|
2.5/4
|
93%
|
Sugar (2008) |
"
Boden and Fleck are attentive to detail and the nuances of social interaction -- in the cornfields of Middle America as well as in the Dominican Republic. And Sugar is a thorny but endearing hero."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 20, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
71%
|
Ginger & Rosa (2013) |
"
Few other films have depicted so acutely the crushing disillusionment and infinite hope of growing up."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 20, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
33%
|
Upside Down (2013) |
"
Worth a look if only for the Caspar David Friedrich-inspired imagery and shots of Timothy Spall's teeth."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 15, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
15%
|
A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013) |
"
When the subtlest part of your film is Charlie Sheen's performance, you've got a problem."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 13, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
42%
|
The ABCs of Death (2013) |
"
Judging from their contributions, some of the filmmakers behind this 26-part anthology find death less fearsome than the thought of a cute girl farting."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Mar 13, 2013
|
|
|
60%
|
Rubberneck (2013) |
"
A disturbing and deceptively subtle psychological thriller ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
29%
|
Let My People Go! (2013) |
"
Though the film alludes repeatedly to the story of Exodus, it remains bound to hysterical stereotypes and hyperbolic plotting."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
50%
|
Habibi Rasak Kharban (Habibi) (2012) |
"
Based on a 9th-century poem about similar lovers at the mercy of historical turmoil, Youssef's debut film captures the ecstasy and desperation of frustrated passion as it presents a desolate portrait of Palestine today."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
70%
|
Stoker (2013) |
"
The power of the dream-like imagery lingers, and the horror felt is not visceral, but metaphysical."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 28, 2013
|
|
3.5/4
|
100%
|
Call Me Kuchu () |
"
[An] eloquent, devastating documentary ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 21, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
88%
|
White Zombie (1932) |
"
Occasional Ed Wood-like campiness notwithstanding, it established a genre that would rise from the grave whenever the economic state of the cinema age might summon it."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 13, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
45%
|
Beautiful Creatures (2013) |
"
LaGravanese at times spins striking images - a scene in which Ethan walks into a magical time warp is particularly nightmarish. But he also has a weakness for clichés; I guess he's been taking lessons from the wrong books."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Feb 12, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
39%
|
Parker (2013) |
"
I fear he might get beaten up at the box office ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 30, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
76%
|
Hors Satan (2013) |
"
God works in strange ways, especially when Bruno Dumont directs him. Or is that the devil?"
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 30, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
30%
|
Broken City (2013) |
"
To paraphrase Roman Polanski's masterful noir, it's not Chinatown."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 23, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
59%
|
The Last Stand (2013) |
"
That Second Amendment sure kicks ass."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 23, 2013
|
|
—
|
75%
|
A Late Quartet (2012) |
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 22, 2013
|
|
2.5/4
|
93%
|
Amour (2012) |
"
Two of the world's best actors, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, play Amour's octogenarian couple, so it's surprising that the characters aren't very interesting."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 17, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
——
|
Indelible Lalita () |
"
This gently inspiring documentary suggests that, at least in Lalita's case, identity can transcend all change."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
82%
|
Seven Psychopaths (2012) |
"
McDonagh achieves the tricky feat of balancing cleverness, carnage, and compassion."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 8, 2013
|
|
|
88%
|
Frankenweenie (2012) |
"
Extended to feature length, the premise doesn't thin out but gains substance and momentum. "
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
2/4
|
85%
|
Chronicle (2012) |
"
Such cleverness doesn't save the film from predictability and contrivance; it's a triumph of mindlessness over matter."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 7, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Looper (2012) |
"
Is it derivative? Not really; just a reminder that cinema, like history, is on a continuous loop, forever repeating itself."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
96%
|
Argo (2012) |
"
There are many heroes in Ben Affleck's spunky, polished political thriller. But the biggest hero is Hollywood itself."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
3/4
|
92%
|
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) |
"
Russell keeps the outcome interesting; he knows that every silver lining has a cloud. "
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 4, 2013
|
|
4/4
|
93%
|
Zero Dark Thirty (2013) |
"
Densely detailed, superbly shot and acted, illuminating and thrilling, it is the best film of 2012."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Jan 1, 2013
|
|
1.5/4
|
62%
|
Jack Reacher (2012) |
"
[A] flaccid thriller adapted by Christopher McQuarrie from Lee Child's series of novels."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 27, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
52%
|
Promised Land (2013) |
"
Van Sant's direction is as subtle as the fracking process itself."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 27, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
81%
|
Rust and Bone (2012) |
"
Cotillard's performance is a match for the histrionics, but Rust and Bone still could cut a lot of fat."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 19, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
65%
|
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) |
"
By the third time someone hangs by his fingertips over a gaping void, or Gandalf shouts "Run!" so they can flee the latest CGI monstrosity, the Lonely Mountain seems far away indeed."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 13, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
33%
|
Deadfall (2012) |
"
Holiday get-togethers traditionally spark family conflict, but this is ridiculous."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Dec 6, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
89%
|
A Royal Affair (2012) |
"
Chances are a movie about 18th-century Danish history might not be a grabber. But this one could have been ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 29, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
64%
|
Anna Karenina (2012) |
"
Though it distracts from the realism that makes the novel so immersive, the artificiality does highlight the most genuine aspect of the movie - the performances."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 15, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
93%
|
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters (2012) |
"
Ben Shapiro shot this documentary over 10 years and not only achieves a portrait of the artist but also captures the artistic process itself, following Crewdson from initial inspiration to finished product."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 13, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
53%
|
Simon and the Oaks (2012) |
"
The German occupation barely makes an impression in Lisa Ohlin's sluggish adaptation of Marianne Fredriksson's novel."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
89%
|
Lincoln (2012) |
"
Shot in sepia tints, with detailed period sets and ornate facial hair, the tableaux vivants that constitute Steven Spielberg's wry hagiography resemble Mathew Brady daguerreotypes, and are about as lively."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
92%
|
Skyfall (2012) |
"
Skyfall has earned the franchise the right to yet another sequel, if not another 50 years."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Nov 8, 2012
|
|
4/4
|
90%
|
Holy Motors (2012) |
"
The most brilliant and exhilarating film of the year."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 31, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
67%
|
Cloud Atlas (2012) |
"
The most disappointing film of the year."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 26, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
88%
|
The Big Picture (2012) |
"
A word of advice to anyone who kills his wife's lover, fakes his own death, assumes the dead guy's name, and flees to a seaside Balkan town: leave the camera at home."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 25, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
100%
|
High Ground (2012) |
"
Backed by the astounding beauty of the Himalayas, their struggle to reach the peak is healing for them and illuminating for the rest of us."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 25, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
94%
|
The Sessions (2012) |
"
A powerful expression of our common needs, fears, and consolations."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 25, 2012
|
|
2.5/4
|
95%
|
Sister (2012) |
"
Despite the twist at the end, this seems as rote as the circling ski lifts that are Meier's recurring metaphor."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 18, 2012
|
|
3.5/4
|
100%
|
Wake in Fright (2012) |
"
Orchestrates landscape, music, demonic faces, and lots of blood, sweat, and vomit into a stark bacchanalia of men having fun."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 11, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Girl Model (2012) |
"
David Redmon and Ashley Sabin's somber, sometimes poetic, Fred Wiseman-like documentary ..."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 11, 2012
|
|
|
99%
|
The Wizard of Oz (1939) |
"
When he is exposed by the indefatigable Toto, the Wizard reveals that ultimate Hollywood secret, that the reality doesn't matter as much as the image, that illusion is as effective as truth if believed in, if only for 90 minutes of screen time."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 9, 2012
|
|
1.5/4
|
32%
|
The Oranges (2012) |
"
In short, this is no Graduate; it barely makes it out of first grade."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 2, 2012
|
|
3/4
|
75%
|
Alps (2012) |
"
Helps make the case that Lanthimos might be a worthy, more entomological successor to Luis Buñuel."
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Oct 2, 2012
|
|
2/4
|
87%
|
Arbitrage (2012) |
"
Enough of all this whining about the millions of regular people ruined by the financial collapse of 2007 - how about a movie sympathizing with one of the unfortunate guys responsible?"
—
Boston Phoenix
Posted Sep 11, 2012
|
81%
70%
41%
