Derek Smith Movie Reviews & Previews

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Derek Smith

""Why must one talk? Often one shouldn't talk, but live in silence. The more one talks, the less the words mean." - Nana, Vivre sa Vie"

Agrees with the Tomatometer 82% of the time.

Biography:: I am 26 years old and a recent college graduate working/living in San Diego. I have always loved movies, but the obsession took over about 5 years ago. Aside from movies, I enjoy reading, sports, and hanging out with friends.
Favorites:: http://www.cinematicreflections.com/Masterpieces.html
Publications:: Apollo Guide , Cinematic Reflections

Total Reviews:: 220
Total QuickRatings:: 159

Location:: San Diego

Movie Reviews Only

Showing 1 - 50 of 159

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
—	——	Fata Morgana (1971)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	43%	Parade (1974)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	——	Ici et ailleurs (Here and Elsewhere) (1976)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	93%	The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu) (2006)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	75%	Gabrielle (2006)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	——	Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?) (2006)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	——	The Bloody Child (1996)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
—	93%	Gwoemul (The Host) (2007)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Feb 7, 2011
3.5/4	62%	Hulk (2003)	" The only Ang Lee film where he shows even a modicum of originality in his direction or any real personality or interesting visual flair." — Apollo Guide Posted Jan 16, 2008
3.5/4	40%	The Bucket List (2007)	" The only Ang Lee film where he shows even a modicum of originality in his direction or any real personality or interesting visual flair." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jan 16, 2008
4/4	71%	This Land Is Mine (1943)	" It moves along like a well-oiled machine until the devestating final act ties all of the smaller stories together, making it's point without being overbearing or obvious." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Dec 30, 2006
—	100%	Lessons of Darkness (1995)	— Cinematic Reflections Posted Oct 30, 2006
1.5/4	89%	How Green Was My Valley (1941)	" [Its] moralizing is dishonest and at times offensive. No matter how effectively a story is told, it's hard to buy into one that so often deceives its audience." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Oct 30, 2006
4/4	80%	Bitter Victory (1957)	" There is a sense that while the men here are well-versed in the theories of war, they are clueless about the realities of combat." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Oct 30, 2006
4/4	88%	Down by Law (1986)	" Its soul is the same as all Jarmusch films, but here he digs a bit deeper into the roots of his own methodology and that to which he is opposed." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Sep 25, 2006
2.5/4	81%	A Prairie Home Companion (2006)	" With A Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman has once again showcased his talent for creating complex, insular worlds for his characters to inhabit." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Aug 19, 2006
2/4	65%	Perfect Blue (1999)	" [An] nime thriller [that] often plays as an examination of identity and celebrity, but ultimately gets so lost in its own complex structure that it doesn't end up saying much at all." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Aug 19, 2006
4/4	71%	The Seventh Continent (Der Siebente Kontinent) (1989)	" A stunning examination of the effects of emotional isolation and the inability to communicate in the modern age." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Aug 19, 2006
3/4	33%	Benny's Video (1992)	" Similar to The Seventh Continent, this film's objective is to analyze and deconstruct the effects rather than senselessly guess their causes" — Cinematic Reflections Posted Aug 19, 2006
3/4	89%	They Live (1988)	" Carpenter's ability to fuse the bawdy humor and action with an intelligent script make for a genre film that is both thoughtful and entertaining" — Cinematic Reflections Posted Aug 19, 2006
1.5/4	91%	Little Miss Sunshine (2006)	" It remains stuck in a limbo state that more and more indie films find themselves these days, because of its non-committal attitude." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Aug 19, 2006
4/4	100%	Top Hat (1935)	" Top Hat does not glorify wealth or upper class status - if anything it continually pokes fun at it." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jun 24, 2006
32/100	83%	Hwal (The Bow) (2007)	" A painful experience that no amount of eye candy can make up for." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 28, 2006
3.5/4	90%	Pandora's Box (1929)	" One of the great films about the mysterious allure of the female form and the destructive power of the male gaze that's inflicted upon it." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 28, 2006
4/4	61%	The New World (2005)	" A melancholy revery of a time when nature provided a spiritual sustenance that could not be replaced by religious or social order." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 28, 2006
70/100	——	The Firm ()	" A jarring exploration of the male psyche and the devastating consequences of pride and uncontained machismo in a society where men's lives have lost meaning." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 28, 2006
3.5/4	100%	Salesman (1968)	" Functions as both a tribute to their work ethic and a condemnation of the system that considers such a profession a healthy route to the American dream." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 28, 2006
4/4	87%	Funny Ha Ha (2003)	" One of the most accurate portrayals of post-collegiate disillusionment" — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 28, 2006
4/4	71%	The World (Shijie) (2005)	" The World is less a condemnation of the current state of the world than an attempt to explain and come to terms with it." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Mar 4, 2006
71/100	77%	O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)	" its tongue-in-cheek humor effortlessly gives way to poignant drama and period musical pieces throughout." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Dec 6, 2005
59/100	41%	Where the Truth Lies (2005)	" A delightfully seedy mystery who's joy lies only in the journey." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Dec 6, 2005
38/100	100%	The Birth of a Nation (1915)	" shocks audiences with its blatant racism yet remains one of the defining films of the silent era." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Sep 24, 2005
4/4	93%	Grizzly Man (2005)	" Offers the best that non-fiction films have to offer, where the filmmaker is able to interact with, rather than simply react to, his subject..." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Sep 24, 2005
65/100	91%	Downfall (Der Untergang) (2004)	" Downfall takes on the unenviable task of portraying [Hitler] as a man, rather than a caricature or parody as the norm has dictated." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jul 24, 2005
83/100	57%	Last Days (2005)	" Van Sant again sidesteps all of the typical narrative trappings and here his style clearly justifies itself." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jul 24, 2005
65/100	81%	Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)	" Walks a thin line between sincerity and pretension, but ultimately deals with enough issues head-on to make the occassionally excessive quirkiness forgivable." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jul 5, 2005
40/100	84%	Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)	" It's amazing how little we end up knowing about the specific schools and the environment where these kids come from and how much time we're left watching them look cute." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jul 1, 2005
73/100	83%	Rize (2005)	" The dancing, which at first may seem purely ridiculous, becomes an expression of their tortured souls" — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jul 1, 2005
90/100	——	Fröken Julie (Miss Julie) (1952)	" A vivid portrait of class barriers, overbearing social mores and the torrid, forbidden love affair that is effected by it." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Jul 1, 2005
82/100	——	Ici Et Ailleurs (1994)	" A vibrant discussion of the nature of the image and how they come to define our reality." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
73/100	82%	The Age of Innocence (1993)	" The great tragedy is that the hypocrisies that Newland and Olenska work to reveal are the very same ones that ultimately destroy everything passionate and human within them." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
93/100	97%	Werckmeister Harmóniák (2001)	" It is an arduous task, but the film achieves a transcendent and ethereal beauty that only the few truly great masterpieces attain." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
66/100	88%	Air Force (1943)	" It isn't one of the director's most impressive outputs, but when a solid genre entry such as this is one of your "lesser" films, it says a lot about the quality of your work." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
4/4	67%	Nouvelle vague (New Wave) (1990)	" Nouvelle Vague may be Godard's most complex and layered film, but attempting to unlock its secrets makes it one of his most rewarding." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
4/4	51%	In Praise Of Love (Éloge de l'amour) (2002)	" Love, in Godard's case, is indistinguishable from cinema and thus he sees the growing capitalist machine as a threat to both." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
4/4	82%	Trust (1991)	" A bold film that defies logic and the rules of screenwriting" — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
72/100	53%	The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)	" There is a distinct sense that Anderson is trying to re-invent himself with this film." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
77/100	100%	All I Desire (You Belong to Me) (1995)	" [It] may be the most ironic statement on the disturbing allure of 50s suburbia that Sirk ever made." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
3/4	77%	Tape (2001)	" Linklater is testing the boundaries of what can be done with digital video, thematically as well as visually." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005
90/100	86%	Heat (1995)	" It is a remarkably powerful, entertaining and invigorating piece of cinema that hits on more levels than seemingly possible." — Cinematic Reflections Posted Apr 23, 2005

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