Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 100%
| Afghan Star (2009) | "
Like The Kite Runner novel and movie, the documentary Afghan Star succeeds at dramatizing the lives of Afghans, but those we see on screen are real flesh-and-blood characters -- people who let their true feelings emerge." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 86%
| Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love (2009) | "
Youssou N'Dour is a beautiful film to watch as it unfolds the life of N'Dour and, by extension, the lives of millions of West Africans who are anonymous to many in the West." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jul 31, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 97%
| The Song of Sparrows (2009) | "
At times funny, sad, poignant and suspenseful, Sparrows is a showcase for Majidi's masterful storytelling -- and Naji's superb acting." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jun 12, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 95%
| Fados (2009) | "
For those who've never before heard fado, Fados will be a revelation -- a window into a music that (like blues music) can be poetic, heartbreaking, melodramatic and redemptive, all at the same time." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 76%
| Outrage (2009) | "
Outrage is essential viewing -- a film that offers a window into modern politics, and the political obstacles faced by gays and lesbians around the country." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted May 8, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 73%
| American Violet (2009) | "
American Violet dramatizes Kelly's case, and does so in a way that will leave audiences applauding in their seats -- and wondering how much of the film is true." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted May 1, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| N/A | Lost in the Fog (2009) | "
Corey's documentary is much more than a sports profile. It's really a character study of Aleo and his resolve to stick to his principles -- even in the wake of his horse's tremendous success four years ago." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Apr 24, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 93%
| Sugar (2009) | "
Sugar is a gripping look at the immigrant experience, with small moments as important -- and visually arresting -- as any on the baseball diamond." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Apr 10, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 82%
| Cherry Blossoms (2009) | "
The movie is an ideal blend of character study, deceptively simple plot twists, inspired acting, and travelogue." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Mar 20, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 93%
| The Betrayal (2008) | "
The touching music (which includes quasi-choral chants) completes a film that, despite its tough subject matter, is life-affirming in the best possible way." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Feb 27, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 80%
| Serbis (2009) | "
Serbis has the feel of a documentary, but a documentary can't accomplish what "Serbis" does: Take us to a corner of the world where sex and regret are so intimately entwined." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Feb 20, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 47%
| Chandni Chowk to China (2009) | "
To appreciate this scenic spectacle requires a leap of faith that will test even die-hard Bollywood fans." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jan 16, 2009 |
Fresh 4/4
| Rotten 50%
| The Beautiful Truth (2008) | "
It's Michael Moore without the truculence, PBS without the pretension, CNN without the commercial grandstanding." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jan 9, 2009 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 83%
| Angry Monk (2005) | "
Schaedler's film raises as many questions as he answers." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jan 5, 2009 |
Rotten 3/4
| Rotten 25%
| Bedtime Stories (2008) | "
For prepubescent kids, Bedtime Stories will be a perfectly enjoyable work -- a PG-rated introduction to a heralded comic actor trying to inspire a new generation of Adam Sandler fans." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Dec 29, 2008 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 100%
| Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008) | "
This illuminating film by director Gini Reticker and producer Abigail Disney is a much-needed attempt to put the spotlight on a moment of history that still inspires." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Dec 12, 2008 |
Rotten 2/4
| Rotten 28%
| The World Unseen (2008) | "
It suffers from an abundance of transparent acting, simplistic plot twists and music that essentially screams, 'These are important scenes to behold!'" — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Nov 14, 2008 |
Fresh 3/4
| N/A | The Fish Fall in Love (2008) | "
The dreamy opening credits (complete with Erik Satie-like piano) and steamy close-ups of boiling food set the stage for a nuanced story about regrets and the quest for redemption." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Nov 10, 2008 |
Fresh 4/4
| N/A | Delwende (2008) | "
This West African drama looks at a single village in the throes of change -- change that reveals people's cruelty, their fixation on being right, and the clash between modernity and traditional beliefs." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Oct 31, 2008 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 81%
| Saving Marriage (2008) | "
Even for those who think they know the full story of Massachusetts' historic same-sex marriage law, this documentary will be a revelation." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Oct 18, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 52%
| Allah Made Me Funny (2008) | "
It's hit-and-miss. But Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert is a film that doesn't let go from the very first moment." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Oct 3, 2008 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 100%
| Opera Jawa (2006) | "
Blood and beauty are set in tandem, leaving the audience to wrestle with the contradictions that [director] Nugroho highlights in a film that stands out by any standard of cinema." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Sep 19, 2008 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 100%
| Youssou N'Dour: Return to Goree (2008) | "
Conversations full of memorable words and what can only be called 'genuineness' push Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gorée into the realm of unforgettable filmmaking." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Sep 19, 2008 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 86%
| Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul () | "
Akin's documentary gets its legs from the subtle questions it raises about Turkey's politics, nationalism, religious identity, cultural integrity and international perception." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jul 14, 2006 |
Rotten 2/4
| Fresh 80%
| Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories (2004) | "
Shiley, who dedicates his film to all those killed and injured in the war, is a fallible narrator." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Mar 28, 2006 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 84%
| The Future Of Food (2005) | "
Garcia, the widow of Grateful Dead star Jerry Garcia, has taken a complex subject and made it digestible for anyone who cares about what they put into their stomachs." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Sep 30, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 84%
| My Mother's Smile (2005) | "
An artful look at religious hypocrisy, interfamily dynamics and the way people wrestle with personal history long after the original events are over." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Sep 9, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 39%
| Milwaukee, Minnesota (2005) | "
Memorable enough to warrant another shot at director. This film ends in a way that proves Mindel doesn't rely on cliches to make a statement." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Sep 9, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 78%
| Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2005) | "
Sweet, funny, sad and profound -- the sort of film that becomes more remarkable when you realize it's based on someone's real life." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Sep 2, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| N/A | Unwanted Woman (2005) | "
An engaging film about relationship struggles -- struggles that hurt both people in a couple, even if one of them is oblivious to the pain." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Aug 26, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 43%
| The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam (2005) | "
Rough around the edges, it's still a formidable movie that's stunning visually." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Aug 19, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Rotten 36%
| Asylum (2005) | "
Richardson commands every scene she's in." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Aug 19, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 61%
| Nina's Tragedies (2005) | "
The dry humor is disarming. The ensemble cast is engaging and interesting to watch. And the main plot, as it were (will Nadav and Nina find respective happiness?), is suspenseful." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jul 29, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 69%
| Lila Says (2005) | "
Mostly succeeds in conveying the real- life risks that disgruntled teens will take to prove they're more powerful, more sexy and more in control than they really are." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jul 22, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 89%
| Machuca (2005) | "
It's a sensitively wrought work that reveals a time in Chile when class differences were both ignored and emphasized, depending on your perspective." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jul 15, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 100%
| Mana: Beyond Belief (2006) | "
Mana -- Beyond Belief doesn't have narration, which is one of the film's strengths." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jul 8, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 84%
| The Tunnel (2005) | "
Based on a true story from the late 1950s, this thrilling drama looks at the extraordinary lengths taken by a group of West Berliners to dig a tunnel under the city's barbed-wire border with East Berlin." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jun 10, 2005 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| N/A | Peck on the Cheek (2002) | "
In A Peck on the Cheek, we get Ratnam at his best, albeit with a few glitches." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted May 27, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 63%
| Le Grand Role (2005) | "
Their characters are compelling and completely realistic, the acting is first-rate, and many scenes in this black-and-white movie (which was shot in different countries, including Saudi Arabia) are breathtaking." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted May 20, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 97%
| Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) | "
There will be lots of seething at the sight of it all, but there are enough good laughs to make the experience more than worthwhile." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Apr 29, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 100%
| Mughal-E-Azam (1960) | "
One of India's greatest feature films has been restored and colorized, giving a new generation of filmgoers a chance to see what all the fuss was about." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Apr 15, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 81%
| Voices in Wartime (2005) | "
An important new documentary that looks at the ways in which poetry helps people come to terms with conflict." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Apr 15, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 77%
| Assisted Living (2005) | "
Works more than it doesn't, though it's easy to conclude that the film exploits some of the elderly in the movie." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Apr 1, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 64%
| Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land: U.S. Media & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2004) | "
Deserves attention." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Mar 11, 2005 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 71%
| Paper Clips (2004) | "
What makes Paper Clips so powerful and moving is the way everyone in the film seems affected by the Whitwell project. The students change. The teachers change. The townspeople change." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Mar 4, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 90%
| The Take (2004) | "
A balance of fact and fury." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Feb 18, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 94%
| Vodka Lemon () | "
Director Hiner Saleem has created a magical movie that veers, even within scenes, from love story to tragedy to comic relief." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Feb 11, 2005 |
Fresh 4/4
| N/A | Veer-Zaara (2004) | "
Veer-Zaara is so arresting, its scenes so full of beauty and colors, that the three hours go by almost too fast." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Jan 28, 2005 |
Fresh 3/4
| Fresh 99%
| Moolaade (2004) | "
Moolaadé is not a 'downer' film as much as a parable that lets us see the hardships (and occasional humor) that are inherent in an environment where the slightest change in tradition is a cause for great alarm." — San Francisco Chronicle Posted Dec 31, 2004 |
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