Alissa Simon
Alissa Simon's reviews only count toward the Tomatometer when
published at the following Tomatometer-approved publication(s):
Variety,
Sight and Sound
| Publications: | Variety, Sight and Sound |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Score Yet | Scaffolding (2017) |
A troubled student is challenged by his literature teacher, who aims to open his narrow worldview to other possibilities.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 22, 2017
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| No Score Yet | The Other Side of Everything (Druga strana svega) (2017) |
Director Mila Turajlić examines Serbia's political history through the eyes of her activist mother in this engrossing doc.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 22, 2017
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| 86% | What Will People Say? (Hva vil folk si) (2017) |
The kinetically shot film brims with authenticity and immediacy and benefits from a deeply sympathetic turn from sublime discovery Maria Mozhdah as the lead.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 12, 2017
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| 13% | Euphoria (2017) |
Plays as if it might have come from Yorgos Lanthimos' bin of discarded ideas.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 9, 2017
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| No Score Yet | Granny's Dancing on the Table (2015) |
Both off-putting and engrossing, the pic marks [Hanna] Skold as an idiosyncratic talent.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Aug 14, 2017
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| 100% | The Girl Without Hands (La Jeune fille sans mains) (2017) |
The vibrant, Fauvist color-washes and overlays represent the film's most impressive element, recalling the cut-outs of Henri Matisse or the decorative work of Raoul Dufy.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Jul 17, 2017
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| No Score Yet | Out (2017) |
Terhes makes palpable Ágoston's optimism, loneliness and frustration - and he gets viewers to care about the character's fate.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted May 23, 2017
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| 91% | Tempestad (2016) |
The beautifully crafted and creative documentary Tempestad traces the stories of two women whose lives, through no fault of their own, became utter, incomprehensible nightmares.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted May 22, 2017
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| 100% | A Man of Integrity (Lerd) (2017) |
Although the film will be banned in its home nation, fests and niche arthouse distributors in most territories will welcome this brave, underground production for the way it manages to resonate on both specific and universal levels.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted May 22, 2017
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| 85% | The Teacher (Ucitelka) (2017) |
Although dealing with weighty matters, Jarchovsky's script (which is based on a real-life incident he experienced during primary school) is leavened with welcome humor and irony.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted May 15, 2017
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| No Score Yet | Ice Mother (2017) |
For the first time, older characters are at the heart of a Sláma film, and Kronerová and Nový repay the helmer-writer with warm, dignified turns that require both soul- and flesh-baring.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Apr 25, 2017
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| No Score Yet | Highway (2012) |
Low-budget, over-ambitious multi-strander from debuting helmer Deepak Rauniyar is more interesting for its glimpse of a politically tense, mixed-race society where tradition and modernity mingle uneasily than for the surfeit of uneven dramas.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Mar 7, 2017
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| No Score Yet | The Erlprince (2016) |
Gives an unorthodox spin to archetypes and confirms the helmer as a talent to watch.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Feb 24, 2017
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| No Score Yet | Fanny's Journey (Le voyage de Fanny) (2017) |
While the entire cast acquits themselves well, the impressive, nuanced camerawork by Pierre Cottereau (who also recently shot Christian Carion's WWII drama Come What May) is the film's strongest technical asset.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Feb 14, 2017
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| No Score Yet | 1945 (2017) |
A fresh, intelligent cinematic approach to a difficult topic that takes on a transitional time in Hungarian history with subtlety and nuance.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Feb 12, 2017
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| 100% | My Happy Family (Chemi Bednieri Ojakhi) (2017) |
An interesting sociological perspective on a changing patriarchal society.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Jan 23, 2017
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| 95% | The Women's Balcony (Ismach Hatani) (2017) |
A close-knit congregation fractures along gender lines after a catastrophe at their synagogue in this nicely observed dramedy.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 26, 2016
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| 100% | Window Horses (2017) |
An entertaining, educational, and poignant tale about identify and imagination that is filled with stories and poetry.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 17, 2016
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| 93% | All This Panic (2017) |
More remarkable for the way it looks than the actual, somewhat banal, girl-talk content.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 17, 2016
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| 100% | Wednesday, May 9 (Chaharshanbeh, 19 Ordibehesht) (2015) |
Three O. Henry-esque stories from contempo Tehran are woven together with mixed results in Wednesday, May 9, the debut feature of multihyphenate Vahid Jalilvand.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 6, 2016
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| 83% | Little Wing (Tyttö nimeltä Varpu) (2016) |
A tender-hearted coming-of-age story shot in a low-key, realist style ...‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 29, 2016
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| No Score Yet | Blindness (Zacma) (2016) |
Remarkable for its ability to put viewers inside the head of its complicated protagonist, "Blindness" is a high quality, old-style arthouse drama ...‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2016
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| No Score Yet | A Death in the Gunj (2016) |
Although Sensharma seems confident behind the camera, she directs her cast of name actors at too high a pitch. It becomes exhausting to watch their near-manic singing, dancing, and playing games.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 21, 2016
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| 78% | Past Life (2017) |
As the sisters lead them to desperately seek a path to forgiveness and peace for all concerned, Nesher expertly builds suspense while echoing and reinforcing their quest with the film's hauntingly beautiful musical choices.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 12, 2016
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| 100% | Barakah Meets Barakah (Barakah yoqabil Barakah) (2016) |
A smart, charming, and bittersweet tale about the Kingdom's millennial generation and their take on the social and political restrictions that stand in the way of meeting and mingling with the opposite sex.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 9, 2016
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| 71% | The Tenth Man (El rey del Once) (2016) |
This low-key romantic comedy marks a return to one of Burman's oft-repeated themes -- a son coming to grips with his relationship with his father -- and to the setting of one of his most successful features, Lost Embrace.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Aug 1, 2016
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| 71% | The Model (2016) |
A shallow but good-looking soap opera-like drama set in the world of high fashion.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Jul 27, 2016
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| No Score Yet | Normal Autistic Film (2016) |
A beautifully crafted, intimate, and revealing observational portrait of five youngsters with Asperger's Syndrome.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Jul 17, 2016
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| No Score Yet | Wolf and Sheep (2016) |
Although more compelling on a visual level than a narrative one, the movie represents an enticing festival and niche event item, as well as a vision of Sadat's homeland that is far different from what the media normally depicts.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted May 21, 2016
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| 79% | American Honey (2016) |
While some viewers may find the film's length (162 minutes) and a certain repetitiveness off-putting, it gives Arnold scope to capture the spontaneity and rawness of their lifestyle.‐ Sight and Sound
Read More | Posted May 19, 2016
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| 89% | Applause (Applaus) (2010) |
A fearless, tour-de-force performance by star Paprika Steen is the main attraction of the Danish drama Applause, about an abrasive, alcoholic actress trying to regain control of her life and custody of her young sons.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Apr 7, 2016
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| 90% | A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove) (2016) |
It's a heartwarming tale about a stubborn, short-tempered man with steadfast beliefs, strict routines and the feeling that everyone around him is an idiot - and no reticence about telling them so.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Mar 9, 2016
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| 95% | Min lilla syster (My Skinny Sister) (2015) |
Lenken excels at establishing a realistic relationship between Stella and Katja, and the actresses share good chemistry as well as a certain resemblance.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Dec 30, 2015
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| 100% | Le coeur de madame Sabali (2015) |
Expertly laced with visual humor, Sabali is a gorgeously stylized, wryly comic drama about a train-ticket seller with heart and relationship problems.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Dec 11, 2015
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| No Score Yet | Bota (2014) |
Compelling, surprising and tenderly performed, this low-key arthouse title deserves further distribution and clearly marks its co-directors as talents to watch.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Nov 30, 2015
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| No Score Yet | I dine hænder (2015) |
[A] provocative query into what makes life worth living.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 23, 2015
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| No Score Yet | No Land's Song (2014) |
[This] gripping chronicle of [composer Sara Najafi's] efforts covers a nearly three-year period and is as full of ups and downs as a roller coaster, and bursting with beautiful music.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 20, 2015
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| 67% | Tiempos Felices (2015) |
A smart, offbeat comedy about how hard it is to end a romantic relationship.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2015
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| No Score Yet | Three Windows And A Hanging (2014) |
As the woman who is victimized twice yet refuses to play a victim, theater thesp Cahani makes a strong impression in her first feature role.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 8, 2015
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| No Score Yet | Baba Joon (2015) |
Although some may find it a tad too sentimental and under-nuanced, the film depicts the ways of a community infrequently seen on Israeli screens.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 22, 2015
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| 96% | Rams (Hrútar) (2016) |
Rams is a touching humanist drama set in a remote farming valley where two estranged brothers must come together to save what's dearest to them: their sheep.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2015
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| No Score Yet | Mateo (2015) |
Told with passion and sincerity, this moral tale offers an audience-friendly blend of didacticism and naivete reminiscent of an Afterschool Special.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Aug 17, 2015
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| 65% | That Sugar Film (2015) |
With its peppy, pop style, complete with silly, colorful special effects and animation, this documentary should prove accessible to school-age viewers, who might profit the most from its frank information about sugar's effect on their minds and bodies.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Jul 13, 2015
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| No Score Yet | Tbilisi, I Love You (2013) |
This mostly disappointing valentine to the Georgian capital epitomizes the law of diminishing returns.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Mar 11, 2015
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| 50% | Mahi va gorbeh (Fish & Cat) (2013) |
Shahram Mokri's highly original second feature combines formal experimentation with a sly sense of humor and a surprising feeling for American genre conventions.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Feb 7, 2015
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| 100% | Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014) |
Blends intimate and unflinching medical details, poignant performance footage and a survey of its subject's place in musical history through well-chosen archival footage and interviews with other iconic performers.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Oct 21, 2014
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| No Score Yet | Kosac (The Reaper) (2014) |
Three intertwining stories add up to grim but compelling viewing in strong Croatian drama from Zvonimir Juric.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2014
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| 100% | The Grump (Mielensäpahoittaja) (2014) |
This comic romp boasts the sort of humor that can be appreciated by anyone who thinks the world is going to hell in a handbasket.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Sep 12, 2014
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| 89% | We Are Mari Pepa (2014) |
A middle-class Guadalajara teen with typical adolescent-male summer plans must come to terms with significant life changes in the tender, pitch-perfect coming-of-ager We Are Mari Pepa.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Aug 13, 2014
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| 67% | The Almost Man (2014) |
A slender but polished dramedy.‐ Variety
Read More | Posted Jul 30, 2014
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