|
A
|
99%
|
A Separation (2011) |
"
One of A Separation's many virtues is the way it gradually reveals, Rashomon-like, the complicated facts, half-truths, and lies that each character tells for perfectly legitimate reasons."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Feb 24, 2012
|
|
A
|
93%
|
Take Shelter (2011) |
"
(Director) Nichols creates the kind of quiet malevolence that Roman Polanski used to excel at."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Oct 28, 2011
|
|
A
|
100%
|
Nostalgia for the Light (2011) |
"
...an almost perfect documentary, confronting history, memory, and science in a way that touches the heart, provokes the mind, and humbles the spirit."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 15, 2011
|
|
A
|
96%
|
Restrepo (2010) |
"
Riveting, harrowing doc shows the war we ignore"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 12, 2010
|
|
A
|
99%
|
Toy Story 3 (2010) |
"
Woody and the gang stare into the abyss in this crazy, inspired homage to jailbreak films"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jun 23, 2010
|
|
A
|
91%
|
The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) (2010) |
"
Masterful thriller crammed with menace, verve and passion"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jun 2, 2010
|
|
A
|
96%
|
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010) |
"
Either a postmodernist critique of mainstream art or the cheekiest promo flick ever made"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted May 7, 2010
|
|
A-
|
93%
|
Amour (2012) |
"
...this deceptively simple film makes clear that death, real death, the kind we all face and most art refuses to address honestly, is relentless and unsentimental."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jan 30, 2013
|
|
A-
|
90%
|
Holy Motors (2012) |
"
Welcome to the latest in WTF cinema, the kind of movie that critics love, general audiences loathe and cinephiles puzzle over. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jan 28, 2013
|
|
A-
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012) |
"
At 50 years old, James Bond has matured in the best sense of the word. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Nov 6, 2012
|
|
A-
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
Affleck impresses with the thematic sophistication of his vision. He is a man who truly believes in the redemptive powers of cinema. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Oct 12, 2012
|
|
A-
|
78%
|
Take This Waltz (2012) |
"
Polley expertly navigates the emotional states of her characters, constantly surprising and challenging our expectations about who will say what and what will happen next."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 15, 2012
|
|
A-
|
92%
|
Headhunters (2012) |
"
...a sordid blast of delirious violence, brutal corporate satire, and male inadequacy."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted May 17, 2012
|
|
A-
|
94%
|
The Secret World of Arrietty (2012) |
"
...creates a sense of wide-eyed wonder and discovery as we experience the awe-inspiring mysteries of an ordinary house as seen from the four-inch borrower's point of view."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Feb 24, 2012
|
|
A-
|
84%
|
The Tree of Life (2011) |
"
Like David Lynch's Inland Empire, Malick's ode to creation is an uncompromised and highly personal project that insists that audiences engage it on his terms, not theirs. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jun 12, 2011
|
|
A-
|
87%
|
A History of Violence (2005) |
"
Without conceding any of his iconoclastic vision, Cronenberg has turned a genre film with classic Western overtones into a gripping psychological drama that examines the duality of man and his infatuation with the art of violence."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Apr 20, 2011
|
|
A-
|
98%
|
Marwencol (2010) |
"
First-time director Jeff Malmberg does almost everything right in this stunningly empathetic documentary. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 13, 2011
|
|
A-
|
90%
|
My Dog Tulip (2010) |
"
Not just a tale of pet-owner devotion, it produces the kind of blunt sincerity, touching compassion and psychological insight that's rare to find in any film."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Nov 16, 2010
|
|
A-
|
94%
|
The Dark Knight (2008) |
"
Allusions to our current struggles with surveillance, public perception and terrorism are thrown into the mix, adding political immediacy to Nolan's psycho noir. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Nov 6, 2010
|
|
A-
|
91%
|
Alamar (To the Sea) (2010) |
"
A slow-burn that shows us connections between what's real"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Sep 20, 2010
|
|
A-
|
94%
|
Winter's Bone (2010) |
"
A scorching drama of grim traditions, meth-cooked justice and a teen's desire to survive"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jun 23, 2010
|
|
A-
|
97%
|
A Prophet (Un prophete) (2010) |
"
A prison film telling it straight"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 26, 2010
|
|
4.5/5
|
82%
|
In Bruges (2008) |
"
As with all road movies, it all comes down to chemistry, and almost every character in In Bruges convincingly connects, selling the story's absurd twists and turns."
—
Orlando Weekly
Posted Feb 21, 2008
|
|
4.5/5
|
89%
|
The Savages (2007) |
"
It could almost be accused of 'middle-class whining' -- something Linney's character frets about -- if not for its sharply observant conversations and strikingly personal performances."
—
Orlando Weekly
Posted Jan 17, 2008
|
|
B+
|
88%
|
Upstream Color (2013) |
"
Its plot isn't particularly complicated, but it is undeniably weird. if you accept the movie on its own terms, you'll feel like you've been pulled into a creepy yet compelling dream. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Apr 24, 2013
|
|
B+
|
92%
|
No (2013) |
"
...a bitter and knowing meditation on media manipulation and political subversion."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Apr 12, 2013
|
|
B+
|
92%
|
The Gatekeepers (2013) |
"
Moreh gets some startling confessions and insights from each man but also misses the opportunity to truly challenge his subjects on their regard for democracy, basic human rights and their own accountability."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 24, 2013
|
|
B+
|
92%
|
Lore (2013) |
"
Can we spare some sympathy or hope for the children of villains, even if they too show signs of their parents' evil? Lore provides no easy answers."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 6, 2013
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Barbara (2012) |
"
Hoss' outstanding performance is a deep well of subtle yet unmistakable motives and reactions. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Feb 21, 2013
|
|
B+
|
88%
|
Django Unchained (2012) |
"
Django is infectiously rousing and exuberantly subversive. Say what you will about his insensitivities, nothing in Tarantino's approach is condescending or pretentious."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Dec 19, 2012
|
|
B+
|
100%
|
Burn (2012) |
"
... the dynamic on-the-fly scenes of danger and chummy stationhouse camaraderie are slowly peeled away to reveal a fascinating and multigenerational portrait of loss, resiliency, frustration and regret."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Dec 3, 2012
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
The House I Live In (2012) |
"
Jarecki makes clear that all our efforts and investments in fighting the War on Drugs haven't yielded any real success, only ruined lives, families and communities. There comes a point in any war where it becomes important to ask: Is it worth it?"
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Dec 3, 2012
|
|
B+
|
88%
|
Life of Pi (2012) |
"
You will not see a better-looking film this year. But you will undoubtedly see better films."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Nov 21, 2012
|
|
B+
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012) |
"
This is a movie that embraces the fullness of English eloquence and dares the audience to keep up."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Nov 16, 2012
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Looper (2012) |
"
So close to being a great movie is Looper that I want to go back in time and chat with writer-director Rian Johnson about the parts of the film that come up short."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Sep 28, 2012
|
|
B+
|
87%
|
Robot & Frank (2012) |
"
Smart and sweet, Robot and Frank feels familiar while you're watching it yet consistently finds ways to catch you off-guard."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B+
|
76%
|
Premium Rush (2012) |
"
It earns its hour-and-a-half of thrills honestly, with good solid storytelling and filmmaking. It's amazing how rare that is these days."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
B+
|
87%
|
ParaNorman (2012) |
"
From a visual standpoint, ParaNorman has set the bar for stop-action animation."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 17, 2012
|
|
B+
|
87%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
"
Though the canvass is bigger, the cast more assured and the action pieces more impressive - The Joker's embrace of violence and chaos cut closer to the bone. Nothing here feels as spontaneous or as dangerous as Ledger's lip-smacking performance. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jul 20, 2012
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
As spectacle it's big, stupid fun. Visually it's impressive. For comic geeks it's a wet dream come true. But dramatically it's inert. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted May 4, 2012
|
|
B+
|
92%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
It doesn't always work and it's rarely scary, but damn if it isn't entertaining as hell ... But Goddard and Whedon are striving for something more than just spectacle for spectacle's sake, and that's where they stumble."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Apr 13, 2012
|
|
B+
|
96%
|
The Kid with a Bike (2012) |
"
...the film delivers a final act as riveting as it is artistically satisfying. Not many films can claim a perfect ending. This one can."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 30, 2012
|
|
B+
|
85%
|
The Hunger Games (2012) |
"
That ["The Hunger Games"] is rated PG-13 while the soon-to-be released documentary "Bully" received an "R," says some rather unflattering things about our culture."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 23, 2012
|
|
B+
|
94%
|
Coriolanus (2011) |
"
Expertly balancing his performance between quiet regret, self-destructive arrogance and howling stubbornness, Fiennes takes center stage without making the role a vanity project."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Mar 9, 2012
|
|
B+
|
83%
|
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) |
"
As drama, Tinker struggles to make an impact. [It's] far better as a slow-burning study in blank-faced paranoia ... a surprisingly humane portrait of people who regularly engage in acts of inhumanity. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Jan 10, 2012
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011) |
"
I wouldn't say Ghost Protocol makes the most of Bird's skills as a dramatic storyteller, but as a talent in service of entertainment above all else, he rises to the occasion."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Dec 19, 2011
|
|
B+
|
95%
|
Moneyball (2011) |
"
...much of what makes it all work is Pitt and Hill, who have the kind of quirky chemistry that pops off the screen but always feels rooted in reality. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Sep 22, 2011
|
|
B+
|
93%
|
Drive (2011) |
"
...delivers enough action, suspense, and revenge to satisfy the multiplex masses while introducing them to the bleak, unsettling stillness and deconstructive black humor of Refn's overseas instincts."
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Sep 16, 2011
|
|
B+
|
95%
|
The Guard (2011) |
"
Like bacon, Brendan Gleeson makes everything taste better. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 19, 2011
|
|
B+
|
91%
|
Tabloid (2011) |
"
The celebrated filmmaker has created a meta-tabloid of sorts, surrendering to the idea that the truth is absurdly unknowable. "
—
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
Posted Aug 2, 2011
|
87%
24%
91%
85%
45%
40%
