|
3/4
|
66%
|
The Dictator (2012) |
"
Sacha Baron Cohen's third starring feature, and the first to be fully scripted, is sharp as a scimitar in one scene and wobbly in the next, but it's unfailingly audacious."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 16, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
66%
|
God Bless America (2012) |
"
Goldthwait's ranting dialogue is stingingly funny and Murray and Barr are so agreeable you may find yourself rooting for "the bad guys.""
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
79%
|
Surviving Progress (2012) |
"
They shy away from proposing solutions, and the filmmakers capture humanizing clashes that illustrate the challenges of finding a balance that serves all parties."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
95%
|
First Position (2012) |
"
It's in the quick audience-reaction shots of the young dancers' exultant parents and cringing private instructors that the movie finds its most nakedly human moments."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
41%
|
Dark Shadows (2012) |
"
"Dark Shadows" opens promisingly, downshifts after 30 minutes, and sputters into a meandering, momentum-free mess."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
——
|
Question One () |
"
There is a large amount of nonsense uttered here, but the filmmakers trust you to recognize it and reject it without their coaching."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
21%
|
Darling Companion (2012) |
"
If good intentions were everything, this benevolent film would be Best in Show. Alas, it's flawed by a drowsy pace (there is far too much hiking) and superfluous, ill-conceived characters."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
0.5/4
|
70%
|
The Hunter (2012) |
"
It's all intended to be darkly metaphorical. In actuality, it's a mediocre film unfolding without plan, purpose or enthusiasm."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
83%
|
Hipsters (2011) |
"
'Hipsters" practically vibrates with zeal and joy."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
75%
|
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) |
"
Is this the dullest movie of the last 12 months or am I overlooking something?"
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
This film is stylish, intelligent and, one hopes, influential on the next generation of superhero movies; it should leave a lasting legacy."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted May 3, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
82%
|
The Salt of Life (2012) |
"
Italian writer/director/comedian Gianni Di Gregorio plays browbeaten family men brilliantly, and in this film he's given himself a fine showcase."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 27, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
98%
|
The Island President (2012) |
"
[An] engaging, gorgeously photographed documentary."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 27, 2012
|
|
0.5/4
|
21%
|
The Raven (2012) |
"
Director James McTeigue has no feel for humor or terror, making what could have been a witty pastiche into another cheesy slice-and-dice horror flick."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 27, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
96%
|
Monsieur Lazhar (2012) |
"
The film is rich in naturalistic, tossed-off details."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) |
"
This splashy sendup is a dead man's chest of laughs."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
63%
|
The Five-Year Engagement (2012) |
"
It's a very good movie. If a tough editor trimmed it from 124 minutes to 90, it would be wonderful."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
64%
|
To the Arctic (2012) |
"
Is there a law that says we can't have some virtuosity with our virtuousness?"
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 20, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
59%
|
We Have a Pope (2012) |
"
On the surface, this Italian dramedy about a troubled cardinal reluctant to accept his election to the papacy is a likable, understated farce. Look closer and you'll see that it has serious issues on its mind."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 20, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
98%
|
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2012) |
"
By the time this graceful film is over you understand why Japan has declared the bald, bespectacled Jiro a national treasure. Even if you've never tasted sushi, the man's singleness of purpose will inspire you."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 20, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
76%
|
Damsels in Distress (2012) |
"
It's a slight piece of work, but agreeably peculiar and endearing."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 20, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
74%
|
Chimpanzee (2012) |
"
With its emphasis on entertainment rather than edification, the film occupies a warm-and-fuzzy middle ground between "The Jungle Book" and Animal Planet."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 19, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
33%
|
The Lady (2012) |
"
This hagiography of Myanmar's Nobel Peace Prize-winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, is earnest, civilized and borderline unendurable."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
The Kid with a Bike (2012) |
"
The film should be required viewing for everyone who has lost faith in the power of random acts of kindness."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
Bully (2012) |
"
Bully is less a checklist plan for eliminating abusive behavior than an emotionally powerful wake-up call for a society too long in denial."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
90%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
Mind blown, hair on fire. Seeing "The Cabin in the Woods" set a new personal benchmark for fiendishly creative takes on genre entertainment."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 12, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
47%
|
The Three Stooges (2012) |
"
There is hardly a smidgeon of comic invention here."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 12, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
64%
|
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (2012) |
"
How often do we tell our lovers that we feel at one with them, that we want to emulate their best qualities? Here we see an amazing couple who take that ego-obliterating infatuation to its logical conclusion."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 6, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
43%
|
American Reunion (2012) |
"
Rare is the movie that brings "American Pie" to mind and suffers by comparison, but here we have one."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Apr 6, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
84%
|
The Raid: Redemption (2012) |
"
The film is a sort of high-speed demolition derby except with human actors. It is 100 percent highly concentrated whoop-ass, and it is sensational."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 29, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
82%
|
Goon (2012) |
"
The fact that a movie as harsh and despicable as "Goon" can be promoted as a comedy says terrible things about the state of the American film industry."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 29, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
25%
|
Wrath of the Titans (2012) |
"
Though the film shortchanges us on the promise of its title, providing only one titan, it is overkill in most other regards."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 29, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
84%
|
Let the Bullets Fly (2012) |
"
After watching it, I was as confused -- and giddy -- as if I had been rolled down a hill in a rain barrel. For unmitigated insanity, this is a hard film to beat."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
88%
|
Sound of Noise (2012) |
"
Great premise, middling execution."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
58%
|
Delicacy (2012) |
"
From its very title, it's clear that "Delicacy" aims to be a sweet, light French trifle. That it is."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
24%
|
October Baby (2012) |
"
The closer Hannah gets to her goal, the more insistent the sermonizing becomes. By the time she confronts the woman who rejected her (a careerist lawyer), we are neck-deep in Lifetime TV bathos."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
67%
|
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012) |
"
While "Salmon Fishing" fritters away the comic momentum of its madcap opening chapters, it's like angling -- a pleasant diversion if you can look below the surface and muster the patience to appreciate it."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
55%
|
Being Flynn (2012) |
"
It's been ages since De Niro tackled a character as rich and challenging as this, and he tackles it head-on."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
|
84%
|
The Hunger Games (2012) |
"
Viewers who like a side order of political allegory with their science fiction will find much to savor here. So will romantics, fans of feminist heroines and action enthusiasts. "The Hunger Games" is that rare creation, an event movie of real significance."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 22, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
95%
|
Undefeated (2012) |
"
Volunteer high school coach Bill Courtney says, "Football doesn't build character. Football reveals character." The triumphant sports documentary "Undefeated" proves that it does both."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 20, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
77%
|
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012) |
"
This is one of those smart, funny, rueful movies like "Cedar Rapids" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" where you sense that everyone involved truly cares about the characters. It's impossible not to join in the good feeling."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 15, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
85%
|
21 Jump Street (2012) |
"
"21 Jump Street" thrilled me to itsy-bitsy elated pieces."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 15, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
75%
|
Addiction Incorporated (2011) |
"
This straightforward documentary by Charles Evans Jr. is must viewing for anyone interested in public health and corporate ethics."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 9, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
42%
|
Silent House (2012) |
"
Silent House feels like a psychotic episode come to life. It's impressive and oppressive, and it very effectively gets on your nerves."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 9, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
90%
|
In Darkness (2012) |
"
The film is a morally challenging examination of the vexed Polish Catholic-Jewish relations of the era and a rich portrait of a man moving almost reluctantly toward righteousness."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 9, 2012
|
|
1/4
|
52%
|
John Carter (2012) |
"
It's hard to believe Pixar's founder would have signed off on this project. The film is as overcomplicated, bloated and crash-prone as a bad-old-days Microsoft release."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 8, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
76%
|
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2012) |
"
It's a hallmark of "Kevin's" emotional bravery and intellectual honesty that the questions haunt us long after the end credits roll."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 8, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
84%
|
Crazy Horse (2012) |
"
The revue and the film are chic, antiseptic and curiously asexual."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 5, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2012) |
"
It is epic in its aims and achievements yet modest in its resources: some superb actors, stunning landscapes and a resonant, understated script."
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted Mar 5, 2012
|
85%
78%
7%
