|
4/4
|
99%
|
A Separation (2011) |
"
"A Separation" deals with some very murky issues, but it does so with astonishing clarity."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 1, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) |
"
One of the most realistic movies ever made about the unpredictable impact our experiences have on our sense of self."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 19, 2004
|
|
3/4
|
96%
|
Pariah (2011) |
"
Wayans, best known for acting in comedies with her siblings, is a revelation as a woman whose faith offers both hope and blind judgment."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 8, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
64%
|
Another Earth (2011) |
"
A moving, intimate story of loss and second chances."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Aug 12, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
96%
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) |
"
It works its own kind of magic, the kind that comes from a great story, well told."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jul 14, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
85%
|
The Tree of Life (2011) |
"
It is an impressive, confounding achievement that calls to mind every drunken late-night debate that no one could articulate the next morning."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jun 16, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
74%
|
Winter in Wartime (2011) |
"
Director Martin Koolhoven, adapting Jan Terlouw's 1972 novel, maintains the constant tension of a world where every stray word or glance could lead to tragedy."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted May 27, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
72%
|
Rio (2011) |
"
Despite its copycat nature, it has its own irresistibly joyful energy."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Apr 14, 2011
|
|
3/4
|
91%
|
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010) |
"
Much better are the interviews Gibney conducts with the big players, including Spitzer himself. Although he never apologizes for his aggressive style, Spitzer comes across as relatively subdued and doesn't make excuses for his personal behavior."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Dec 10, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
84%
|
Casino Jack And The United States Of Money (2010) |
"
Offers a wide-ranging look at Abramoff's antics, from promoting sweatshops in Saipan to cheating Indian tribes out of casino revenues."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jun 4, 2010
|
|
3/4
|
100%
|
Divorzio all'Italiana (Divorce Italian Style) (1962) |
"
If you're in the mood for a cynical, time-traveling Italian vacation, you couldn't do much better than this."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Nov 7, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (2008) |
"
Boogie Man does not inspire pity for Atwater but sadness that a man of such talent wasted his life and learned his lesson too late."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Oct 24, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
73%
|
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) |
"
The soundtrack is as good as you'd expect from a movie about music lovers, as artists like Vampire Weekend and Devendra Banhart provide the essential background for the characters' adventures."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Oct 3, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
83%
|
The Rape of Europa (2007) |
"
Narrated by Joan Allen, the film is a remarkably comprehensive look at the cultural destruction that accompanied the slaughter."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 28, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
72%
|
Darfur Now (2007) |
"
Admirable work."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Nov 16, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
70%
|
Moliere (Moliere ou Le comedien malgre lui) (2007) |
"
As the film picks up momentum, however, it becomes the story of an aimless young man who discovers his own brilliant wit and learns how to use it. As he gets closer to the scathing, fearless Moliere we know and love, so does the movie."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Sep 21, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
72%
|
Golden Door (2007) |
"
Although it has a gorgeous, lyrical visual style, it contains no stirring speeches or sentimentality."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Aug 10, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
74%
|
La Vie en Rose (La Mome) (2007) |
"
Cotillard holds all this together through sheer force of talent and will and makes Piaf the most likable crazy, morphine-addicted drunk in movie history."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jun 22, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
95%
|
Offside (2006) |
"
It's not exactly exciting material, but Panahi's gentle humor and sense of realism keep it from becoming dull."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jun 1, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
96%
|
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (2004) |
"
[Provides] a funny, poignant tribute to a most unusual place and the people who somehow call it home."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted May 11, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
Efter brylluppet (After the Wedding) (2006) |
"
After the Wedding is a sad film in many ways, but it's also surprisingly uplifting. Thanks to [director] Bier and her cast, any tears shed in the audience will be perfectly natural."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted May 11, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
65%
|
The History Boys (2006) |
"
It forces you to think about complicated issues while still being witty and engaging. You can't even say that about most teachers, let alone most movies."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Dec 22, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
The Beauty Academy of Kabul (2006) |
"
A few of the academy's students receive personal profiles, and their resilience after years of war and oppression is remarkable. If ever that "triumph of the human spirit" cliché could be applied to a group of people, this is it."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Dec 8, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
61%
|
Lord of War (2005) |
"
Lord of War mixes gallows humor with moral outrage over the way people like Yuri are allowed to make a living."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Sep 16, 2005
|
|
|
10%
|
Elektra (2005) |
"
Gaps don't ruin the film, thanks to Garner's performance and Bowman's apparent enjoyment of his job."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jan 14, 2005
|
|
|
93%
|
Super Size Me (2004) |
"
When people do this to themselves over the course of several years, you don't always notice the effects right away. When a young man in perfect health speeds up the process, it all comes into very sharp focus."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted May 20, 2004
|
|
3/4
|
67%
|
Japanese Story (2003) |
"
It's not great, but it occasionally flirts with greatness. It's not bad, but it can be dull and repetitive. It's too smart to be mediocre."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 26, 2004
|
|
|
82%
|
The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares) (2003) |
"
By the time Arcand reaches his final scenes, he has revealed one generation's regrets and disappointments and broken through the other's brittle defenses, achieving a resolution that thoughtful viewers of all ages should find profoundly moving."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 5, 2004
|
|
|
47%
|
Hidalgo (2004) |
"
Even when it stretches credibility to the breaking point, Hidalgo is a larger-than-life adventure with a brisk pace and a charismatic star."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 5, 2004
|
|
3/4
|
100%
|
Yana's Friends (2001) |
"
[Kaplun's] gentle, clear-eyed affection for his characters smooths out the film's rough edges and reminds viewers that friendship and even joy can be found during the most frightening times."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Apr 4, 2003
|
|
|
65%
|
Willard (2003) |
"
For those who appreciate the macabre side of life, this is as much fun as you're going to have until Tim Burton makes a decent movie again."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 14, 2003
|
|
3/4
|
71%
|
The Ring (2002) |
"
It's not often a movie can make you rant about the lousy ending and give you nightmares."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Oct 18, 2002
|
|
|
60%
|
Tuck Everlasting (2002) |
"
This adaptation of Natalie Babbitt's 1975 novel deals with some fairly heavy topics, and does so with unusual sensitivity."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Oct 11, 2002
|
|
|
70%
|
White Oleander (2002) |
"
Lohman not only goes toe-to-toe with Pfeiffer, she carries almost every scene, and does so with a performance that should make her a star in her own right."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Oct 11, 2002
|
|
|
80%
|
Sunshine State (2002) |
"
At its best, Sunshine State is vintage Sayles, full of richly drawn characters and witty dialogue."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Aug 9, 2002
|
|
|
30%
|
Scooby-Doo (2002) |
"
The makers of this film defied all logic and created something watchable, even entertaining."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jun 14, 2002
|
|
|
29%
|
Clockstoppers (2002) |
"
Frakes manages to salvage enough entertainment value to keep kids happy and adults satisfied."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 29, 2002
|
|
|
7%
|
Dragonfly (2002) |
"
Dragonfly isn't all that exciting, but it is reasonably creepy and even moving at times."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Feb 22, 2002
|
|
2.5/4
|
76%
|
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) |
"
By dropping a classic "Brits abroad" story into modern, urban India, "Marigold" brings chaotic energy to what would otherwise be merely cozy and predictable."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted May 10, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
25%
|
Act of Valor (2012) |
"
[Its] commitment to authenticity is impressive, but it ends up highlighting the film's greatest weakness - a cliché-riddled script with a plot that may have been generated by someone throwing darts at a world map."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Feb 23, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
67%
|
We Bought a Zoo (2011) |
"
Without Crowe's laid-back approach and Damon's anchoring performance, We Bought a Zoo could have been a sappy disaster."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Dec 23, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
90%
|
Attack the Block (2011) |
"
While it lacks originality, Attack the Block zooms along with energy and deadpan humor."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Sep 1, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
83%
|
The Double Hour (2011) |
"
The final resolution is easily forgotten, more of an afterthought than anything else. The fun is in the twisting, absurd journey, not the destination."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jul 29, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
78%
|
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) |
"
Even in its messiest moments, however, it never loses its sweet-natured charm. There's still plenty here to love."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jul 29, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
82%
|
TrollHunter (2011) |
"
An entertaining effort with "cult following" written all over it."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jul 21, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
——
|
Another Harvest Moon (2011) |
"
It may not be terribly original, but in its sweet, unassuming way, it is inspiring."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Jun 24, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
54%
|
Jumping the Broom (2011) |
"
The charm of Jumping the Broom is in its glossy, spirited humor, not its clumsy spiritual melodrama."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted May 6, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
26%
|
Hop (2011) |
"
If the filmmakers had just made a movie about E.B. and his clever animated bunny world, they might have delivered a tasty Easter surprise. This one has been sitting in the back of the fridge too long."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Mar 31, 2011
|
|
2.5/4
|
65%
|
Freakonomics (2010) |
"
It's intellectual snack food, satisfying for a little while but always leaving you hungry for more."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Oct 8, 2010
|
|
2.5/4
|
46%
|
Step Up 3-D (2010) |
"
There is some awkward editing and cheesy showing-off, but the dancers' tremendous talent is given the focus it deserves."
—
Kansas City Star
Posted Aug 6, 2010
|
65%
——
97%
