|
——
|
Fata Morgana (1971)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
43%
|
Parade (1974)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
——
|
Ici et ailleurs (Here and Elsewhere) (1976)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
93%
|
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu) (2006)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
75%
|
Gabrielle (2006)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
——
|
Kdo chce zabít Jessii? (Who Wants to Kill Jessie?) (2006)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
——
|
The Bloody Child (1996)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
93%
|
Gwoemul (The Host) (2007)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
92%
|
Frost/Nixon (2008)
|
"Its boxing metaphor plays out in such mind-numbingly literal terms, there might as well have been a woman in a bikini announcing the beginning of each day's interview."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
40%
|
The Bucket List (2007)
|
"The only Ang Lee film where he shows even a modicum of originality in his direction or any real personality or interesting visual flair."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
71%
|
This Land Is Mine (1943)
|
"It moves along like a well-oiled machine until the devestating final act ties all of the smaller stories together, making it's point without being overbearing or obvious."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
100%
|
Lessons of Darkness (1995)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
89%
|
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
|
"[Its] moralizing is dishonest and at times offensive. No matter how effectively a story is told, it's hard to buy into one that so often deceives its audience."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
80%
|
Bitter Victory (1957)
|
"There is a sense that while the men here are well-versed in the theories of war, they are clueless about the realities of combat."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
88%
|
Down by Law (1986)
|
"Its soul is the same as all Jarmusch films, but here he digs a bit deeper into the roots of his own methodology and that to which he is opposed."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
81%
|
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
|
"With A Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman has once again showcased his talent for creating complex, insular worlds for his characters to inhabit."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
65%
|
Perfect Blue (1999)
|
"[An] nime thriller [that] often plays as an examination of identity and celebrity, but ultimately gets so lost in its own complex structure that it doesn't end up saying much at all."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
71%
|
The Seventh Continent (Der Siebente Kontinent) (1989)
|
"A stunning examination of the effects of emotional isolation and the inability to communicate in the modern age."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
33%
|
Benny's Video (1992)
|
"Similar to The Seventh Continent, this film's objective is to analyze and deconstruct the effects rather than senselessly guess their causes"
|
Derek Smith
|
|
89%
|
They Live (1988)
|
"Carpenter's ability to fuse the bawdy humor and action with an intelligent script make for a genre film that is both thoughtful and entertaining"
|
Derek Smith
|
|
91%
|
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
|
"It remains stuck in a limbo state that more and more indie films find themselves these days, because of its non-committal attitude."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
100%
|
Top Hat (1935)
|
"Top Hat does not glorify wealth or upper class status - if anything it continually pokes fun at it."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
83%
|
Hwal (The Bow) (2007)
|
"A painful experience that no amount of eye candy can make up for."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
90%
|
Pandora's Box (1929)
|
"One of the great films about the mysterious allure of the female form and the destructive power of the male gaze that's inflicted upon it."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
61%
|
The New World (2005)
|
"A melancholy revery of a time when nature provided a spiritual sustenance that could not be replaced by religious or social order."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
——
|
The Firm ()
|
"A jarring exploration of the male psyche and the devastating consequences of pride and uncontained machismo in a society where men's lives have lost meaning."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
100%
|
Salesman (1968)
|
"Functions as both a tribute to their work ethic and a condemnation of the system that considers such a profession a healthy route to the American dream."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
87%
|
Funny Ha Ha (2003)
|
"One of the most accurate portrayals of post-collegiate disillusionment"
|
Derek Smith
|
|
71%
|
The World (Shijie) (2005)
|
"The World is less a condemnation of the current state of the world than an attempt to explain and come to terms with it."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
77%
|
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
|
"its tongue-in-cheek humor effortlessly gives way to poignant drama and period musical pieces throughout."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
41%
|
Where the Truth Lies (2005)
|
"A delightfully seedy mystery who's joy lies only in the journey."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
100%
|
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
|
"shocks audiences with its blatant racism yet remains one of the defining films of the silent era."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
93%
|
Grizzly Man (2005)
|
"Offers the best that non-fiction films have to offer, where the filmmaker is able to interact with, rather than simply react to, his subject..."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
91%
|
Downfall (Der Untergang) (2004)
|
"Downfall takes on the unenviable task of portraying [Hitler] as a man, rather than a caricature or parody as the norm has dictated."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
71%
|
Stardust Memories (1980)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
57%
|
Last Days (2005)
|
"Van Sant again sidesteps all of the typical narrative trappings and here his style clearly justifies itself."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
81%
|
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
|
"Walks a thin line between sincerity and pretension, but ultimately deals with enough issues head-on to make the occassionally excessive quirkiness forgivable."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
100%
|
Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)
|
|
Derek Smith
|
|
84%
|
Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)
|
"It's amazing how little we end up knowing about the specific schools and the environment where these kids come from and how much time we're left watching them look cute."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
83%
|
Rize (2005)
|
"The dancing, which at first may seem purely ridiculous, becomes an expression of their tortured souls"
|
Derek Smith
|
|
——
|
Fröken Julie (Miss Julie) (1952)
|
"A vivid portrait of class barriers, overbearing social mores and the torrid, forbidden love affair that is effected by it."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
——
|
Ici Et Ailleurs (1994)
|
"A vibrant discussion of the nature of the image and how they come to define our reality."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
82%
|
The Age of Innocence (1993)
|
"The great tragedy is that the hypocrisies that Newland and Olenska work to reveal are the very same ones that ultimately destroy everything passionate and human within them."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
97%
|
Werckmeister Harmóniák (2001)
|
"It is an arduous task, but the film achieves a transcendent and ethereal beauty that only the few truly great masterpieces attain."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
88%
|
Air Force (1943)
|
"It isn't one of the director's most impressive outputs, but when a solid genre entry such as this is one of your "lesser" films, it says a lot about the quality of your work."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
67%
|
Nouvelle vague (New Wave) (1990)
|
"Nouvelle Vague may be Godard's most complex and layered film, but attempting to unlock its secrets makes it one of his most rewarding."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
51%
|
In Praise Of Love (Éloge de l'amour) (2002)
|
"Love, in Godard's case, is indistinguishable from cinema and thus he sees the growing capitalist machine as a threat to both."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
82%
|
Trust (1991)
|
"A bold film that defies logic and the rules of screenwriting"
|
Derek Smith
|
|
53%
|
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
|
"There is a distinct sense that Anderson is trying to re-invent himself with this film."
|
Derek Smith
|
|
100%
|
All I Desire (You Belong to Me) (1995)
|
"[It] may be the most ironic statement on the disturbing allure of 50s suburbia that Sirk ever made."
|
Derek Smith
|
87%
24%
91%
85%
45%
40%
