|
B-
|
79%
|
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet! (2013) |
"
While the meta-theatrical staging is artful and impeccable and the performances (pulled from a cast of actors Resnais has used over several decades) are superb, it's not the easiest film to sit through."
—
Oregonian
Posted Feb 21, 2013
|
|
C+
|
94%
|
Our Children () |
"
A drab, gloomy drama that doesn't provide any real enlightenment about why something so awful could happen."
—
Oregonian
Posted Feb 14, 2013
|
|
B+
|
92%
|
No (2013) |
"
Savvy, often brilliant ..."
—
Oregonian
Posted Feb 14, 2013
|
|
B-
|
90%
|
Beyond The Hills (2013) |
"
For all the arresting imagery and intensity on display here, there doesn't seem to be a point to this very long film beyond a very obvious one: showing just how terribly stupid and destructive belief can be when not underpinned by some measure of reason."
—
Oregonian
Posted Feb 7, 2013
|
|
B
|
93%
|
Barbara (2012) |
"
Worth seeing ... both for Petzold's singular aesthetic and for Hoss, who as usual is a riveting presence."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 31, 2013
|
|
A
|
98%
|
56 Up (2013) |
"
See you again in 7 years, friends."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 24, 2013
|
|
B+
|
82%
|
De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone) (2012) |
"
It doesn't have the same absorbing, epic qualities of "A Prophet." But Audiard's craft is still arresting, and the film hums with beauty, vigor and blood."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 10, 2013
|
|
B
|
84%
|
Smashed (2012) |
"
A worthy addition to the addiction-movie genre."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
C+
|
78%
|
Flight (2012) |
"
While the film around him is generally cheesy and obvious, Washington is to-the-bone real."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 1, 2012
|
|
B-
|
44%
|
The Paperboy (2012) |
"
While Daniels' work disappoints, his film is saved from disaster by uniformly terrific performances."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 11, 2012
|
|
C+
|
59%
|
La Rafle (2012) |
"
There are two halves to "La Rafle.""
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 9, 2012
|
|
B-
|
52%
|
Where Do We Go Now? (2012) |
"
Labaki's use of abrupt tonal shifts can be jarring, but her narrative is ambitious and anything but typical."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 12, 2012
|
|
B-
|
54%
|
Dr Seuss' The Lorax (2012) |
"
It's a diversion worth some giggles, a few visual wows and a brief reminder to do good, but unlike the Thneed, it's not something that everyone, EVERYONE, EVERYONE needs."
—
Oregonian
Posted Mar 1, 2012
|
|
C+
|
49%
|
Sleeping Beauty (2011) |
"
Though it seems appropriate to make "Sleeping Beauty" as empty, enervating and dull as its main character, it only serves to underscore the lack of entertainment or insight."
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 22, 2011
|
|
B
|
84%
|
Puss in Boots (2011) |
"
"Puss in Boots" isn't particularly deep, nor does it take itself seriously -- it just wants to seek glory, win affection and cash in. Done, done and done."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 27, 2011
|
|
|
83%
|
!Women Art Revolution (2011) |
"
A compelling story emerges of a feminist art movement inspired by the civil rights and anti-war movements, its loosely organized members striving for equality and recognition through guerrilla protest tactics that were in themselves art."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 26, 2011
|
|
B+
|
100%
|
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2011) |
"
Filled with personal vignettes and famous-people testimonials, the film has a few too many narrative digressions, but it's a moving portrait of all-too-human personalities and the dogged optimism that keeps them going."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 5, 2011
|
|
A-
|
41%
|
Straw Dogs (2011) |
"
Lurie's "Straw Dogs" argues we are products of our environment and learn to survive by embracing the attitudes and values around us, even when they contradict our own instincts."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 16, 2011
|
|
B
|
——
|
The Adults In The Room () |
"
A hard-to-classify movie that is both a dramatization of the adult-minor sexual relationship and a making-of documentary."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 1, 2011
|
|
B+
|
82%
|
The First Beautiful Thing (La prima cosa bella) (2011) |
"
The high-pitched emotions, gesticulations and occasional near-hysteria seem completely normal and genuine."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 7, 2011
|
|
A-
|
98%
|
Marwencol (2010) |
"
"Marwencol" is inspiring but also insightful because it refuses to gloss over complex, even discomfiting questions surrounding its endearing but troubled central character."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jan 6, 2011
|
|
B-
|
75%
|
Heartless (2010) |
"
"Heartless" is a bit of a jumble, especially in its last third. But it's got a distinct tone, contrasting romance and even outright sentimentality with urban dread and a few nasty visuals."
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 2, 2010
|
|
B+
|
91%
|
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010) |
"
Like "Casino Jack," Gibney's newest concerns greed, corruption and the nature of powerful people."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 18, 2010
|
|
A-
|
84%
|
Down Terrace (2010) |
"
Chances are you've never seen a crime family like the one in Ben Wheatley's unusual, ferociously witty dark comedy Down Terrace."
—
Oregonian
Posted Oct 28, 2010
|
|
B
|
56%
|
Calvin Marshall (2010) |
"
A baseball movie suffused with authentic patter and love for the game equal to that harbored by its titular character."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 26, 2010
|
|
C+
|
69%
|
Life During Wartime (2010) |
"
Happiness didn't really need a follow-up; it said everything it needed to say and had quite the indelible, ahem, climax. "
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 26, 2010
|
|
B-
|
81%
|
Cairo Time (2010) |
"
The plot doesn't really stand up to scrutiny, but Cairo Time works on an emotional level and is a hassle-free way to sample Egypt."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 19, 2010
|
|
B-
|
85%
|
Kisses (2010) |
"
Cute but foul-mouthed, tough but vulnerable and obviously crazy about each other in a reticent way, these kids are a wonderful presence, giving the most contrived scenes genuine emotion and a veneer of realness."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 13, 2010
|
|
|
76%
|
Let it Rain (Parlez-moi de la pluie) (2010) |
"
Agnès Jaoui's light farce is so crafty that one might not notice that the breezy story is really about a successful woman getting cut down to size for being too controlling."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 5, 2010
|
|
|
10%
|
The Oxford Murders (2010) |
"
So bad it's good, then? Alas, the whole thing is uncomfortable and boring, scotching any ironic enjoyment of its awfulness."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 5, 2010
|
|
|
——
|
D Tour (2009) |
"
Granato does a fine job of pulling all the disparate elements of the situation (including one terribly sad but ultimately uplifting twist) into a cogent, gripping and educational narrative."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 1, 2010
|
|
|
95%
|
Crumb (1995) |
"
Among the all-time great American documentaries."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 1, 2010
|
|
|
56%
|
The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2009) |
"
Plays like a glossy episode of "Cops," celebrating bad behaviors and welcoming audience voyeurism."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jul 1, 2010
|
|
B+
|
91%
|
Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work (2010) |
"
[Her] resolute raging at the twilight is what humanizes Rivers and gives Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg's film heart and potency."
—
Oregonian
Posted Jun 24, 2010
|
|
B-
|
53%
|
The Thorn in the Heart (2010) |
"
Gondry's masterful technique and subtle genre-tweaking almost make one forget that there isn't much drama to the story..."
—
Oregonian
Posted May 27, 2010
|
|
C-
|
20%
|
Birdemic: Shock And Terror (2008) |
"
It's a shame that Mystery Science Theater 3000 isn't around anymore to provide real context for what is at times a jaw-dropping wonder of clumsiness and banality."
—
Oregonian
Posted Apr 29, 2010
|
|
B
|
92%
|
Prodigal Sons (2010) |
"
This combination of amazing coincidences, sibling tensions and identity crises is a natural fit for the documentary form."
—
Oregonian
Posted Apr 22, 2010
|
|
B+
|
84%
|
The Art Of The Steal (2010) |
"
In spite of a fair amount of screen time for the move's proponents, Steal is a polemic that decries the subversion of Barnes' will and what it all means for the future of the arts."
—
Oregonian
Posted Mar 12, 2010
|
|
C+
|
45%
|
Until the Light Takes Us (2009) |
"
Long on atmosphere and short on context, the film dances around whatever points it wants to make, sticking solely to the players' points of view."
—
Oregonian
Posted Feb 4, 2010
|
|
|
100%
|
Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday) (1953) |
"
A great introduction to the work of Tati, who made only a few movies but is rightly recognized as one of the great visionary directors."
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 24, 2009
|
|
|
52%
|
Uncertainty (2009) |
"
Uncertainty is a long gimmick stylishly filmed and moderately enjoyable but plagued by tedious stretches and constant reminders of its own artificiality."
—
Oregonian
Posted Dec 24, 2009
|
|
B
|
95%
|
Crude (2009) |
"
While the audience may see smoking guns in every oily soil sample and every sick kid, Crude is only a progress report of a case that might last until well into the decade, the sordid details of which are still, pardon the pun, spilling out."
—
Oregonian
Posted Nov 12, 2009
|
|
B-
|
80%
|
It Might Get Loud (2009) |
"
Davis Guggenheim's documentary hints at high concept but doesn't follow through. Still, it entertains, in a messy, flailing way."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 4, 2009
|
|
|
63%
|
Extract (2009) |
"
Bateman's wry and deadpan reactions elevate his scenes with Affleck to something with a whiff of genius, and his steady presence in the less uproarious sequences makes them at least entertaining."
—
Oregonian
Posted Sep 4, 2009
|
|
|
——
|
Inglorious Bastards (Quel maledetto treno blindato) (Deadly Mission) (Counterfeit Commandos) (1978) |
"
A Peckinpah-ish variation on The Dirty Dozen, not terribly original but with well-executed World War II battle scenes, nudity and plenty of coarse talk."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 21, 2009
|
|
|
81%
|
Taxidermia (2006) |
"
For those who can handle it, a viewing is an experience not soon forgotten."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 21, 2009
|
|
A-
|
89%
|
Séraphine (2009) |
"
Seraphine, a biopic of the early-20th century French painter Seraphine Louis aka Seraphine de Senlis, is among the best of its kind, thanks in no small part to the utterly believable, vanity-free performance of Yolande Moreau in the title role."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 21, 2009
|
|
B-
|
26%
|
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009) |
"
The gold standard of used-car comedies is still, well, Used Cars. But I laughed out loud about a dozen times watching The Goods, and not even in spite of myself."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 14, 2009
|
|
|
100%
|
Trafic (Traffic) (1972) |
"
Trafic is a relative trifle but nevertheless delightful."
—
Oregonian
Posted Aug 7, 2009
|
77%
37%
93%
85%
45%
40%
