Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 98%
| For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) | "
If imperfect, the film is also necessary." — Austin Chronicle Posted Oct 27, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Rotten 58%
| Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) | "
Swanberg can be playful behind the camera -- he has a taste for Godardian jump cuts -- and his sense of color is crisp. Gerwig, his millennial Jean Seberg, is no pixie; her captivating ordinariness helps hold the movie together." — Austin Chronicle Posted Oct 26, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Fresh 65%
| The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) | "
It really does smack of “chick flick.”" — Austin Chronicle Posted Oct 13, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 28%
| Trade (2007) | "
Tremendously sincere but at times brutal drama." — Austin Chronicle Posted Oct 6, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 11%
| Pathfinder (2007) | "
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who think slow-motion is cool and those who do not. If you are of the former, I can recommend Pathfinder." — Austin Chronicle Posted Sep 22, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 98%
| The Devil Came On Horseback (2007) | "
The film’s approach suits an audience broader than the usual documentary crowd, though it’s worth mentioning that those pictures can really stay with you." — Austin Chronicle Posted Sep 22, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 37%
| Milarepa (2007) | "
The movie is so oddly structured that it can’t sustain engagement on the story level; I wish I liked it more." — Austin Chronicle Posted Sep 21, 2007 |
Rotten 0/5
| Rotten 20%
| Rumor Has It... (2005) |
Click here to read article — Austin Chronicle Posted Sep 8, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 93%
| This Is England (2007) | "
Somewhere between the pop jouissance of Guy Ritchie and the social realism of Ken Loach, this ballsy drama freeze-frames bleak Thatcherite Yorkshire and exposes its racist underbelly." — Austin Chronicle Posted Sep 7, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 35%
| Self-Medicated (2007) | "
Even when it is inelegant, Self-Medicated is a compelling small-scale drama, and Lapica is a talent to watch." — Austin Chronicle Posted Aug 31, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 51%
| Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007) | "
In the final analysis, this Holiday is a so-so late summer diversion, unlikely to reignite Beanmania -- or repeat the previous film’s boffo box office." — Austin Chronicle Posted Aug 23, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 96%
| Triad Election (2007) | "
If it is too stylistically modest to win converts among the multiplex crowd, the film surely rewards followers of the genre." — Austin Chronicle Posted Aug 11, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 86%
| Gypsy Caravan (2006) | "
Throughout, the ebullience and passion of the music gives viewers a point of entry into what it means to be Roma, part of an ancient culture in a modern world." — Austin Chronicle Posted Aug 10, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 15%
| Underdog (2007) | "
The elements of the film don’t quite mesh: The villains are cartoony, but [director] Du Chau aims for soggy family drama in his father-son story." — Austin Chronicle Posted Aug 10, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 74%
| Sunshine (2007) | "
Problems arise in the film’s third act...and the film doesn't recover." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jul 27, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 54%
| Eagle Vs. Shark (2007) | "
Underneath the quirk there’s a real heart." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jul 17, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 78%
| You Kill Me (2007) | "
Ultimately the movie stands as a testament to grownup love, the kind where all faults are exposed and dealt with, one day at a time." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jul 13, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 85%
| Paris, Je T'aime (2007) | "
A slam-dunk for cineastes, romantics, and Francophiles." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jun 22, 2007 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 77%
| A Mighty Heart (2007) | "
The elliptical narrative also recalls Fernando Meirelles' somewhat similarly themed The Constant Gardener, a film ultimately more heartfelt and accessible to mainstream audiences because its maker is unafraid of grief and explores it more deeply." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jun 20, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 77%
| Crazy Love (2007) | "
The movie’s quirk isn’t forced; it sincerely ponders the nature of love and of human need." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jun 15, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 95%
| Offside (2006) | "
Its ruminations on secular Iranian nationalism are effectively couched within the characters, and the film, which won the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear but is banned in Iran, has a refreshing slyness to it, as if it’s getting away with something too." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jun 8, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 78%
| Surf's Up (2007) | "
As evanescent as sea foam. Greater effort has been directed toward its marine visuals, which are truly lovely but should support a stronger story and more memorable characterizations." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jun 7, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 77%
| 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama (2007) | "
A slam-dunk for history classes -- informative and challenging, touching on issues of free speech, modernity, democracy, and globalism." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jun 1, 2007 |
Rotten 0/5
| Rotten 2%
| Delta Farce (2007) | "
Is it funny? Not really. All of its subversive potential is wasted on [director] Harding, and even the straight-ahead farce is joyless." — Austin Chronicle Posted May 22, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 80%
| Chalk (2007) | "
The film is effective as situational workplace comedy but the air of futility is particularly thick for these working slobs." — Austin Chronicle Posted May 22, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 89%
| Waitress (2007) | "
The movie doesn’t stand in judgment of its characters, which will probably disappoint audiences who think it ought to, but its breezy tone and ultimately affirming message should please comedy fans with an appreciation for the offbeat." — Austin Chronicle Posted May 11, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 29%
| Next (2007) | "
More effort has gone into the effects, yet the action amounts to little more than dodging projectiles. I’m very concerned about director Tamahori, who used to make interesting movies about masculinity but doesn’t seem to have a grip on the helm here." — Austin Chronicle Posted May 4, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/4
| Fresh 75%
| Black Book (2007) | "
Verhoeven cites David Lean as an influence, and the film has Lean’s epic scope and crackerjack timing, if not his mannerly refinement. (The 145-minute running time zips right by.)" — Austin Chronicle Posted Apr 27, 2007 |
Rotten 2.5/4
| Fresh 69%
| Everything's Gone Green (2007) | "
[Actor] Costanzo is an appealing and likable young actor who carries the film easily; he gives the impression that he is thinking deeply and mildly amused." — Austin Chronicle Posted Apr 26, 2007 |
Rotten 0/5
| Rotten 16%
| The Condemned (2007) | "
The Condemned isn’t terribly effective as an actioner, despite a certain promise latent in its island-prison premise." — Austin Chronicle Posted Apr 26, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 39%
| Firehouse Dog (2007) | "
Perhaps the lesson to be learned is that just because we can use computer technology to give dogs goofy faces, that doesn’t mean we should." — Austin Chronicle Posted Apr 21, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 9%
| The Reaping (2007) | "
Chock-full of pointless backstory and convoluted flashbacks. The filmmakers intend to be mysterious, but it’s just murky." — Austin Chronicle Posted Apr 14, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Rotten 51%
| Color Me Kubrick (2007) | "
This is a kicky little movie." — Austin Chronicle Posted Mar 31, 2007 |
Fresh 3/5
| Fresh 86%
| The Prisoner Or: How I Planned To Kill Tony Blair (2007) | "
The film makes clear its point about the profound failures of justice caused by aggressive attempts at arrests and detention." — Austin Chronicle Posted Mar 30, 2007 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 47%
| Shooter (2007) | "
Less subversive and infinitely less intelligent than 1999’s Wahlberg-starrer Three Kings." — Austin Chronicle Posted Mar 23, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 91%
| Iraq in Fragments (2006) | "
The technique is more expressionistic than naturalistic, but it makes the film far more vivid and emotionally satisfying." — Austin Chronicle Posted Mar 17, 2007 |
Rotten 1.5/5
| Rotten 35%
| Reno 911!: Miami (2007) | "
A series of setups does not a movie make." — Austin Chronicle Posted Mar 10, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 85%
| Bridge to Terabithia (2007) | "
[Director Gabor] Csupo doesn’t condescend to his audience; the complications of grade-school life are extremely serious business to the people experiencing them." — Austin Chronicle Posted Feb 25, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 11%
| The Messengers (2007) | "
Feels like a movie you’ve already seen before but don’t quite recall clearly. Given its pedigree (Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert are among the producers) an audience might hope for more." — Austin Chronicle Posted Feb 17, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 76%
| Tears of the Black Tiger (2000) | "
Despite its layers of references and patina of kitsch, the movie is sincere at its core, inspiring indulgence of its tinted-sepia flashbacks of childhood meet cutes and its over-the-top, mustache-twirling rival (Kitsuwon)." — Austin Chronicle Posted Feb 15, 2007 |
Fresh 3.5/5
| Fresh 91%
| God Grew Tired of Us (2007) | "
The film affirms that if it is possible to survive when you have lost your home, family, and country, it is possible to start over and prevail." — Austin Chronicle Posted Feb 8, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 27%
| Smokin' Aces (2007) | "
Half the time the movie wants to be balls-out weird, and it is. But the other half -- the half with the good guys -- is plodding procedural fare." — Austin Chronicle Posted Feb 3, 2007 |
Fresh 4/5
| Fresh 89%
| The Aura (2006) | "
Visually, the film is almost perfect, with a weird, expressionistic sensibility considerably more sophisticated than the low-fi street shooting of Nine Queens, while the imaginative piano score trickles between pastoral harmony and primal discord." — Austin Chronicle Posted Feb 3, 2007 |
Rotten 1/5
| Rotten 21%
| Arthur and the Invisibles (2007) | "
The story is just incoherent, and the faster it moves, the more frantic it seems." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jan 27, 2007 |
Fresh 4/4
| Fresh 74%
| The Painted Veil (2006) | "
The movie is not grim, even as it endangers a wise nun and her gaggle of orphans in its most unfortunate melodramatic moments. Rather, it suggests the possibility of mutual healing, of people working together in love." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jan 4, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 69%
| Freedom Writers (2007) | "
If Erin Gruwell didn’t exist, screenwriters would invent her." — Austin Chronicle Posted Jan 4, 2007 |
Rotten 2/5
| Fresh 70%
| Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner (2006) | "
[Director Freida Lee] Mock’s approach to Kushner is so casual and friendly that it never steps outside of his own life for a glimpse of its context." — Austin Chronicle Posted Dec 30, 2006 |
Rotten 2/5
| Rotten 48%
| We Are Marshall (2006) |
Click here to read article — Austin Chronicle Posted Dec 30, 2006 |
Fresh 2.5/5
| Fresh 71%
| Dreamland (2006) | "
The performances are all fine, with Bruckner and Corbett the standouts as a parent and child with roles reversed after a death in the family." — Austin Chronicle Posted Dec 6, 2006 |
Rotten 2.5/5
| Rotten 46%
| The Holiday (2006) | "
It’s cute enough, but it lacks any sort of spontaneity or surprise." — Austin Chronicle Posted Dec 6, 2006 |
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