|
2/10
|
71%
|
Lovely, Still (2010) |
"
A couple . . . who can still prove that true love never dies--only if love can survive this heavy-handed dose of sentimentality landing on it."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Sep 11, 2010
|
|
2/10
|
24%
|
Serious Moonlight (2009) |
"
Small indie that has all the ingredients of a typical Hollywood Meg Ryan romantic comedy from the 1990s, including Meg Ryan, but lacks the spark of the best of her genre."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 6, 2009
|
|
2/10
|
50%
|
Antarctica (2008) |
"
Amusingly makes the point that men can be rotten to each other like to women in so many heterosexual romantic comedies, but makes this point over and over again."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 27, 2008
|
|
3/10
|
55%
|
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) |
"
[A]musing flashes of imagination. . . . turn into a conventional road movie, with usual. . . quirky characters. . . Carell and Knightley [not] a convincing romantic couple."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jun 23, 2012
|
|
3/10
|
30%
|
Sarah Palin: You Betcha! (2011) |
"
Not a hatchet job. . .but adds so little insight by talking mostly to her enemies that a viewer almost becomes sympathetic about what she has to put up with. Almost."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Oct 9, 2011
|
|
3/10
|
38%
|
Robert J. Lifton: Nazi Doctors (2010) |
"
A disservice to an influential psychiatrist and to an audience interested in the history of the Holocaust. . .no thoughtful or clarifying interviewer."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Oct 6, 2010
|
|
3/10
|
74%
|
Greenberg (2010) |
"
It is always difficult to care for a film with a central character who is whiney, self-centered, and pathetic. This movie and Greenberg the character are no exception."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Mar 27, 2010
|
|
3/10
|
33%
|
Tickling Leo (2009) |
"
In beautifully photographed settings, brings together an excellent cast, which almost overcomes the film's very labored themes, but an unconvincing debut feature."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Sep 1, 2009
|
|
3/10
|
47%
|
Death in Love (2009) |
"
Even as the frustrated audience can already see the truths, secrets, and manipulations congeal around the characters, they seem impotent to stop being victims."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jul 18, 2009
|
|
3/10
|
19%
|
Dark Streets (2008) |
"
Sophisticated elements rise above this murk - Toledo as the MC and music that is a serious contribution to the blues repertory."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 14, 2008
|
|
3/10
|
48%
|
The Tree of Life (2008) |
"
Vivid animation, illustrations and puppetry lighten up interviews and elementary reflections on a personal history of Jews in Italy, better left to a family reunion."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 1, 2008
|
|
3/10
|
30%
|
Forgiveness (2006) |
"
Builds on real macabre coincidences to pile on symbolism higher and higher in time-tripping phantasmagoria of flashbacks, nightmares,fantasy and occasional credibility."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 1, 2008
|
|
4/10
|
29%
|
Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding (2012) |
"
Besides blatant chick flick romantic appeal, the mothers/daughters relationships hold a modicum of interest . . .plus an incidental memorial tribute to the late Levon Helm."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jun 8, 2012
|
|
4/10
|
33%
|
The Lady (2012) |
"
Well-meaning biopic will barely satisfy people's curiosity about a little-seen woman. Played up as more tragic personal sacrifice than politics, she remains a noble symbol."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Apr 23, 2012
|
|
4/10
|
56%
|
How to Grow a Band (2012) |
"
[H]as a promising story to follow [but] disappointing, either as an introduction to progressive bluegrass or for longtime Thile fans."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Apr 23, 2012
|
|
4/10
|
84%
|
Last Days Here (2012) |
"
Despite the miracle of the concluding uplift, the message is overwhelmingly that drugs will drown out the power of sex and rock 'n' roll."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Mar 3, 2012
|
|
4/10
|
82%
|
Incendiary: The Willingham Case (2011) |
"
Documentary about injustice piles on facts still needs to make a cinematic case [with] better graphics and clearer explanations. . .Fire images visually drown out reasoning."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Oct 21, 2011
|
|
4/10
|
0%
|
The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2011) |
"
[Despite] a rousing jam with elder blues icons [and] Zegers' showy role. . .story feels like a studied period recreation for the History Channel."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Aug 5, 2011
|
|
4/10
|
61%
|
Leaves of Grass (2010) |
"
Many clichés in uneven and odd mix of guffaws and philosophical analysis. . .[C]onsiderable violence surprisingly erupts...[M]ost fun is watching Norton interact with Norton."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Sep 23, 2010
|
|
4/10
|
62%
|
The Lottery (2010) |
"
Polemic plays on the heartstrings to bang the drum for charter schools, with drama against the teachers' union as the enemy."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jun 11, 2010
|
|
4/10
|
67%
|
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) |
"
Takes the woman's perspective to both mock and sympathize with the old-fashioned notion of The Great Man's Wife, but with a woefully underused ensemble."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 29, 2009
|
|
4/10
|
79%
|
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe (2009) |
"
A fond introduction to the activist lawyer by his daughters that may be more informative for their generation given that it covers little new ground."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 14, 2009
|
|
4/10
|
12%
|
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2009) |
"
Sarsgaard revels in a character who attracts all eyes and mouths, but the narration is too much of an explanatory crutch to parse the roundelay of identity exploration."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Apr 11, 2009
|
|
4/10
|
56%
|
Enlighten Up! (2009) |
"
Entertaining but superficial tour %u2014it never substantively differentiates the myriad of yoga options breezily presented."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Apr 1, 2009
|
|
4/10
|
76%
|
Our City Dreams (2008) |
"
Intimate opportunity to see successful women navigate the art world while infusing their work with feminist consciousness, but only glimpses of their lives and work process."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Feb 4, 2009
|
|
5/10
|
89%
|
A Place at the Table (2013) |
"
As moving as the real lives are, for a film clearly intending to be a call for action, hunger cries out for more journalism and not just depressing stories and statistics."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Mar 2, 2013
|
|
5/10
|
38%
|
Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) |
"
Modern day follow-up to Sunrise At Campobello. . .awkwardly grafted on follow-up to King's Speech [that] seems exaggerated. . .with winking FDR [and] insular view of Eleanor."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 18, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
25%
|
The Black Tulip (2012) |
"
Brave, well-meaning effort. . .with a mostly local crew in a high-risk locale. . . Best scenes in too-simplistic film are glimpses of cultural traditions, especially music."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Oct 27, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
87%
|
Arbitrage (2012) |
"
Competent, glossy thriller gussies up the familiar and articulately updates to the new Gilded Age. . . but with uncomfortable sympathy for the man at the pinnacle of the 1%."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Sep 15, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
59%
|
10 Years (2012) |
"
The Most Charming is Oscar Isaac. . who finally gets to be a romantic live wire in the movies. . . Too bad too much of the rest of the reunion and the film is so familiar."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Sep 15, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
87%
|
The Matchmaker (2012) |
"
Though aided by beautiful views of Haifa, some amusing entertainment, and flashes of poignancy, the appeal is mostly heavily laden, cross-generational nostalgia."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Aug 22, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
55%
|
How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? (2012) |
"
From inspiring bio. . .travels around the world for stunning views of his buildings and structures until collapsing into a promotional video for his global firm."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jan 25, 2012
|
|
5/10
|
76%
|
Bombay Beach (2011) |
"
[T]he moody film is a compassionate portrait, [but] wanders around the mostly downtrodden too much, even with brief flashes of optimism."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Oct 21, 2011
|
|
5/10
|
43%
|
Highwater (2010) |
"
Less on the surfing and more on the entertainingly eccentric surfers, but narration can be as insufferable as it is informative, with superficial clichés of sports reportage."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Aug 27, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
46%
|
Spoken Word (2010) |
"
Moving poetry, very appealing actors, lovely landscape, and resonant music can't quite make up for the predictable family story and dialogue in a heartfelt film."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jul 24, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
20%
|
Red Alert: The War Within (2010) |
"
Broadly uses the universality of melodramatic emotions to overwhelm specifically set moral and violent battles."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jul 9, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
20%
|
Convention (2009) |
"
Dogged, but anti-climactic cinema vérité tribute to the increasingly irrelevant quadrennial political show."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jun 5, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
83%
|
Daddy Longlegs (2010) |
"
Has the heartfelt acuity of autobiography, but not enough shape and direction to pace an unsentimental poignant story, and no explanation for the dad's almost crazy behavior."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted May 14, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
40%
|
Who Do You Love? (2010) |
"
Isn't the blues supposed to be cathartic and rock 'n' roll liberating? Recording maestro Chess is too tense and grim, and there are few joyous musical moments."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Apr 11, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
40%
|
For My Father (Sof Shavua B'Tel Aviv) (2010) |
"
Each character's complicated motivations challenge some stereotypes and reinforce others. Immediacy is undercut by formulaic elements, lessening the sense of regret."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jan 29, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
79%
|
Waiting for Armageddon (2010) |
"
Seems to think it's a new revelation about the last days for the Rest of Us if the visions of Christian evangelicals come true, and how they influence Mideast policy."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jan 8, 2010
|
|
5/10
|
62%
|
Brothers (2009) |
"
A sympathetic case study of PTSD, but seems to be solved by an embrace. The histrionics keep it short of the effectiveness of more restrained war-at-home message dramas."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 6, 2009
|
|
5/10
|
80%
|
It Might Get Loud (2009) |
"
[O]nly occasionally turns the volume up beyond fanboy adulation. . [and] the guitar gods never get off their thrones."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Aug 14, 2009
|
|
5/10
|
89%
|
O' Horten (2007) |
"
Charming and beautiful looking, but just another mode of transportation for a stubborn old guy lurching through a series of unscheduled stops while finally learning to live."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted May 22, 2009
|
|
5/10
|
70%
|
Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh (2009) |
"
Meticulously researched actions of this idealistic young woman surmount the film's tone of an official eulogy, but it struggles throughout to bring her back to life size."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Jan 29, 2009
|
|
5/10
|
86%
|
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006) |
"
Breathlessly details the step-by-step evolution of an enigmatic musical artist within pop culture from the 1960s on to the avant-garde, though little about the man."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 17, 2008
|
|
5/10
|
86%
|
The Witnesses (Les Temoins) (2007) |
"
Best when it turns from bed-hopping into a docudrama, but its effort to personalize the AIDS crisis is not emotionally convincing as the characters lose their individuality."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 14, 2008
|
|
5/10
|
72%
|
Under the Same Moon (2008) |
"
Some plot twists and encounters go beyond broad brushstrokes for complex characterizations to make corny seem meaningful. Cast and music add richness beyond the predictable."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Dec 14, 2008
|
|
5/10
|
78%
|
Bustin' Down the Door (2008) |
"
The birth of professional surfing emerges from a squall of repetitive-looking clips and technical jargon, plus a reflection on outsiders' insensitivity to native Hawaiians."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 27, 2008
|
|
5/10
|
48%
|
Bottle Shock (2008) |
"
You can enjoy the mild bouquet of Bottle Shock as pleasantly sparkling, but it could have been plummier. Rickman sends up a full-bodied sneering British snob."
—
Film-Forward.com
Posted Nov 10, 2008
|
78%
——
——
85%
45%
40%
