Shane Slater
Shane Slater's reviews (from any publication) always count toward the Tomatometer
because this critic is a Tomatometer-approved critic.
| Publications: | AwardsCircuit.com |
Movie Reviews Only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5/4 | 87% | The Fencer (Miekkailija) (2017) |
The Fencer is respectable, well-acted and ultimately heartwarming, but it's also forgettable.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jul 21, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 90% | The Untamed (La región salvaje) (2017) |
The Untamed is like a nightmare you're trying to recall a week after the fact. The details are murky, but you know it was absolutely deranged.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jul 21, 2017
|
| 2/4 | 8% | False Confessions (Les fausses confidences) (2017) |
False Confessions devolves into a mad -- and maddening -- string of mindgames.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jul 17, 2017
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| 3.5/4 | 100% | City of Ghosts (2017) |
Heineman wields his impressive strengths as a filmmaker, assembling powerful images that paint an unforgettable picture.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jul 6, 2017
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| 3/4 | 89% | The Ornithologist (O ornitólogo) (2017) |
Boldly blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, ensnaring the viewer in a mysterious and mesmerizing adventure.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jun 22, 2017
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| 3/4 | 91% | SCORE: A Film Music Documentary (2017) |
Delving into the film history and theory behind the music, Schrader crafts a delightful treat for movie fans.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jun 16, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 95% | Night School (2017) |
Andrew Cohn's observational style is worthy of praise ... but unlike the Black Lives Matter movement alluded to in the film, his approach is ultimately too passive.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jun 9, 2017
|
| 3/4 | 72% | The Commune (Kollektivet) (2017) |
While Vinterberg's mature, realist approach is commendable, the cultural atmosphere and unique characters beg for something more adventurous. ‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted May 19, 2017
|
| 2.5/4 | 33% | The Last Shaman (2017) |
The Last Shaman falls victim to its own ambition, providing merely a brief introduction to the complex topics ... wrapped up in its subject's intriguing quest.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted May 12, 2017
|
| 3/4 | 75% | A Woman's Life (Une vie) (2017) |
There's a sweeping grace ... with the lifeblood of the film being Chemla's transfixing performance. ‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted May 4, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 72% | Sleight (2017) |
Underneath the film's unconvincing portrait of urban woe ... is a well-paced superhero narrative that keeps you engaged.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Apr 24, 2017
|
| 2.5/4 | 88% | Heal the Living (Réparer les vivants) (2017) |
The ensemble gets to deliver emotionally resonant performances and Alexandre Desplat's score is suitably heart-stirring.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Apr 10, 2017
|
| 2.5/4 | 100% | Truman (2017) |
Darin's engaging performance makes it easy to sympathize with the protagonist's plight, but Truman provides little else to keep audiences enthused.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Apr 7, 2017
|
| 3/4 | 83% | God Knows Where I Am (2017) |
It would have been easy for the film to approach its advocacy role through sensationalism. But the film comes from an altogether more inspired and intimate perspective. ‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Mar 30, 2017
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| 3/4 | 95% | I Called Him Morgan (2017) |
This commendable sophomore feature provides a strong calling card for Kasper Collin's filmmaking skills.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Mar 22, 2017
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| 3/4 | 68% | Contemporary Color (2017) |
Bursting with the energy of live performance and the impressive artistic synergy of music, dance and acrobatics, this is a visual feast of epic proportions. ‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Mar 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | 90% | A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove) (2016) |
The film captivates with its inspired triumphs, sweet romance and utterly heartbreaking tragedy. ‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 9, 2017
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| 1.5/4 | No Score Yet | We Are Never Alone (Nikdy nejsme sami) (2016) |
Save from a few humorous moments playing off of the prison guard's paranoia, there's not much levity to be found in the plot.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | 69% | Joe Cinque's Consolation (2016) |
A misanthropist's delight, this unflattering portrait of Australian society truly gets under the skin.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | No Score Yet | Girl Unbound (2016) |
A triumphant profile of a young woman who is confident [and] brave.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 2.5/4 | 69% | Death in Sarajevo (2016) |
It all gets a bit too academic to fully keep your interest.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | 93% | Summertime (La Belle Saison) (2016) |
The moderate highs and lows of Delphine and Carole's may not go down as a classic love story. But the sincerity of its actresses (including Noémie Lvovsky as Delphine's quietly observant, unyielding mother) keeps you fully invested in their journey.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | 83% | The Brand New Testament (Le tout nouveau testament) (2016) |
While The Brand New Testament relies too heavily on surface level satire for my liking, its broad strokes are so cheekily amusing that the film is easy to recommend.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | 22% | Ma ma (2016) |
Though Ma ma's melodramatic DNA is hampered by Medem's austere aesthetic, there's still enough inherent emotional power to satisfy the casual arthouse crowd looking for alternative foreign fare this summer.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
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| 3/4 | 96% | Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (2017) |
Ultimately, Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe is less a character study than an evocation of a pervading state of mind. And in that sense, the film has unexpected contemporary relevance.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Jan 1, 2017
|
| 3/4 | 94% | The Innocents (Les innocentes) (2016) |
All these elements make for an impressive piece of cinema, finding poignancy within subtlety and beauty within the darkness.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 31, 2016
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| 3/4 | 94% | Sand Storm (Sufat Chol) (2016) |
The screenwriting in Sand Storm is truly exemplary, complimented by the vibrant cinematography and intimate direction.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 31, 2016
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| 3/4 | 100% | My Life as a Zucchini (Ma vie de courgette) (2017) |
Creates a deeply felt sense of tender fragility.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 19, 2016
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| 3/4 | 80% | Barry (2016) |
Rarely have the unique challenges of growing up biracial been captured with such keen empathy on screen.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 16, 2016
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| 3/4 | 94% | Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) (2016) |
An uncommonly observant film.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 13, 2016
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| 3/4 | 99% | Under The Shadow (2016) |
[Anvari] effectively gives the impression of both a literal and metaphorical hell on earth.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 12, 2016
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| 3/4 | 98% | Your Name. (Kimi No Na Wa.) (2017) |
Grippingly unpredictable and affectingly sentimental, Your Name is ultimately one of the most satisfying animated films of the year.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Dec 6, 2016
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| 3/4 | 83% | I Am Bolt (2016) |
There's not a dull moment in sight.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Nov 23, 2016
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| 3/4 | 88% | Apprentice (2017) |
Junfeng presents the grim world of the executioner to suitably unnerving effect.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Nov 14, 2016
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| 3/4 | 71% | Before the Flood (2016) |
A compelling argument for necessary action to combat climate change.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 100% | The Age of Shadows (2016) |
A cat-and-mouse game propelled by Jee-woon Kim's dynamite direction.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 24, 2016
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| 3/4 | 100% | The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Hymyilevä mies) (2017) |
Through Jarkko Lahti's skillfully internalized, soft-spoken performance, we see a mirror to our imperfect selves.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 18, 2016
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| 3/4 | 98% | Long Way North (Tout en haut du monde) (2016) |
Long Way North may not go down as a modern classic, but its sophisticated style and excitingly feminist approach should appeal to viewers of all ages.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 13, 2016
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| 3/4 | 100% | Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016) |
Macdonald vividly brings the thought-provoking spectacle of Cai Guo-Qiang's one-of-a-kind work to the screen.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 12, 2016
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| 3/4 | 82% | Chevalier (2016) |
With Chevalier, Tsangari provides a strong critique of masculinity. But one gets the sense that an even more effective satire lies within its premise.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 6, 2016
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| 1.5/4 | 78% | From Afar (Desde Allá) (2016) |
From Afar showcases a promising auteur in the making, but this lauded debut outing is ultimately a disappointment.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 6, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 73% | Valley Of Love (2016) |
When you bring together two giants of French cinema, you expect to at least get some A-grade acting. And thankfully, neither Depardieu nor Huppert disappoint.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Oct 3, 2016
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| 3/4 | 98% | The Fits (2016) |
The film envelopes you in its spellbinding narrative. ‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 2.5/4 | 86% | The Idol (Ya Tayr El Tayer) (2016) |
The Idol is a disappointingly run-of-the-mill biopic about a man who was anything but.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 89% | Loving (2016) |
One of the more authentic depictions of true, eternal love ever put to screen.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 74% | Nocturnal Animals (2016) |
What it all boils down to is a grand, sometimes overwhelming feast for the senses.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 67% | Free Fire (2017) |
Blessed with an irreverent British sense of humor from Wheatley and co-writer Amy Jump, Free Fire gets impressive mileage out of its simple shootout premise.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 87% | A Monster Calls (2017) |
It begs you to forgive any flaws ... for the sake of its important message. Under all its flashy visuals, it reminds us that life isn't a fairy tale.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 85% | Lion (2016) |
Lion is a triumphant celebration of the beauty of the human spirit.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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| 3/4 | 72% | The Birth of a Nation (2016) |
Alternately flat and overwrought, with flashes of brilliance in between, Parker conveys Turner's story like a spiritual elegy for the past.‐ AwardsCircuit.com
Read More | Posted Sep 28, 2016
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