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Doug Cummings

Tomatometer-approved critic
Publications:
Official Website:

http://www.filmjourney.org

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Ponyo (2008) 91% EDIT “At its best, this is a master working in a minor key; at its worst, it feels like a project in search of structure and conviction.” – MUBI Dec 13, 2017 Full Review Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) 92% EDIT “It's an affectionate tribute to the beauty of Parisian youth with a keen eye for the friction caused when whimsical idealism meets the messy demands of interpersonal reality.” – L.A. Weekly Mar 5, 2013 Full Review A Man Escaped (1956) 100% EDIT “A Man Escaped masterfully constructs the spaces -- physical and mental -- inhabited by Lt. Fontaine (played in a low-key register by an untrained actor, Franois Leterrier).” – L.A. Weekly Mar 5, 2013 Full Review Diary of a Country Priest (1950) 95% EDIT “Bresson's third feature and in many ways his first major work.” – L.A. Weekly May 5, 2011 Full Review Something's Gonna Live (2009) 100% EDIT “What sets the film apart are its tender sense of camaraderie (felt in many candid, informal conversations) and its thematic heft: these artists genuinely want to reflect the human condition, a value often lost in today's technological extravaganzas.” – Filmjourney Sep 15, 2010 Full Review The Secret of the Grain (2007) 92% EDIT “Through his superlative cast of performers, Kechiche's family portrait is a doting record of the innate resiliency of this beloved community.” – Filmjourney Apr 23, 2008 Full Review The Unforeseen (2007) 90% EDIT “It provides a multilayered examination of what it means for society to "develop" and "grow" while depleting its natural resources.” – Filmjourney Nov 14, 2007 Full Review The Testament of Dr. Cordelier (1959) 100% EDIT “It's the kind of role that can inspire brilliance, and Barrault is remarkable, suggesting a deranged mime who moves in a series of spasms and ticks before breaking into wild, inexplicable violence.” – Filmjourney Oct 31, 2007 Full Review Diary of the Dead (2007) 62% EDIT “This time out, the elements seem particularly impassioned and conscientiously formed.” – Filmjourney Oct 16, 2007 Full Review Blade Runner (1982) 89% EDIT “The film's noisy sound mix and congested pictorialism--as if it had been directed by a crazed, postmodern Von Sternberg--is a direct corollary to its moral ambiguity and sense of climactic human expiration (technological and social).” – Filmjourney Oct 8, 2007 Full Review The Violin (2005) 94% EDIT “by turns shocking, observant, picturesque, and thought-provoking, the film is a moving expression of the tumultuous existence of countless Mexican lives.” – Filmjourney Sep 26, 2007 Full Review Out 1, Noli Me Tangere (1971) 96% EDIT “Out 1 has been accurately described as a "film-fleuve," and though its current may be slow, its volume is massive; one could easily follow any one of its many tributaries to vast thematic territory.” – Filmjourney Aug 21, 2007 Full Review The Coward (1965) 100% EDIT “A deeply felt and observantly rendered mood piece that pivots on setting, camera placement, actor positions, and an editing structure that incorporates flashbacks via emotional associations” – Filmjourney Aug 21, 2007 Full Review Tekkonkinkreet (2006) 77% EDIT “If it doesn't quite achieve seamless plotting and colorful dialogue, it makes up for it by merging highly stylized animation with live action aesthetics in remarkably immersive ways.” – Filmjourney May 8, 2007 Full Review Cria! (1976) 100% EDIT “The film's vaguely uncanny and disquieting tone is due to several factors, including its emphasis on death, loss, and decay...In many ways, the film is a lament and warning for Spain's future.” – Filmjourney Apr 1, 2007 Full Review Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) 100% EDIT “Hollywood melodramas do not often compare to timeless masterpieces of world cinema, but this does, largely through McCarey's sophisticated blend of tragic pathos, psychological insight, and rich, knowing humor.” – Filmjourney Mar 21, 2007 Full Review Leyenda del tiempo (2006) EDIT “A seemingly effortless, but enigmatic and deeply engaging observation of modern San Fernando islanders.” – Filmjourney Mar 8, 2007 Full Review The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987) 100% EDIT “One of the more astonishing aspects of the film (one that also incriminates the viewer) is [its] shocking moral fury.” – Filmjourney Mar 8, 2007 Full Review Hamlet (1964) 100% EDIT “Kozintsev emphasizes the imprisoning moral architecture of Elsinore, not by obvious claustrophobic visuals, but by a rich, widescreen frame and purist, black-and-white imagery...” – Filmjourney Nov 7, 2006 Full Review Who's Camus Anyway? (2005) 88% EDIT “While it's chock full of film references, colorful characters, and social eccentricities, its true sophistication emerges gradually, posing complex questions about the roles of fantasy, identity, and volition in modern life.” – Filmjourney Nov 1, 2006 Full Review La commune (Paris, 1871) (2000) 100% EDIT “Filled with wall-to-wall political debate, pleas for social equality and critiques of power, the film is a furious, provocative, and rousing experimental documentary that reenacts the Commune's historical moment.” – Filmjourney Oct 27, 2006 Full Review The Road to Guantanamo (2006) 86% EDIT “To its credit, the film isn't sensationalistic nor is it political agitprop. While the violence is concrete and upsetting, it's virtually tame by contemporary Hollywood standards.” – Filmjourney Jun 22, 2006 Full Review Mr. Arkadin (1955) 72% EDIT “While the plot sometimes seems too fragmented for its own good, Welles' consistently inventive imagery nevertheless ensures that the action remains thoroughly engrossing.” – Filmjourney Jun 21, 2006 Full Review Cavite (2005) 73% EDIT “The film maintains an impressive narrative momentum throughout, but its documentary details make the biggest impression.” – Filmjourney Jun 13, 2006 Full Review The Buffalo Boy (2004) 100% EDIT “In a lesser film, the copious floods would signal pat themes of life and renewal, but Nguyen-Vo emphasizes the water's destructive power as well.” – Filmjourney Jun 6, 2006 Full Review
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