The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013)

"A near perfect masterpiece which tries hard to sprint on three legs but ultimately stumbles due to the weakness of its fourth one ... The problem is the love story. Frankly I'm not sure this film needed a love story, but it has one and it's a disaster."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Arthur Newman (2013)

"Unbelievably excruciating film ... [and] egregious waste of time & talent ... less than halfway through, I was already ready to run. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

The Brass Teapot (2013)

"The Brass Teapot is played for laughs and the two leads, Juno Temple and Michael Angarano, are adorable together ... This is Ramaa Mosley's first full-length feature and she comes to the task with lots of energy and a good eye for color and detail."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Everybody Has a Plan (2013)

"I won't pretend the plot isn't a bit convoluted, but I don't think that matters as much as the terrific acting ... [and Ana] Piterbarg does a superlative job of creating a mood filled with gut-wrenching tension, and poignant with missed opportunity. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Safe Haven (2013)

"Plot holes? Sure! ... [But] the reveals are well-placed and ... I'm not ashamed to say that I cried at the end, and so did the two gals to my left... So kudos to Lasse Hallstrom: there is no need to apologize for the occasional 'guilty pleasure'. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Admission (2013)

"Promoted as a RomCom, this is actually a fairly serious meditation on who gets to determine who is "the best" in the winner-take-all culture of 21st Century America ... Admission is not a perfect film, but it's no mere ChickFlick/RomCom either. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Augustine (2013)

"French director Alice Winocour dazzles with her first feature, a scrupulously researched dramatization of a real case ... [Winocour] takes her subject seriously, filming Augustine with an intensity that allows absolutely no comic relief. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Hava Nagila: The Movie (2013)

"Roberta Grossman's terrifically edited & thoroughly enjoyable doc takes something you thought you already knew & turns it inside out ... there is literally never a dull moment-even when the clips are black and white, they're still amazingly colorful."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Return (2012)

"Lowkey, downbeat drama that beautifully captures the everyday rhythms of real life. Writer/director Liza Johnson has clearly made a conscious decision to avoid melodrama."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Your Sister's Sister (2012)

"Your Sister's Sister is wonderfully acted and well-paced, with naturally-flowing dialogue and surprising plot twists. I came to care very much about these three people ... Shelton had my total attention from the first scene to the last. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

"Funny in the beginning; touching at the end. Highly recommended ... [Seeking a Friend for the End of the World] is as light as a feather, and I carried it with me for days afterwards."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Pariah (2011)

"Touching debut performance by Adepero Oduye, but what elevates this above a standard (albeit very well-done) 'coming of age' story is Wayans-outstanding as mother 'Audrey'."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Carnage (2011)

"Treating [Reza's] original script as sacred text ... [the] "less is more" adaptation becomes stagey and fake, and ultimately a waste of time and talent. This is a shame because Carnage is perfectly cast ... but in the end it's just not enough."

Jan Lisa Huttner

The Woman in Black (2012)

"Pure mindless fun with a committed performance by Daniel Radcliffe. Kudos to Jane Goldman for another great genre-perfect screenplay."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

"To be honest, I have mixed feelings about all of this ...but it's all been done with such dedication and youthful energy that reading over what I've just written makes me feel like a bitter old hag. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Musical Chairs (2012)

"Director Susan Seidelman's latest film is thin but enjoyable ... As ridiculous as this premise may be, Seidelman & her charming cast actually pull it off. [But] this film will not become a cult favorite."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Albert Nobbs (2012)

"Glenn Close buries herself in the lead role, allowing others in her superb cast to shine ... this is one of those "period pieces" which transport you to another time & place ... more formal & slower-paced than our own. So be prepared to "settle in" a bit."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Take This Waltz (2012)

"Michelle Williams is always magical on screen...the wonderful surprise...is Sarah Silverman, who is tremendously poignant as Geraldine...When Polley focuses on her female characters, [the film] is wonderful, but when the men enter the mix, not so much. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Darling Companion (2012)

"This is Kasdan's 11th time in the director's chair ... the names have changed but the basic character types have remained the same ... Darling Companion has my highest endorsement: I laughed; I cried, I had a great time."

Jan Lisa Huttner

5 Broken Cameras (2012)

" After 90 minutes, the credits finally roll and I'm aghast ... Can this propaganda really be a candidate for an Oscar? ... If the doc that takes home this year's Oscar is 5 Broken Cameras, it will be a very sad night for me."

Jan Lisa Huttner

Yossi (2013)

"After [its] very promising set-up, Yossi goes badly wrong ... and even Ohad Knoller, such a vivid presence in great Israeli films ... can't make Yossi come to life on screen. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Hemingway & Gellhorn (2013)

"Sorry to say, I found HBO's new epic Hemingway & Gellhorn quite disappointing. Despite its 155 minute runtime the core of the film is muddled. And adoring scenes of Martha Gellhorn watching Ernest Hemingway type made me grit my teeth. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Free Men (2012)

"The trajectory is familiar ... [and] even though we know how it will end, what sets Free Men apart is filmmaker Ismael Ferroukhi's love for Maghrebi culture. As Younes learns, we learn too. "

Jan Lisa Huttner

Mahler on the Couch (2011)

"Mahler on the Couch ... [is] an aural and visual delight that simultaneously enlarged my mind and broke my heart ... the performers ... are all extraordinary ... [and] this beautiful film deserves to be seen on the biggest possible screen."

Jan Lisa Huttner

My Australia (Moja Australia) ()

"I am often frustrated by films with young narrators ... But Jakub Wróblewski won me over completely as Tadek ... [he] holds the film's center ... yet Aleksandra Popławska's powerful performance leads us to root for her despite her many flaws."

Jan Lisa Huttner