Tomato A+ |
Mysterious Skin (2005) |
"Araki takes on child abuse and a few other institutions with a sledgehammer. The image of a "shattered kaleidoscope" is mentioned. The perfect representation for this America." |
Brandon Judell |
6/10 |
Off the Map (2005) |
"My mother's always told me . . . constantly . . . every day . . .every minute of the day, you know: "You're a great kid whatever, but stay as down to earth as possible."" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Old Joy (2006) |
"if you are not afraid of tranquility, if your favorite part of Antonioni's "Blowup" is the tennis game with the imaginary ball, or if you carry a joint in your Velamints tin, "Old Joy" will be your joy." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
One Bright Shining Moment (2005) |
"“The Establishment... has led us into the stupidest and cruelest war in all history. That war is political disaster - a terrible cancer eating away at the soul of our nation.”" |
Brandon Judell |
- |
Paradise Now (2005) |
"Making Nice with Suicide Bombers: An interview with Hanu Abu-Assad
" |
Brandon Judell |
- |
Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008) |
"From a tyrannical leader to child rapists, from the bombing of the infrastructure to starvation, from immeasurable fear to immeasurable courage, Pray the Devil covers it all." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
The Price of Sugar (2007) |
"In the end, this is a fevered tale of an outsider, spurred on by his belief in God, who believes his role in life is to save a people, and for a while it seems he is making a difference. What film can top that nowadays?" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Puccini for Beginners (2007) |
"Puccini is the joyously refreshing romancer that it tries so hard to be. Its success has a lot to do with its casting directors who have peopled both the major and minor roles with aplomb. Even off-off-Broadway legend Helen Hanft has a cameo." |
Brandon Judell |
Splat |
Roman de Gare (2008) |
"Where's Agatha Christie when you need her?" |
Brandon Judell |
Splat |
Saving Face (2005) |
"Saving Face is sadly far too relevant to dismiss." |
Brandon Judell |
Splat |
Scoop (2006) |
"Allen's Ultimate Schlemiel, no matter what he's being called, Danny Rose, Alvy Singer, or Sid Waterman, is always the same pint-size, uncoordinated, misanthropic, befuddled Jewish intellectual." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Sicko (2007) |
"SiCKO is, without argument, one of the most important films you'll ever see in your lifetime, which might be rather short depending upon your HMO." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Sidekick (2008) |
"You can easily tell that the budget was threadbare. In fact, the catering for the crew probably consisted of tap water and peanut-and-jelly sandwiches.
" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006) |
"John Waters Meets "Sleepless in Seattle" in this sweet, at-times "tasteless" comic concoction about romance, reputation, the need to confess, and the yearning of society to pigeonhole everyone with a one-dimensional label." |
Brandon Judell |
- |
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005) |
"Sophie's Choice" |
Brandon Judell |
Splat |
Splinter (2006) |
"As for Olmos, he has achieved more than most could have with an often cliched screenplay ("Homies are getting killed every day. It's sad." "Those are our f***en homeboys back there. Why don't you show a little respect?")." |
Brandon Judell |
Splat |
Sydney White (2007) |
"As for the creators' notions that all Jewish boys are Orthodox nerds with flopping peyos and that all homosexuals are drag queens, what the hell! It's only 2007." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato 8/10 |
Transamerica (2005) |
"Transamerica: What's your daddy's bra size?" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Tsotsi (2006) |
"Athol Fugard, not an objective observer here, has written that "Tsotsi" just might "rank as one of the best films ever to come out of South Africa," but he may be right." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Turtles Can Fly (2005) |
"Ghobadi Soars Again With Turtles Can Fly" |
Brandon Judell |
- |
Ushpizin (2005) |
""Ushpizin": A Fabulous Fable Comes to Life" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
V For Vendetta (2005) |
"Not unlike "Gattaca" and "Dark City," V for Vendetta" will assuredly bomb its way into a thinking man's cult film status.
" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
The Valet (2007) |
"One can see Moliére being jealous of the plot line, and Karl Marx applauding. You see capitalists who exploit the masses do not fare too well in this venture." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Venus (2006) |
"What makes Venus unforgettable is not the fine direction and script, or Vanessa Redgrave's startling cameo as Maurice's suffering ex-wife, or Whittaker's award-worthy debut; it's that the viewer can't draw a line between O'Toole's career and Maurice's." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Vivere (2008) |
"With truly fine performances, resulting in several riveting scenes, one can easily overlook the dingy cinematography and bothersome sound track to befriend this beguiling look at loneliness." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Volver (2006) |
"what we have here is an at-times plaintive love letter to women: a paean to their humor, their loyalty, and especially their ability to survive their encounters with cheating, lying fornicators who employ their penises as weapons of submission." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
Waitress (2007) |
"If you recall the long-running TV series "Alice," you'll pretty much be revisiting familiar territory. Sadly, though, no one belts out, 'Kiss my grits.'" |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
The Wall (2004) |
"Her film does, however, brilliantly demonstrate how this barricade is a metaphor for all that is wrong in the area. Sadly, it’s a concrete metaphor." |
Brandon Judell |
Splat |
Who's Camus Anyway? (2005) |
" Imagine stapling a Hitchcock coda to "Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo," and you're halfway there." |
Brandon Judell |
Tomato |
The Year of the Yao (2005) |
" . . . a study of culture clashes, the globalization of sports, and most of all the friendship of two guys thrown together by a wise Fate." |
Brandon Judell |
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