Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Movie Reviews & Previews

Critics » Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Official Websites:
spiritualityandpractice.com

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Agrees with the Tomatometer 74% of the time.

Biography:: Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat have been discovering spiritual meanings in films for 40 years. We are always on the lookout for movies that "speak to our condition" (a Quaker phrase) and reveal new possibilities for our lives. We love dramas that touch on universal experiences, knock down barriers between people, and evoke our compassion. We are enriched by stories that touch our hearts and send us out of the theater rejoicing. A truly good film is not only thought-provoking and entertaining, it also leaves the viewer with a sense of what it means to live deeply and fully every day. We are the authors of two books, Spiritual Literacy and Spiritual Rx, in which we frequently use movies to illustrate spiritual "takes" on everyday experience. We also regularly prepare "Values & Visions" Discussion Guides for film clubs. You can read about our approach to movies in "Befriending Films" and "Spirituality and Films" in the Spirituality & Film section at our website.
Favorites:: We publish an annual list of the
Publications:: Spirituality and Practice
Critics' Group:: New York Film Critics Online, Online Film Critics Society

Total Reviews:: 5088
Total QuickRatings:: 197

Location:: New York, New York

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 5088

Previous | Next

Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
2/5	84%	Much Ado About Nothing (2013)	" This inept modern-day version of the classic Shakespearian comedy comes across as too contrived." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 7, 2013
3/5	83%	The Happy Poet (2013)	" A laid-back green entrepreneur capitalizes on patience and perseverance in his quest to operate a successful organic food cart. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
3/5	62%	Hey Bartender (2013)	" A playful and entertaining probe of the cocktail renaissance in our time." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
4.5/5	96%	Hannah Arendt (2013)	" An engrossing drama about the controversial comments by the philosopher Hannah Arendt on the Adolf Eichmann trial in 1962 in Israel." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
3.5/5	62%	The Bling Ring (2013)	" A sharp-edged portrait of a band of amoral teenage thieves in Southern California who have a passion for fashion, a yearning to have more, and a desire to experience the cheap thrills of danger. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
3/5	38%	The Purge (2013)	" A bloody parable about the dangers of watering the seeds of violence. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
5/5	78%	Dirty Wars (2013)	" A shocking documentary about secret US counter-terrorist operations around the world that have made us masters of war in the eyes of African warlords and others." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
5/5	69%	Tiger Eyes (2013)	" A moving depiction of a teenage girl's quest for a way out of her sadness, grief, and loss over the sudden death of her beloved father. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Jun 6, 2013
2/5	11%	After Earth (2013)	" A dull sci-fi survival flick that crashes and burns under the inept direction of M. Night Shyamalan." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 31, 2013
4/5	73%	The Kings of Summer (2013)	" A rebellious and creative Ohio teenager tries to forge his own passage from adolescence into manhood in the woods with two buddies." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 30, 2013
4/5	82%	Shadow Dancer (2013)	" A gripping depiction of distrust as a vicious fire that consumes those who give in to its power." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 30, 2013
5/5	98%	Before Midnight (2013)	" A couple on the cusp of a mid-life crisis talk their way through a storm of disappointments, resentments, and flash points in their 18-year relationship." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 22, 2013
4.5/5	67%	State 194 (2013)	" A bold and illuminating documentary about the two-year campaign by a visionary and courageous Palestinian prime minister to make his country the 194th member state of the United Nations. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 17, 2013
5/5	100%	Elemental (2013)	" Portraits of three environmental activists and the challenges they face in trying to change people's mindsets and spur them on to help stem the tide of ecological disaster. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 17, 2013
4/5	27%	33 Postcards (2013)	" Touching story about how the spiritual practice of enthusiasm works wonders in the life of a man in prison. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 15, 2013
4/5	44%	The English Teacher (2013)	" A fetching dramady starring Julianne Moore as an enthusiastic and vulnerable middle-aged English teacher who turns a corner in her life and realizes she will never be the same again." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 15, 2013
4/5	87%	Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)	" An immensely engaging sci-fi thriller about friendship, leadership, and loss in a tense and war-mongering intergalactic world. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 15, 2013
2/5	50%	The Great Gatsby (2013)	" Yet another screen version of the 1925 novel where style trumps substance, leaving us yearning for some characters who can engage our emotions." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 8, 2013
0/5	49%	Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's (2013)	" An obnoxious documentary asking us to bow down in homage to a temple of the very rich where conspicuous consumerism is worshipped." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 3, 2013
5/5	64%	One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das (2013)	" An emotionally wrought documentary about the spiritual journey and immense love story of chant master Krishna Das." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 2, 2013
4.5/5	88%	What Maisie Knew (2013)	" A mesmerizing screen adaptation of a Henry James novel about parenting and the importance of a tender and nurturing love." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 1, 2013
4/5	92%	Future Weather (2013)	" A top-notch drama about a 13 year old who is a lover of science and a passionate activist determined to save the planet." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 1, 2013
4/5	63%	Free The Mind (2013)	" An enlightening documentary about using mindfulness, breathing techniques, and yoga to reprogram the brain and ease the mind." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 1, 2013
3.5/5	78%	Iron Man 3 (2013)	" Robert Downey Jr. carries this superhero saga with his wit and clever improvised quips." — Spirituality and Practice Posted May 1, 2013
4/5	100%	You Will Be My Son (2013)	" A powerful father-son psychodrama with plenty of emotional fireworks in its depiction of the toxic power of high expectations. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 30, 2013
4/5	75%	Love Is All You Need (2013)	" An enchanting romantic comedy set on the Italian Riviera where two middle-agers find their lives in turnaround. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 24, 2013
3/5	23%	Arthur Newman (2013)	" Road movie about two unhappy people who take on new identities only to find they still have to face their problems." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 23, 2013
4.5/5	99%	Mud (2013)	" A fresh coming-of-age tale with an impressive performance by Tye Sheridan as a sensitive, kind, and caring teenager with a good heart. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 23, 2013
4.5/5	69%	Paradise: Love (2013)	" An engrossing and creative Austrian film about the yearnings of a lonely middle-aged woman seeking adventure at a vacation resort in Kenya." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 23, 2013
4/5	48%	At Any Price (2013)	" An engrossing drama about a farm family struggling to survive in a time when big business, new technology, and genetically modified seeds are the name of the game." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 23, 2013
4/5	42%	Midnight's Children (2013)	" An ambitious film conveying the complicated and violent early history of India and Pakistan through the stories of two boys born on independence day." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 23, 2013
5/5	88%	Herman's House (2013)	" A compelling and enlightening documentary about the important role creativity can play in the pursuit of justice and the spread of compassion." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 18, 2013
1.5/5	55%	Oblivion (2013)	" A sci-fi action drama whose muddled and weak plot leaves us baffled" — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 17, 2013
4.5	65%	Disconnect (2013)	" Three compelling dramas about lives shattered by thieves using the tools of technology to steal things of great value to their victims. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 12, 2013
3.5/5	60%	American Meat (2013)	" A hopeful and enlightening documentary on the baby steps being taken to offer alternatives to big industry farming." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 12, 2013
4/5	77%	It's a Disaster (2013)	" A character-driven drama that mixes humor and seriousness when eight people are forced to take stock of their options as a nerve-gas cloud heads their way." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 12, 2013
5/5	42%	To The Wonder (2013)	" A bold and ground-breaking film by Terrence Malick that is a mystical meditation on the many manifestations of the spiritual practices of yearning and love." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 8, 2013
5/5	68%	Trance (2013)	" A mesmerizing movie that is a heist flick; a psychological thriller about loss of memory and the powers of hypnotism; and a provocative parable about human desire, greed, sexuality, paranoia, and betrayal" — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 3, 2013
3/5	85%	Bestiaire (2012)	" A meditative movie that turns into a call for compassion for all the animals exploited for entertainment in zoos, safari parks, and circuses." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Apr 2, 2013
5/5	96%	Stories We Tell (2013)	" A groundbreaking documentary written and directed by Sarah Polley about family secrets, memory, forgiveness, and reconciliation." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 28, 2013
3.5/5	50%	You Don't Need Feet to Dance (2013)	" An inspiring documentary about a disabled West African drummer whose music and dancing enable him to transcend his woes and rejoice in the gift of life." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 25, 2013
3.5/5	15%	Dorfman in Love (2013)	" A romantic comedy about the changes that transform a young woman with low self-esteem." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 25, 2013
4/5	100%	Blue Caprice ()	" A chilling psychological portrait of the two men behind the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 21, 2013
5/5	100%	A Hijacking (2013)	" A poignant and powerful drama about the hijacking of a Danish cargo ship and its seven member crew by Somali pirates. " — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 20, 2013
5/5	100%	The Act Of Killing (2013)	" A startling wake-up call to the pornography of violence and its major role in crimes against humanity." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 20, 2013
4/5	73%	Violeta Went to Heaven (2013)	" A well-acted and well-directed musical biodrama about the life and career of the Chilean singer and songwriter Viola Parra." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 20, 2013
4.5/5	56%	The Company You Keep (2013)	" An old-fashioned drama about ethics, conscience, and zeal with one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled" — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 20, 2013
4/5	80%	Eden (2013)	" A compelling indie film inspired by a true story about a New Mexico woman who is kidnapped and forced into prostitution in a sex trade operation." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 20, 2013
3.5/5	56%	Hunky Dory (2013)	" An appealing drama set in Wales in 1976 about a high school rock opera version of Shakespeare's The Tempest." — Spirituality and Practice Posted Mar 20, 2013

Showing 1 - 50 of 5088

Previous | Next

Sort by Rating:

Sort results by this critic's rating. This option is only available for critics with a rating system (4 star, letter grade, 1-10, etc.)
Sort by T-meter:

Sort results by the Tomatometer (percentage of critics recommending a certain movie)