|
|
39%
|
Kingdom of Heaven (2005) |
"
Despite...weaknesses, 'Kingdom of Heaven' emerges an entertaining film...stunningly photographed, set and costumed...grandeur that evokes De Mille"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted May 5, 2005
|
|
|
76%
|
The Holy Girl (La Nina Santa) (2005) |
"
A stunning piece of dramatic filmmaking, a completely original approach to the material that delivers a delayed punch as the evidence accrues "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 28, 2005
|
|
|
60%
|
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) |
"
Featherlight spoof loaded with grand CGI visuals...amusing, gentle satire... [but] never attains a real zaniness"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 28, 2005
|
|
|
60%
|
Winter Solstice (2005) |
"
What's missing is any real drama--there's no protagonist/antagonist conflict..; there's little fresh in the observations of mourning and the perennial parent/child tug-of-war."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 19, 2005
|
|
|
88%
|
Turtles Can Fly (Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand) (2005) |
"
The tragedy of these lives is moving, but, to some small extent, the tragedy is counterbalanced by Ghobadi in showing that somehow humanity survives in these kids"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 12, 2005
|
|
|
34%
|
Eros (2004) |
"
Wong masterfully creates a sense of profound yearning--the screen seems saturated with unfulfilled and unrequited erotic longing."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 7, 2005
|
|
|
87%
|
Comme une Image (Look at Me) (Like an Image) (2005) |
"
Gets under the skin of these varied individuals and reveals them in rich complexity and highly individuated quirkiness"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 4, 2005
|
|
|
87%
|
Millions (2005) |
"
Rich, rewarding, and deliciously entertaining"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 18, 2005
|
|
|
53%
|
Melinda and Melinda (2005) |
"
It's fun and it's funny."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 17, 2005
|
|
|
75%
|
The Upside of Anger (2005) |
"
A fresh, funny, pointed comedy"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 10, 2005
|
|
|
22%
|
In My Country (2005) |
"
The script...intelligently explores...the profound need to make sense out of madness and to find emotional peace in its aftermath...Sustains a deep and moving involvement."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 10, 2005
|
|
|
81%
|
Dear Frankie (2005) |
"
Emotional responses are in keeping with the characterizations, and well-written dialogue... helps sustain a reality that the turns of plot constantly threaten."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 3, 2005
|
|
|
91%
|
Downfall (Der Untergang) (2004) |
"
A cinematic 'Götterdämmerung...'; Hirschbiegel's film pulls no punches. He neither sugarcoats nor exaggerates."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 17, 2005
|
|
|
71%
|
Schultze Gets the Blues (2005) |
"
Important and thoughtful themes, which in other hands would likely have been weighty and overbearing, remain drolly deadpan in this accomplished debut film."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 17, 2005
|
|
|
93%
|
Nobody Knows (Dare mo shiranai) (2004) |
"
'Nobody Knows' and its astounding collection of young actors capture the heart without a hint of tear-jerking or saccharine sentimentality."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 17, 2005
|
|
|
——
|
Grid (2005) |
"
Fully realized, three dimensional characters may be too much to expect, but imagine how much more effective the drama would be if that were provided."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 14, 2005
|
|
|
90%
|
Head-On (Gegen die Wand) (2005) |
"
With powerfully developed characterizations and keen observation, writer/director Akin doesn't settle for a formulaic resolution."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 2, 2005
|
|
|
84%
|
Aliens of the Deep (2005) |
"
The crew ooos and aahs and talks like so many valley girls ("awesome," "freaky," etc.), leaving the viewer hungry for some more substantive science to back up the visuals."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 27, 2005
|
|
|
68%
|
The Chorus (Les Choristes) (2005) |
"
Barratier's clever use of irony to frame his story and his characters allows him both to use and to comment upon the underlying formula."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 26, 2005
|
|
|
87%
|
Noi the Albino (Nói albínói) (2003) |
"
Holds the attention with imaginative detail and a veneer of deadpan humor, like thin ice over a sea of despair"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 12, 2005
|
|
|
88%
|
The Woodsman (2004) |
"
Kassell's disciplined direction and sympathetic performances by Bacon and Sedgwick more than overcome the script's didactic leanings."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 31, 2004
|
|
|
72%
|
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004) |
"
Credit Radford for keeping his sterling cast in an admirably understated mode."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 31, 2004
|
|
|
90%
|
Hotel Rwanda (2004) |
"
Conveys the horror and anguish of anarchy and massacre while keeping the violence off screen or depicted at a distance"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 21, 2004
|
|
|
84%
|
The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) (The Sea Within) (2004) |
"
A warm and dramatically satisfying film that doesn't hide its bias, but also allows for varying viewpoints to be expressed."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 16, 2004
|
|
|
35%
|
Imaginary Heroes (2004) |
"
Emotional impact [is] lost in the mire of multiple motivations, less than fully realized characters, and tangential excursions."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 16, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
77%
|
Judy Berlin (1999) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 14, 2004
|
|
|
91%
|
Million Dollar Baby (2004) |
"
Delivers an emotional punch to match those of the pugilists punishing each other in the ring"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 14, 2004
|
|
|
68%
|
Closer (2004) |
"
Dialogue as riveting as Marber's, delivered by four first-rate actors in peak form, transcends the tricky transition [from the stage] to the screen."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Dec 2, 2004
|
|
|
72%
|
Paper Clips (2004) |
"
A worthwhile record of an admirable undertaking, but a little less sentiment and a little more edge might have produced a stronger film."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Nov 28, 2004
|
|
|
78%
|
A Very Long Engagement (2004) |
"
There's such an excess of plot and detail that characterization is neglected--none of these characters is more than single-dimensional..."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Nov 24, 2004
|
|
|
16%
|
Alexander (2004) |
"
It's as if Stone deliberately were creating a parody of all the cornball biblical/historical spectacles in the history of the movies."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Nov 24, 2004
|
|
|
83%
|
Finding Neverland (2004) |
"
Carefully sidestep[s] the pitfall of sticky sentimentality through understated writing, sensitive performances and brilliantly imaginative direction."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Nov 16, 2004
|
|
|
90%
|
Kinsey (2004) |
"
What makes 'Kinsey' brilliantly subversive is the injection of a...warts-and-all, nonjudgmental viewpoint...into the format of the...adulatory encomiums of another era."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Nov 11, 2004
|
|
|
49%
|
Alfie (2004) |
"
The fascinatingly complex character who inspired masterpieces from the wit of Moliere and the genius of Mozart draws only humdrum mediocrity from the remake mill of Hollywood."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Nov 4, 2004
|
|
|
81%
|
Ray (2004) |
"
When [the music isn't playing], the film seems conventional, unimaginative and stretched out well beyond its ability to sustain narrative momentum."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Oct 29, 2004
|
|
|
39%
|
Birth (2004) |
"
An imaginatively conceived meditation on grief and mourning, not entirely persuasive, but a thought-provoking and elegantly made film, nonetheless."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Oct 28, 2004
|
|
|
76%
|
Being Julia (2004) |
"
Redolent with the aroma of the floor boards, spiced with the overripe theatricality of thespians, and blessed with the grace of a radiant Annette Bening"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Oct 16, 2004
|
|
|
46%
|
Shall We Dance (2004) |
"
Audrey Wells' badly flawed adaptation of the original screenplay tries to bridge [the] cultural gap but it doesn't work"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Oct 14, 2004
|
|
|
73%
|
Primer (2004) |
"
The Grand Jury Award for Primer is an embarrassment for Sundance."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Oct 13, 2004
|
|
|
84%
|
The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta) (2004) |
"
A romanticized and lightweight road movie, a charming diversion, rather than the incisive biographical work that it should have been."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Sep 23, 2004
|
|
|
15%
|
Head in the Clouds (2004) |
"
Theron lends credence here to those who think that her performance in 'Monster' was a prosthesis-assisted one-note one shot, Academy award or no."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Sep 18, 2004
|
|
|
48%
|
Silver City (2004) |
"
Even the long roster of skilled players in 'Silver City' doesn't make this script come alive. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Sep 16, 2004
|
|
|
66%
|
Bright Young Things (2003) |
"
Fry...makes his debut here...but 'Bright Young Things' has the complexity, along with the verve and polish and style expected of a seasoned filmmaker."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Sep 11, 2004
|
|
|
50%
|
Vanity Fair (2004) |
"
A 'Vanity Fair' with a half-realized Becky Sharp is, in the end, a Vanity Unsatisfactory. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 31, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
87%
|
East of Eden (1955) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 30, 2004
|
|
|
95%
|
Hero (2004) |
"
Zhang successfully subverts the adrenaline charge of combat to the thematic explorations of art, human emotions and history."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 26, 2004
|
|
|
18%
|
Suspect Zero (2004) |
"
It's a movie on a treadmill--lots of energy going nowhere at all."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 26, 2004
|
|
|
64%
|
We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004) |
"
Audiences may or may not feel that the insights skillfully shared justify this acutely claustrophobic microcosm of domestic misery."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 12, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
90%
|
Now, Voyager (1942) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 5, 2004
|
|
|
51%
|
Code 46 (2004) |
"
With a creatively imagined world and themes of genuine significance, 'Code 46' easily sustains interest, despite the shortcomings of the characterizations."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 5, 2004
|
|
|
86%
|
Collateral (2004) |
"
A boffo piece of adrenaline-charged entertainment. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 5, 2004
|
|
|
86%
|
Intimate Strangers (Confidences trop intimes) (2003) |
"
A surprisingly upbeat, if distinctly off-beat romance"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Aug 5, 2004
|
|
|
81%
|
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) |
"
Nothing gets in the way of a great story, well told, one which manages to slip in a few political digs without losing sight of its mission as popular suspense entertainment."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 29, 2004
|
|
|
97%
|
Maria Full of Grace (2004) |
"
Draws the viewer step-by-step into the seemingly ineluctable fate of the "mules"--beasts of burden caught in the trap of poverty without opportunity."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 28, 2004
|
|
|
48%
|
A Home at the End of the World (2004) |
"
With no overblown pretensions...tells an engaging story about sympathetic folks finding their way in a never over-simplified world."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 23, 2004
|
|
|
98%
|
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) |
"
Still well worth a look, its reliance on the events of its time has undeniably diluted its power."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 19, 2004
|
|
|
67%
|
The Door in the Floor (2004) |
"
Strongly character-based...[but] the balance among the characters is badly skewed and, as well, they are an unsympathetic lot"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 17, 2004
|
|
|
63%
|
Time of the Wolf (2004) |
"
Unquestionably as bleak as it is thoughtful, insightful, and brilliantly realized"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 13, 2004
|
|
|
43%
|
The Clearing (2004) |
"
An unusual combination of the suspenseful and the thoughtful, a character-based drama that grabs hold and digs deeply under the surface."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 1, 2004
|
|
|
95%
|
Before Sunset (2004) |
"
The experiences they talk about are like so many sound-bites; they haven't internalized the wisdom that the words suggest."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jul 1, 2004
|
|
|
83%
|
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) |
"
Even those agreeing with Moore's political point of view must acknowledge that this is neither illuminating nor revelatory documentation, but skillfully wrought propaganda."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 24, 2004
|
|
|
42%
|
Callas Forever (2004) |
"
A breathtaking act of betrayal and hypocrisy, of self-aggrandizement and simple bad taste."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 21, 2004
|
|
|
48%
|
De-Lovely (2004) |
"
A failed attempt at stylization, lacking the consistency of view and approach that would knit the parts together into a cohesive whole. But, oh, those songs!"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 18, 2004
|
|
|
64%
|
Facing Windows (2004) |
"
An ensemble of interconnected characters, sufficiently rounded to be sympathetic...[but] a story out of balance. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 18, 2004
|
|
|
60%
|
The Terminal (2004) |
"
What...makes it all worthwhile, is Hanks' performance, which consists of one part Chaplin.., one part Sid Caesar.., and one part Hanks' own personal warmth."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 17, 2004
|
|
|
100%
|
Before Sunrise (1995) |
"
While the couple get...philosophical in their courtship dance, 'Before Sunrise' maintains an awareness of their earnestness without itself putting on airs of profundity."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 8, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
100%
|
The Wages of Fear (1953) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 3, 2004
|
|
|
98%
|
Since Otar Left (2004) |
"
Paced slowly and deliberately, 'Since Otar Left' nonetheless provides sufficient narrative drive to sustain interest in the outcome."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jun 2, 2004
|
|
|
78%
|
The Saddest Music in the World (2004) |
"
Virtually gushes with an overflow of ideas and images and razzle-dazzle"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted May 10, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
90%
|
The Piano (1993) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted May 6, 2004
|
|
|
88%
|
Uzak (Distant) (2004) |
"
The question for many viewers will be whether this skillful exposition of urban alienation offers sufficient new insight...to justify a bleak and utterly joyless two hours."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 29, 2004
|
|
|
17%
|
Laws of Attraction (2004) |
"
If 'Laws of Attraction' were a TV sitcom, it would be canceled before the second show."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 28, 2004
|
|
|
38%
|
Man on Fire (2004) |
"
State-of-the-art Hollywood production...Unfortunately, it also represents the nadir of Hollywood pandering to audience tastes for ever more titillating violence."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 22, 2004
|
|
|
77%
|
The Mother (2004) |
"
The mother's flowering is a lovely thing to see, even if its vehicle wavers perilously on the borderline between drama and soap opera."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 22, 2004
|
|
|
62%
|
Young Adam (2004) |
"
A skillfully wrought amorality tale delivered...with both subtlety and highly refined style"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 17, 2004
|
|
1/5
|
78%
|
Angel Heart (1987) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 15, 2004
|
|
|
75%
|
Everyday People (2004) |
"
Appealing and interesting characters, but [McKay] spreads his film too thinly over too many of them, resulting in sketches, rather than portraits."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 15, 2004
|
|
|
90%
|
Io non ho paura (I'm Not Scared) (2003) |
"
Rivet[s] attention to its expertly woven storyline with appealing and believable characters about whose fate it is impossible not to care. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 14, 2004
|
|
|
95%
|
The Return (Vozvrashcheniye) (2003) |
"
The broad theme of abandonment and return, explored in several variations, suggests mythic depths to this story of timeless significance. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 1, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
74%
|
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Apr 1, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
100%
|
A Room With A View (1985) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 31, 2004
|
|
|
55%
|
The Ladykillers (2004) |
"
Infectious gospel music gets the film in gear again as its droopy pacing and shortage of wit threaten to drag it down to irremediable sluggishness."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 25, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
98%
|
Sunset Boulevard (1950) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 18, 2004
|
|
|
40%
|
The Reckoning (2004) |
"
Sustains an appropriate pacing for what is, after all, not an action flick, but, rather, in the tradition of the historical epic."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 18, 2004
|
|
|
93%
|
Knafayim Shvurot (Broken Wings) (2002) |
"
Celebrates the binding sinew of family connection and the power of a mother's love. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 11, 2004
|
|
|
64%
|
Spartan (2004) |
"
Rooted in thoughtful ideas and graced with irony, [Mamet's] stylized dialogue has the effect of focusing attention on what is being said."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 11, 2004
|
|
|
90%
|
Good Bye, Lenin (2004) |
"
The overall tone of gentle satire is engaging and Becker's affection for the Kerners is contagious."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Mar 3, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
96%
|
Double Indemnity (1944) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 28, 2004
|
|
5/5
|
97%
|
His Girl Friday (1940) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 28, 2004
|
|
|
1%
|
Twisted (2004) |
"
A run-of-the-mill thriller that will fade from memory as quickly as poor Jessica's boyfriends are getting bumped off"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 26, 2004
|
|
|
60%
|
The Dreamers (2004) |
"
Cinematic allusions, both verbal and visual, are tossed around as if in the hope that some of their quality might somehow rub off on the ever-less-interesting movie at hand."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 12, 2004
|
|
3/5
|
75%
|
A Single Girl (2000) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 11, 2004
|
|
|
99%
|
La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers) (1967) |
"
The verity of a documentary...with the narrative drive and emotional charge of a great thriller"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 11, 2004
|
|
|
——
|
Break A Leg (2006) |
"
A whimper of protest that wants to be a scream."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Feb 10, 2004
|
|
|
68%
|
Japanese Story (2003) |
"
Episodically effective...the likable characters and ever-present splendor of the desert landscape register strongly"
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 31, 2004
|
|
|
16%
|
The Big Bounce (2004) |
"
[Wilson's] deceptively easy-going manner...provides the needed energy that keeps 'The Big Bounce' bouncing. "
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 29, 2004
|
|
|
93%
|
Touching the Void (2004) |
"
The brilliance of Mike Eley's cinematography creates a profound sense of the smallness of man in a magnificent but indifferent universe."
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 22, 2004
|
|
4/5
|
97%
|
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 14, 2004
|
|
4/5
|
84%
|
Cold Comfort Farm (1996) |
—
culturevulture.net
Posted Jan 10, 2004
|
73%
79%
62%
52%
26%
4%
