "
A willingly schizoid portrait of a generation growing up on a continent where distances count for nothing but some gaps are still impossible to close." — european-films.net Posted Apr 9, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 67%
| Paris (2009) | "
After two continent-wide trips and a plunge into the French capital's underworld, French director Cédric Klapisch stays close to home and well above the ground for Paris, his valentine to the City of Lights." — european-films.net Posted Mar 31, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| Revanche (2009) | "
A meandering first half gives way to a spectacular psychological portrait of the deafening silence of pain and loneliness in Austrian writer-director Götz Spielmann's Revanche." — european-films.net Posted Mar 31, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 61%
| Chiko (2008) | "
A gentle character sketch gradually makes way for a high-energy tale of loyalty and betrayal that is perhaps rife with clichés but works because Yildirim has established his characters properly." — european-films.net Posted Mar 24, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Musta Jaa (2007) | "
A showcase for Finnish acting talent and a significant step forward for Kotwica, though the closing reels of Musta Jää dilute its power as a psychological thriller in favour of plot twists more at home in a soap opera." — european-films.net Posted Mar 24, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Tiramisu (2008) | "
Tiramisu walks a fine line between feel-good clichés and true character development, though Van der Oest finally makes it all believable because of her direction of the actors." — european-films.net Posted Mar 24, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Leo (2007) | "
Especially the first hour of Leo is a promising debut in full-out Scandinavian drama for the comedy director after his first try at something more dramatic with his charming displaced children's tale Zozo." — european-films.net Posted Mar 24, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Windkracht 10: Koksijde Rescue (2008) | "
This Flemish spin-off from a successful TV series never completely relinquishes its tube roots (especially in the script department) but its acting and technical prowess shout out for big-screen projection." — european-films.net Posted Mar 19, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 63%
| Love Songs (2008) | "
Are the characters completely believable? No. Are the feelings the characters talk and sing about pinpointed with a precision that seems to have become a Honoré trademark? Very much so." — european-films.net Posted Mar 17, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Le Papier Ne Peut Pas Envelopper la Braise (2008) | "
If the film makes quite an impact, it is because of its candidness and the way Panh creates a heart-breaking portrait of these 'women of joy' without once resorting to voice-over or off-camera remarks." — european-films.net Posted Mar 12, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 97%
| Let the Right One In (2008) | "
Quiet, touching and poetic are not normally terms associated with vampire films, but there are no better words to describe Lat den rätte komma in (Let the Right One in) from director Tomas Alfredson." — european-films.net Posted Mar 12, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Love and Other Crimes (2008) | "
A classroom example of how to mix different genres into a coherent whole, with some of the more daring scenes -- including a planned suicide saved by a serenade on a rooftop -- working according to their own logic." — european-films.net Posted Mar 12, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Outside Love (2008) | "
Might at first seem like the umpteenth modern update of Romeo and Juliet, though in reality Uden for kærligheden (Outside Love) tries to grapple with complex issues as a reflection of our complex times." — european-films.net Posted Mar 10, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 78%
| Un Secret (2008) | "
Though occasional stylistic flourishes feel unnecessary, Un secret makes for compelling viewing and Cécile de France and Patrick Bruel finally prove they are bona fide star material." — european-films.net Posted Mar 10, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Ma Salama Jamil (2008) | "
In all likelihood, Ma salama Jamil is one of the first Dogme-inspired films mostly spoken in Arabic." — european-films.net Posted Mar 3, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 92%
| Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) | "
'Enormous crowd-pleaser' and 'directed by Mike Leigh' were not phrases this critic ever thought he would be putting together in the same sentence, but Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky is exactly that." — european-films.net Posted Mar 3, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 76%
| Quiet Chaos (2009) | "
Grimaldi, Moretti and their co-screenwriters have cunningly opened up the narrative cinematically." — european-films.net Posted Mar 3, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 28%
| Filth and Wisdom (2008) | "
A grungy ensemble piece that casts a fascinating spell despite its many shortcomings, Madonna's directorial debut Filth and Wisdom is equal parts naughty and nice (or filthy and wise, as the title would have it)." — european-films.net Posted Mar 1, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 66%
| The Romance of Astrea and Celadon (2007) | "
The greatest indication that a director is in complete control of his material is when everything seems to be casually in the right place, which certainly seems to be the case in Les amours d'Astree et de Celadon." — european-films.net Posted Feb 28, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 67%
| The Duchess of Langeais (2008) | "
It may sound like silly wordplay, but this film is nothing short of rivetting." — european-films.net Posted Feb 18, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| The Silence Before Bach (2008) | "
About as far away from a conventional composer biopic as Kraft's products are from real cheese." — european-films.net Posted Feb 3, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 85%
| Terror's Advocate (2007) | "
Though the film comes with a warning that it expresses only the point of view of its director, in reality, what Schroeder seems to offer is a portrait of a glib man who simply defies any conclusive description." — european-films.net Posted Jan 30, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 67%
| King of Ping Pong (2008) | "
A pleasant if not entirely successful addition to the Scandinavian tragicomedy genre." — european-films.net Posted Jan 28, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | Die Herbstzeitlosen (2006) | "
As a grey-haired feel-good movie, the film is a winner. But who thinks this might be Calendar Girls with mountains is wrong; it never quite reaches that level of sophistication or bite." — european-films.net Posted Jan 22, 2008 |
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