|
B+
|
98%
|
Le Havre (2011) |
"
Uses Kaurismäki's dry wit to tell a tale that's more earnest and political than anything he's done, but which retains the skewed Scandinavian worldview we've come to expect."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 25, 2012
|
|
B
|
69%
|
My Reincarnation (2011) |
"
Even if Yeshi's dilemma never seems that urgent or vital, "My Reincarnation" remains a compelling, universal film."
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 8, 2011
|
|
B
|
78%
|
Melancholia (2011) |
"
Working with a new cinematographer, Manuel Alberto Claro, von Trier employs super-slow-motion and digitally painted heavenly vistas for operatic effect."
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 1, 2011
|
|
B
|
89%
|
Into The Abyss (2011) |
"
[Herzog's] piercing gaze provides a tightly focused look at the realities underlying our nation's continued reliance on this archaic tool of criminal justice."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 22, 2011
|
|
A-
|
90%
|
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) |
"
Durkin offers the most persuasively believable peek into the psyche of such a character I've ever seen."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 3, 2011
|
|
B-
|
80%
|
The Way (2011) |
"
The performances are solid, the cinematography is stunning, and the setting is intriguing. But the whole thing feels bloodless, hitting us over the head with its understatedness."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 6, 2011
|
|
B+
|
85%
|
The Ides of March (2011) |
"
This isn't a stereotypical left-wing Hollywood screed against Republican know-nothings, but rather a harsh self-examination of the cynicism that has crept into every cranny of the political landscape."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 6, 2011
|
|
B
|
88%
|
The Hedgehog (2011) |
"
Balasko's performance is the highlight, as she breathes believable inner life into the stock character of the lonely, embittered widow."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 1, 2011
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
50/50 (2011) |
"
It almost seems as if "50/50" is leaning too hard on the lighthearted shtick, until the final act, when everything comes together with genuine emotional heft."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 29, 2011
|
|
C
|
84%
|
My Afternoons with Marguerite (2011) |
"
A movie the likes of which the Nouvelle Vague was supposed to have disposed decades ago."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 22, 2011
|
|
C+
|
82%
|
Life, Above All (2011) |
"
An imperfect attempt at addressing the continued reluctance of sub-Saharan societies to address the HIV plague in their midst."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 16, 2011
|
|
B+
|
81%
|
Higher Ground (2011) |
"
That's right, this is a movie about the life of an American woman. Oh, plus there's some religion in there, too."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 9, 2011
|
|
|
32%
|
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011) |
"
These immature, fairly pitiable protagonists go about their absurd project in all the wrong ways. But you just keep rooting for them."
—
Salon.com
Posted Sep 1, 2011
|
|
C
|
62%
|
Amigo (2011) |
"
There's no real sense of the atmosphere of a sticky, buggy, fetid jungle, and no intensity to a story that cries out for a sense of moral outrage."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 1, 2011
|
|
C+
|
73%
|
The Whistleblower (2011) |
"
Even more unsatisfying than it was meant to be. "
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 18, 2011
|
|
B+
|
83%
|
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) |
"
Contrary to all previous live-action "Apes" movies, this one forgoes humans in makeup for full-on CGI animals, and the results are surprisingly solid."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 4, 2011
|
|
C-
|
20%
|
Snow Flower And The Secret Fan (2011) |
"
The performances, often delivered for no good reason in awkwardly accented English, are almost universally wooden. And the film's overall message is an ode to sorority that's so saccharine as to be insulting."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 28, 2011
|
|
B
|
73%
|
Sarah's Key (2011) |
"
Director Gilles Paquet-Brenner doesn't stint on depicting the indignities and violence inflicted even on children, and Mayance's performance is exceptionally strong."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 28, 2011
|
|
B
|
80%
|
The Last Mountain (2011) |
"
An even tone and attention to detail compensate for a lack of dissenting voices, and make "The Last Mountain" a compelling examination of a complex topic."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 14, 2011
|
|
B+
|
85%
|
A Better Life (2011) |
"
A genuinely moving tale of a father and son banding together in a hostile world."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jun 23, 2011
|
|
B+
|
85%
|
Viva Riva! (2011) |
"
Digitally shot, the film looks great, and the performances ooze charisma."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jun 9, 2011
|
|
B
|
95%
|
13 Assassins (2011) |
"
Miike may have classed things up, but he certainly hasn't sold out."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jun 2, 2011
|
|
C+
|
75%
|
Everything Must Go (2011) |
"
By filling in the backstory of Carver's nameless central character, a typically morose drinker who has moved all his possessions to the front yard of his house, the movie diminishes the magic inherent in the vagueness of the original."
—
Oregonian
Posted May 13, 2011
|
|
C
|
61%
|
The Beaver (2011) |
"
The storyline would appear trite and the message muddled even to someone who'd never heard the name Mel Gibson."
—
Oregonian
Posted May 12, 2011
|
|
B+
|
77%
|
Thor (2011) |
"
Marvel's ambitious plan has taken one more step, and it has yet to take a false one."
—
Oregonian
Posted May 6, 2011
|
|
B
|
74%
|
Winter in Wartime (2011) |
"
Koolhoven doesn't take many narrative chances, but the somber, steely cinematography and convincing performances help to carry the day."
—
Oregonian
Posted Apr 14, 2011
|
|
B+
|
88%
|
Certified Copy (Copie Conforme) (2011) |
"
For anyone with an appreciation for such things, "Certified Copy" is a mental workout of the most invigorating sort."
—
Oregonian
Posted Apr 7, 2011
|
|
C+
|
47%
|
Desert Flower (2011) |
"
Waris' saga is one that needs to be told, but this well-meaning dramatization might have had more power if it were a documentary."
—
Oregonian
Posted Mar 31, 2011
|
|
B
|
93%
|
Of Gods and Men (2011) |
"
Beauvois provides an illuminating look at life inside the monastery."
—
Oregonian
Posted Mar 24, 2011
|
|
C+
|
65%
|
The Music Never Stopped (2011) |
"
It's hard even to describe the film's plot without reflexively mocking its saccharine commodification of some really good music, but there are in fact a few fairly moving moments to be found."
—
Oregonian
Posted Mar 18, 2011
|
|
C+
|
37%
|
I Am (2011) |
"
If you're looking for actual solutions to global problems, rather than ways to feel better about them, "I Am" will be a frustrating experience."
—
Oregonian
Posted Feb 17, 2011
|
|
A-
|
88%
|
Inspector Bellamy (2010) |
"
As always, Chabrol, who died last September, moves this along without a bit of fuss -- there's not a superficial camera move, scene or directing choice to be found."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 20, 2011
|
|
C
|
88%
|
Blue Valentine (2010) |
"
Even for those who tire of movies with shiny, happy people, all this earnest effort results in a movie that's a drag."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 13, 2011
|
|
C-
|
32%
|
How Do You Know (2010) |
"
Brooks can rightly lay claim to a dizzying film and TV résumé, but an effort like this should be advertised as being "from the man who brought you 'Spanglish.'""
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 16, 2010
|
|
B
|
88%
|
Nora's Will (Cinco dias sin Nora) (2010) |
"
Softly rendered by Mariana Chenillo, the first woman to win a Mexican Academy Award for best director, and the quotidian rhythms are reminiscent of the recent Italian film "Mid-August Lunch.""
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 9, 2010
|
|
B-
|
48%
|
Love and Other Drugs (2010) |
"
They could have made a harder-hitting, more realistic film, but then no one would have gone to see it."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 23, 2010
|
|
C+
|
51%
|
The Next Three Days (2010) |
"
Haggis lets a tantalizing sliver of doubt toward Lara's innocence linger, leaving open the possibility that John is a love-struck fool rather than an avatar of faithful spousehood. And then it gets dumb."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 18, 2010
|
|
C+
|
54%
|
Welcome to the Rileys (2010) |
"
Gandolfini is admirably low key, but Stewart seems stuck in the same sneering, pouty mode she's practically trademarked."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 11, 2010
|
|
B
|
54%
|
Morning Glory (2010) |
"
Painless enough, leavening superficiality with substance, allowing you to watch and still do the laundry without missing anything vital."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 10, 2010
|
|
B+
|
94%
|
Yabu no naka no kuroneko (Black Cat from the Grove) (1968) |
"
The combination of moody, widescreen, black-and-white cinematography, an unsettling pace, and chilling, hyperbolic performances makes for the sort of horror film that manages to seem classic and fresh at the same time."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 4, 2010
|
|
B
|
85%
|
Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2010) |
"
The film does a solid job of dramatizing her life and times, even if it's a bit too earnest at times for its own good."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 22, 2010
|
|
B-
|
70%
|
Never Let Me Go (2010) |
"
The world depicted in Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go is among the more beautiful dystopias in film history."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 7, 2010
|
|
B
|
89%
|
Waiting for Superman (2010) |
"
Superman is a polished piece of advocacy filmmaking, even if it lacks the rock-star charisma of Al Gore."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 7, 2010
|
|
B
|
32%
|
A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop (San qiang pai an jing qi) (A Simple Noodle Story) (The First Gun) (2010) |
"
Zhang's early films, especially 1990's Ju Dou, mixed noir-style plotlines with stunning cinematography, and Woman, Gun nicely sets its characters' vividly colored costumes against its barren, hilly landscape."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 17, 2010
|
|
C+
|
40%
|
Middle Men (2010) |
"
What could have been a complex portrait of a flawed man dealing with the perils of success ends up far less interesting. "
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 10, 2010
|
|
|
43%
|
The Extra Man (2010) |
"
A fairly unnecessary, if harmless, rehash of the standard New York City coming-of-age tale complete with an eccentric, unreliable mentor."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 19, 2010
|
|
|
27%
|
Charlie St. Cloud (2010) |
"
If sunlight dappling off the Atlantic and the earnest faces of pure young lovers, plus a dash of unthreatening feel-good spirituality, is all you need to feel sated, then by all means, dive right in."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 30, 2010
|
|
B+
|
91%
|
The Father of My Children (Le pere de mes enfants) (2010) |
"
Stop reading and go see it."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 15, 2010
|
|
B
|
70%
|
Ondine (2010) |
"
Minor, though mostly enjoyable..."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jun 24, 2010
|
