|
4/4
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012) |
"
Day-Lewis, an Everest among actors, disappears into his part after the first few scenes. He makes us forget all others who have played the part or could have played it this time while making us think about Abraham Lincoln in a new way."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 15, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
The film offers bitter food for thought at a time when the Middle East is going through yet another frantically incendiary period."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 11, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
ParaNorman (2012) |
"
What was the last animated movie you could relate to German expressionist cinema, Alfred Hitchcock, Night of the Living Dead and B-movie horror of the 1950s? That's right -- none."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Aug 16, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
Pina (2011) |
"
Most documentaries put us inside people's heads. The dazzling, experimental Pina puts us inside people's feet."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 10, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) |
"
Director David Yates has finally found an ideal combination of exposition and emotion in his fourth consecutive Potter project. Writer Steve Kloves... neither wastes a word nor leaves out any essentials."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 13, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Of Gods and Men (2011) |
"
I can't recall the last film that so wholly, honestly and movingly explained what it means to be a Christian."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Apr 22, 2011
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
The Social Network (2010) |
"
Eisenberg gives us a speeded-up rendition of his previous performances, but it fits. There's also fine cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth and softly pulsating music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 1, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
68%
|
Shutter Island (2010) |
"
There are no loose ends or false notes in any of it."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 18, 2010
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Waltz with Bashir (2008) |
"
It's encouraging to see a nation so aware of its public image and defensive about its military decisions examine a dark day in its history."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 27, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
89%
|
Coraline (2009) |
"
I suspect you could turn the sound off and still be terrified, amused and delighted."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 6, 2009
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Frost/Nixon (2008) |
"
If Frost/Nixon were merely a beautifully shaped re-creation of a moment in history it would be worth a look. But as a reminder of the world we live in 31 years later, it's as sadly topical as any documentary about the Iraq War."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 30, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
94%
|
The Dark Knight (2008) |
"
The Dark Knight succeeds as an action film, character study and metaphor for our own terrorism-obsessed time. Even the hoary device of suggesting a bond between the outcast hero and the outrageous criminal, misused in so many films, makes sense."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 17, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) (2007) |
"
Bauby, Harwood and Schnabel are probably the only people who'll be our guides on a journey like this, and better ones could not be found."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 11, 2008
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Ratatouille (2007) |
"
Pixar has a habit of finding voice talent in unexpected places, and she's just part of the shrewd casting. Oswalt and Romano make an ideal team, assertive and nervous, while the almost unrecognizable Holm spits out disgust with glee."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 29, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
98%
|
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |
"
What I see is simply a timeless story about friendship, loss and maturity -- and, perhaps, an idealized America of the kind Hollywood and politicians strive to convince us could really exist."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 4, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) |
"
Mexican writer-director Guillermo del Toro couches his allegory about fascism in a tale as cruelly fascinating as any from the Brothers Grimm."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 18, 2007
|
|
4/4
|
76%
|
The Prestige (2006) |
"
The twistiest thriller since Memento."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 19, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
87%
|
Brokeback Mountain (2005) |
"
Any of us can imagine a forbidden passion so sweeping that it carries us off at flood tide, never allowing us to question it. Whether the object of our affection would carry a purse, a lariat or both is beside the point."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 6, 2006
|
|
4/4
|
94%
|
The Squid and the Whale (2005) |
"
Squid keeps you on your toes, but payoffs will have you smiling - - maybe in rueful recognition of the truth - - in scene after scene."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 2, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Good Night, And Good Luck (2005) |
"
Straightforward and stirring but not preachy."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 21, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
88%
|
Turtles Can Fly (Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand) (2005) |
"
One of the most heartbreaking, unforgettable dramas in years."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 8, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
86%
|
Howl's Moving Castle (2005) |
"
The world's leading animator has come back with a movie that's even more complicated and just as visually dazzling and heartfelt."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 17, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
85%
|
Batman Begins (2005) |
"
Superhero pictures require certain conventions: a romance, a sidekick, cool weapons, a juicy but inconsequential bad guy who answers to the master villains. Nolan and Goyer meet these expectations in unexpected ways."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 15, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
92%
|
Vera Drake (2004) |
"
Leigh takes time to show us the daily lives of all characters, giving them more reality than a Hollywood film would think necessary."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 11, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
91%
|
Million Dollar Baby (2004) |
"
Ranks among the all-time heavyweights of sports movies."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 28, 2005
|
|
4/4
|
96%
|
Sideways (2004) |
"
Payne always charts the terrain of the human heart, and he's among the wisest of mapmakers."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 19, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
82%
|
Prisoner of Paradise (2002) |
"
Directors Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender tell this story dispassionately, letting it evoke pity without asking us to see Gerron as a hero."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 8, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
Hero (2004) |
"
Breathtaking masterpiece."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Aug 27, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
99%
|
La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers) (1967) |
"
What makes this Charlotte Film Society entry remarkable is that the Italian director sympathizes with both sides."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 9, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
95%
|
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) |
"
This meditation on spirituality, loneliness and accountability could touch your heart's core."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jun 11, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Touching the Void (2004) |
"
Warms the heart while chilling the bones."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 19, 2004
|
|
4/4
|
94%
|
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) |
"
Return is the equal of the magnificent opening episode, The Fellowship of the Ring."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 16, 2003
|
|
4/4
|
99%
|
Finding Nemo 3D (2012) |
"
Pixar's employees, masters of computer-generated animation, capture the look of the ocean like no artists before."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted May 29, 2003
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2003) |
"
One of the most uncompromisingly bleak films I've ever seen."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Mar 21, 2003
|
|
3.5/4
|
94%
|
The King's Speech (2010) |
"
Polished, thoughtful and touching."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 16, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
98%
|
The Artist (2011) |
"
Had The Artist been made 75 years ago, it might have been brushed aside as melodrama. Today, its affection for a lost past strikes the right note of wistful nostalgia."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 15, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Amour (2012) |
"
The superb Trintignant and the Oscar-nominated Riva -- who would win, in a just world -- embody once-vigorous people in inevitable decline."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Feb 7, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013) |
"
Zero Dark Thirty, like the mission that inspired it, commands respect, admiration, even awe in places for the logistical nightmares that had to be overcome to get it done. But it's a hard movie to love."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 10, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
81%
|
The Impossible (2012) |
"
As fine as [Watts] and Ewan McGregor are as the parents, Tom Holland stands out as eldest son Lucas, a slightly sullen teen who learns to put other people before himself."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
89%
|
A Royal Affair (2012) |
"
Arcel directs with sympathy for all three of the main characters and doesn't make pure villains of the others."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Dec 7, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) |
"
Until the characters can take their needs seriously and laugh at themselves, at least a little, they're not going to be healthy. Playbook traces all their journeys from stubborn self-assertion to a fragile connectedness that might lead to lasting bonds."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 21, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
88%
|
Life of Pi (2012) |
"
The sense of wonder, the ability to believe the impossible because artists dreamed it into form so beautifully and powerfully, is always present."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 21, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012) |
"
The filmmakers expertly balance historical homages and modern action."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
The House I Live In (2012) |
"
Depressingly credible."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Oct 26, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Looper (2012) |
"
The leads blend as seamlessly as any young-old character coupling I've seen."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 27, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
96%
|
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) |
"
Searching for Sugar Man reminds us that a wise man knows lasting riches are never the result of record sales."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 21, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
86%
|
The Master (2012) |
"
Anderson tells this story slowly, inexorably, with a sense of control I've never felt from him before."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Sep 21, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
76%
|
Premium Rush (2012) |
"
The simple, utterly satisfying Premium Rush delivers just what the title promises."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Aug 24, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
100%
|
Toy Story 2 (1999) |
"
Faster, funnier and wilder, with more cunningly contrived computer effects."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Aug 6, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
52%
|
Where Do We Go Now? (2012) |
"
Even the title holds a surprise."
—
Charlotte Observer
Posted Jul 26, 2012
|
76%
29%
88%
85%
45%
40%
