Jan Lisa Huttner Movie Reviews & Previews

Critics » Jan Lisa Huttner

Jan Lisa Huttner

""I don't want to be part of your big push." ...LAWRENCE OF ARABIA"

Agrees with the Tomatometer 66% of the time.

Biography:: We're Jan & Rich of FILMS FOR TWO: The Online Guide for Busy Couples. We focus on identifying films that men & women can enjoy TOGETHER.
Favorites:: Jan's all-time favorite film is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Rich's all-time favorite film is GODFATHER PART II.
Publications:: DVDwolf.com , Films for Two

Total Reviews:: 130

Location:: Chicago, IL

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 130

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Rating	T-Meter	Title \| Year	Add Date
4/5	83%	Your Sister's Sister (2012)	" Your Sister's Sister is wonderfully acted and well-paced, with naturally-flowing dialogue and surprising plot twists. I came to care very much about these three people ... Shelton had my total attention from the first scene to the last. " — Films for Two Posted Mar 2, 2013
3/5	34%	The Lady (2012)	" Aung San Suu Kyi BioPic wastes the story of [an] extraordinary woman ... Michelle Yeoh certainly does her best with what little she's allowed to do ... This should have been the role of a lifetime for her... but instead it's a lost opportunity. " — Films for Two Posted Mar 2, 2013
4/5	55%	Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)	" Funny in the beginning; touching at the end. Highly recommended ... [Seeking a Friend for the End of the World] is as light as a feather, and I carried it with me for days afterwards." — Films for Two Posted Mar 2, 2013
3.5/5	79%	Ruby Sparks (2012)	" I am a fervent fan of Little Miss Sunshine, so I attended the Ruby Sparks screening with very high expectations ... there were many things I really enjoyed about Ruby Sparks, [but] there were also things that didn't quite work for me." — Films for Two Posted Feb 28, 2013
4/5	95%	Pariah (2011)	" Touching debut performance by Adepero Oduye, but what elevates this above a standard (albeit very well-done) 'coming of age' story is Wayans-outstanding as mother 'Audrey'." — Films for Two Posted Feb 28, 2013
3.5/5	50%	Mirror Mirror (2012)	" Somehow this team has made a perfect bittersweet confection, and I loved it ... Singh turns this oft told tale into a visual delight ... [and] I was frankly dazzled by [Julia Robert's] craft ... Brava!" — Films for Two Posted Feb 28, 2013
3/5	72%	Carnage (2011)	" Treating [Reza's] original script as sacred text ... [the] "less is more" adaptation becomes stagey and fake, and ultimately a waste of time and talent. This is a shame because Carnage is perfectly cast ... but in the end it's just not enough." — Films for Two Posted Feb 28, 2013
4/5	58%	La Rafle (2012)	" French actress Melanie Laurentis luminous as the moral center of La Rafle ... [and] for the most part, filmmaker Rose Bosch keeps our eyes focused on the abyss without clouding them with tears. Brava!" — Films for Two Posted Feb 24, 2013
3.5/5	65%	The Woman in Black (2012)	" Pure mindless fun with acommitted performance by Daniel Radcliffe. Kudos toJane Goldman foranother great genre-perfect screenplay." — Films for Two Posted Feb 24, 2013
4/5	70%	Thin Ice (2012)	" Beautifully cast new film by the Sprecher Sisters is a perfect dramedy: very funny AND very sad ... A full ten years after their wonderful film13 Conversations About One Thing the Sprecher Sisters have now done it again." — Films for Two Posted Feb 24, 2013
3/5	86%	Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)	" To be honest, I have mixed feelings about all of this ...but it's all been done with such dedication and youthful energy that reading over what I've just written makes me feel like a bitter old hag. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 24, 2013
3.5/5	2%	One for the Money (2012)	" Katherine Heigl's new film One for the Money is likeone long episode in aTV caper series,and fun in the same popcorn way." — Films for Two Posted Feb 23, 2013
3/5	33%	Musical Chairs (2012)	" Director Susan Seidelman's latest film is thin but enjoyable ... [and] as ridiculous as this premise may be, Seidelman & her charming cast actually pull it off. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 23, 2013
5/5	56%	In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)	" Angelina Jolie's remarkable new film-her debut film as writer/director ... pulls us into the heart of a terrifying recent conflict many Americans barely remember ...one of the Best Films of 2011! Brava, Angelina Jolie." — Films for Two Posted Feb 23, 2013
3/5	——	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)	" Even though I love the idea of an empowered heroine, I actually found the experience of sitting through The Hunger Games very tedious ... [there is] no attempt at a coherent backstory and minimal character development." — Films for Two Posted Feb 23, 2013
3.5/5	55%	Albert Nobbs (2012)	" Glenn Close buries herself in the lead role, allowing others in her superb cast to shine ... this is one of those "period pieces" which transport you to another time & place ... more formal & slower-paced than our own. So be prepared to "settle in" a bit." — Films for Two Posted Feb 23, 2013
3/5	——	Retrace ()	" Filmmaker Judit Elek has a distinguished career ... so I really wanted to like this film. But even though some of the scenes are beautifully filmed, I'm afraid I wasn't able to make the various pieces of the narrative fit together." — Films for Two Posted Feb 18, 2013
3.5/5	78%	Take This Waltz (2012)	" Michelle Williams is always magical on screen...the wonderful surprise...is Sarah Silverman, who is tremendously poignant as Geraldine...When Polley focuses on her female characters, [the film] is wonderful, but when the men enter the mix, not so much. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 18, 2013
3/5	67%	Friends With Kids (2012)	" I went in with high hopes, but midway through Friends with Kids, I knew I was destined for disappointment. Absolutely nothing in the Julie/Jason relationship felt real to me." — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
4/5	22%	Darling Companion (2012)	" This is Kasdan's 11th time in the director's chair ... the names have changed but the basic character types have remained the same ... Darling Companion has my highest endorsement: I laughed; I cried, I had a great time." — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
4/5	92%	A Simple Life (2012)	" Filmmaker Ann Hui hits a bull's eye with A Simple Life ... the performances are so heart-felt ... [and] Ip isexcellent ... anchoring the filmwith an outwardly gentle demeanor that always shows a glint of herspine of steel." — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
3/5	95%	5 Broken Cameras (2012)	" After 90 minutes, the credits finally roll and I'm aghast ... Can this propaganda really be a candidate for an Oscar? ... If the doc that takes home this year's Oscar is 5 Broken Cameras, it will be a very sad night for me." — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
4/5	93%	The Gatekeepers (2013)	" Aided by Oron Adar, his extraordinary editor, Moreh weaves [these six] stories together into a seamless whole that is both fascinating and heart-breaking ... The Gatekeepersis dry, analytical, and scrupulously balanced." — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
2.5/5	87%	Yossi (2013)	" After [its] very promising set-up, Yossi goes badly wrong ... and even Ohad Knoller, such a vivid presence in great Israeli films ... can't make Yossi come to life on screen. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
3.5/5	——	Salsa Tel Aviv ()	" This bubbly confection is the closest thing I've seen to...screwball comedy classic Bringing Up Baby in years...Salsa Tel Aviv is a guilty pleasure filled with music & dance plus adroit physical comedy and just a dash of social commentary." — Films for Two Posted Feb 17, 2013
2.5/5	——	Hemingway & Gellhorn (2013)	" Sorry to say, I found HBO's new epic Hemingway & Gellhorn quite disappointing. Despite its 155 minute runtime the core of the film is muddled. And adoring scenes of Martha Gellhorn watching Ernest Hemingway type made me grit my teeth. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 14, 2013
4/5	71%	My Name Was Sabina Spielrein (2002)	" Sabina Spielrein was, in fact, a tremendously interesting and important historical figure In her own right... [and] the details of her adult life are well presented in Elisabeth Marton's 2002 docudrama. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 14, 2013
3.5/5	75%	Free Men (2012)	" The trajectory is familiar ... [and] even though we know how it will end, what sets Free Men apart is filmmaker Ismael Ferroukhi's love for Maghrebi culture. As Younes learns, we learn too. " — Films for Two Posted Feb 14, 2013
3/5	33%	Off White Lies (2012)	" Off-White Lies is a promising first feature by director Maya Kenig ... [and] Elya Inbar gives a heart-rending performance ... [but, unfortunately, it] begins to unravel in the third act." — Films for Two Posted Feb 10, 2013
4.5/5	50%	Mahler on the Couch (2011)	" Mahler on the Couch ... [is] an aural and visual delight that simultaneously enlarged my mind and broke my heart ... the performers ... are all extraordinary ... [and] this beautiful film deserves to be seen on the biggest possible screen." — Films for Two Posted Feb 10, 2013
3.5/5	62%	It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl (2012)	" It Is No Dream offers the viewer a somewhat schizophrenic experience. While the story is fascinating, the storytelling is painfully pedantic ... after [a] riveting introduction, Trank slips back into a conventional chronology." — Films for Two Posted Feb 10, 2013
4.5/5	——	My Australia (Moja Australia) ()	" I am often frustrated by films with young narrators ... But Jakub Wr�blewski won me over completely as Tadek ... [he] holds the film's center ... yet Aleksandra Popławska's powerful performance leads us to root for her despite her many flaws." — Films for Two Posted Feb 10, 2013
2/5	73%	Dark Horse (2012)	" I honestly can't tell you what connects the various incidents on screen in Act Three. The narrative thread evaporates without a trace, and then suddenly Dark Horse is over ... there was a time I had high hopes for Todd Solondz." — Films for Two Posted Feb 10, 2013
4/5	80%	Wagner & Me (2012)	" Fry approaches [the] inflammatory image with care, ... McGrady ...knows how to let Fry be Fry, and I sincerely believe Jews everywhere are well-served by the humanistic lessons taught by this ebullient raconteur." — Films for Two Posted Feb 9, 2013
4/5	54%	Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story (2012)	" Yoni Netanyahu was a complex man of many accomplishments. In a summer season filled with overblown cinematic "superheroes," this genuine hero is an especially welcome presence. I urge you to see Follow Me." — Films for Two Posted Feb 9, 2013
5/5	74%	Julia (1987)	" Julia [is] an enormously inspiring film ... I was riveted. The narrative arc, anchored by fabulous performances, kept me in thrall ... Julia's messages are totally relevant to today; a welcome reminder of timeless ideals." — Films for Two Posted Feb 8, 2013
4/5	89%	Portrait of Wally (2012)	" Directed by Andrew Shea, Portrait of Wally ... tells a riveting tale in a dense and fact-packed 90 minutes. Either you'll be hooked or you won't, but ... [it is] a story brought vividly to life by a huge array of talking heads." — Films for Two Posted Feb 8, 2013
2.5/5	78%	A Dangerous Method (2011)	" One of our biggest disappointments at the 2011 Chicago International Film Festival ... Sadly, we found the film dull, pretentious, and egregiously miscast." — Films for Two Posted Feb 8, 2013
3.5/5	100%	Ritchie Boys (2006)	" In many ways, Christian Bauer's film is a standard "talking heads" documentary in which a group of senior citizens recount their wartime exploits, but these seniors had stories I had never heard before." — Films for Two Posted Feb 8, 2013
2.5/5	——	The Debt (Ha-Hov) ()	" Ha Hov is 97 minutess long and The Debt is 113 minutes long...16 additional minutes of character development and suspense, but this is the core of it....The Debt is about the future. In Ha Hov, all debts are debts owed to the past." — Films for Two Posted Feb 7, 2013
4.5/5	91%	Footnote (2012)	" If you laughed through your tears at Little Miss Sunshine, you will do so again when you see Footnote... Joseph Cedar has earned his place as an Oscar-nominated filmmaker-no ifs, ands, or buts! " — Films for Two Posted Feb 7, 2013
4/5	90%	In Darkness (2012)	" In Darkness is anchored by actor Robert Wieckiewicz's superlative performance ...[and] cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska...turns the sewers under Lvov into a realm filled with grace, warmed by an inner radiance that must be seen to be believed." — Films for Two Posted Feb 7, 2013
4/5	13%	W.E. (2012)	" I can't imagine how anyone other than Madonna could have pulled this off in such splendid fashion ... [Wallis is] played with heartbreaking perfection ... [and] what we see on the screen is as beautiful as what we hear on the soundtrack." — Films for Two Posted Feb 3, 2013
3.5/5	——	Be-rakia ha-hamishi ()	" We need great narratives like The Fifth Heaven ... the plot requires all of the women to submit, and each actress does an excellent job of showing how and why fate has trapped her so." — Films for Two Posted Feb 3, 2013
5/5	71%	The Loneliest Planet (2012)	" Julia Loktev's remarkable new film The Loneliest Planet ... is terrific, a masterful example of how film, as a medium, can ... make the world a larger and more vivid place than it ever could have been before." — Films for Two Posted Feb 2, 2013
4.5/5	95%	The Central Park Five (2012)	" First-time filmmaker Sarah Burns has just released a remarkable documentary ... kudos to Sarah Burns for her determination to tell this story; kudos too to Ken Burns and David McMahon for helping her tell it so well. " — Films for Two Posted Jan 31, 2013
3.5/5	87%	Middle of Nowhere (2012)	" [Middle of Nowhere] is riveting and entirely new. Every time Ava DuVernay points her camera at Ruby and the women in her world, this film soars, providing a significant and timely look at a deeply troubling aspect of American life." — Films for Two Posted Jan 31, 2013
4.5/5	63%	Anna Karenina (2012)	" Not only one of the best films of the year, but also one of the most innovative literary adaptations ever captured on film ... [Anna Karenina achieves] a level of physical beauty that expands the mind and pierces the heart." — Films for Two Posted Jan 31, 2013
4.5/5	94%	Zero Dark Thirty (2013)	" Bigelow has Maya get her hands dirty...that's one reason why she's able to be there at the end...the best thing about Zero Dark Thirty is Chastain's transformation from outsider to insider, from someone who follows orders to someone who gives them." — Films for Two Posted Jan 6, 2013

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