Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 71%
| The First Day of the Rest of Your Life () | "
Despite being engagingly acted and smartly structured, this ambitious effort from Rémi Bezançon ultimately presents a sentimental vision of la vie famille." — Channel 4 Film Posted Nov 20, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 92%
| Welcome () | "
Strong echoes of Michael Winterbottom’s In This World in this affecting immigration drama from French writer-director Philippe Lioret." — Total Film Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno () | "
Bromberg tells the fascinating story of a controlling director who was given free rein to push back the boundaries of cinema, only to find his own sanity jeopardised." — Total Film Posted Nov 6, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| Tales from the Golden Age (2009) | "
Shot with clarity and plenty of dry humour, this impressive collection of five short films is proof of the youthful vitality of the New Romanian Cinema." — Channel 4 Film Posted Oct 30, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| Katalin Varga (2009) | "
Newcomer Peter Strickland's slow-burning tale of female revenge in deepest Romania impresses with its pared-down storytelling, its eerie visual and aural atmosphere and the ambiguity of its characterizations." — Channel 4 Film Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 94%
| Katalin Varga (2009) | "
Deliberately paced, it has the timeless, brooding quality of a tragic folk tale, in which violence begets more violence. Strickland builds and sustains an ominous atmosphere through stark images, artfully heightened sound design and an otherworldly score." — Total Film Posted Oct 9, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 96%
| The Beaches of Agnes (2009) | "
Poignant and illuminating, it’s also suffused with Varda’s playful, eccentric spirit." — Total Film Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 100%
| The Army of Crime (2009) | "
Though it follows a familiar arc of assassinations and bombings that provoke savage reprisals, it doesn’t flinch from showing the French police’s role in rounding up and deporting Jewish citizens." — Total Film Posted Oct 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 40%
| Born in 68 () | "
Despite its admirable ambitions, Born in 68 feels like an inferior imitation of The Best Of Youth, with some talented actors let down by an inferior screenplay and unimaginative cinematography." — Channel 4 Film Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 40%
| Born in 68 () | "
Born In ’68 is blunted by a schematic screenplay and uninspired digital cinematography." — Total Film Posted Sep 25, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 36%
| Je Veux Voir (2009) | "
The images lack historical context, Deneuve seems ill-at-ease throughout and the film overall suffers in comparison with last year’s Lebanon-set Under The Bombs." — Total Film Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 77%
| Chevolution (2008) | "
This illuminating doc lucidly lays out the history, legacy and legal wrangles surrounding Alberto Korda’s iconic portrait of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara." — Total Film Posted Sep 18, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Big River Man (2009) | "
Maringouin artfully meshes music, editing and camerawork to nail the mental deterioration of his taciturn protagonist." — Total Film Posted Sep 4, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 61%
| Chiko (2008) | "
The feature debut of writer/director Özgür Yildirim, Chiko may offer a familiar account of ambition, excess and revenge in the narcotics biz, but it’s executed with assurance and acted with force." — Total Film Posted Aug 21, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Mid-August Lunch (2009) | "
Di Gregorio's directorial debut is an unpretentious delight. It may be small in scale but it's also warm-hearted, amusing and observant, and features endearing performances from its ensemble cast." — Channel 4 Film Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Mid-August Lunch (2009) | "
Appealingly acted by a mostly non-professional cast and propelled by a moving score, Mid-August Lunch proves how small can indeed be beautiful." — Total Film Posted Aug 14, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Home (2009) | "
Meier handles the tone-shifts with admirable assurance in this sweepingly shot fable." — Total Film Posted Aug 7, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 91%
| Cloud 9 (2009) | "
Cloud 9 is an impressively acted tale which avoids the traps of sentimentality and prurience." — Channel 4 Film Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 91%
| Cloud 9 (2009) | "
To its credit Cloud 9 doesn’t shy away from the physical intimacy experienced by its characters, nor the profound emotions which are unleashed by the extramarital affair." — Total Film Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| 35 Shots of Rum (2009) | "
The key events in this low-key film occur off-screen, but Denis and regular cinematographer Agnès Godard have the priceless ability to infuse the everyday with a magical dimension." — Total Film Posted Jul 10, 2009 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 91%
| Katyn (2007) | "
With its mournful score, muted cinematography and restrained performances, this is a work of sober commemoration, though the climactic depiction of the mass killing is justifiably harrowing." — Total Film Posted Jun 19, 2009 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 25%
| Shadows in the Sun () | "
A cosy Sunday-evening telly slot surely beckons." — Total Film Posted Jun 5, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 84%
| The Mark of an Angel (2008) | "
Predictable in places, but there’s much to savour here: dedicated performances, an atmospheric score, unsettling set-pieces (which are all viewed from Elsa’s troubled perspective)… and above all a satisfying sense of ambiguity." — Total Film Posted May 22, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 74%
| A Girl Cut in Two (2008) | "
An elegant, darkly amusing effort that relishes taking digs at the middle-classes while leaving its characters’ supposedly perverse acts firmly to our imaginations." — Total Film Posted May 22, 2009 |
Fresh
| Fresh 100%
| Playtime (1967) | "
An extraordinary combination of observational comedy and technical virtuosity." — Channel 4 Film Posted Apr 27, 2009 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 90%
| The Grocer's Son (2008) | "
A warm-hearted tribute to a disappearing way of life, the unhurried Grocer's Son is a well acted film where the journey is more important than the final destination." — Channel 4 Film Posted Apr 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 90%
| The Grocer's Son (2008) | "
Writer/director Eric Guirado lets events unfold at their own relaxed pace, and has a feel for simmering family resentments, while the wonderful Clotilde Hesme is effortlessly charming in the role of the free-spirited best friend." — Total Film Posted Apr 25, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 100%
| La Vie Moderne (2008) | "
The beautifully shot Modern Life is a richly compassionate tribute to its hardy subjects and their slowly vanishing way of life." — Total Film Posted Apr 3, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 85%
| Flame & Citron (2008) | "
Writer-director Ole Christian Madsen delivers plenty of excitement, but misses the tragic resonance of Jean-Pierre Melville’s recently re-discovered resistance masterpiece Army In The Shadows." — Total Film Posted Mar 6, 2009 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 92%
| The Lemon Tree (2008) | "
A poignant performance from Hiam Abbas lies at the heart of this allegorical drama which is sensitively observed and patiently directed by Eran Riklis." — Channel 4 Film Posted Dec 12, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 100%
| Conversations with My Gardener (2007) | "
This two-hander may not take many formal risks but it remains a gentle, humane work that's beautifully acted by Auteuil and Darroussin." — Channel 4 Film Posted Nov 21, 2008 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 64%
| Belle Toujours (2006) | "
Oliveira's slender Belle Toujours has a certain curiosity value for fans of Belle De Jour, even if it never matches the surreal brilliance of the earlier film." — Channel 4 Film Posted Nov 21, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 100%
| Heavy Load (2008) | "
The film demolishes stereotypes of the mentally challenged, celebrating the energy, desires and ambitions of its protags." — Total Film Posted Oct 3, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 85%
| Import/Export (2009) | "
A political film in the widest sense of the term, the strongly acted and dispassionately photographed Import/Export holds up a troubling mirror to our times." — Channel 4 Film Posted Oct 3, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 66%
| The Romance of Astrea and Celadon (2007) | "
Strip away the fey costumes, aristocratic nymphs, kindly druids and fairytale castles and what have you got? A typically Rohmerian exploration of courtship and fidelity among innocent young ’uns." — Total Film Posted Sep 12, 2008 |
Fresh
| Fresh 90%
| The Women (1939) | "
Directed by Cukor with his trademark elegance, and proof of the filmmaker's famed ability to direct female actresses, this sparkling satire on backbiting, privileged women continues to delight." — Channel 4 Film Posted Sep 11, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 86%
| Times and Winds (2008) | "
A lyrical yet unsentimental vision of childhood, directed with striking assurance by Erdem." — Channel 4 Film Posted Aug 29, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 50%
| Little Box of Sweets (2006) | "
A promising first feature from Das, the low-key Little Box Of Sweets returns to the filmmaker's rural Indian past to offer an atmospheric evocation of a particular time and place." — Channel 4 Film Posted Aug 15, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 90%
| My Life to Live (1962) | "
Jean Luc-Godard’s third feature fuses trademark stylistic playfulness with a stark portrait of the dehumanising nature of capitalist society." — Total Film Posted Aug 11, 2008 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 74%
| Elegy (2008) | "
This fails to do justice to Roth’s formidable prose." — Total Film Posted Aug 8, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 98%
| Blindsight (2008) | "
The ascent reveals a fascinating clash of values between the more gung-ho Americans (who are determined to reach the top) and the youngsters’ remarkable teacher Sabriye Tenberken." — Total Film Posted Aug 8, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 98%
| Blindsight (2008) | "
An accomplished work from documentarian Walker, who uses her battle-against-the odds story to illuminate how Tibetan society mistreats its blind citizens." — Channel 4 Film Posted Aug 8, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 88%
| The Pope's Toilet (2007) | "
El Baño Del Papa (which translates as The Pope’s Toilet) is an engaging and humane affair, never losing sight of its characters’ material hardships." — Total Film Posted Aug 1, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Floating Weeds (1959) | "
A thoroughly absorbing affair." — Total Film Posted Jul 28, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 90%
| Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame (2007) | "
Provides a heartfelt portrait of the desperate conditions endured by children in today's Afghanistan." — Channel 4 Film Posted Jul 22, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 20%
| Three and Out (2008) | "
Ostensibly a black comedy, this Brit road movie engages most in its more reflective moments, focusing on characters’ feelings of guilt, anger, sadness and regret." — Total Film Posted Apr 21, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 70%
| Private Property (2006) | "
Thanks to the acuity of their performances, the old adage “You always hurt the ones you love” rings new and true." — Total Film Posted Apr 18, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 88%
| Beaufort (2008) | "
The broader political questions aren’t addressed, but Cedar successfully conveys the boredom, fear and claustrophobia experienced by his conscript characters." — Total Film Posted Mar 28, 2008 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 91%
| The Italian (2007) | "
Vividly characterised and convincingly acted (not least by Spiridonov), it makes for a fascinating portrait of a post-Communist society beset by crime and despair." — Total Film Posted Jan 24, 2008 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 94%
| Our Daily Bread (2006) | "
The precisely composed result urges us to ponder the origins of the foodstuffs we wolf down each day." — Total Film Posted Jan 24, 2008 |
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