Fresh
| Fresh 64%
| The End of Poverty? (2009) | "
Documentary takes a unique and ambitious big-picture approach to a daunting, seemingly endless problem." — Film Journal International Posted Nov 13, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 71%
| Killing Kasztner (2008) | "
Biased as journalism but engrossing as a movie, this documentary about a controversial Holocaust figure should be taken with a grain of kosher salt." — Hollywood Reporter Posted Oct 20, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 85%
| Araya (1959) | "
Despite its age, Araya feels as current as ever." — Film Journal International Posted Oct 8, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 95%
| Crude (2009) | "
Involving doc about the devastating impact of oil exploration on Ecuador's rainforest community." — Hollywood Reporter Posted Sep 9, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Motherland (2009) | "
Affecting documentary about grieving mothers on a humanitarian trip to Africa." — Film Journal International Posted Aug 27, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| California Company Town (2009) | "
Lee Anne Schmitt's simultaneously haunting and tiresome documentary is like a New Age western with its fond look backward and harsh criticism of the present." — Hollywood Reporter Posted Jul 23, 2009 |
Fresh
| N/A | Unbeatable Harold (2009) | "
A good cast of character actors almost save Unbeatable Harold, yet another over-the-top Vegas comedy about lovable losers." — Film Journal International Posted Jun 11, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 18%
| The Big Shot-Caller (2009) | "
It is hard to see how "The Big Shot-Caller" will catch fire with audiences. From its awkward, ambiguous title to its lack of charismatic performers, this minor drama doesn't have many commercial prospects." — Hollywood Reporter Posted May 16, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 87%
| Jerichow (2009) | "
A modern-day, Teutonic Postman Always Rings Twice? Yes, Jerichow is just that, but minus the needed passion or suspense." — Film Journal International Posted May 15, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 18%
| The Big Shot-Caller (2009) | "
Yet another entry about a lonely person discovering him or herself through dance. Though bittersweet and nicely made, Marlene Rhein's feature offers nothing new." — Film Journal International Posted May 15, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Revue (2009) | "
Director Sergei Loznitsa says more about Soviet art and politics than any talking head or narrated documentary ever could." — Hollywood Reporter Posted May 14, 2009 |
Rotten
| Fresh 79%
| In a Dream (2009) | "
Almost too ready-made for a movie, this documentation of the lives of a troubled artist, his doting wife and his two grown sons should be dramatic and compelling, but comes across like a mockumentary of cinematic self-discovery." — Film Journal International Posted Apr 10, 2009 |
Fresh
| Rotten 20%
| Bob Funk (2009) | "
A solid cast helps this quirky little comedy of existential angst." — Film Journal International Posted Mar 20, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 58%
| Skills Like This (2009) | "
Adding to the glut of slacker-loser comedies, Skills Like This isn't particularly good or bad, just very average." — Film Journal International Posted Mar 19, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 68%
| The Cake Eaters (2009) | "
Pleasant, low-key drama about two small-town families with secrets. Though familiar in many respects, Mary Stuart Masterson's feature directorial debut has a quiet charm." — Film Journal International Posted Mar 16, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 17%
| An American Affair (2009) | "
JFK meets Notes on a Scandal meets Rear Window? An American Affair has some promise and potential, but its main ideas remain messy and undeveloped." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 27, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 80%
| Examined Life (2009) | "
Philosophy as a film subject doesn't usually sell many tickets, but hopefully Examined Life will be the exception. This penetrating documentary covers some of the more original thinking of the last several years through interviews with engaging pro" — Film Journal International Posted Feb 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 93%
| Must Read After My Death (2009) | "
It would take a pretty good filmmaker to turn Grandma's old home movies and audio tapes into something mysterious and chilling, but Morgan Dews has done that with this provocative documentary." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 20, 2009 |
Rotten
| Rotten 17%
| The Lodger (2009) | "
...The Lodger ends up just another modern-day policier, on the order of an extended "Law & Order" episode." — Film Journal International Posted Jan 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| California Dreamin' (2009) | "
Another rewarding dark satire from Romania, the feature debut of a director who died tragically young." — Film Journal International Posted Jan 26, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 75%
| Dust (2008) | "
Dust may not sound like the most mesmerizing film subject, but Dust makes it so. Hartmut Bitomsky's amazing documentary covers its subject almost as comprehensively as dust covers everything itself." — Film Journal International Posted Dec 17, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 50%
| The Beautiful Truth (2008) | "
An unusual and sobering documentary which turns conventional wisdom about health matters on its head." — Film Journal International Posted Nov 18, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 48%
| We Are Wizards (2008) | "
Josh Koury's lighthearted documentary may only appeal to the faithful, but, apparently, the faithful comprises an enormous number of people." — Film Journal International Posted Nov 14, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 28%
| The World Unseen (2008) | "
Possibly too restrained for its own good, the fictional story still makes a quiet impact." — Film Journal International Posted Nov 10, 2008 |
Fresh
| Rotten 50%
| Stages (2008) | "
Like an episode out of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, Stages distills the essence of a divorce into a few select moments. This Dutch import is hardly groundbreaking, but it captures human beings in existential crisis better than ma" — Film Journal International Posted Nov 7, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 94%
| Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) | "
Dear Zachary is a very difficult film to review or rate. This video missive from a man to his murdered friend's son is harrowing and heartfelt but also overemphatic. It seems cruel to criticize a loving, low-budget video production, but the fact is" — Film Journal International Posted Nov 7, 2008 |
Rotten
| N/A | Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe (2008) | "
Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe instantly recalls What the Bleep Do We Know? from 2004. But the mixture of jumbled narrative and metaphysical musings simply doesn't work." — Film Journal International Posted Oct 21, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Secrecy (2008) | "
Secrecy may sound like the latest grade-B horror flick, but it's a horror movie of another kind: a documentary exploring the history of U.S. government clandestiness." — Film Journal International Posted Oct 21, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 85%
| Frontrunners (2008) | "
Suh reassures us that democracy is alive and well (dispelling the myth of the apathetic young voter), while making us pause to consider the kind of people who emerge from the system." — Film Journal International Posted Oct 17, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 64%
| Beautiful Losers (2008) | "
Pleasing though less-than-profound homage." — Film Journal International Posted Aug 7, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 70%
| Full Battle Rattle (2008) | "
Educational and enlightening." — Film Journal International Posted Jul 14, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 83%
| Razzle Dazzle: The Lost World (2008) | "
It has a relevant and important style and message of its own." — Film Journal International Posted Jun 30, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| Times and Winds (2008) | "
Leisurely paced and beautifully lensed, yet reveals hard truths about human frailty in the face of social and familial ills." — Film Journal International Posted Jun 16, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 90%
| Operation Filmmaker (2008) | "
Despite the dubious moral of the film and on-the-fly camera technique, it is interesting to watch the pathetic story unfold." — Film Journal International Posted Jun 4, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 85%
| Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic (2008) | "
Despite some very good singing in the opera portions, Wonders Are Many is hard to take seriously." — Film Journal International Posted May 30, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Take Out (2008) | "
City guerrilla filmmaking at its finest." — Film Journal International Posted May 29, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 79%
| The Memory Thief (2008) | "
The film deserves qualified praise." — Film Journal International Posted May 14, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Unsettled (2008) | "
Hootnick's approach is far from perfect (formally or politically), but at least it is engaging and worth debating." — Film Journal International Posted May 12, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 86%
| Dare Not Walk Alone (2008) | "
Even though this production was completed in 2006, the racial politics of the current presidential election make his film all the more significant." — Film Journal International Posted Apr 25, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 70%
| Stuff and Dough (2008) | "
The American title doesn't do it justice, but Stuff and Dough is a small triumph." — Film Journal International Posted Apr 23, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 82%
| The Dhamma Brothers (2008) | "
If nothing else, it might change stereotypical perceptions about convicts and prison life." — Film Journal International Posted Apr 15, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 67%
| Young & Restless In China (2008) | "
Nuanced and emotionally bittersweet%u2014not nearly as propagandistic (in either direction) as some might expect." — Film Journal International Posted Apr 14, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 82%
| All In This Tea (2008) | "
Most of the footage is mundane stuff, following Hoffman around farms and factories. I wish the film had been more compelling." — Film Journal International Posted Mar 26, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 94%
| Jar City (2008) | "
While the murder mystery seems somewhat familiar, at least the style enriches the substance." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 29, 2008 |
Fresh
| N/A | State Legislature (2008) | "
As Wiseman's first film in his 40-year career to deal overtly with literal political matters, State Legislature stands apart." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 29, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 65%
| Ezra (2008) | "
Despite some strategic errors, director Newton I. Aduaka uses documentary techniques to inform a challenging and disturbing subject." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 13, 2008 |
Rotten
| Fresh 89%
| A Walk to Beautiful (2008) | "
At times, it becomes reminiscent of the well-meaning but racist documentaries of the distant past and suffers from an unintentionally patronizing Nanook of the North syndrome." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 17%
| How to Rob a Bank (2008) | "
How to Rob a Bank? How Not to Make a Movie." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 8, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 88%
| War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (2008) | "
War Made Easy contributes a significant argument and does a good enough job in a limited way." — Film Journal International Posted Feb 7, 2008 |
Rotten
| Rotten 53%
| Orthodox Stance (2008) | "
The film misses several opportunities to be more than a fawning portrait." — Film Journal International Posted Jan 25, 2008 |
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