Tomato 8/10 |
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009) |
"Meticulous and fascinating, this stark look at ideological terrorism within a democracy . . remains gripping because of the three captivating central figures." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 2.5/5 |
Backstage (2006) |
"Almost unnervingly feral in the same vein as actresses Samantha Morton or Sylvie Testud, [Isild] Le Besco's hysterically-pitched outbursts overpower everyone else onscreen, even Emmanuelle Seigner's boozy, uninhibited Lauren." |
Kent Turner |
Splat 2.25/5 |
The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) |
"When the father and daughter are left to their own devices, the film plods along with four endings." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 7/10 |
Ballast (2008) |
"The Mississippi Delta was the birth place of the blues, and Ballast gives the region a comparable visual expression for both frustration and the resolve to survive." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Ballets Russes (2005) |
"The documentary suggests the elixir of youth may be found at the barre." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 7/10 |
The Band's Visit (2007) |
"Some of the humorous and touching explorations between the band and their hosts are predictable, but a sweet portrait of humanism amidst language and cultural confusion." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Splat 2.5/5 |
The Barbarian Invasions (2003) |
"And underwhelming is any film that uses footage of the attack on the World Trade Center for one of its few emotional jolts." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 10/10 |
The Beaches of Agnes (2009) |
"Brilliantly reinvents the autobiography in a glorious multi-media collage that eschews a standard biographical format, even as she incidentally provides facts." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato '3.25/5' |
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) |
"Rising French star Romain Duris' high-energy performance alone justifies director Jacques Audiard's remake of James Toback's grimy 1978 melodrama Fingers." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 10/10 |
Beaufort (2008) |
"Powerful portrait of an officer and his soldiers facing up to what it means to serve in an army of a fallible, democratic country that spins an explosive pyrrhic victory" |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Beauty Academy of Kabul (2006) |
"You would be blameless if you thought you had walked into another clever Christopher Guest mockumentary.
" |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Beauty in Trouble (2008) |
"Any A- or B- list actress would jump at the chance to work with the [screenwriters]." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 2.5/5 |
Becket (1964) |
"Most of the dialogue-driven scenes are a series of two-shots; which is great in seeing the sparks fly between two of the leading British actors of their generation, but plodding when it comes to pace." |
Kent Turner |
Splat '2/5' |
Bee Season (2005) |
"What was appealing and understandably reserved in print is practically glum on screen." |
Kent Turner |
Splat 2/5 |
Before I Forget (2008) |
"With verbose and eloquent characters (let alone the fog of cigarette smoke), Before I Forget won't easily shake off the label of a "French film," and all that that implies." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.25/5 |
Before Sunset (2004) |
"Thanks to the actors' chemistry and Paris, Before Sunset has an irresistible pull." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato '3/5' |
Before the Fall (2004) |
"Before The Fall packs a wallop, even if the ending is sentimentalized - the impact is more a jab than a right hook." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 6/10 |
Before Tomorrow (2009) |
"Episodic portrayal of Arctic women's role in physical and cultural survival, from feisty friends to storytelling as a nurturing rite of passage, but depressingly realistic." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Bellamy (2009) |
"Claude Chabrol's disappointing tribute to Georges Simenon and Agatha Christie ... is a pale follow-up to his baroque A Girl Cut in Two." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Best of Youth (2005) |
"The Best of Youth more than earns its running time." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 10/10 |
The Betrayal (2008) |
"Epic story of one man and his war-torn family, across continents, decades, and cultures, with the director remarkably along through 24 tumultuous years." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Beyond Belief (2007) |
"The invigorating Beyond Belief gets past the anger and exasperation that pervades so many films ... and is still as political as Fahrenheit 9/11 or Why We Fight." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
Beyond the Rocks (1922) |
"The new beautifully melancholic score by Henny Vrienten greatly adds to the atmosphere." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
The Big Animal (2006) |
"This film is a natural for tweens and teens, like The Yearling or the British film Ring of Bright Water." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 7/10 |
The Black Balloon (2008) |
"Director/writer draws on her personal experiences with frank honesty to lift this up from just another heartwarming movie about a family living with a special-needs teen." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Black Book (2007) |
"Verhoeven highlights how intricately plotted the script is. Turn away from the screen for a few minutes and a scene later on won't make sense." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
Black Gold (2006) |
"The film raises issues that were mere sound bites during the 2005 G8 Summit. All that's missing is Bono's seal of approval." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 2.75/5 |
Black White + Gray: A Portrait Of Sam Wagstaff And Robert Mapplethorpe (2007) |
"The film itself is staid in comparison to the descriptions of the '70s high life." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Blame it on Fidel (2006) |
"That [Kevel's] in almost every frame, with the entire film resting on her shoulders, makes documentarian Gavras's first feature even more remarkable." |
Kent Turner |
Splat 5/10 |
Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh (2009) |
"Meticulously researched actions of this idealistic young woman surmount the film's tone of an official eulogy, but it struggles throughout to bring her back to life size." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 6/10 |
Blind Mountain (2008) |
"Effective at showing how hard it is for even a spirited and educated woman to escape a community complicit in a brutal arranged marriage, but few characters have complexity." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Blind Shaft (2004) |
"The deliberately paced film, with understated performances..., is rich with ambiance, painting a memorable and lurid portrayal of China's economic boom." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi/Sonatine (2004) |
"With sword fights galore and geysers of blood, Zatoichi is sake-flavored popcorn." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 7/10 |
Bliss (2007) |
"Lovely, swirling cinematography and the novelist's own emotive score help gloss over stereotypes and some clunky melodrama. Realistic touches overall make it satisfying." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Splat 1/5 |
Blood and Chocolate (2007) |
"The only creature this heavily accented leader of the pack [Olivier Martinez] resembles is Pepé Le Pew." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Blood of My Brother: A Story of Death in Iraq (2006) |
"This unsettling and frequently chilling look on a mourning Iraqi family has an immediacy that's rare for a theatrical documentary." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
Blow-Up (1966) |
"Peter Brunette’s detailed and entertaining commentary refreshingly acknowledges that, at many points, 'Things don’t add up in this movie.'" |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (2003) |
"It’s sweet, with more than a hint of lemon." |
Kent Turner |
Splat 5/10 |
Bottle Shock (2008) |
"You can enjoy the mild bouquet of Bottle Shock as pleasantly sparkling, but it could have been plummier. Rickman sends up a full-bodied sneering British snob." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Boy A (2008) |
"The Manchester-set drama could be labeled as kitchen sink, but Crowley breaks free from that label." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
The Boys of Baraka (2005) |
"The Boys of Baraka generates its own disquieting form of suspense with its ambiguous open ending." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 7/10 |
Bra Boys (2008) |
"In-depth intimate portrait of how a tough Aussie environment within a larrikin culture of rebels with or without a cause has produced spectacular professional surfers." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Splat 2.5/5 |
Brand Upon The Brain! (2006) |
"It wouldn't be unfair to say one Maddin film is strikingly similar to another." |
Kent Turner |
Splat 1.5/5 |
Brick (2006) |
"Brick will make you dread high school all over again." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Bridge to Terabithia (2007) |
"Moving and well acted, the film is a throwback to the days, back in the '60s, when Disney (one of the film's producers) made ambitious live-action family films." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.5/5 |
Bright Leaves (2004) |
"[Director] McElwee is also the rare documentarian who allows for surprises—look for a giant rat in the background (you can’t miss the scene-stealing dog)." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 8/10 |
Bright Star (2009) |
"Sensitively, slowly explores the interplay between a living, breathing muse and an inspired artist. Quietly makes a Regent-era, circumspect romance palpable." |
Nora Lee Mandel |
Tomato 3/5 |
Brighton Rock (1947) |
"As brassy, boozy, and blonde entertainer Ida Arnold, [Hermione Baddeley] is a blast of smoky and stale music-hall air." |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3/5 |
Broadway: The Golden Age (2004) |
"A look at show business through rose-colored glasses" |
Kent Turner |
Tomato 3.75/5 |
Broken Embraces (2009) |
"Almodóvar enthuses Broken Embraces with the love of movies and moviemaking." |
Kent Turner |
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