Sara Maria Vizcarrondo Movie Reviews & Previews

Critics » Sara Maria Vizcarrondo

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Sara Maria Vizcarrondo

Agrees with the Tomatometer 70% of the time.

Biography:: Slant Magazine film critic.
Favorites:: Vivre sa vie, Ikiru, Brief Encounter, Rabbit Moon, Lawrence of Arabia
Publications:: Boxoffice Magazine , Movies With Butter , Rotten Tomatoes , Slant Magazine
Critics' Group:: San Francisco Film Critics Circle

Total Reviews:: 239

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 151 - 200 of 239

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
3/5	43%	The Proposal (2009)	" A high gloss, studio Romcom with clichéd jokes and conflicts that are as uncontroversial as they are predictable, The Proposal is rooted in the most classical of conventions and still finds ways to be surprisingly enchanting." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jun 18, 2009
3/5	43%	Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)	" Second (and third) chances abound for this cast of characters." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 19, 2009
5/5	85%	Treeless Mountain (2009)	" I crossed. It's the sort of "slice of life" that defies words, which is perhaps why these little girls and their overwhelmingly grey world are rendered in such quietude." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 15, 2009
2.5/4	78%	Dai-Nipponjin (Big Man Japan) (2009)	" Matsumoto and Mitsuyoshi Takasu trade the grand for the gargantuan, the battle-drama for the video game fight." — Slant Magazine Posted May 14, 2009
5/5	98%	Up (2009)	" Breakneck speedy, hysterically funny and appropriately lithe, UP handles itself in action with the same intensity as with comedy, never stopping to leave room for a laugh or a gasp." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 13, 2009
2/5	94%	Home (2009)	" The intimacy between Harden's poetess mother and her wistful and willful daughter is palpable and the film's strongest moments owe much to their chemistry." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 7, 2009
4/5	——	Ferlinghetti: A City Light (2008)	" Truly, the authenticity of this doc, by photographer and filmmaker Christopher Felver, sweeps you off your feet." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 30, 2009
4.5/5	93%	Oblivion (2009)	" Poetic in its structure and humane in its storytelling, Oblivion is poignant, filled with interviews that effortlessly speak volumes." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 15, 2009
3/5	17%	The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)	" You may laugh at the dramatics but you'll be afraid to turn the light off when you go to bed." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 30, 2009
3.5/5	80%	Audience of One (2007)	" Too good to be missed." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 30, 2009
3/5	79%	Throw Down Your Heart (2008)	" There's tragedy lurking behind every story, but also a necessity that transforms mere histories into something sacred." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 18, 2009
3.5/5	77%	Valentino: The Last Emperor (2009)	" Beautifully organized." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 18, 2009
2.5/5	33%	Knowing (2009)	" A strange blend of apocalypse fantasy and Christian uplift, Alex Proyas' follow up to I, Robot is every bit as beautiful as we'd expect, though not quite as tasteful." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 18, 2009
2/5	7%	Waiting For Dublin (2007)	" [It's] aiming at pleasantly diverting, and can't seem to hit that reasonably located target." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 12, 2009
3.5/5	41%	The Last House on the Left (2009)	" The remake kind of neuters the unpredictable (and sometimes wild) characters in the service of making them less ethically complicated." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 12, 2009
3/5	52%	Shuttle (2009)	" Solid, effective and perfect for date night." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 6, 2009
2.5/5	25%	Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)	" This exercise in capitalist wish fulfillment is not unlike a Depression Era Studio Fantasy." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 11, 2009
4/5	41%	He's Just Not That Into You (2009)	" Like a really good date, you'll be crossing fingers this one won't end until the morning." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 4, 2009
4/5	75%	Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008)	" A solid picture that leaves much for discussion, Crips and Bloods maps the paths, even if it leaves some lots vacant along the way." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jan 27, 2009
3/5	88%	Mock Up on Mu (2008)	" Reads like the love child of Jean-Luc Godard's Histoire du Cinema and Carl Reiner's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jan 16, 2009
3/5	81%	Prima Ballerina (2009)	" That something so beautiful can exist in this modern world is, itself, a source of wonder." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jan 16, 2009
3/5	33%	Not Easily Broken (2009)	" Ultimately, Not Easily Broken is too sincere, and frankly, offers too much in the way of social comment to let its shortcomings outweigh its strengths." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jan 9, 2009
2/5	44%	Let Them Chirp Awhile (2008)	" The film ends up feeling like even creative inspiration and apotheosis is hopeless because all that can ever emerge from these characters is derivative of some earlier work. When you look at it this way, Chirp can't help seeming like a time capsule..." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jan 5, 2009
3.5/5	71%	Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five (2008)	" For a film with an aim as ambitious and illusive as the depiction of the spiritual, The Secrets has a surprisingly light touch." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Dec 5, 2008
4/5	94%	Milk (2008)	" The authenticity this Oregon native [director Gus Van Sant] provides is palpable and, at times, breathtaking." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Nov 26, 2008
3/5	33%	The Guitar (2008)	" A strong, kind-hearted start to a hopefully active career [for director Amy Redford]." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Nov 10, 2008
2/5	65%	The Universe of Keith Haring (2008)	" It's hard to say Clausen's done anything original here." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Oct 24, 2008
3/5	84%	Nights and Weekends (2008)	" One imagines the film is making a gentle attempt to be a modern Scenes from a Marriage, and while that's a tall order, Gerwig and Swanberg aren't terribly far from the mark." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Oct 10, 2008
2/5	82%	Saving Marriage (2006)	" The problem here is that, while this seems like a story rife with the drama of ages, it's also a story mired by the drudgery of bureaucracy." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Oct 10, 2008
4/5	92%	Obscene (2008)	" The doc formally mirrors its subject in its pacing, which balances the titillation/education of the doc's subject with consistent and pleasantly teasing speed and tone from start to finish." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Sep 30, 2008
2.5/5	30%	Forgiveness (2006)	" The film's laudable attempts to encompass the far-reaching quagmire of Jewish tribal identity, politics and psychology could have a profound effect on the audiences who do find it." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Sep 12, 2008
3/5	57%	Monster Camp (2008)	" Contains its fair share of self-awareness but eschews the ridicule a lesser doc might employ in search of cheap laughs." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Sep 2, 2008
.5/5	2%	Disaster Movie (2008)	" I half expected to see the spoof-making team in direct address, explaining the supremacy of the tentpole uber-alice, perhaps while backed by Emperor Palpatine." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 29, 2008
1.5/5	18%	Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)	" The animation is very hard to overcome. Even if one doesn't go in expecting Pixar production values, it's hard to see past the mechanical quality of the characters' movements -- which, by the way, makes the robots in the film look great." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 14, 2008
2/5	——	1000 Journals (2007)	" Though the film is short, the subject it tracks is somewhat unwieldy, and you can almost feel the hands of writer/director/producer Andrea Kreuzhage stretching to fit it all in -- a Herculean task." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 8, 2008
3.5/5	100%	Kenny (2008)	" Funny, accessible and ultimately a good time." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 1, 2008
2.5/5	68%	CSNY Déjà Vu (2008)	" One can't help finding it funny that the most poorly positioned elements in the film are musical ones, yet the uniquely raw and under-produced sound of the band does find itself a comfortable home in this raw and under-produced doc." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jul 25, 2008
2/5	7%	Red Roses and Petrol (2008)	" Mired by cliché and oddly beset by a sense of false Irishness." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jun 27, 2008
2/5	41%	Hancock (2008)	" I'm not so sure Berg is losing faith that his audience can follow along...but in the face of so many comic book films entering theatres, it seems a poor choice to differentiate yours by way of tacky TV-level antics." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jun 26, 2008
3/5	85%	In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2008)	" Though disaffect is certainly a recurrent mood, Search is a strangely heartfelt little film 1/2a lot like Swingers but with a more cynical edge." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jun 13, 2008
3.5/5	17%	The Happening (2008)	" Portraying moments of drama and danger with a Hitchcockian lack of ceremony, Shyamalan's mundane depictions of tragedy create a quiet but weighty resonance." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jun 12, 2008
1.5/5	17%	Six Sex Scenes and a Murder (2008)	" Ultimately, the only thing holding this film together is its dedication to its thesis of a title, which it follows to the letter. Very little in the film seems relevant." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jun 6, 2008
3/5	50%	Sex and the City (2008)	" Itâ(TM)s the fashion Olympics. Think of it that way, and whatâ(TM)s not to like?" — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 30, 2008
2/5	20%	Dalai Lama Renaissance (2007)	" Aesthetically, Dalai Lama Renaissance is well intended, but--like the conference it depicts--in need of more thorough (self) realization." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 23, 2008
1/5	0%	Short Order (2008)	" While the aesthetic is charming, colorful and full of whimsy, Anthony Byrne's partial musical Short Order is wildly uneven and tragically underdeveloped." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 16, 2008
4/5	88%	Reprise (2006)	" Charming, clever and well made, Norway's Reprise employs just the right kind of meta." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 16, 2008
1/5	——	The Cry (La Llorona) (2008)	" La Llorona is a great, powerful and meaningful myth, and you'd be hard-pressed to find better inspiration for a horror film. Sadly, this isn't the film that does the subject matter justice." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 2, 2008
2/5	77%	The War on Democracy (2007)	" While this diligently researched film cogently moves from Latin American nation to Latin American nation, explaining the strangely predictable cycle of uprisings among these countries, it's ultimately hard to identify the audience it addresses." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted May 2, 2008
3/5	86%	Dare Not Walk Alone (2006)	" It's nothing short of breathtaking to see these demonstrations, and the clear and unmitigated cruelty incurred by these activists, from the points of view of general passersby." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 25, 2008
1.5/5	63%	Super High Me (2007)	" Though the point of the film is somewhat obscured by its unwieldy structure (stoned director? high editor?), the project overall has the potential to be the stoner's Rocky Horror Picture Show." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 14, 2008
3.5/5	39%	Dark Matter (2008)	" While imperfect, the high caliber of acting as well as these lucid moments in the earlier part of the film are strong and memorable highlights with which to leave the theatre." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 14, 2008
	80%	Never Forever (2007)	" A beautiful and insightful picture." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 11, 2008
3/5	30%	Chaos Theory (2008)	" Some turns in direction are subtle and charmingly rendered and, most notably, paired very, very well with performances to occasionally memorable effect." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 11, 2008
3/5	50%	Smart People (2008)	" Tone and timing are managed rather well by director Noam Murro, and what little dialogue the film employs gives one a sense of the larger context that allows disaffected bodies like the Wetherhold family to thrive." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 11, 2008
3/5	48%	The Ruins (2008)	" Though commentaries on politics, nature and evolution arise, the film doesn't push them too hard or far as such might detract from the slow building bedlam-which is strikingly satisfying." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 4, 2008
3/5	98%	Blindsight (2006)	" Heartrending and full of complexity." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 4, 2008
4/5	92%	The Cool School (2008)	" Sweeps you off your feet with quick-witted visuals and cleverly used archival footage." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Apr 4, 2008
3/5	72%	American Zombie (2007)	" Quippy send up of identity politics documentaries offers some occasionally biting moments." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 28, 2008
1.5/5	7%	Shutter (2008)	" Its PG-13 rating and basic lack of gore seem designed to be uncontroversial, but of course the result of all this anti-controversy is a really dull film." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 21, 2008
2/5	83%	Planet B-Boy (2007)	" Utilitarian documentary about international breakdancing championship in Germany proves lackluster in its depiction of inventive choreography and culture." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 21, 2008
4/5	——	On Broadway (2008)	" offers some truly sweet parts that feel like a return to the indies of the early '90s, when regional cinema still felt fresh and full of purpose." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 17, 2008
	85%	All in This Tea (2007)	" A beautiful metaphor for filmmaking and a painful comment on the price of civilization." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 17, 2008
2.5/5	17%	Sleepwalking (2008)	" It's apparent some meaningful visuals are being approached here, but it seems like the film keeps missing its mark." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 17, 2008
4/5	52%	Funny Games (2008)	" Performances are stellar." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 17, 2008
	94%	My Name Is Albert Ayler (2008)	" Smart and savvy doc" — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 13, 2008
	100%	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream (2008)	" The band is treated reverently, which will no doubt please fans, but its eternal length may test the dedication of even Petty fanatics." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 7, 2008
	79%	The Bank Job (2008)	" Acting and directing are consistently high caliber, but relatively de rigeur for the lot." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 7, 2008
	8%	10,000 B.C. (2008)	" The sheer spectacle of the film makes it an easier sell on the big screen than on DVD" — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Mar 7, 2008
	91%	Shotgun Stories (2007)	" Breathtaking and stands out from the herd." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 29, 2008
	48%	The Tree of Life (2008)	" There's a strange sort of vacuousness to Tre, Eric Byler's newest installment on relationships amidst directionless twentysomethings." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 19, 2008
	——	Finding Kraftland ()	" Interesting as a catalogue of one man's collection of pop-culture memorabilia, Finding Kraftland doesn't really stretch to become anything more." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 19, 2008
	——	Row Hard No Excuses ()	" Poetic and well paced, Luke Wolbach's travelogue follows John Zeigler and Tom Mailhot, from their homes in Essex, Mass., to their reappearance on dry land after their journey at sea." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 19, 2008
	100%	Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (2003)	" The Adaptation the sort of film, like the one which inspired it, that easily worms it's way into your heart. The love isn't just on the screen, it's all around." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 19, 2008
	——	Being Michael Madsen (2007)	" Give it time. There's a lot here to like." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 19, 2008
	87%	Liberty Kid (2008)	" As volatile as the subject matter is here, Liberty Kid is shockingly subtle. Massive aspects about the relationship between Tico and Derrick are only inferred and the performances of the leads are really quite good." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Feb 19, 2008
	90%	A Walk to Beautiful (2008)	" Has the gentle feel of traditional anthropology." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jan 31, 2008
	55%	Romulus, My Father (2008)	" A beautiful mediation on the struggle of immigrants in Australia and the power of the father-son bond." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Oct 6, 2007
5/5	92%	Brand Upon the Brain! (2006)	" This more-than-surreal feat is swimming in winks and nods to Maddin's influences. Moments of Bunuel, Hitchcock and Lang are everywhere." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 30, 2007
3.5/5	81%	Vanaja (2006)	" Sumptuously visual without being romantic or sentimental, Vanaja intelligently pits the social struggles of the Indian caste system against the beauties of adolescents." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 30, 2007
5/5	89%	Forever (2007)	" Internationally revered documentarian Heddy Honigmann lends her voice to this heartbreakingly beautiful exposition on the enduring nature of art that takes place almost entirely in the famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 30, 2007
4.5/5	91%	Strange Culture (2007)	" Hershman-Leeson's film amply lives up to the task of exposing and criticizing this governmental wrong that typifies the current context of paranoia while also highlighting the massive divide that continues to grow between art and government." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 30, 2007
2.5/5	80%	Born and Bred ()	" We search for something redeeming, which we finally receive but far too late." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Aug 30, 2007
4/5	98%	The Devil Came on Horseback (2007)	" One of the most painful documentaries made in the last many years." — Boxoffice Magazine Posted Jul 27, 2007
3/4	91%	Your Mommy Kills Animals (2007)	" What feels like a lack of propaganda makes the film all the more cogent, intelligent, and powerful." — Slant Magazine Posted Jul 15, 2007
3/4	87%	Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox (2007)	" The documentary leaves you feeling hopeful and tingly all over." — Slant Magazine Posted Jun 28, 2007
2/4	74%	The Illusionist (2006)	" The film suffers under the weight of non-committal performances and awkward accents." — Slant Magazine Posted Aug 14, 2006
2.5/4	35%	The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)	" Similar to its two predecessors in melodrama and gloss, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift follows in its own tradition of quality." — Slant Magazine Posted Jun 15, 2006
3/4	71%	Friends With Money (2006)	" An understated comedy about money in a classless social setting." — Slant Magazine Posted Apr 4, 2006
3/4	91%	Water (2005)	" Unjustly victim to the same religious system to which the main character is faithful, her confines are a strange necessity to her as is the water to the lilies." — Slant Magazine Posted Mar 24, 2006

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