Shane Slater

Tomatometer-approved critic

Publications: AwardsCircuit.com

Movie Reviews Only

Movies
TV

	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Review
3/4	84%	Les Misérables (2020)	The tensions are always simmering under the surface, aided by an intimate filmmaking style that feels as immediate as real time and as authentic as documentary. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 8, 2019
3/4	93%	Monos (2019)	Monos delivers a rich sensory experience. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 15, 2019
3/4	63%	The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (Wolkenbruchs wunderliche reise in die arme einer schickse) (2018)	Concluding on an unexpectedly ambiguous note, the clichés of the film are thus salvaged by a thoughtfully unorthodox outlook on Orthodox Judaism. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 11, 2019
2.5/4	95%	Ága (2019)	Despite the film's laborious pacing, its humanistic themes come together powerfully. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 22, 2019
3/4	96%	The Cave (2019)	The Cave is one of the most accomplished pieces of non-fiction filmmaking of the year. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 26, 2019
3/4	90%	Adam (2019)	Adam takes a simple premise and builds a rich exploration of its characters and their society. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 26, 2019
1.5/4	73%	Harriet (2019)	This underwhelming drama fails to truly capture the awe-inspiring efforts of its extraordinary heroine - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 15, 2019
3/4	88%	Hala (2019)	Hala is ultimately an insightful, touching character study that forces us to reconsider what it means to be female, Muslim and American. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 15, 2019
2.5/4	73%	Disco (2019)	The script ultimately falls short of its visual power. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 15, 2019
3/4	73%	Blackbird (2019)	The tender performances from its gifted cast elevate it to something worth seeing. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 15, 2019
3/4	80%	Instinct (2019)	A film that is at once challenging, frustrating, perplexing, and thoroughly fascinating. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 15, 2019
3/4	83%	Just Mercy (2020)	Cretton delivers a genuine crowd-pleaser. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 11, 2019
2/4	85%	Synchronic (2019)	Synchronic is an uneasy mix of film genres. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 11, 2019
3/4	95%	A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)	Eschews traditional biopic expectations for an endearing tribute to Mister Rogers' legacy of kindness and empathy. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 11, 2019
3.5/4	80%	Jojo Rabbit (2019)	Waititi keeps his distinctive voice in tact with Jojo Rabbit, a poignant anti-war satire that is also his funniest film to date. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 11, 2019
3/4	87%	What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? (2019)	A very specific slice of Americana. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 14, 2019
2.5/4	82%	Jirga (2019)	Expressed through raw performances ... the film's philosophical underpinnings ultimately strike a chord. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 1, 2019
3/4	99%	For Sama (2019)	For Sama ultimately resonates as a heartfelt love letter to Aleppo, its people and the power of goodness in the face of evil. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 25, 2019
3/4	60%	HERO: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life & Times of Mr. Ulric Cross (2018)	Solomon has crafted a worthy tribute to Ulric Cross and the founding fathers of Pan-Africanism. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Jul 1, 2019
1.5/4	69%	Three Peaks (2019)	Three Peaks seems to betray its characters for the sake of forced drama. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 27, 2019
3/4	96%	Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019)	Morrison and the film itself are intellectually stimulating and utterly refined. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 20, 2019
3/4	90%	The Third Wife (2019)	There's a subversive undercurrent to the film which manifests in genuinely surprising ways. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted May 16, 2019
3/4	95%	Shadow (2019)	Grabbing attention from the very first frame, there are few films as visually striking as Zhang Yimou's Shadow. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted May 2, 2019
3/4	80%	Sprinter (2019)	Plot threads play out in mostly expected ways. But Saulter elevates the material through the specificity of its Jamaican context. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 24, 2019
3/4	92%	Sauvage / Wild (2019)	The film initially feels aimless in its voyeurism, but it gradually reveals deeper layers through Félix Maritaud's touching performance. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 11, 2019
3/4	98%	Working Woman (2019)	While Aviad's subtle direction may not deliver riveting melodrama, it taps into deeply felt truths about gender and power dynamics. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 28, 2019
2.5/4	55%	Yardie (2019)	The committed performances and unique setting are wasted on a rather predictable revenge plot. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 14, 2019
3/4	98%	3 Faces (2019)	3 Faces poignantly examines the tensions within a society where art and culture don't always make a perfect match. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 8, 2019
2.5/4	64%	Memoir of War (La douleur) (2018)	A somewhat lifeless film saved by handsome production values and a strong central performance. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 16, 2018
3/4	100%	Supa Modo (2018)	A true delight in its unbridled humanity. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 10, 2018
2/4	93%	Village Rockstars (2017)	Das' warm direction conveys a palpable affection for these people. But the thin plot keeps the audience at a distance. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Dec 5, 2018
3/4	90%	Tito and the Birds (Tito e os Pássaros) (2018)	What makes it stand out among this year's animated films is the underlying philosophical themes which will spur conversations. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 26, 2018
3/4	61%	Sunset (Napszállta) (2019)	Like its beguiling lead actress Juli Jakab, "Sunset" is enigmatic, beautiful and full of grace. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 16, 2018
3/4	96%	Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) (2019)	A fascinating portrayal of a world we've rarely seen before. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 12, 2018
2.5/4	89%	Donbass (2018)	Like it or not, you won't see another war film like it this year. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Nov 7, 2018
3/4	98%	The Guilty (Den skyldige) (2018)	A tremendously involving film which will keep you guessing all the way up to its shattering conclusion. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 16, 2018
3/4	75%	Champions (Campeones) (2018)	The film is too entertaining to resist. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 12, 2018
2.5/4	97%	The Heiresses (Las Herederas) (2019)	The film succeeds mostly in Martinessi's direction. His shadowy visual aesthetic compensates for the narrative's shortcomings by evoking an absorbing sense of melancholy. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 4, 2018
3/4	95%	No Date, No Signature (Bedoune Tarikh, Bedoune Emza) (2018)	The journey towards the conclusion is a rollercoaster of raw emotion that deftly lays bare the fragility of humanity. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Oct 1, 2018
3/4	76%	Five Fingers for Marseilles (2018)	Though its opening act may hint at some missed thematic potential, fans of the Western genre will surely find much to appreciate in Five Fingers for Marseilles. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Sep 10, 2018
1.5/4	89%	John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (L'empire de la perfection) (2018)	The film approaches McEnroe like a special animal to be studied. But ultimately, the effect is more akin to counting sheep. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Aug 22, 2018
3/4	98%	The Cakemaker (2018)	It's a warm, empathetic and satisfying story. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 29, 2018
3/4	82%	Believer (2018)	...solid mainstream entertainment for those seeking slick production values, exciting action scenes, and an engaging storyline. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Jun 7, 2018
3/4	89%	The Desert Bride (La Novia del Desierto) (2018)	Garcia's nuanced performance is indeed a marvel to watch, guided by Atán and Pivato's humanistic direction and storytelling. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted May 4, 2018
3/4	80%	In the Last Days of the City (Akher ayam el madina) (2018)	While the film is shot with a loving warmth that conveys an almost perpetual 'magic hour', there's a distant feeling to the film's overly studied approach. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 26, 2018
2.5/4	53%	Godard Mon Amour (Le redoutable) (2018)	Part love story, part character study, and part homage, Godard Mon Amour is a mixed bag of cinematic tricks. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 20, 2018
2.5/4	96%	Zama (2018)	Lucrecia Martel remains one of cinema's best visual stylists. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 10, 2018
4/4	96%	Boyz n the Hood (1991)	All of these supporting characters proved indispensable to the film's lasting power. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Apr 2, 2018
3/4	77%	The China Hustle (2018)	An eye-opening yet somewhat underwhelming documentary. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 28, 2018
3/4	100%	Keep the Change (2018)	Israel delivers a precious take on the classic romantic comedy. - AwardsCircuit.com EDIT Read More \| Posted Mar 15, 2018