|
A
|
100%
|
Before Sunrise (1995) |
"
Linklater captures romance at the sunset of gadget-free existence ... holy moments when no gadget or lens comes between us and our immediate company and surroundings."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Apr 8, 2013
|
|
A
|
82%
|
Like Someone in Love (2013) |
"
This is a movie about love - how much we need it, how we go wrong in the way we pursue it, and how one world's ideas about it are passing while another's are taking over."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Mar 15, 2013
|
|
A
|
70%
|
The Loneliest Planet (2012) |
"
I wouldn't say that I find the movie satisfying, but I do find it powerfully haunting. That's a compliment. To be haunted by art is a better thing than to be satisfied by it."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 2, 2012
|
|
A
|
89%
|
Séraphine (2009) |
"
Provost's film has few equals in depicting the dangerous territory between artistic inspiration and madness."
—
Filmwell
Posted Jun 15, 2012
|
|
A
|
93%
|
Of Gods and Men (2011) |
"
Beauvois shows respect for all of the characters and cultures involved -- the monks, the community they served, even the enemies that the monks remembered in their prayers."
—
Comment
Posted Jun 12, 2012
|
|
A
|
94%
|
Winter's Bone (2010) |
"
In moments of confrontation [Jennifer Lawrence's Ree] is as fearsome as Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, taking on monsters to protect the small and the vulnerable."
—
Image
Posted Jun 12, 2012
|
|
A
|
93%
|
Lourdes (2010) |
"
Hausner frequently composes pictures in which our view is cut off by a wall, a pillar, or a pilgrim ... but like God's silence, these obstructions remain impenetrable."
—
Image
Posted Jun 12, 2012
|
|
A
|
96%
|
The Kid with a Bike (2012) |
"
[It] gives obvious homage to a variety of films. ... But one inspiration shines throughout the movie ... The Red Balloon."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Apr 2, 2012
|
|
A
|
95%
|
Pina (2011) |
"
Bring someone who doubts that movies can surprise us anymore. ... Bring somebody who isn't yet excited about stereoscopic cinema. They'll change their minds."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Feb 10, 2012
|
|
A
|
——
|
Lucky Life (2010) |
"
It was a poem before it was a movie. Thus it makes sense that the film works more like poetry than prose. And there is fear, mystery, and majesty burning in every scene."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 27, 2012
|
|
A+
|
90%
|
The Muppet Movie (1979) |
"
This isn't about one sock puppet's search to be all that he can be. It's about a community combining their talents to bring joy to the world."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 25, 2011
|
|
A+
|
88%
|
Certified Copy (Copie Conforme) (2011) |
"
I could assess the performances (Juliette Binoche is better than ever). ... But I can't treat Certified Copy with a critic's typical detachment. I'm in love with it. "
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 23, 2011
|
|
A
|
92%
|
The Gleaners and I (2001) |
"
Varda is, herself, a gleaner. Her eyes are her tools, and her camera is her basket. Insatiably curious, she seeks, finds, redeems. ... When we pay attention, attention pays."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 23, 2011
|
|
A
|
90%
|
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) |
"
Every society has its traps, the film suggests. ... But they're not equally corrupt. There's a clear sign hanging over the road less traveled, and it says 'Wrong Way.'"
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 23, 2011
|
|
10/10
|
——
|
Three Colors Trilogy (2003) |
"
My favorite cinematic achievement. I return to it again and again, blessed by visual beauty, musical invention, astonishing performances and inspired spiritual exploration."
—
Looking Closer
Posted May 18, 2010
|
|
A+
|
93%
|
Apocalypse Now Redux (2001) |
"
Redux's virtues far outweigh its flaws. Apocalypse Now in any version remains one of the richest, most extravagant moviegoing experiences"
—
Looking Closer
Posted Dec 30, 2008
|
|
A+
|
91%
|
Stevie (2003) |
"
... a potent reminder that grace, healing, and resolution are possible for the most broken of families."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Dec 24, 2008
|
|
A
|
96%
|
Up the Yangtze (2007) |
"
Yung gets to the broken heart of a dying culture by conveying the impact of the dam on two individuals affected by, and participating in, the government's vision for 'progress.'"
—
Looking Closer
Posted Dec 12, 2008
|
|
A
|
91%
|
Shotgun Stories (2007) |
"
Like Malick, Nichols knows that the sight of a combine transforming an Arkansas cotton field into an apocalyptic dust storm is as eloquent as anything his characters might say."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 26, 2008
|
|
A+
|
94%
|
My Kid Could Paint That (2007) |
"
One of art's richest rewards is its way of teaching us about our assumptions, doubts, and capacity for faith. ... My Kid Could Paint That gets people thinking and talking."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Nov 26, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
80%
|
Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (The Flight of the Red Balloon) (2007) |
"
Some critics complain that 'nothing happens' in this film. To borrow a line from James Cameron's The Abyss -- they 'need to look with better eyes than that.' It's meant to be observed the way you might study art in a museum."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Apr 4, 2008
|
|
A+
|
94%
|
Café Lumiere (2004) |
"
You don't take this journey for the bends in the road, but the fleeting sights along the way make it memorably rewarding."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Dec 30, 2007
|
|
A+
|
91%
|
There Will Be Blood (2007) |
"
It's dedicated to Altman, and yet Blood feels more like a collaborative effort from Kubrick, Malick, Weir, and Coppola. And the bizarre finale is 100 percent Anderson."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Dec 26, 2007
|
|
A
|
88%
|
Italiensk for Begyndere (Italian for Beginners) (2001) |
"
A rare delight ... a joyous comedy that is at the same time grounded in real life with characters whose company is a pleasure."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 21, 2007
|
|
A+
|
96%
|
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) |
"
As bright as a box of new crayons, and just as full of creative potential, these children give us vibrant pictures of hope in the midst of oppression."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 20, 2007
|
|
A+
|
100%
|
Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) (1993) |
"
Blue -- Kieslowski's masterpiece -- is a story about the journey from grief and brokenness to rebirth, written on a woman's face."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 20, 2007
|
|
A
|
82%
|
The Age of Innocence (1993) |
"
It shows that while conformity can stifle honesty and love, acting in mere self-interest can be even more destructive."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 20, 2007
|
|
A+
|
95%
|
No End in Sight (2007) |
"
Ferguson consults not the administration's political opponents, but the very experts that the U.S. government selected and sent into the Baghdad fray ..."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 20, 2007
|
|
A+
|
90%
|
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997) |
"
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control convinced me that a documentary can be a poem. "
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 19, 2007
|
|
A
|
86%
|
Junebug (2005) |
"
From dinner-table silences, to nuances of Baptist vocabulary, to 'colorful' displays of Southern imagination, these people are three-dimensional and compelling."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 12, 2007
|
|
A
|
84%
|
The Rookie (2002) |
"
The Rookie is one of those rare, wonderful 'formula' films that ... favors understatement over exaggeration, subtlety over sentimentality."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 9, 2007
|
|
A
|
95%
|
The Return (Vozvrashcheniye) (2003) |
"
Like each episode of Kieslowski's Decalogue, The Return is a small but potent story. It leads us to ask: Is it ever enough to just 'trust and obey'?"
—
Looking Closer
Posted Sep 9, 2007
|
|
A
|
91%
|
God Grew Tired Of Us (2007) |
"
The Lost Boys' gratitude for simple things will humble those of us accustomed to comfort and opportunity. Their endurance, ambition, and compassion should inspire us."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Aug 22, 2007
|
|
A
|
97%
|
L'Armée des ombres (Army in the Shadows) (1969) |
"
As bleak as it is compelling, it will leave you wondering if these freedom fighters haven't done more damage to each other than they have to the Nazi aggressors."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Aug 22, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Ratatouille (2007) |
"
There is so much to enjoy and celebrate here, Ratatouille deserves more than a review: it could (and probably will) inspire books about creativity and good taste."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Jun 29, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) |
"
It would probably have delighted Tolkien and Lewis, who believed that fairy tales help us apprehend the reality of grace as it glimmers through a screen, darkly."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Dec 29, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Children of Men (2006) |
"
Fans of the novel may argue about Cuarón's many departures. Some heighten the story's connections to present-day crises; others cloud James' moral vision."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Dec 29, 2006
|
|
A
|
97%
|
The Queen (2006) |
"
There is genius in the casting of Mirren as Elizabeth II. Like the Queen, she's old-school, and she understands that there is power in purposeful restraint."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Oct 23, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
L'Enfant (The Child) (2006) |
"
L'Enfant is more than just a morality play. It is an investigation of the societal forces that create such misguided people, such overgrown children."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Apr 18, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2006) |
"
We haven't seen a comparable clash between a principled heroine and a determined, malevolent villain since Agent Starling matched wits with Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Mar 10, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
61%
|
The New World (2005) |
"
Ultimately, The New World defines true love as something more than desire, nostalgia, or sexual chemistry. It boldly condones a higher love characterized by selflessness and fidelity..."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Jan 20, 2006
|
|
A
|
78%
|
Munich (2005) |
"
Munich reveals itself as a sort of reversal of Schindler's List. ... We half-expect Ephriam to smile at Avner and declare "The list is death.""
—
Looking Closer
Posted Dec 28, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
A History of Violence (2005) |
"
It'd take a book-length review to explore all of the implications. Cronenberg's raising questions in the mode of Flannery O'Connor, whose harsh revelations shocked readers."
—
Christianity Today
Posted Sep 30, 2005
|
|
A+
|
88%
|
The Son (2003) |
"
The Son will dazzle you if you patiently think it through and discuss it. The effort you put into it will determine how much it rewards you in the end."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Feb 1, 2005
|
|
A+
|
90%
|
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2002) |
"
...takes you to a place you've never been and tells a story as profound and ambitious as a Shakespeare play."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 15, 2005
|
|
A+
|
95%
|
Lost In Translation (2003) |
"
Johansson [plays Charlotte] perfectly, with the kind of intelligent beauty that could bring Krzysztof Kieslowski out of his grave to cast her in a new Colors film."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 15, 2005
|
|
A
|
100%
|
Toy Story (1995) |
"
A return to the inspiration and genius that powered the old Disney classics. In some ways, its even better than the classics. This film is innovative AND it has a memorable, unpredictable, interesting story."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 15, 2005
|
|
A
|
83%
|
Magnolia (1999) |
"
I think Flannery O'Connor's philosophy -- that a desensitized culture sometimes need exaggerated, loud storytelling to reawaken it -- is the operating principle here."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 15, 2005
|
|
A+
|
91%
|
The Apostle (1998) |
"
... may be the most unapologetic, intimate portrayal of a religious man in the history of American cinema."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 15, 2005
|
|
A
|
95%
|
Antz (1998) |
"
...the message of Antz is this: Freedom of choice is important, but one should use their freedom to be decent, responsible, humble, and helpful."
—
Looking Closer
Posted Jan 15, 2005
|
87%
24%
91%
