Critics » Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect

Louis Proyect

"Noah Cross: See, Mr. Gitts, most people never have to face the fact that, at the right time and the right place, they're capable of... anything! (Chinatown) --- Harry Lime: Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long Holly. (The Third Man) --- Michael Corleone: I saw a strange thing today. Some rebels were being arrested. One of them pulled the pin on a grenade. He took himself and the captain of the command with him. Now, soldiers are paid to fight; the rebels aren't. (Godfather part 2)"

Agrees with the Tomatometer 80% of the time.

Biography:
I am a long-time socialist with a an interest in the problems of developing countries. Therefore, films made in Latin America, Africa and Asia are of great interest to me. I am also the moderator of a Marxism mailing list at www.marxmail.org.
Favorites:
1. Burn 2. Strawberry and Chocolate 3. Battle of Algiers 4. Moolaade 5. Sargeant Shakespeare
Publications:
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Critics' Group:
New York Film Critics Online
Total Reviews:
687
Total QuickRatings:
1
Location:
NYC

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 687
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
84% A Touch of Sin (2013) " Zhangke is a throwback to the golden age of cinema, evoking Ray, Kurosawa and Sembene. Like them, he embodies the national idiom while addressing the universal human condition." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Oct 5, 2013
—— Lost Rivers () " A reminder that ecology is not just about clean air and water but the right of urban dwellers to enjoy the spiritual and esthetic benefits of liberated rivers." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Oct 4, 2013
—— Symphony Of The Soil (2013) " Sets the standard for films about the ills of chemical farming and the need for organic alternatives. Not only is it educational in the deepest sense of the word but artistically captivating." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Oct 4, 2013
100% A River Changes Course (2013) " Deeply compassionate and artistically realized study of the Cambodian poor by a Cambodian. Remarkable testimony to the power of committed film-making." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Oct 4, 2013
56% Inch'Allah (2013) " The director stated she did not intend to make a political film. It shows." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 28, 2013
46% Closed Circuit (2013) " Can't make it up whether it is John Le Carre or Robert Ludlum. It ends up as quite a mess. " — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 28, 2013
94% Fruitvale Station (2013) " A good first film but not quite deserving of the hype. The best parts have nothing to do with Oscar Grant's murder but the quotidian tale of survival by a young man with the best of intentions." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 26, 2013
76% The Help (2011) " Lifetime Channel movie with paternalistic liberalism bordering on Paula Deen malignity." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 26, 2013
73% Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) " Maudlin claptrap" — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 26, 2013
87% The Conjuring (2013) " A pastiche of every horror movie you've ever seen but one that is enlivened by the screenplay written by the twin brothers who wrote the superlative 2006 remake of "House of Wax"." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 17, 2013
68% Elysium (2013) " The latest in a string of anti-corporate dystopian films that has the evil CEO's overthrown by a superhero rather than the workers. What would Karl Marx say, I wonder?" — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 17, 2013
54% Spark: A Burning Man Story (2013) " A documentary that examines the contradictions of staging an elaborate "subversive" art festival that relies on donations from hedge fund operators. Commerce once again trumps art." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 17, 2013
46% Off Label (2013) " If you haven't made up your mind that big pharma is a criminal enterprise, this documentary should close the deal. " — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 11, 2013
71% The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear (2013) " Pure film poetry woven from the daily woes and joy of a most unpoetic people." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 10, 2013
88% Informant (2013) " Gripping documentary about a snitch responsible for two young men being entrapped by the FBI. In a period where federal agencies are breaking crimes left and right, a most topical offering." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 6, 2013
93% Our Children (2013) " The title can refer to the children whose tragic death the film is based on but more subtly on the dependency of Mounir, a North African, on his adoptive father and that of the wife on Mounir. " — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Aug 2, 2013
57% When Comedy Went to School (2013) " Works equally as social history as a survey of standup comedians of the Borscht Belt. Will be enjoyed by everybody but particularly by those who spent time in the Catskills." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 31, 2013
97% Drug War (2013) " A sizzling crime melodrama seemingly inspired by "The French Connection". The best Hong Kong movie I have seen in years even remarkably filmed in China." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 26, 2013
71% Terraferma (2013) " Ignore the bad reviews from my jaded colleagues. This is not only a compelling story that goes to the heart of the immigration debate, it is a lovely work of art in the grand Italian neorealist tradition." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 24, 2013
40% Colossus (2013) " Orson Welles's "F for Fake" was obvious the inspiration for this film. It would have been better if the script was up Welles's more modest productions. But very few films are today unfortunately." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 20, 2013
83% Computer Chess (2013) " The film is very much in the vein of "Mad Men", laughing at the silly clothes and life-style of a past generation. Foolishly, I went expecting it to be an exploration of how computers became so good at chess." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 20, 2013
97% The Act Of Killing (2013) " A cynically exploitative film made in the name of human rights, which it has about as much to do with as the Punked show on MTV." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 20, 2013
20% Breakaway (2011) " Much better than the other reviews reflect. A feel-good entertainment that sheds light on the misunderstood but heroic Sikh peoples. Now available on Netflix streaming, see for yourself and don't rely on the critics." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 13, 2013
86% Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) " Exhilarating entertainment that is a great introduction to both Bollywood and the saga of the heroic Sikh people." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 13, 2013
—— Oxyana () " Unblinking study of the Oxycontin epidemic in West Virginia. Essential viewing for those who care about the transformation of the USA into a 3rd world country." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 12, 2013
85% Terms And Conditions May Apply (2013) " This film makes you understand why a whistle-blower like Edward Snowden emerged. The incestuous relationship between the Facebooks of the world and the NSA will certainly lead to a Stasi-like police state unless an aroused population takes action." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jul 12, 2013
64% Israel: A Home Movie (2013) " Soft-core Zionist propaganda in the vein of "Waltz for Bashir" or "The Gatekeepers"." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jun 28, 2013
—— Homegoings (2013) " Wistful look at core institution of the Black community featuring the sweet and slightly off-kilter proprietor of a Harlem funeral parlor." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jun 24, 2013
70% Student (2013) " More Oliver Stone than Dostoyevsky. A go for the jugular attack on Khazakstan's business/gangster ruling class." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jun 15, 2013
89% In the Fog (2013) " Powerful existential drama about the tension between morality and the imperatives of warfare against the century's most immoral regime. A sign of the continuing health of Russian film after the devastating blow of Yeltsin's privatization." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jun 15, 2013
91% Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (2013) " Children's book author, antiwar agitator and pornographer for the carriage trade, Tomi Ungerer is one of the more interesting artists of the past half-century. Be thankful that this documentary captures his essence. " — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Jun 15, 2013
88% Hannah Arendt (2013) " Riveting biopic about the first target of the Israel lobby." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted May 21, 2013
78% Bidder 70 (2013) " Gripping documentary about a young man who risked a stiff prison sentence for doing something to stop global warming, a crisis that could lead to the deaths of 100 million people." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted May 18, 2013
—— Three Sisters (2013) " Wang Bing is the cinematic bard of the Chinese working class and peasantry. The film is must viewing for those who want to understand the grim realities behind China's highly touted "economic miracle". In other words, their 99 percent." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted May 10, 2013
67% Desperate Acts Of Magic (2013) " Does for the world of magic what "The Wrestler" did for another profession based on illusion. Much better than "The Prestige" even though with a more modest provenance." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted May 3, 2013
78% Juan of the Dead (2012) " Not only is this movie funnier than "Shawn of the Dead", its obvious inspiration, it is proof that Cuba is not a totalitarian dungeon." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Apr 26, 2013
98% Mud (2013) " Not quite as good as "Take Shelter" but still an intriguing story with a strong performance by Matthew McConaughey." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Apr 26, 2013
88% Herman's House (2013) " Reminiscent in some ways of the Damien Nichols story but more about a father-daughter relationship. It also shows what a gifted conceptual artist can do, making the Whitney Biennial look like a bit of a joke." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Apr 19, 2013
83% The Revolutionary (2013) " This aptly titled documentary draws upon the sharp memory and deep insights of a rueful nonagenarian. It might be of most interest to political people. If that describes you, DO NOT MISS IT." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Apr 12, 2013
60% American Meat (2013) " Very informative documentary even if it allows the filthy Steve Ells of Chipotle's a platform." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Apr 12, 2013
—— Smyrna: The Destruction of a Cosmopolitan City - 1900-1922 (2013) " As an object lesson in the reactionary possibilities of a nationalist revolution, this documentary is most instructive. It is also a reminder that people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds can live together." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Apr 5, 2013
55% The Company You Keep (2013) " The Way We Never Were (The Weather Underground never took part in armed robberies.)" — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 29, 2013
50% You Don't Need Feet to Dance (2013) " A great story about a great man and a reminder of why NYC remains one of the world's thriving metropolises. Hint: it makes it possible for someone like the film's subject to make a life for himself." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 22, 2013
100% Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home (2012) " Both social history and a cry for social justice, this is the best documentary on society's lower depths since "Dark Days"." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 19, 2013
100% Cuchillo de palo (108) (2013) " A landmark documentary on gay people that will become a classic like "Before Stonewall" or "The Celluloid Closet". At once a great family drama and detective story." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 19, 2013
30% Gut Renovation (2013) " An all out assault on NY real estate developers and their nonstop drive to turn one of the world's great cities into a Tower of Mammon." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 7, 2013
69% Greedy Lying Bastards (2013) " Next time NY won't be so lucky. A really big storm might kill thousands and leave us under water for months. This film shows us what forces are operating to make that more likely and what must be done to overcome them--starting with the Kochs." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 1, 2013
61% A Fierce Green Fire (2013) " Funny to see the rotten reviews of this film as if it were supposed to be entertaining as a romantic comedy. We are in deep shit, brothers and sisters, and this movie gives you and idea of how good people are trying to pull us out of it." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Mar 1, 2013
92% 11 Flowers (2013) " This brilliant coming-of-age story should demonstrate that Americans should be hacking Chinese computers to steal intellectual property and not the other way around--especially Hollywood." — rec.arts.movies.reviews
Posted Feb 23, 2013
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