Too artsy for its own good.
Comment
02/06/08
Mala Noche (1985)
94
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:16
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.6/10
Synopsis: Shot on a shoestring in 1985, this gently paced debut from Gus Van Sant (DRUGSTORE COWBOY) follows liquor-store cashier, Walt (Tim Streeter), in his one-sided affection for Johnny, a Mexican day... [More]
Reviews for Mala Noche
1 - 18 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
The film is a study in infatuation and rejection, euphoria and frustration, and Van Sant observes their dance of desire and dismissal and wary coexistence without judgment.
12/13/07
Gritty, dirty, lyrical, altogether sensual.
11/05/07
Click to read the article
09/15/07
It serves as Milepost 1 on Van Sant's highway to success.
09/07/07
Even at the start of his career, Van Sant has always been an artist who has savored the bittersweet pleasure of sadness and pain.
09/01/07
Of all Van Sant's movies, Mala Noche is the rawest, most personal, and least freighted. It's the one fans should see for the simplest inkling into Van Sant's complex artistic roots.
06/15/07
Van Sant would later refine some of the blunter stylistic turns into a wondrous visual poetry; his ability to capture the addictive pull of desire, however, remains compelling even in its crudest state.
06/02/07
Underseen but not exactly neglected, Mala Noche isn't in the same league as the recent smash IFC revival of Killer of Sheep. But this small, sensitive, wondrously likable debut occupies a nearby nook in the DIY pantheon.
05/29/07
Offbeat, offhand, and at times off-the-wall.
06/24/06
Shot on a cutrate stock with meager budget ($25,000), Van Sant's debut, about a doomed romance between a liquor store clerk and a sMexican immigrant, shows an iconoclast with nihilistic sensibility and fresh POV on down-and-out characters in America.
05/02/06
A very well-made movie, terse and to the point, nicely photographed by John Campbell and written and directed by Mr. Van Sant with sardonic humor.
08/30/04
Top CriticVan Sant's frequently astonishing script is funny and passionate, his editing savvy, and his choice of music perfect as he freely and unapologetically celebrates Walt's love of Mexican boys.
07/30/03
Poignant and charming by turns.
05/24/03
This is a knockout debut.
05/24/03
Top CriticIt shouldn't be missed.
05/24/03
If witnessing raw talent at work excites you, then see this diamond-in-the-rough in its return engagement.
05/24/03
A richly beguiling experience.
05/24/03
Top Critic1 - 18 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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