|
3/4
|
50%
|
Bert Stern: Original Madman (2013) |
"
An effusive, sad, visually gorgeous, and illuminating portrait of the artist."
—
Boston Globe
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
76%
|
No Place On Earth (2013) |
"
[A] fascinating but frustrating documentary ..."
—
Boston Globe
Posted May 2, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
24%
|
Arthur Newman (2013) |
"
"He was kind of boring," Kevin says to Mina about his dad. "I mean, the lectures." And boring he remains."
—
Boston Globe
Posted Apr 25, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
87%
|
Upstream Color (2013) |
"
While I feel compelled to see it again, I don't have high hopes that it will make any more sense."
—
Boston Globe
Posted Apr 11, 2013
|
|
|
100%
|
Sans Toit ni Loi (Vagabond) (Without Roof or Rule) (1985) |
"
The road movie takes a somber turn in this austerely beautiful 1985 French drama by Agnes Varda."
—
Chicago Reader
Posted Apr 4, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
87%
|
The Silence (2013) |
"
"The Silence" is a victim of over-plotting, clunky narrative, gratuitous stylization, and too many points of view."
—
Boston Globe
Posted Mar 21, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
93%
|
Sugar (2008) |
"
Boden and Fleck are attentive to detail and the nuances of social interaction -- in the cornfields of Middle America as well as in the Dominican Republic. And Sugar is a thorny but endearing hero."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 20, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
79%
|
Ginger & Rosa (2013) |
"
Few other films have depicted so acutely the crushing disillusionment and infinite hope of growing up."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 20, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
29%
|
Upside Down (2013) |
"
Worth a look if only for the Caspar David Friedrich-inspired imagery and shots of Timothy Spall's teeth."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 15, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
16%
|
A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013) |
"
When the subtlest part of your film is Charlie Sheen's performance, you've got a problem."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 13, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
39%
|
The ABCs of Death (2013) |
"
Judging from their contributions, some of the filmmakers behind this 26-part anthology find death less fearsome than the thought of a cute girl farting."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 13, 2013
|
|
|
60%
|
Rubberneck (2013) |
"
A disturbing and deceptively subtle psychological thriller ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
29%
|
Let My People Go! (2013) |
"
Though the film alludes repeatedly to the story of Exodus, it remains bound to hysterical stereotypes and hyperbolic plotting."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
44%
|
Habibi Rasak Kharban (Habibi) (2012) |
"
Based on a 9th-century poem about similar lovers at the mercy of historical turmoil, Youssef's debut film captures the ecstasy and desperation of frustrated passion as it presents a desolate portrait of Palestine today."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
67%
|
Stoker (2013) |
"
The power of the dream-like imagery lingers, and the horror felt is not visceral, but metaphysical."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
100%
|
Call Me Kuchu (2013) |
"
[An] eloquent, devastating documentary ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 21, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
89%
|
White Zombie (1932) |
"
Occasional Ed Wood-like campiness notwithstanding, it established a genre that would rise from the grave whenever the economic state of the cinema age might summon it."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 13, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
45%
|
Beautiful Creatures (2013) |
"
LaGravanese at times spins striking images - a scene in which Ethan walks into a magical time warp is particularly nightmarish. But he also has a weakness for clichés; I guess he's been taking lessons from the wrong books."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 12, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
40%
|
Parker (2013) |
"
I fear he might get beaten up at the box office ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 30, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
76%
|
Hors Satan (2013) |
"
God works in strange ways, especially when Bruno Dumont directs him. Or is that the devil?"
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 30, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
30%
|
Broken City (2013) |
"
To paraphrase Roman Polanski's masterful noir, it's not Chinatown."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 23, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
59%
|
The Last Stand (2013) |
"
That Second Amendment sure kicks ass."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 23, 2013
|
|
—
|
79%
|
A Late Quartet (2012) |
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 22, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
93%
|
Amour (2012) |
"
Two of the world's best actors, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, play Amour's octogenarian couple, so it's surprising that the characters aren't very interesting."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 17, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
——
|
Indelible Lalita () |
"
This gently inspiring documentary suggests that, at least in Lalita's case, identity can transcend all change."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
82%
|
Seven Psychopaths (2012) |
"
McDonagh achieves the tricky feat of balancing cleverness, carnage, and compassion."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
|
87%
|
Frankenweenie (2012) |
"
Extended to feature length, the premise doesn't thin out but gains substance and momentum. "
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
85%
|
Chronicle (2012) |
"
Such cleverness doesn't save the film from predictability and contrivance; it's a triumph of mindlessness over matter."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Looper (2012) |
"
Is it derivative? Not really; just a reminder that cinema, like history, is on a continuous loop, forever repeating itself."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
There are many heroes in Ben Affleck's spunky, polished political thriller. But the biggest hero is Hollywood itself."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) |
"
Russell keeps the outcome interesting; he knows that every silver lining has a cloud. "
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013) |
"
Densely detailed, superbly shot and acted, illuminating and thrilling, it is the best film of 2012."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 1, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
61%
|
Jack Reacher (2012) |
"
[A] flaccid thriller adapted by Christopher McQuarrie from Lee Child's series of novels."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 27, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
51%
|
Promised Land (2013) |
"
Van Sant's direction is as subtle as the fracking process itself."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 27, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
82%
|
Rust and Bone (2012) |
"
Cotillard's performance is a match for the histrionics, but Rust and Bone still could cut a lot of fat."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 19, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
66%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) |
"
By the third time someone hangs by his fingertips over a gaping void, or Gandalf shouts "Run!" so they can flee the latest CGI monstrosity, the Lonely Mountain seems far away indeed."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 13, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
33%
|
Deadfall (2012) |
"
Holiday get-togethers traditionally spark family conflict, but this is ridiculous."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 6, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
89%
|
A Royal Affair (2012) |
"
Chances are a movie about 18th-century Danish history might not be a grabber. But this one could have been ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 29, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012) |
"
Though it distracts from the realism that makes the novel so immersive, the artificiality does highlight the most genuine aspect of the movie - the performances."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 15, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
94%
|
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters (2012) |
"
Ben Shapiro shot this documentary over 10 years and not only achieves a portrait of the artist but also captures the artistic process itself, following Crewdson from initial inspiration to finished product."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 13, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
53%
|
Simon and the Oaks (2012) |
"
The German occupation barely makes an impression in Lisa Ohlin's sluggish adaptation of Marianne Fredriksson's novel."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012) |
"
Shot in sepia tints, with detailed period sets and ornate facial hair, the tableaux vivants that constitute Steven Spielberg's wry hagiography resemble Mathew Brady daguerreotypes, and are about as lively."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012) |
"
Skyfall has earned the franchise the right to yet another sequel, if not another 50 years."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
Holy Motors (2012) |
"
The most brilliant and exhilarating film of the year."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 31, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
68%
|
Cloud Atlas (2012) |
"
The most disappointing film of the year."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 26, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
88%
|
The Big Picture (2012) |
"
A word of advice to anyone who kills his wife's lover, fakes his own death, assumes the dead guy's name, and flees to a seaside Balkan town: leave the camera at home."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 25, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
100%
|
High Ground (2012) |
"
Backed by the astounding beauty of the Himalayas, their struggle to reach the peak is healing for them and illuminating for the rest of us."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 25, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
94%
|
The Sessions (2012) |
"
A powerful expression of our common needs, fears, and consolations."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 25, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
95%
|
Sister (2012) |
"
Despite the twist at the end, this seems as rote as the circling ski lifts that are Meier's recurring metaphor."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 18, 2012
|