|
71%
|
The Source Family (2013)
|
"One of the most detailed looks at the inner workings of an American cult ever assembled."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
88%
|
Django Unchained (2012)
|
"The sometimes cartoonish and silly violence serves a purpose: It contrasts the moments of truly disturbing violence that Tarantino puts on display, always within the context of the brutality doled out to slaves at the hands of white masters."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
65%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
|
"Jackson seems to be going through the motions of epic fantasy filmmaking."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
75%
|
Killing Them Softly (2012)
|
"A political harangue with the blunt force of a shotgun stock to the temple, couched inelegantly into a generic tale of gangland justice and revenge; yet recognizing and even growing annoyed with its deficiences, I still sort of loved it."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012)
|
"What Wright has made here is a musical without songs. "
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012)
|
"A sly, deconstructionist approach to Bond combined with a climactic sequence that is hands-down the best, most gorgeously shot, and most breathtakingly thrilling in the franchise's history make this one of the most satisfying and well-made entries."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
90%
|
Holy Motors (2012)
|
"A film that not only demands repeat viewings but also makes that an attractive proposition."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
67%
|
Cloud Atlas (2012)
|
"A gorgeously shot package that blends the past, present, and future into diverse, lushly imagined realities that at least manage the task of feeling like they're from a single work. If only that work actually succeeded in fulfilling its lofty aspirations."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
68%
|
Wuthering Heights (2012)
|
"Even more striking than Arnold's impressionistic style is the way in which she strips these characters down to their abusive and vindictive cores. "
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
96%
|
Argo (2012)
|
"Easily Affleck's best directed film yet, Argo also ticks off a number of boxes on the Best Picture nominee checklist: grand scope, historical basis, uplifting story of human triumph. The movie's great escape sequence goes a little overboard,though."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
63%
|
Sinister (2012)
|
"...a bone-chilling occult thriller..."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
93%
|
Looper (2012)
|
"Part science fiction, part mob movie, and with a nice infusion of dark comedy at just the right moments, Looper is Johnson's best movie yet, and manages to be hugely entertaining, affecting, and thought-provoking. "
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
84%
|
Detropia (2012)
|
"Grady and Ewing, employing the observational, often visually poetic style that has become their trademark, capture this city at a crossroads."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
67%
|
Lawless (2012)
|
"The cinematic equivalent of a murder ballad: rambling, violent, and more concerned with style and presentation than meaningful character development. Which sounds like a complaint, but in the case of Lawless, is high praise."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
77%
|
Killer Joe (2012)
|
"Friedkin plays a trick that might be mean if it wasn't so fascinating to see him pull off, blending laugh-out-loud humor with absolutely repulsive images, forcing disoriented and unsettled audiences to wind up laughing when they should be disturbed."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
87%
|
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
|
"The degree of difficulty involved in balancing on that many knives' edges overlooking potential disaster is high, yet by the time the credits roll, there it is: Nolan sticks the landing."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
86%
|
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
|
"Ebullient and brimming over with imagination, this is easily one of the most unapologetically (and earnedly) joyful films you'll see this year."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
——
|
The Source ()
|
"The filmmakers give equal voice to all perspectives, reverential and critical, without ever pulling any punches when it comes to objectively putting on display the group's creepier and more dangerous practices."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
——
|
Bad Brains: Band In DC ()
|
"The filmmakers get access to a treasure trove of archival footage from the band's early days, but the question of what's going on with H.R., their erratic singer, is the one area of the film that feels frustratingly incomplete. "
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
88%
|
Tchoupitoulas (2012)
|
"Shooting in what sometimes approximates a semi-inebriated haze, and emphasizing the overlapping of diverse sounds coming from different quarters, Tchoupitoulas almost does manage to transcend the sight and sound limitations of cinema."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
94%
|
Wagner's Dream (2012)
|
"The first hour here is the most fascinating, as Froemke details the nuts and bolts of getting this massive undertaking off the ground. Once we get past the opening night of the first opera in the cycle, things start to get repetitive."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
——
|
Virgin Tales (2012)
|
"Even-handedness is the hallmark of von Arx's work here, and it's a breath of fresh air in an era when so many filmmakers treat documentaries as a bully pulpit."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
65%
|
Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey (2013)
|
"Without any real conflict, there's enough story here for 45 minutes to an hour, after which the filmmakers pad it with a brief history of Journey pre-Pineda and scenes from the tour and Pineda's new life; a passable feel-good doc, but not very memorable."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
74%
|
Prometheus (2012)
|
"An infuriating example of a film that holds huge potential and borders on greatness, but in falling just short of that mark feels little more than mediocre."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
97%
|
Monsieur Lazhar (2012)
|
"There's a lighthearted inspiration infused throughout Monsieur Lazhar that makes it also touching, but never maudlin. "
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
|
"Whedon delivers a thoroughly entertaining compilation of the best of these heroes while never hiding either his giddy love for the characters or the wry wit that has formed the bedrock of his career."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
38%
|
Dark Shadows (2012)
|
"Unfortunately, Burton abandons a promisingly quirky first half approach & undermines a hugely enjoyable Depp performance with an effects-heavy, action-packed second half that's neither funny nor thrilling, and mostly just boring. "
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
44%
|
J. Edgar (2011)
|
"A dreary slog through 40 years of history that were nowhere near as dull as what's onscreen here."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
65%
|
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles (2011)
|
"Detective documentaries, those that themselves attempt to unlock mysteries or follow subjects who do, can be some of the most satisfying to watch, and Resurrect Dead is no exception."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
100%
|
Better This World (2011)
|
"Better This World conveys the helplessness and hopelessness of what it's like to get caught in a system that, the film argues, values appearance over facts."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
|
100%
|
Hell and Back Again (2011)
|
"Danfung Dennis appears to set out to make a film on one subject, only to have an entirely new, much more compelling story emerge in the midst of shooting."
|
Ian Buckwalter
|
73%
20%
62%
85%
46%
40%
