|
4/4
|
75%
|
Elegy (2008) |
"
Spanish director Isabel Coixet displays what is almost reverence for the material. You can imagine her whispering on the set. She brings out the absolute best in her top-notch cast."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Aug 8, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
89%
|
The Visitor (2008) |
"
McCarthy puts a mark on each film, identifying it as distinctly his own. A couple more like them, and he'll be knighted an auteur."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 18, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
52%
|
Nim's Island (2008) |
"
Nim's aquatic adventures and those on land provide the majority of thrills in this exhilarating and enchanting family picture. It's the best I've seen this year and highly recommended for girls and for boys, too."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 4, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
77%
|
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) |
"
Frothy and exuberantly entertaining -- in part because of the sexual innuendoes -- it's the best romantic comedy so far this year."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 7, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
61%
|
Death at a Funeral (2007) |
"
Screenwriter Dean Craign exhibits a real feel for the way that a crisis brings out age-old hostilities. Craig uses humor as a cover-up to say something about the way families pull apart as well as together at difficult times."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Aug 17, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
94%
|
Away from Her (2007) |
"
Away From Her got to me in a way no other movie has this year, eliciting copious tears."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted May 11, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
88%
|
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2007) |
"
The humanity that Loach and his compassionate screenwriter bring to their story prevents it from being another polemic about how the British screwed Ireland."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 7, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) |
"
Although Pan's Labyrinth relies heavily on special effects, including the computer-generated kind, you're never aware of them. Del Toro, who wrote the story, has created a special universe. The spell it casts lingers long after the final reel."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Dec 29, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
Notes on a Scandal (2006) |
"
Notes on a Scandal won't be everyone's cup of tea. But if you like your films strong, this one is not to be missed."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Dec 27, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
78%
|
Charlotte's Web (2006) |
"
Charlotte's Web, a splendid new screen adaptation of White's 1952 children's book, gloriously brings the classic to life. If you've never read it, this is a perfect introduction."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Dec 15, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
97%
|
51 Birch Street (2006) |
"
A resounding success because it touches on things every child has wondered about on the road to adulthood."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Nov 3, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
The Last King of Scotland (2006) |
"
At its heart of darkness, the film is about the lure of power. It's a condemnation of all the dictators' men over all time."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Oct 6, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
Quinceañera (Echo Park, L.A.) (2006) |
"
... veers off in a completely different direction -- actually numerous directions, all of which will entice you to follow."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Aug 13, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
91%
|
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) |
"
You'll be delighted, if a bit breathless from laughing, to be along for the ride."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Aug 4, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
63%
|
The Ant Bully (2006) |
"
The brilliance of The Ant Bully is in the crafty way it delves into the minds of ants as they plot to save themselves from extermination... Davis creates a marvelously labyrinthine society for them, right below the surface of a bland suburb."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jul 28, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu) (2006) |
"
The movie is a stunner, so hypnotic that the length hardly matters."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jun 30, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
The Road To Guantanamo (2006) |
"
A film that must be seen to understand the sad truths of our times."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jun 23, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
Inside Man (2006) |
"
Inside Man has an abundance of riches."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 24, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
73%
|
V for Vendetta (2006) |
"
Richly satisfying entertainment the way movies are at their best, when they prod you to think."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 17, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
82%
|
Tsotsi (Thug) (2006) |
"
That director Gavin Hood, who wrote the script from a novel by playwright Athol Fugard, could get you to care so much is a mark of the heart that went into making the film."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 10, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
Pride and Prejudice (2005) |
"
For the uninitiated, I can't imagine a better introduction to this classic."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Nov 11, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
81%
|
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) |
"
Totally original yet filled with familiar human frailties, Everyone leaps off the screen to become one of those rare movie-going experiences that linger in the part of the brain reserved for celluloid memories."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jul 1, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
My Summer of Love (2004) |
"
My Summer of Love had me at hello."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jun 17, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
89%
|
Brothers (Brødre) (2004) |
"
Imaginative and immensely engrossing."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted May 20, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
47%
|
Don't Move (Non ti muovere) (2004) |
"
It's behind the camera where Castellitto does his best work. He immediately pulls you into the story and when it's over you don't want to move."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 22, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
Comme une Image (Look at Me) (Like an Image) (2005) |
"
One of the many marvels of this keenly observed family saga is the rapidness and economy with which it establishes a disturbing father-daughter dynamic."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 8, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
Millions (2005) |
"
This utterly enchanting British import manages to transport us to other worlds, some of them heavenly."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 18, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
81%
|
Dear Frankie (2005) |
"
Auerbach has resurrected Butler's career, buried in the catacombs of a Parisian opera house, and gotten an unforgettable performance from Mortimer."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 4, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
78%
|
A Very Long Engagement (2004) |
"
A Very Long Engagement leaves you feeling stuffed but satisfied, like after a very long, tasty meal."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Dec 17, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
55%
|
Ricordati di me, (Remember Me, My Love) (2004) |
"
Remember Me, My Love is hard to forget."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Oct 8, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
Mean Creek (2004) |
"
Takes its place alongside Stand by Me and River's Edge as one of very few films to accurately portray the experience of growing up male."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Aug 27, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
97%
|
Maria Full of Grace (2004) |
"
With its sharp eye for telling details Maria Full of Grace often has the feel of the very best documentaries."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jul 30, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
43%
|
The Clearing (2004) |
"
The brilliance of The Clearing lies in its ability to tell parallel stories and make both equally riveting."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jul 2, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
77%
|
The Mother (2004) |
"
[Michell] shows what can be accomplished on a small budget with a brilliant script and a cast that rarely makes a false move."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jun 4, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Knafayim Shvurot (Broken Wings) (2002) |
"
Broken Wings has heart and a poetic soul."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 30, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
73%
|
Intermission (2003) |
"
Often unsettling -- random acts of violence outnumber those of kindness. But it's also touching, startlingly original and even profound."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 26, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
Good Bye, Lenin (2004) |
"
Deliciously offbeat comedy, as wildly inventive as anything Billy Wilder ever conceived."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Mar 12, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
The Station Agent (2003) |
"
As touching and original a movie as you're likely to see this year."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Oct 17, 2003
|
|
4/4
|
49%
|
The Object of My Affection (1998) |
"
The best romantic comedy so far this year."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jun 18, 2002
|
|
4/4
|
71%
|
Deconstructing Harry (1997) |
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jan 1, 2000
|
|
4/4
|
65%
|
The Governess (1998) |
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jan 1, 2000
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Shakespeare in Love (1998) |
"
The cast is near perfect."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jan 1, 2000
|
|
4/4
|
100%
|
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) |
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jan 1, 1984
|
|
3.5/4
|
88%
|
Boy A (2007) |
"
In tandem, the director and screenwriter build up a palpable suspense. Boy A will rivet you while raising issues about forgiveness and just who deserves it."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Aug 8, 2008
|
|
3.5/4
|
68%
|
Redbelt (2008) |
"
Mamet's love for the sport comes through in every frame."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted May 9, 2008
|
|
3.5/4
|
43%
|
Bella (Beauty) (2006) |
"
A tearjerker that earns its sobs with heartfelt emotions."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Oct 26, 2007
|
|
3.5/4
|
86%
|
When the Road Bends...tales of a Gypsy Caravan (2007) |
"
Caravan sounds great and if nothing else should help diminish the stereotype, blasted by the film's subjects, of Gypsies as little more than pickpockets whom travelers need to be wary of."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jul 6, 2007
|
|
3.5/4
|
79%
|
A Mighty Heart (2007) |
"
Much of A Mighty Heart plays like a documentary. It feels truthful instead of puffed up to be more commercial."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Jun 22, 2007
|
|
3.5/4
|
64%
|
The TV Set (2007) |
"
A wickedly funny satire about the vast wasteland takes the position that shows aren't born dumb. They get that way because of network meddling and a widely held assumption that audiences prefer pabulum."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 20, 2007
|
|
3.5/4
|
70%
|
Year of the Dog (2007) |
"
Year of the Dog is one of those quirky little movies that you marvel ever got made while being supremely grateful that it did. It's hard to even categorize."
—
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted Apr 20, 2007
|
62%
——
97%
