Alissa Simon

Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
Variety,
Sight & Sound
Movie Reviews Only
T-Meter | Title | Year | Review | |
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37% | Six Minutes to Midnight (2021) |
Unfortunately, the school's actual history remains more fascinating than the narrative written by Izzard, Celyn and Goddard. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 26, 2021
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64% | The Good Traitor (2020) |
Fascinating backroom politics circa WWII are undermined by banal marital melodrama in Danish director Christina Rosendahl's "The Good Traitor," resulting in a so-so period drama that raises more questions than it answers. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 9, 2021
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96% | The Man Who Sold His Skin (2021) |
On the whole, this is a stimulating work that highlights important issues and once again confirms Ben Hania as a rising talent. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 11, 2021
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90% | Rams (2021) |
Of course, the film's main selling point is the particular chemistry of its two leads. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 5, 2021
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No Score Yet | Broken Keys (2020) |
Keyrouz displays a talent for helming action and definitely knows how to build tension. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 29, 2021
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No Score Yet | My Favorite War (2020) |
Combines distinctive cutout animation with family photos and archival footage to forge a look at an authoritarian society through a young girl's eyes. - Variety
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| Posted Jan 22, 2021
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73% | Blizzard of Souls (The Rifleman) (Dveselu putenis) (2019) |
A naïve teenager comes of age amid the carnage of World War I's Eastern Front in this propulsive adaptation of Aleksandrs Grins' 1934 patriotic classic "Blizzard of Souls." - Variety
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| Posted Jan 6, 2021
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71% | Brave Miss World (2013) |
Linor Abargil bravely confronts her experience as a victim of sexual assault in an uplifting documentary that would benefit from a clearer focus and more precise assembly. - Variety
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| Posted Dec 7, 2020
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No Score Yet | Love It Was Not (2020) |
The result of long years of research, "Love It Was Not" is remarkable not only for its unusual central story and unique creative execution, but also for its extensive eyewitness testimonies. - Variety
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| Posted Nov 23, 2020
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No Score Yet | Focus, Grandma (Koncentrisi se, Baba) (2020) |
Although the storyline feels a tad familiar and the humor is less sharp than in alica's debut "Fuse," there is considerable pleasure in watching the talented players in the ensemble. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 17, 2020
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No Score Yet | Havel (2020) |
"Havel" doesn't let pesky facts get in the way of a good story. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 22, 2020
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No Score Yet | The Death of Cinema and My Father Too (Moto Shel Hakolnoa Veshel Aba Sheli Gam) (2020) |
Even though his ultimate concoction leaves an unpleasant aftertaste, it also provides a platform from which to consider what constitutes a cinematic memorial. And to think about cinema's capacity to turn back time, but inability to stop it. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 1, 2020
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No Score Yet | Picture a Scientist (2020) |
It might be a while before we instinctively picture a scientist as a woman. Still, this attractive, solidly-made documentary helps lead the way. - Variety
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| Posted Jun 17, 2020
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25% | The Price of Desire (2015) |
Sadly, the fact that Brady and Francesco Scianna, the actor portraying her lover Badovici evince absolutely no on-screen chemistry undercuts audience belief in their great passion. - Variety
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| Posted Jun 2, 2020
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86% | Moon Man (2013) |
Stephan Schesch's feature debut remains true to Ungerer's drawings, but the narrative has been expanded a tad beyond the patience of wee ones, and lacks enough satirical bite to make it a cult film for adults. - Variety
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| Posted May 1, 2020
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50% | The Mindfulness Movement (2020) |
Although the film doesn't go that deep... it could benefit from the curiosity of the anxious and distracted who are seeking tools to cope with stress. - Variety
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| Posted Apr 11, 2020
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95% | The Twentieth Century (2020) |
Even without prior knowledge of our neighbor to the north, it can be enjoyed for its combination of supreme creativity, jaw-dropping audacity and amusing tongue-in-cheek dialogue. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 7, 2020
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100% | Twilight's Kiss (Suk Suk) (2021) |
Strong performances by veterans Tai Bo and Ben Yuen make the protagonists' struggle concrete and affecting. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 6, 2020
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77% | H Is For Happiness (2019) |
Provides feel-good entertainment for the entire family without pandering - and definitely without sacrificing style or substance. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 24, 2020
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No Score Yet | Cook F**k Kill (2019) |
A playful, provocative exploration of family violence and dysfunction that uses repetition, transgression, black comedy, and folk tales to make its points. - Variety
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| Posted Dec 16, 2019
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71% | The Sleepwalkers (Los Sonámbulos) (2019) |
As the leads, the fierce Rivas totally convinces as the concerned mother, as does the stunning D'elía as the conflicted daughter. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 19, 2019
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60% | The Moneychanger (Así habló el cambista) (2019) |
A continent-hopping dramedy that's not very funny and never catches fire. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 17, 2019
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86% | Wet Season (2019) |
Without artificial-seeming contrivance, Chen masterfully builds resonance through rhyming scenes, repeated images and reoccurring dialogue. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 11, 2019
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88% | The County (Héradid) (2019) |
"The County" is full of feisty female energy and imagery, and sprinkled with rousing "you go girl!" comic moments. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 8, 2019
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96% | Incitement (2020) |
"Incitement" is a compelling watch... - Variety
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| Posted Sep 7, 2019
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62% | Edie (2019) |
The only thing that does not disappoint is the ravishing and varied landscape, even if it is shot a bit like a tourist board advertisement. - Variety
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| Posted Sep 4, 2019
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100% | Those Who Remained (Akik maradtak) (2020) |
Perceptively directed by Barnabás Tóth, it taps into a deep well of honestly earned emotion as it tells the story of two traumatized survivors whose relationship helps them to heal and provides them with someone to live for. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 31, 2019
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No Score Yet | Let There Be Light (Nech je svetlo) (2019) |
Although some may be frustrated by former documentarian kop's observational rather than overtly critical view of his country's rising nationalism, the film raises important and provocative questions for which there are no easy answers. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 9, 2019
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92% | The Cat Rescuers (2019) |
While the production package is merely workman-like, the commitment, honesty and heart of the main interviewees makes the material compelling. - Variety
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| Posted Jul 8, 2019
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71% | The Other Story (2019) |
A smartly cast and smoothly directed drama... - Variety
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| Posted Jun 24, 2019
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50% | Homeward (Evge) (2019) |
In addition to being short on character development and narrative logic, the universe of the screenplay penned by helmer Aliev and Marysia Nikitiuk, from an idea by first A.D. Novruz Hikmet, is definitely a male chauvinist one. - Variety
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| Posted May 29, 2019
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88% | The Swallows of Kabul (Les hirondelles de Kaboul) (2019) |
As a medium, animation suits this adaptation well; it would have been nearly impossible to shoot as live fiction or on location. - Variety
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| Posted May 16, 2019
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92% | The Unknown Saint (Le miracle du saint inconnu) (2019) |
A droll, entertaining, absurdist fable about spirituality and greed that signals an important new talent. - Variety
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| Posted May 15, 2019
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94% | A Regular Woman (Nur Eine Frau) (2020) |
Much more accomplished and watchable than Hormann's previous film about a real-life crime, "3096 Days," "A Regular Woman" owes much to its fine cast and impeccable technical package. - Variety
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| Posted Apr 28, 2019
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80% | Volcano (2018) |
An impressively shot drama marbled with welcome notes of absurdist comedy and wry humor... - Variety
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| Posted Apr 5, 2019
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No Score Yet | My Extraordinary Summer with Tess (Mijn bijzonder rare week met Tess) (2019) |
Straightforward youth cinema with surprising emotional depth. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 21, 2019
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64% | Ghost Fleet (2019) |
Kudos to Service and Waldron for their worthy efforts in bringing both a vile practice and an indispensable organization to public attention, but "Ghost Fleet" should not be considered the last word on either. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 21, 2019
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No Score Yet | Out of Tune (2019) |
Aided by notable production and sound design and a spot-on score, Aspöck achieves a tricky balance of tone and sets a snappy pace. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 11, 2019
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100% | Aurora (2019) |
It poignantly addresses some big themes - including the plight of asylum seekers and female alcoholism - while capturing the feelings of restlessness derived from being stuck in a remote place with a lack of opportunity. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 11, 2019
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88% | Let Me Fall (2018) |
Like Z's two previous features, it is strongly acted and sensitively directed. - Variety
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| Posted Oct 8, 2018
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No Score Yet | The Little Comrade (Seltsimees laps) (2018) |
An affecting and richly visualized coming-of-age story set in Soviet Estonia during the Stalinist terror of the 1950s. - Variety
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| Posted Oct 3, 2018
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78% | The Last Suit (El último traje) (2018) |
[A] touching, albeit occasionally heavy-handed, drama... - Variety
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| Posted Sep 19, 2018
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No Score Yet | Smuggling Hendrix (2018) |
[A] delightful, droll, and intelligent comedy... captures the absurdity and tragedy of a complicated political situation with a consistently light touch. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 25, 2018
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No Score Yet | Love 1. Dog (Dragoste 1: Câine) (2018) |
The fact that the screenplay leaves so many things undefined allows attentive viewers to become more involved in the story and fill in the narrative gaps in their own minds. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 20, 2018
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82% | Ruben Brandt, Collector (2019) |
While Krstić is especially good at providing noir atmosphere (jazzy, smoke-filled dives, ominous shadows, and references to Mike Hammer films), he positively excels at high-octane action. - Variety
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| Posted Aug 10, 2018
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100% | One Day (Egy nap) (2018) |
[An] intense, intimate work... - Variety
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| Posted May 22, 2018
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No Score Yet | The Gentle Indifference of the World (2018) |
Although Yerzhanov tries something new by gussying up the narrative with allusions to French New Wave amour fou and gangster noir, "Gentle Indifference" still feels like a slight knock off of his earlier work. - Variety
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| Posted May 18, 2018
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97% | Border (Gräns) (2018) |
An exciting, intelligent mix of romance, Nordic noir, social realism, and supernatural horror that defies and subverts genre conventions. - Variety
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| Posted May 11, 2018
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65% | Ramen Heads (2018) |
"Ramen Heads" may be a tad lacking in visual excitement, but it succeeds in imparting the ineffable appeal of Japan's national dish. - Variety
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| Posted Mar 16, 2018
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No Score Yet | Adam (2018) |
It succeeds as a showcase for the thesping talents of the helmer's athletic son (a producer as well), who essays the eponymous lead. - Variety
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| Posted Feb 28, 2018
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