The Public (Buffalo)

The Public (Buffalo) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): M. Faust
Rating Title/Year Author
Official Secrets (2019) M. Faust Even though the story ends somewhat anticlimactically, it maintains a slow burn of outrage right to the very end. EDIT
Posted Sep 19, 2019
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (2019) M. Faust A Miracle of Miracles examines both the development of the much loved "dark musical" and its enduring popularity for audiences all around the world. EDIT
Posted Sep 17, 2019
Piranhas (2019) M. Faust Piranhas plays more like a teen drama in which organized crime is a backdrop. Director Claudio Giovannesi uses a fluid camera to track this mini-gang, holding us to their perspective. EDIT
Posted Sep 17, 2019
After the Wedding (2019) M. Faust It would have gone down better, had the film been honest about what it was up to right from the beginning rather than trying to hide its intentions behind a veneer of social responsibility. EDIT
Posted Sep 5, 2019
The Nightingale (2018) M. Faust The Nightingale treated me like a moral cretin who could only learn through the harshest distillation of human misery. I have better ways to spend my time. EDIT
Posted Sep 5, 2019
Tel Aviv on Fire (2018) M. Faust It's not big on belly laughs, but its genial illustration of the belief that all of these people are more similar than they are different makes it a most pleasant way to spend 100 minutes. EDIT
Posted Aug 16, 2019
Dogman (2018) M. Faust Garrone originally wanted Roberto Benigni for this role, for his ability to combine humor with pathos; the unschooled Fonte is able to provide those same qualities without the hysterical mugging Benigni often slips into. EDIT
Posted Aug 16, 2019
The Farewell (2019) M. Faust Wang does solid work in providing a range of characters to embody different aspects of the emigrant experience, and looks at the differences between those who left and those who stayed behind in unexpected ways. EDIT
Posted Aug 8, 2019
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018) M. Faust Hopefully the flashy result will encourage at least some young cineastes to look at more of Guy-Blaché's work. EDIT
Posted Jul 26, 2019
Echo in the Canyon (2018) M. Faust As infectiously fun as it is to watch musicians talking about music they love by other bands, you can't help but wish that they would explore that love in a little more depth. EDIT
Posted Jul 12, 2019
Yesterday (2019) M. Faust What would the world be like today if The Beatles had never existed? Spend a few moments musing on that. If you do, I guarantee that you'll come up with something more interesting than anything in [Yesterday]. EDIT
Posted Jul 3, 2019
The Biggest Little Farm (2018) M. Faust An entertaining and informative look at what it takes to build and maintain a successful small farm, giving ample evidence that small farms are the only truly sustainable ones. And it does so without any lectures on what you should and shouldn't eat. EDIT
Posted May 30, 2019
Trial by Fire (2018) M. Faust It's a powerful enough viewing experience, but it doesn't leave you with much hope for what to do about injustice. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2019
Ramen Shop (2018) M. Faust The name of Gordon Ramsey is invoked at least once, and you know he would approve of the movie's attitude toward cross-pollination of cuisines. You will learn more about Singaporean street food than ramen... EDIT
Posted Apr 11, 2019
Gloria Bell (2018) M. Faust I was left wondering why this engaging character's life had to be understood only in the context of the man who is unworthy of her. EDIT
Posted Apr 1, 2019
Transit (2018) M. Faust Rarely does a film engage both head and heart as fervently as Transit EDIT
Posted Apr 1, 2019
Meme (2018) M. Faust A fascinating independent feature. EDIT
Posted Apr 1, 2019
Hotel Mumbai (2018) M. Faust For what it is, it's flawless. But that's not to say that I'm recommending that you go to see it. EDIT
Posted Mar 29, 2019
Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018) M. Faust [Steve] Young is a genial enough guide, and [Dava] Whisenant illustrates the history of his quest with rare clips EDIT
Posted Mar 5, 2019
Arctic (2018) M. Faust The ending is a disappointment, so arbitrary that it seems to come simply because the film has gone on for as long as [director Joe] Penna cared for it to last. EDIT
Posted Feb 28, 2019
Never Look Away (2018) M. Faust Abstract as some of its themes are, Never Look Away is an absorbing story that seldom drags despite its length. EDIT
Posted Feb 28, 2019
Serenity (2019) M. Faust Unfortunately, that destination was a disappointment. But that's not to say that I didn't largely enjoy the ride provided by writer-director Steven Knight. EDIT
Posted Feb 7, 2019
Destroyer (2018) M. Faust While the plot, in which the old case is brought back to life by the re-emergence of a villain involved in it, has a nice twist at the end, that doesn't make up for the fact that the story otherwise doesn't make a whole lot of sense. EDIT
Posted Feb 7, 2019
Cold War (2018) M. Faust [Director Pawel] Pawlikowski movies history along with great economy and visual panache. EDIT
Posted Feb 7, 2019
Manbiki kazoku (2018) M. Faust Kore-eda elicits poignant performances from everyone in his ensemble, chose to accentuate the positive rather than dwell on the hardships. EDIT
Posted Feb 7, 2019
Stan & Ollie (2018) M. Faust As well as bringing their individual characters to life, Coogan and Reilly lovingly recreate Laurel and Hardy's signature routines. EDIT
Posted Jan 31, 2019
Ben Is Back (2018) M. Faust The pacing is the key element here by which the film engages our sympathies for these characters without sinking into melodrama EDIT
Posted Jan 17, 2019
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) M. Faust It is a film about soldiers, and one of the best ever made on the subject. EDIT
Posted Jan 17, 2019
The Mule (2018) M. Faust It's not a great movie, not by a long shot, but there's great stuff in it from an American filmmaker who is still full of ambition and surprises. EDIT
Posted Dec 20, 2018
Swimming With Men (2018) M. Faust The film manages to send you off smiling after an endearing post script... EDIT
Posted Dec 14, 2018
Maria by Callas: In Her Own Words (2017) M. Faust If you're not already a fan, though, you won't find much here to draw you in... EDIT
Posted Dec 14, 2018
The Mercy (2018) M. Faust If you're tempted to see this well-acted but dour drama, you might best be advised to read up on Crowhurst first: you still may not like it, but at least you'll better be able to appreciate the kind of movie that director James Marsh has made. EDIT
Posted Dec 14, 2018
The Favourite (2018) M. Faust The Favourite is a film that will be admired more than loved, but there's nothing at all wrong with that. EDIT
Posted Dec 14, 2018
The Front Runner (2018) M. Faust [Jackman] captures the self-confidence bordering on arrogance that blinded Hart to the precariousness of his position... EDIT
Posted Dec 3, 2018
What They Had (2018) M. Faust It's heartfelt, and generally thoughtful, but nonetheless awfully familiar. But that hardly matters when you have a cast like this. EDIT
Posted Nov 16, 2018
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) M. Faust The moment that will be McCarthy's Oscar clip (there's no doubt she'll get a nomination) comes when she stands before a judge and manages to be both contrite and yet triumphant... EDIT
Posted Nov 15, 2018
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017) M. Faust You're likely to be surprised at how much of a factor it has been in shaping our popular music, from blues and jazz through rock and roll and up to hip-hop. EDIT
Posted Oct 25, 2018
Chasing the Blues (2017) M. Faust A moderately pleasant movie that you keep wishing had a bigger budget and one more script re-write to develop more of its potential. EDIT
Posted Oct 12, 2018
Colette (2018) M. Faust The film is less about Colette in particular than it is about this unusual relationship of a dozen years, during which the traditional understandings of marriage were sundered on all sides. EDIT
Posted Oct 12, 2018
Lizzie (2018) M. Faust While [Sevigny's] performance is subtle, the story is anything but, hewing for the most part to known facts but filling them in with speculative details that make Lizzie a heroine for the modern era. EDIT
Posted Sep 19, 2018
The Wife (2017) M. Faust What's left is an uninvolving movie about characters that, despite the considerable abilities of the two stars, I found it impossible to care about. EDIT
Posted Sep 13, 2018
Wanda (1970) M. Faust It's not without it's rough edges, but it's well worth seeing, and wondering what might have been had Barbara Loden made more films. EDIT
Posted Sep 13, 2018
Pick of the Litter (2018) M. Faust Aside from more music than is necessary, Pick of the Litter eschews the schmaltzy, trusting the material to speak for itself. EDIT
Posted Sep 13, 2018
Memoir of War (2017) M. Faust Thierry's stoic performance and Finkiel's evocation of atmosphere envelop the viewer in a fever dream of dread. EDIT
Posted Sep 6, 2018
Juliet, Naked (2018) M. Faust Juliet, Naked doesn't have much of value to say about contemporary relationships, at least nothing that Hornby hasn't already worked to death, but it's generally good-humored. EDIT
Posted Aug 30, 2018
The Bookshop (2017) M. Faust No film that stars Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, and Patricia Clarkson could be counted as unwatchable, but this one has to go down as a dreary disappointment. EDIT
Posted Aug 30, 2018
The Little Stranger (2018) M. Faust Part ghost story (or maybe not), part dissection of the British class system, The Little Stranger envelops you in gloom in the model of great Gothic tales EDIT
Posted Aug 30, 2018
Puzzle (2018) M. Faust That Puzzle comes across as sincere but overdetermined may be the fault of its director, Marc Turtletaub...Puzzle certainly isn't a bad movie. It's mostly disappointing because it seems that it should be better than it is. EDIT
Posted Aug 23, 2018
BlacKkKlansman (2018) M. Faust Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman shows that entertainment and education do not have to part company in the hands of a skilled filmmaker. EDIT
Posted Aug 15, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) M. Faust It's great that commercial films are being made to appeal directly to groups that have previously been relegated to Hollywood's sidelines, but I can't get excited that they're being marketed the same generic crap as the rest of us. EDIT
Posted Aug 15, 2018